AC repair inWalthourville, GA

Tramel Walthour is a 6-foot-4, 277-pound defensive lineman from Liberty County High School in Hinesville. That’s the same school that produced Richard LeCounte III, who played in 10 games as a freshman safety this past season. Walthour is one of the lower-rated recruits in the Bulldogs’ 2018 class. He rates him as the 627th prospect in America, the No. 48 defensive tackle and the No. 65 player in Georgia, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He has the unusual distinction of being one of only two commitments for the Bulldogs heading into Signing Day.

Biggest competition

There is no competition for Walthour. Absolutely none. Even though he didn’t sign in the early period last December, Walthour insists he’s not interested in any other schools. He did not take official visits to any other schools and he has no backup plan other than Georgia should he not end up there for whatever reason. He was recruited by Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee, among other schools.

Signing Day plan

Walthour will sign his letter of intent with the Bulldogs in a ceremony along with his teammates who are receiving college grants-in-aid on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET in the media center at Liberty County High School.

High school career

Walthour was an extremely productive defensive player for the Panthers. He finished with 233 tackles in his career, including 81 last season. He also had 7 sacks and 12 tackles for loss for Liberty, which ended its season in the Class AAA quarterfinals. He played in the GACA North-South All-Star Game in Macon in December.

Bet you didn’t know

Walthour earned the nickname “Midnight Train” because he sent out the tweet announcing his commitment to Georgia at 12:55 a.m. on a Monday night on Sept. 18. He actually lives in Midway, Ga., about 27 miles away from Liberty County High. But he suspects he has some family history on the other side of Hinesville in the city of Walthourville.

How might the Bulldogs use him

Though he’s listed as a defensive tackle, most projections have Walthour playing defensive end in college. He’s considered somewhat undersized for a 1- or 3-techinique SEC tackle, and his hallmark in high school has been his agility and quickness off the ball. He’s currently operating under a nutrition and weightlifting plan to add weight and hopefully get to 300 pounds.

Editor's Note: This story came in after our Jan. 15, print edition had gone to press. It will be in our Jan. 22, print edition.

Standing-room only Monday night during Walthourville’s inauguration ceremony where the new mayor vowed transparency under his administration.

At least 200 Liberty County residents and officials gathered in Pleasant Grove AME Church’s multipurpose building with dozens more overflowing out the door.

The crowd came to see the city officially bring aboard its five council members and new mayor, Larry Baker. Walthourville had not had a new mayor since 2008.

Between all the greetings and after-ceremony photos, Mayor Baker took a moment to reflect on his new role and what it meant to see so many show up.

“That told me that the people wanted change,” Baker said. “I’m excited.”

Before becoming mayor, Baker served as a councilmember.

“My first election was in 1999, so I ran on the slogan Man for the Millennium. And now we’ve changed to another decade,” Baker said.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson was in the number Monday night and later personally congratulated the Walthourville mayor. Johnson called Baker “a good friend for years,” referencing their work together during Georgia Municipal Association events. Johnson said it was important for him to take the time to be present.

“What affects Savannah affects Walthourville and what happens in Walthourville, Liberty County affects us in Savannah,” he said.

Johnson added that he was confident in Baker’s leadership.

“He’s a fine man who really loves his city, willing to work hard. He’s shown that before when he worked on council and I think the citizens of Walthourville are blessed to have him,” Johnson said.

Public involvement was important to Mayor Baker.

“We want to make sure that every citizen is involved,” Baker said in an interview after the ceremony. “We want to invite everyone in from Day One.”

Baker’s inaugural address also emphasized transparency, accountability, and being “excellent stewards of the citizens’ dollars.” He announced plans for a new public online finance system, to be called the Walthourville Wallet. He also plans to have a new multi-purpose facility built for youth and senior citizens.

Baker told Monday’s crowd that he was eager for what’s ahead and that he was “humbled, honored, and grateful,” for the citizens’ vote of confidence.

“I stand on the shoulders of great mayors before me who have guided this great city,” Baker told Monday’s crowd.

Of those mayors included Baker’s grandfather, Rev. Henry Frasier, Sr.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I love Walthourville and I look forward to working with our esteemed council members,” he said. “I assure you, the city as a whole will be at the forefront of every decision that we make.”

Baker makes Walthourville’s fifth mayor since the city incorporated in 1974.

Monday night’s inauguration included council newcomers, Bridgette Kelly and Sarah B. Hayes. Veteran councilmembers James Hendry, Charlie L. Anderson, and Luciria Luckey Lovette were also installed.

Walthourville City Council already is getting two new members. Now, the city also will have a new mayor.

Sarah B. Hayes, who gave up her council seat to run for mayor, beat incumbent Larry Baker 213-175 in a runoff for the position. Hayes and Baker were the top two vote-getters in November’s general election, but neither secured a majority, leading to Tuesday’s runoff.

Hayes edged Baker 8278 in early voting, and she took 123 of the 210 votes cast on election day. In all, Hayes, who was second in the general election, received 54.9% of the votes.

“This means the city of Walthourville can rest a little easy because the citizens know they will have someone in there fighting for them,” Hayes said, “who’s transparent, who’s honest and who has the best interests of the citizens at hand. “This is not something for me. I did this strictly for the citizens and for Walthourville to be a better place than it is right now. We have a long way to go, but together, with the citizens and the council we have we can do this. We will do this.”

Baker finished with the most votes in the general election, getting 200 of the 510 votes cast. Hayes, who is mayor pro tem on the council, received 130 votes.

Hayes said she went back to the same doors she knocked on before and expressed to the residents why it was important for them to vote again.

“I reminded them this is not over yet. I also reminded them I need your help,” she said.

Meanwhile, the city faces a deficit of several hundred thousand dollars in its budget and there is the potential of a property tax being levied to make up the difference. When residents talked to Hayes about the potential property tax, she said they asked how did the city get to where a millage rate was a consideration.

“When Mayor (Daisy) Pray left, we had a surplus,” Hayes said. “When your bills outweigh your resources, you have a problem, and that’s what happened.”

Hayes also pledged to broaden public input into the council’s actions.

“We’re going to do things right and we’re going to do things where we are transparent and have the citizens know every step of what we’re doing and be involved in it,” she said. “The whole agenda is going to change. Citizen input is going back on there. If you don’t know what the citizens want and don’t want, you’re working in the dark. I want to bring back a city of ethics, a city of citizen involvement and a city of transparency.”

While the council returns Bridgette Kelly and Luciria Lovette, there also will be two new members — Patrick Underwood and Robert Dodd. Hayes said she hopes there are no hard feelings between her and Mayor Baker.

“We love our city and we need to work together to make it a better place,” she said.

The Walthourville Meat Market held their inaugural Community Day this past Saturday Oct. 30. It was a fun-filled day in which many vendors came out to support not only the market but the community of Walthourville in general.

The inception for the idea came from one of the owners, Ron De Leon, who wanted to give back to the community for all the support and success that they’ve received over the last 18 years.

Many vendors were on display such as Tamara’s Tidbits, Sticker Dawg, the Classy Mobile Hookah Experience as well as the Paparazzi jewelry boutique and a children’s clothing boutique.

The meat market also provided free hamburgers and hot dogs at the event in addition to bounce houses and face painting for the kids in attendance.

DJ Julian Stokes was also there to provide music. Market owners Ron and Nicole De Leon were very grateful for the turn out and thanked the community for the overwhelming support their business has received over the years.

“We’ve been so grateful and blessed to able to be a part of Liberty County that we just want to be able to do something for the kids and for the people to show appreciation,” said Nicole De Leon. “I want to continue doing this every year.”

Mrs. De Leon wasn’t alone in her efforts as her entire staff worked extremely hard to make this a memorable event for those who came out. She also named Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman, Chief Max Brown, Police Chief Al Hagan of Walthourville and Mayor Larry Baker as strong components for getting the event started.

Mayor Baker was showing his unwavering support while at the event.

He still acknowledged the presence of COVID-19, but was delighted at the turnout and how it did not deter the community from coming out and having a good time.

“This is very exciting to see everybody come out,” said Mayor Baker.

He also shared the same sentiments in seeing this event becoming a staple in the community for years to come.

“We want to continue with events like this. We want to invite and involve citizens of Walthourville and our neighboring cities."

Mayor Baker also used the opportunity to plug an upcoming movie night on Dec. 23rd at 6 p.m.

Mrs. De Leon’s staff was equally as enthusiastic and supportive about the event and have high hopes for the future of doing things like this for the community.

“It’s just something small to put a smile on the community’s face and just give back to what they do for us,” said cashier/ floater Jerilyn DeLoach. DeLoach was also optimistic for the future of this event and saw it expanding even further in the years to come.

“We have a new restaurant opening,” she said. “We’re going to expand the meat market. The parking lot is going to be bigger. I see a bigger and better business opportunity that puts us in a position where can give more back to the community.”

In addition to all the vendors, Together We Rise was also onboard holding a local fundraiser for the community to try and get a burn clinic set up in Hinesville.

“We’re working towards physical and behavioral health for our patients,” said Kathleen Arnsdorff, a representative for Together We Rise. “It’s an outlet that they can get the treatments without having to be in an office. It is a very long process for healing and it takes years for full development.”

Ms. Arnsdorff also would like to participate in the Community Day event year after year and bring up awareness of this cause and she is truly appreciative for the support she has received for her efforts.

“We’ve had an amazing support system through the community and everyone has reached out in a miraculous manner,” she said. “Everyone from all ages, all colors, all sizes, all different disabilities have come together to help us.”

Together We Rise will also be involved in another charitable fundraiser this Saturday at Gata’s on Saturday, Nov. 6, during the Georgia-Missouri game. There will be a cornhole tournament and they will be selling raffle tickets at $5.00 apiece or five for $20.

The Walthourville City Council voted at a March 18 called meeting to advertise its first-ever property tax, the next step toward approving the new levy. The tax would not go into effect this year.

By law, Georgia governing bodies must advertise the proposed millage rate at least 7 days before the meeting where the millage rate is passed, both through a public notice in the county legal organ (the newspaper contracted with the county to publish such notices) and on the website of that city, county, or government entity. It also shall issue a press release to local news media outlets.

The proposal is for a 15-mil tax, meaning that property owners in the City of Walthourville would pay $15 for every $1,000 of their property’s assessed value. A mil is 1/1,000 of a dollar, which is smaller than a percent (1/100 of a dollar).

For example, if a house is valued at $100,000 for tax purposes by the Liberty County tax assessor’s office, its assessed (taxed) value is only 40% of that amount, or $40,000. That means the owner of that $100,000 house would pay 0.015 x 40,000, which equals $600 in annual city property tax. The meeting lasted just over two minutes and without comment by the mayor or council members, and was streamed live on the city’s Facebook page.

No other business was on the agenda.

The prospect of a millage rate drew criticism from some citizens at unofficial informational town halls and council meetings after a Georgia Municipal Association representative told the council in October 2023 that it had to take action to keep the city from losing its charter.

Last month, the council voted to approve a monthly fire fee of $31.60 through the end of this year. That fee goes only to the Walthourville Fire Department. However, city officials said, it frees up money in the General Fund that otherwise would have gone to the fire department.

Residents should see the first fire fee on this month’s water bill.

The council also says it expects to raise sanitation fees as it explores privatizing that department.

Councilman Mitchell Boston, who has been studying the city’s finances, has said the city should “get out of the sanitation business” because it does not bring in enough customer payments to offset the cost of bringing solid waste to the county dump.

Mayor Sarah B. Hayes, who served on the previous city council and ran because she said she wants to get the city back on track, stated after winning the November election, “It’s not about me, I don’t need a dime from the city. I’m very comfortable. I’m doing this for the love of the city and the citizens. What they stated about the millage rate is ‘How did we get this way? We had a surplus in the beginning.’ Now I went back and I looked at that. We were operating on a surplus. [Former] Mayor [Daisy] Pray, when she left, there was a surplus of money. But, from 2017 from my research, that surplus had dwindled down because, as you know, we don’t have taxes or any additional sources of income. We have our water and our sewer. So when your bills outweigh your resources, you have a problem. And that’s what happened.”

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.