Fort Valley Nonprofit Pushes for Local Economic Development Authority

Fort Valley Rising aims to activate dormant authority to drive economic growth in the city

Apr. 7, 2026 at 11:34pm

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A vibrant abstract illustration composed of overlapping triangles and rectangles in shades of blue, red, and yellow, conceptually representing the activation of an economic development authority to spur new economic opportunities in Fort Valley, Georgia.A community-driven effort aims to empower Fort Valley with new economic development tools to drive local growth.Fort Valley Today

Fort Valley Rising, a community nonprofit, is pushing the city of Fort Valley, Georgia to reactivate its dormant Economic Development Authority. The authority would have the power to issue bonds, attract industry, and redevelop property across the city, independent of the city council and without drawing from the city's budget. The group's proposal is expected to go before the city council for a vote this month.

Why it matters

The push for the economic development authority comes as Fort Valley faces the potential deannexation of land along the Middle Georgia MegaSite Corridor, which is currently managed by the Peach County Development Authority. Fort Valley Rising believes that having its own economic development tools could have helped the city retain control over this valuable land and economic opportunity.

The details

Fort Valley Rising has spent two years developing a plan for local economic growth centered around the city's existing strengths, including Fort Valley State University, local agriculture, and a network of vacant buildings. The group's blueprint calls for initiatives like food production, trades training, and small business incubation. They believe an activated economic development authority could give Fort Valley access to between $10,000 and $40 million in bond funding for proposed projects.

  • Fort Valley Rising has been working on this plan for the past two years.
  • The group's proposal is expected to go before the Fort Valley City Council for a vote this month (April 2026).

The players

Fort Valley Rising

A community nonprofit in Fort Valley, Georgia that has spent two years building a plan to activate the city's dormant Economic Development Authority.

Jeremy Rosier

A co-founder of Fort Valley Rising who is leading the push for the economic development authority.

Shakeena Reeves

The mayor of Fort Valley who is calling on the Georgia governor to veto a bill that would deannex land from Fort Valley and hand it to Peach County along the Middle Georgia MegaSite Corridor.

Peach County Development Authority

The authority that currently manages the MegaSite Corridor land, which Fort Valley Rising believes the city should have more control over.

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What they’re saying

“If we would have had the development authority up two years ago, we could have begun to get economics coming in here, and we could have even brought the person that could have come to the MegaSite. We haven't had the tools to act on it even if we wanted to.”

— Jeremy Rosier, Co-founder, Fort Valley Rising

“Every time we spend money in Fort Valley right now, it is immediately extracted out of here. We don't have that many local business owners — hardly any at all.”

— Jeremy Rosier, Co-founder, Fort Valley Rising

“It's not just willy nilly giving out money. There is a checks and balance system at the state level.”

— Jeremy Rosier, Co-founder, Fort Valley Rising

What’s next

The Fort Valley City Council is expected to review and vote on Fort Valley Rising's proposal for reactivating the city's Economic Development Authority at this month's meeting.

The takeaway

The push for an economic development authority in Fort Valley highlights the city's need for more local control over economic development tools and opportunities. If activated, the authority could provide Fort Valley with access to significant bond funding to invest in initiatives that leverage the city's existing strengths and assets.