PORT WENTWORTH, Ga. - TelAve -- The Chatham County Commission voted 7-1 on June 26 to deny the City of Port Wentworth's request for inclusion in the Chatham Area Transit (CAT) Tax District, ending more than a year of advocacy, financial contribution, and good-faith cooperation by the city to secure affordable and reliable public transportation for its residents and workforce.

The decision carries consequences that extend well beyond city government. Port Wentworth is home to a rapidly expanding business community anchored by proximity to the Port of Savannah. For many employers in the area, public transit is not a convenience, it is a necessity for their employees to get to work. Without a sustainable transit solution, businesses already navigating a competitive labor market face an added barrier to attracting and retaining the workforce they need to grow.

As a direct result of the vote, Mayor Tracy Saunders signed a formal notice of termination of CAT transit service effective December 31, 2026. "It is with a heavy and disappointed heart that I write to CAT today," Mayor Saunders said. "The City of Port Wentworth remains committed to public transportation in our community and hopes to return soon."

A Pattern of Contradictory Direction

The path to Thursday's vote was marked by conflicting signals from County leadership. Approximately 10 days before the vote, Chairman Ellis sent a letter to the City stating that he was neither willing nor able to place the matter on the Commission's agenda. Two days before the vote, the item appeared on the agenda without explanation.

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Commissioner Kicklighter, who seconded the motion to deny, offered comparisons to his time representing Port Wentworth more than two decades ago and acknowledged the impact of the vote on the city with a blunt four-word assessment. "It sucks for you," Kicklighter said. Port Wentworth has grown by more than 400 percent since the period Kicklighter last represented the area, adding thousands of residents and dozens of employers with needs that reflect an entirely different community than the one he once knew. For the nearly 19,000 residents and the businesses that depend on accessible transit, his summary of the situation may be the most accurate thing said in the chamber all day.

A Year of Good Faith Met with a Shifting Standard

Port Wentworth's pursuit of CAT Tax District inclusion began in earnest in June 2025, when the City formally passed a resolution requesting membership. Since that time, the City committed more than $400,000 annually from its General Fund to help support CAT's expansion to the west side of Chatham County, serving nearly 19,000 residents in an area with few transportation alternatives. The City's Memorandum of Understanding with CAT explicitly anticipated that future operating contributions would be offset by expansion of the CAT Tax District assessment area. Funding transit operations from general reserves was never intended to be a permanent arrangement.

Thursday's meeting revealed additional inconsistencies. Chairman Ellis stated that he did not receive the 2025 communication from the City of Port Wentworth, alerting him to the CAT agreement. His own letter from 10 days prior, however, demonstrated clear awareness of that history.

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City Manager Steve Davis expressed frustration with the outcome and with the reasoning offered by the Commission's majority. "The Georgia Constitution does not require a citizen referendum for inclusion in a transit tax district," Davis said. "By definition, this is precisely the role of elected City Council members: to cast votes in alignment with their constituents. The Port Wentworth City Council voted unanimously to be included in the CAT Tax District. That vote represents the voice of this community."

Davis's statement directly challenges the position put forward by Chairman Ellis during the meeting, in which Ellis cited the state constitution as requiring a public referendum before inclusion could be considered.

The Cost of Denying Inclusion

The Commission's vote leaves the City with no fiscally sustainable path to continue CAT service. Pursuant to Section 10 of its MOU with CAT, Mayor Saunders notified the Chatham Area Transit Board on June 26 that service will terminate on December 31, 2026.

The residents and employees who stand to lose the most are those on the west side of Chatham County who have come to depend on transit routes that Port Wentworth's Reserve Fund dollars helped make possible. For businesses that have built hiring and operations around accessible public transit, the termination of service introduces real uncertainty at a time of significant regional economic momentum.

Mayor Saunders said. "We want to be part of the CAT transportation district. Our efforts were not only in direct support of City of Port Wentworth residents, it was in direct support of Chairman Ellis' own One Chatham Initiative."