Incumbent Phil Kieffer says Effingham County can eliminate county property taxes on qualifying homeowners while managing continued growth. Write-in challenger James Daniels supports the goal of tax relief but questions how it will be funded, while calling for tighter controls on major developments, stronger public safeguards and greater transparency in county decision-making.
The Effingham Herald asked both candidates the same three questions about Project Camellia, property tax relief and growth. Their biographies and responses follow.
THE QUESTIONS
- Project Camellia
Effingham County’s proposed Project Camellia data center for OpenAI has generated questions about the project’s impact on nearby residents, water resources, electricity demand, noise and the environment. What conditions, safeguards or enforceable commitments do you believe should be in place to protect residents, and what role should the County Commission play in ensuring those protections are met?
- Property Tax Relief
Effingham County has launched Project Zero, with the goal of eliminating county property taxes on qualifying homesteads, and commissioners recently backed a proposal to increase the senior school tax exemption from $20,000 to $100,000. Do you support these approaches to tax relief? How would you ensure the county can sustain meaningful tax relief over the long term while continuing to fund public safety, roads and other essential services?
- Growth and Development
As Effingham County attracts major industrial investments and continues to grow, how would you determine which development projects are appropriate for the county? What changes, if any, would you make to ensure residents have a meaningful voice in development decisions before those decisions are made?
JAMES DANIELS
Write-in candidate
Biography
I’m James Daniels, running as a write-in for District 5 county commissioner. I’ve lived in Rincon my entire life, and so have my parents. My grandparents lived here most of their lives. My wife and I have been married for more than 13 years, and we have two wonderful kids, both in elementary school in Effingham County’s public schools.
I own and operate Trademark Truck Lines. I built it from nothing and have done every job in the company, from driving and mechanics to payroll, policy and project management. I have never held public office.
People who know me know I give 100% to my family, my work and my friends. Putting that same effort into this race is a big deal to me, and I don’t take it lightly. I’m running because the seat had only one name on the ballot, and voters deserve a choice.
My approach is simple: Put it in writing, explain it in plain English, and let people be heard before the vote.
Project Camellia
Any project this size should automatically be a conditional use. That doesn’t mean it isn’t allowed. It means the Board of Commissioners has full control over whether it goes in and on what terms, after a public hearing. When the zoning table was changed in December 2025, data centers became a permitted use in two industrial districts, and that control was stripped away. The county is now talking about making future data centers conditional. It’s the right move, but it should have been done in the beginning.
The same goes for the agreement. The IDA’s agreement with OpenAI should have been written to hold the company to its promises before it got the go-ahead, not negotiated afterward. The “Done Right” handouts promised an $80 million community fund, closed-loop cooling, no groundwater wells, 300-foot buffers and annual independent audits. None of that is in the signed agreement. It calls for 400 jobs, not the 1,000 on the handouts, and the company could fill 60% and owe nothing if it meets its investment target. Promises without teeth mean nothing. Look at DRT. Neighbors are still fighting that odor years later.
These protections should be in writing before any project like this is approved.
- An independent water study, a hard cap on use, no wells in the Floridan aquifer, and a yearly public report.
- Residents never pay for the substations and power lines built to serve it, and no one is forced to give up land for them.
- Measured noise limits at the property line, including low-frequency hum, with monitoring and penalties big enough that it never makes sense to just pay them.
- Real buffers from homes and schools, including Creekside Elementary, which touches the site, and Blandford Elementary, less than a mile away.
- Shielded lighting so neighborhoods aren’t lit up all night, wildlife-safe fencing, and construction traffic kept off school routes.
- Jobs for locals, clawbacks with teeth if jobs fall short, and a decommissioning bond so taxpayers never pay to clean up an empty building.
Property Tax Relief
Yes, I support the goal of Project Zero, and yes, I support raising the senior school tax exemption to $100,000. Seniors on fixed incomes shouldn’t be taxed out of their homes, paid off or not.
But from what I can tell today, it’s Project Discount, not Project Zero. School taxes, most of the bill, stay. The IDA’s 2 mills can come back whenever it’s ready, because that waiver is voted on yearly. The IDA’s $30 million a year lasts three years. The credit on this ballot is paid only from a surplus, and the commissioners who write the budget decide whether there is one and how much goes to the credit. The long-term plan, LHOST, is a 1-cent sales tax to pay for homeowner relief. It isn’t on this ballot and hasn’t been approved. Taxes don’t go away. They shift onto renters, small businesses and anyone who owns a home they don’t live in, like a house for elderly parents.
To make relief last while funding the basics, I’d push for these:
- Public safety, roads and drainage funded first.
- An independent, outside forensic audit of where the money has gone the last few years, including cost overruns.
- A public budget for year four and beyond, before the IDA money runs out.
- A reserve fund for bad years, so we don’t get an unexpected property tax hike.
- Impact fees, so growth pays for the roads and services it needs, not us.
Growth and Development
Effingham has grown more than 40% since 2010, from about 52,000 people to more than 74,000. We can’t stop growth, but we get to choose what kind.
Every project should be judged first on one thing: Is it good for the quality of life of everyone in this county? Then I’d ask these questions:
- Does it create meaningful jobs for locals?
- What does it do to our environment?
- Does it support local business, with subcontract and maintenance work going to companies here?
- Is it sustainable, and does it pay its own way? Roads, water, drainage, fire and EMS have to be ready first, and if they’re not, the developer pays for the infrastructure it needs.
Those questions should be answered in public before approval, not after. Big projects, industrial or housing, shouldn’t be a permitted use. They should need a conditional use and public hearings.
Residents also need these changes:
- Two plain-English sentences on every agenda item and notice, saying what it is, where it is, what it changes and what it costs.
- Full contracts posted seven days before any vote.
- Public comment before every vote, whenever someone is there to speak.
- Both public hearings: Planning Board and Board of Commissioners.
- IDA board seats opened to public applications.
- Anyone with a business, family or board tie to a deal steps out of the room.
PHIL KIEFFER
Republican · Incumbent
Biography
Serving the people of Effingham County’s 5th District has been a tremendous honor. In addition to serving the residents of our county, I have operated Phillip Kieffer Construction for 20 years. I specialize in commercial construction and focus on helping small businesses grow. Projects I have been involved with include the medical offices, restaurants and day care facilities that serve our community. I am an active and lifetime member of Springfield Oaks Church. My wife and I have three sons who also call Effingham County home.
Project Camellia
The most important job I have as your county commissioner is to ensure the health and safety of all residents. OpenAI is absolutely no exception. The Board of Commissioners has adopted the most protective ordinances in our region. It’s also important to remember that ordinances are ever-evolving, becoming more stringent and protective as required.
Our county, along with state officials, has taken a big step to protect groundwater. OpenAI or any future water customer will not use a single drop of groundwater. Water resources will be surface water (non-groundwater) that will be treated with modern, state-of-the-art treatment processes.
Georgia Power is the primary electric service provider in our county, not the Board of Commissioners. Charged with regulating Georgia Power, the Public Service Commission is empowered and equipped with the tools and authority to ensure our community’s electric requirements are met and maintained.
Also, noise and environmental protections remain a top concern for me. Whether it is OpenAI or any other industry, complying with local ordinances is not optional. I have worked to ensure our county has the best and most well-trained staff in the region. County personnel share in my passion for serving the citizens of the county.
Property Tax Relief
The largest concern I hear from residents is the burden placed on them by property taxes. So, it should be no surprise that tackling property taxes has been at the top of my list. Like everyone else, I am also a taxpayer. I feel that same burden. My No. 1 goal has been to aggressively lower that burden on homeowners.
Effingham County’s plan to eliminate county property taxes for homeowners by 2027 is very, very real. That plan, now known as Project Zero, has always been my goal.
Providing law enforcement, fire protection, EMS and many other services certainly comes with a cost. The state Legislature has recently taken a very aggressive approach to giving local governments the tools they need to secure that funding from alternative sources. Business, industry and sales tax can now provide our county with a path toward being property tax-free.
While others claim to have their own plan, Project Zero is the only way for this to be accomplished legally and quickly. I am the only candidate with the experience and ability to make it happen.
Growth and Development
Effingham County’s commercial and industrial growth can be directly attributed to its location. However, the residential growth we’ve experienced can be attributed to our exceptional school system and our family-focused community. For those same reasons, our county will continue to grow.
As your commissioner, I will continue to manage that growth to ensure we maintain a healthy balance and ensure that any growth provides a positive benefit to the community at large. In no way should growth ever place a burden on our county or its citizens.
In addition to a healthy and thriving community, we must continue encouraging growth in jobs and opportunities for small businesses. Reducing county taxes to zero and encouraging an environment for financial stability for families are our county’s keys to success.
As your commissioner, I am keenly aware of the commitment required to properly serve the citizens of the 5th District. My experience and leadership will ensure that we see Project Zero fully enacted in 2027.
It is not the government’s job to put money in people’s pockets; it’s the government’s job to leave money in people’s pockets. That is exactly what I will do. I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of the 5th District.
