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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting January 8, 2019 CALLED MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER January 8, 2019 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 8, 2019, the Honorable Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Few, Garrett, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Mr. Mayor: Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning. All right, I’ll call this meeting to order. 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. D. Williams: So move. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. All right, before everybody moves, just a couple of things. One, I want to thank everyone for being there last night. It was a wonderful time just to get together and fellowship with our Augusta friends and family members and I really appreciate it. It means a lot to have us all come together like we did last night. I also want to mention that here on the dias there are a couple of things that we’re going to do. One, we’re going to get a little recycling receptacle here so that we’ll put our stuff here when we are done with it as opposed to just letting it sit here and kind of grow and grow and grow. Ms. Bonner would greatly appreciate that as soon as we’re done with things that we know we don’t read and are not going to look at anymore we’re going to put them in the receptacle. They’ll be recycled and then we’re going to play a little musical chairs as well in the next week or so. All right. Mr. Hasan: Does that mean our agenda books? nd Mr. Mayor: Can I go one more from the Senator from the 22 who didn’t quite articulate it the right way? I believe the gentleman knows of what he speaks. Ms. Davis and Mr. M. Williams out. Motion carries 8-0. \[EXECUTIVE SESSION\] 1 2. Motion to authorize execution of the affidavit of compliance of Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. Mr. MacKenzie: -- motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit. Mr. Fennoy: So move. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Motion carries 9-0. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. I move to terminate Dr. Gwendolyn Conner effective immediately and to appoint Tony McDonald as Interim HR Director until the HR Director position is filled. Mr. Hasan: Second. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Can I get some explanation here? We’ve got someone who has been on administrative leave for probably 45 days and now after the legal meeting at ten this morning we make a motion to terminate an employee. Can I have some explanation as to, because I really don’t know the reason for the termination. I guess that would be my first question. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, well, I know the passion about this issue. I share the same sentiments. The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. Mr. MacKenzie: This is a personnel matter which was discussed in legal. My suggestion would be to discuss personnel matters in legal. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, we’re terminating on the floor. Now we ain’t terminating in the back room so if we were terminating in the back room we might be able to talk about it back there but since we’re out here with it, this is where it need to be brought to the light at. I haven’t got no problem. It sounds like you’ve got your votes to do what you need to do and it probably wouldn’t have been a motion nor a second to do that. And if there was a reason I may be able to join in. But as an elected official I at least need to know why this termination is being brought forth. Mr. Mayor: Well, you know again I think that, well, I think a lot of things. Mr. M. Williams: Yeah, I understand, Mr. Mayor, and so do I right now and they’re not very good if you really want to know what they were but I’m not going to share those things. 2 Mr. Mayor: Yeah, so let’s just see what it looks like right here and go ahead and let them vote. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I can’t stop them from voting but as an elected official, now you ain’t going to take that from me, I have a right for the people I represent to know why we’re doing and why we’re taking that boat. I’ve been asking that question for quite some time and that ain’t the first time that question has been asked. And there are some other issues, I hate to see the city set itself up, or I hate for this Board to set the city up for a lawsuit because there’s been things that happened with other department heads that had not been addressed, have not been on administrative leave, have not been even talked about. And so what we’re doing now is setting a situation up for the city for another lawsuit. Let me put that out there too. This won’t be the first one. This won’t be the first female we’ve fired because we went into legal and decided to do that. And I say we because I’m on this board. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, yeah I believe that the gentleman has great passion for this. All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Mr. M. Williams: So I don’t get an answer, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Well, I think the attorney gave his best response. Mr. M. Williams: His response was what we talked about in legal and ya’ll had a legal meeting. But we’re terminating someone on the floor and if you’re going to go by the rules, let’s go by the rules now. If this was a different situation, a legal situation we need to talk about that hadn’t been already came to a conclusion from what I’m hearing with a motion and a second, I’m sure you’ve got six commissioners willing to terminate somebody for whatever reason they think need to be terminated. And that may be fine. I just need to know because I’ve been asking those questions and as an elected official, again, I have not got them. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, well, I think the gentleman is again very passionate about this matter. I’m not confident that you’re going to get an answer that’s suitable for you with regards to this matter but what I do know, what I do know is that based on what I’ve seen and my observations that there likely is support for this motion and given the nature of this conversation and there are a variety of opinions about where we should be and where we shouldn’t be. Quite frankly I think it’s without question that there’s still a substantial number of this body who believes that we should have never even been at this place. I too share that same sentiment but now that we’re here I think what you’re seeing is that there is a desire to take a step forward in the new year without further damage to those involved in particular the person that as well have noted is being asked to be terminated so what I’m going to ask you to do at this point is allow us to go ahead and just vote. As you well know that we talk about matters in executive session during that meeting and we then come out here and we take a binding action. Anything that we talk about in executive session is non-binding in nature until there is a move forward by this body to act on it. We can raise hands, we can wink eyes and all of those things while we’re in executive session but that is non-binding. When you come out here, you’re going to take a binding action and I think that’s what’s about to happen. Voting. 3 Mr. M. Williams: Can I get a roll call vote, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor: I already asked for the vote. Mr. M. Williams: Can I get the Clerk to post the vote then, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor: Voting and I’m not trying to cut you off. Mr. M. Williams: You’re not cutting me off. I’m just paving the way because I understand what, how transparent is supposed to work and doesn’t work like that in this government. But we talk about it all the time. Mr. M. Williams: I’m voting no. Mr. Garrett and Mr. M. Williams vote No. Motion carries 8-2. Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to approve an amendment to the 925 Laney Walker lease. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to forgive the second mortgage lien held by the Housing and Community Development Department in the amount of $32,500 for Miss Angela Smith for the home and real property located at 1223 Holley Street. Mr. Sias: So move. Ms. Davis: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Motion carries 9-0. 4 th Mr. Mayor: Just as a point of order for the commissioner from the 4 the Chair will entertain a motion read by the attorney. Mr. MacKenzie: That motion would be a motion to approve Wells Fargo termination transfer agreement letter and to pay $92,500 to Wells Fargo for unpaid loan servicing fees, to approve Wells Fargo loan servicing procedures and to authorize the Housing and Community Development Department to service terminating transfer loans in-house. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: The Chair will entertain a motion read by the attorney. Mr. MacKenzie: A motion to approve an amendment to the Convention & Visitors Bureau agreement. Ms. Davis: So move. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: All right, I believe that’s all that’s before us. Public Services. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] 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 January 8, 2019. ________________________ Clerk of Commission 5