GEORGIA — The latest PILOT payment from Meta will result in Newton County receiving a significant amount of money.

At the latest Joint Development Authority (JDA) meeting, it was announced that the tech giant Meta — which is the parent company of social media apps Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — will be sending another $2 million to the four-county board as part of its PILOT payment. 

The JDA, composed of representatives from Jasper, Newton, Morgan and Walton counties officially approved the authorization on Sept. 24.

Newton County will be the beneficiary of $750,000, which is 37.5 percent of the total share that was agreed upon per the revenue sharing agreement.

Newton County Schools (NCS) will receive $473,700 (63.16 percent) while the Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will get $249,825 (33.31 percent). Newton County Fire Services (NCFS) is also going to get a share at $26,473 (3.52 percent). Money calculations are determined based on the 2023 millage rate.

This marks the second time this year that Meta is sending money to each of the four counties on the JDA board, with the tech giant sending a $3 million PILOT payment in April.

That time, Newton County received $1.125 million, with NCS bringing in the most at $710,550, the BOC getting $374,737.50 and NCFS receiving $39,712.50.

Both PILOT payments were made in lieu of any tax payments as a result of the development of the facility in Stanton Springs South.

JDA chairman Jerry Silvio thanked the various governmental entities in a written letter.

“The JDA is grateful for your partnership and excited about the fruits it continues to bear,” Silvio said. With this $2 mill distribution, the counties and schools have received over $42.7 mill which is over 3.5 times their initial $10.6 mill investment.”

The four-county authority released a statement recapping the latest payment distribution.

“The JDA is proud to continue providing revenue to the four counties and anticipates many more distributions in the future,” read a statement from the JDA. “The goal of the JDA has always been to provide a steady stream of revenue to its counties, schools, and citizens while also providing valuable job opportunities.  

“Since 2001, the JDA has generated $42.7 million for its local counties and school districts. As the projects in Stanton Springs continue to mature, we will see hundreds of millions of dollars distributed to our citizens over the next 25 years.”