Farmers, timber producers and other Georgians still suffering the effects of Hurricane Helene will get some relief under a budget signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday.
The amended 2025 budget also includes hundreds of millions of dollars to improve security at state prisons, expand access to fresh water along the Georgia coast, boost the state’s employee retirement system and other priorities. And it includes $1 billion worth of refunds for Georgia taxpayers.
Kemp signed the $40.5 billion budget surrounded by legislative leaders, who hailed the hurricane relief as a lifeline to desperate Georgians.
“Last year Hurricane Helene tore across southwest Georgia from Augusta to Valdosta, leaving behind what I believe and what I’ve seen, unprecedented destruction,” House Speaker Jon Burns said before the governor signed the budget.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The hurricane devastated large swathes of Georgia last September, causing an estimated $5.5 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural and timber industries. It also damaged 212,747 homes across the state and cost 34 Georgians their lives.
The budget includes nearly $863 million in storm-related spending. Much of it covers the state’s own costs for removing debris, rebuilding roads, repairing state buildings and other damage. Some of it covers state and local matching funds needed to obtain federal emergency relief.
Farmers and timber producers would get $285 million in disaster relief. Agricultural Commissioner Tyler Harper said farmers can apply for low-interest loans to repair structures, while timber owners can get grants to clean up fallen trees that have become a serious fire hazard.
The budget also includes $25 million for grants that nonprofits can use to rebuild or repair homes damaged by the storm.
Donna Lusk, president of Habitat for Humanity of Georgia, said the agency is already offering some assistance to storm victims. She said the new grant money would allow Habitat to hire subcontractors to speed up the rebuilding effort, rather than relying solely on volunteers.
Still, Lusk said repairing storm-damaged homes could take two to three years. She surveyed some of the damage in Augusta last week.
“I saw a lot of tarps on a lot of roofs,” Lusk said.
The storm relief package also includes money for hospitals, public libraries and other needs. Dr. Fran Witt, president of Effingham Health System near Savannah, praised Kemp’s support for $21.9 million in grants for 27 rural hospitals.
“As a rural hospital, our budget is lean, with most of our funds dedicated to patient care,” Witt said.
Storm damage is not “completely reimbursable or covered by insurance and FEMA,” he said.
Hurricane relief isn’t Kemp’s only priority. The budget includes an extra $345.9 million to improve safety and security in Georgia’s troubled prison system. The money would pay for new technology and infrastructure upgrades and other improvements.
The budget also includes new spending on a slew of construction projects. The spending includes $500 million to widen highways to keep freight moving and $265 million for local road improvements.
Kemp included $501.7 million to provide drinking water for the booming Savannah area, as well as water to serve the Hyundai electric vehicle factory that opened in October. Metro Savannah water providers face limitations on their main source, the Floridan aquifer, and the new money will expand the region’s ability to pull and treat surface water from the Savannah River.
Trip Tollison, president of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, called Thursday’s budget-signing “a monumental day for Savannah.”
The budget also includes income tax refunds to be distributed later this year. Individuals or married people filing separately would receive a refund of up to $250. Heads of household would get up to $375, while married couples filing jointly would receive up to $500.
Funding for the $1 billion refund would come from Georgia’s $16.5 billion reserve funds accumulated in recent years.
Kemp contrasted what he called Georgia’s fiscally conservative policies with those of states that are raising taxes to address budget deficits.
“In this state, we have a budget surplus, we’re cutting taxes, we’re giving a rebate,” Kemp said.
The amended ’25 budget sets a spending plan for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends in June. With that budget completed, lawmakers now will turn their full attention to the fiscal 2026 budget. The House of Representatives is expected to unveil its proposed 2026 budget as soon as next week.
Staff writer Adam Van Brimmer contributed to this report
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