HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting February 26, 2019
CALLED MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
February 26, 2019
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 26,
2019, the Honorable Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. Few, Garrett, Sias, Fennoy, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, D. Williams,
Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ll call this meeting to order. All right, good morning, everybody.
Ms. Bonner is passing out a resolution in opposition to House Bill 302. It’s the preemption of
local building design standards. I don’t know how many of you have been tracking this through
GMA and ACCG but it is an issue that is front and center in the Legislature right now. Former
DOT Commissioner, former private sector person and now back into the House of Representatives
from Pine Mountain, Georgia, Representative Vance Smith, is the author of this legislation. It’s
currently sitting in Rules, likely, preferably not to go anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t
show up after somebody attaches it to a vehicle and then the next thing you know in cities across
Georgia and the counties we’re stuck with bad legislation and so we wanted to make sure that you
had a copy of it. Ms. Bonner has provided everybody with a copy of it and this was drafted from
model resolutions that were sent out by ACCG and GMA I believe and there’s a copy that we
asked General Counsel to go ahead and put together for us that has a signature block for all of the
members of the Commission if we do in fact adopt this so I want to make sure that if we get to that
point, we send this, we transmit this immediately to our legislative delegation, to the Speaker of
the House, the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor’s Office. So Madam Clerk, I’m going to
let you speak to the resolution.
The Clerk: Yes, sir. A resolution in opposition to House Bill 302, preemption of local
building design standards.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. All right, --
Mr. Hasan: A motion to approve.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, that’s –
The Clerk: That’s to add and approve?
Mr. Hasan: Motion to add it to the agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Do we have unanimous consent to add this? All right, without objection.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
th
Mr. Mayor: Okay. That came from the 6.
The Clerk: And Mr. Garrett seconded. That was to add and approve.
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Mr. Mayor: Yeah. So, all right. We’re going to vote on this matter. Voting. I think we
all understand the damage that this could potentially have in our cities. We’ve worked very hard
through our Planning and Development Department to put in place –
Ms. Davis out.
Motion carries 9-0.
Mr. Mayor: -- to put in place ordinances that allow us some framework to have a design
concept and strategy for what our city looks like. The Chair recognizes the commissioner from
st
the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, when we send this resolution up, please let them know that nine
out of nine commissioners approved this resolution.
Mr. Mayor: Well, that’s the reason why on the official transmittal it has a signature block
from all of the commissioners who will sign this resolution. Okay.
The Clerk: I’m going to send this one around. This is the original and I’m going to get a
pen. We’ll get it done before the meeting is over.
Mr. Mayor: That’s right. All right, the Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie.
1. LEGAL MEETING
A. Pending and potential litigation
B. Real estate
C. Personnel
Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to go into an executive session to discuss
pending and potential litigation, real estate and personnel.
Mr. Fennoy: So move.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting. I’m sorry.
Ms. Davis out.
Motion carries 9-0.
\[EXECUTIVE SESSION\]
Mr. Mayor: I’m going to call this meeting back to order. The Chair recognizes Attorney
MacKenzie.
2. Motion to authorize execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with
Georgia’s Open Meeting Act.
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Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit.
Mr. D. Williams: So move.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
Mr. Hasan out.
Motion carries 9-0.
Mr. Mayor: I want to take a moment to talk about a matter that has been present in our
community since October of last year. I believe that all of us are fully conscious and aware of the
tragic events surrounding the untimely passing of one of Augusta’s sons, Melquan Robinson, at
the Fleming Athletic Complex. Over the last several months our community has been engaged in
mourning with the family. The community has rallied together and put our arms around this
family. We’ve had a series of community conversations and we have said consistently this
government would not only be sympathetic but be actively engaged in the process of healing and
encouraging and loving this family while comforting them through this process. Most recently we
had a community conversation with them and one of our community partners just a couple of
Fridays ago and as we have moved beyond that place, it’s incumbent of us as a local government
to not only engage at that level but to engage the totality of our citizens who use this facility on a
regular basis and to demonstrate our commitment to not only that family but to the rest of our
citizens who participate in sports related activities, family related activities at the Fleming Athletic
Complex. And in that same spirit this body has decided and we’re going to motion today
authorizing the Administrator to immediately initiate the process to replace and update the lighting
and electrical wiring at the Fleming Athletic Complex. I believe this action will give us not only
the certainty that our citizens are looking for but need to say that we’re fully committed to not only
the welfare and safety of all of our citizens but in the spirit of how we engage and comfort them,
they will have certainty in knowing that this government has done the right thing and so I’ll
entertain a second with this motion. Motion authorizing the Administrator to immediately
initiate the process to replace and update the lighting and electrical wiring at Fleming
Athletic Complex.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
Motion carries 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Attorney MacKenzie, any other items?
Mr. MacKenzie: That’s all.
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\[MEETING ADJOURNED\]
Lena J. Bonner
Clerk of Commission
CERTIFICATION:
I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy
of the minutes of the Called Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on
February 26, 2019.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
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