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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting September 1, 2020 REGULAR MEETING VIRTUAL/TELECONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., September 1, 2020, the Hon. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Fennoy, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, D. Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. st Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, we call this September the 1 2020 full Commission Meeting to order the Chair recognizes Madam Clerk. The Clerk: Yes, sir. We will have our invocation today by District 8 Commissioner, Commissioner Brandon Garrett, after would we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Commissioner Sammie Sias, thank you. Are you ready for the Certificate of Recognition, sir? Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Office of Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. the City of Augusta Certificate of Recognition presented to the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. On behalf of the City of Augusta it is an honor to recognize the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association awareness month in Augusta, Georgia. PCOS Awareness Month provides an opportunity to improve the lives of girls and women. Through efforts of the PCOS challenge and advocates around the country the U.S. Congress has officially declared September as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Awareness Month. Your commitment to ensure that health and wellness of girls and women through research, advocacy, education and awareness is unparalleled. We wish you great st success and recognize your public awareness. Given under my hand this 1 Day of September 2020, Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, City of Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. I appreciate that. This is an issue we want to bring awareness to in the City of Augusta. PCOS affects up to 20% of women and is one of the most underserved areas of health with 50 to 70% of women with PCOS going undiagnosed, untreated and unsupported in this country. It is a serious genetic hormone metabolic and reproductive disorder that can lead to lifelong complications including psychological disorder or psychosocial disorders, obesity, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Endometrial Cancer and other serious life-threatening conditions. And so on today we want to recognize this organization and (unintelligible) for PCOS Awareness Month. Thank you so much, Madam Clerk. The Clerk: Moving forward to Delegation portion, sir? Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am. DELEGATIONS A. Keith Henry regarding maintenance issues on Henry Street. (Deferred from the August 18, 2020 meeting requested by Commissioner Mary Davis) 1 The Clerk: Under our Delegation portion of the agenda Item A Mr. Henry is not present in the Chamber. We will move to Item B. DELEGATIONS B. Mr. Clyde Rouzan regarding the naming of the (Augusta Utilities/Engineering) Walker Street Building in honor of late Augusta Utilities Director Tom Wiedmeier. Mr. Lewis: Mayor, the public is in the room now. Natasha may not have heard who is coming up. Mr. Mayor: Okay, Ms. McFarley, Mr. Rouzan is who we are wanting at this time. Mr. Clyde Rouzan. Ms. McFarley: Can you hear me? Mr. Mayor: Yes, we can hear you, Ms. McFarley. Ms. McFarley: Can you hear me? Mr. Mayor: Yes. Mr. Rouzan? Mr. Rouzan, Ms. Walton, Ms. Walton? Okay --- Mr. Lewis: Mayor, they’re coming over right now to fix the audio problem. Mr. Mayor: --- okay, thank you. While we’re waiting, while we’re waiting on them to correct our technical issues I want to bring awareness to a couple of things. This weekend as you all know is Labor Day Weekend and on Monday all government offices will be closed on th September the 7 but out of an abundance of caution as we track towards this weekend, Labor Day Weekend, I want to ask each of you and encourage each of you to remember in your circles of influence to remind all of our citizens to wear a mask, wash their hands and to watch their distance. We are encouraged by the numbers that we’re seeing and that’s good but we can’t take our foot off the gas at this point. We’ve got to continue to push forward if we’re going to stop and slow and ultimately stop the flow of the virus. In this community we have to continue to do those three things while following all other CDC guidelines as well. Once again it’s the 3 W’s wear, wash and watch, wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance. And so if we can consistently do that knowing that Labor Day Weekend is a big time for people to be out and traveling we’re going to be at a better place as a community. And so I believe we’ve got Mr. Rouzan ready, Ms. McFarley, is he ready? Natasha --- Ms. McFarley: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- we ready? Ms. McFarley: Okay. Mr. Mayor: Okay, fantastic, thank you. Mr. Rouzan --- 2 Mr. Rouzan: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- all right, you have five minutes. If you would state for the record your name and your address and then proceed, sir. Mr. Rouzan: Clyde Rouzan, 134 McElmurray Drive. It is indeed an honor to be here with you all today. I’ve spoken to most of you in reference to having a building named after Tom Wiedmeier and I believe that all of you are familiar with Tom Wiedmeier. I would not have thought about even coming except when you, Mayor, when you were on TV and told everyone about the fact that the virus had taken Tom’s life and you made a statement and that encouraged me to maybe do a little bit more. I don’t know if you remember what you said I’m telling you how the virus had taken our Tom Wiedmeier and you made a statement after that about how you felt about what had happened to him. So that encouraged me to look around and think about all of the times you and I had been together and our friendship. I live in the Marion Homes Community area and for a long time we’ve been having a lot of water issues. One of the things we used to come up and talk about was when you get into a shower and pull the soap and the water pipe breaks what do you do then? And he stepped in and did a lot of work in our community. As a matter of fact our infrastructure is just about finished and I believe you guys are familiar with it especially Marion Williams and Bill Fennoy. So what I thought about was all of the efforts that he had put forward for the city it would be wonderful great thing if we could do something for him, his family and for all of us to (unintelligible) in reference to his leaving us at this time as a young man. I thought about some of these pictures. I don’t know in the past we spoke to Marion about the (inaudible). I thought about (unintelligible) therefore to him Magnolia could do and do (unintelligible) and I don’t want to be caught up not doing what I can do to help. One of the things I got from most of you is to do the right thing and I believe you could not do more right at this time not at a later time than to do this in memory of him. And I know that everybody else has an agenda but I’m hoping that we all stop and focus in on one thing and that’s to remember when he was here how much he did for you. As I said I talked to quite a few of you and everybody is doing the praise. Let’s do something about it. Thank you. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, thank you, sir. Mr. Rouzan: May I say just one more thing? You know this could happen today since everybody’s here together it would take nothing for one of you to make a motion, somebody second it and let’s vote on it and get his name on that building. Thank you. st Mr. Mayor: Thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor and my colleagues, I concur with the sentiments of Mr. Rouzan. Marion Homes was in terrible shape and the waterline would bust and the people wouldn’t have water, couldn’t take a shower and Tom sort of got back to the (unintelligible). Tom sort of moved that to the front of the projects and now they’ve got the water situation is okay, the streets are paved, sidewalks and Tom has been very responsive to the people of Marion Homes and also the people of Augusta. So at this time I would like to make a motion that we rename the building on Walker Street after Tom Wiedmeier. 3 Mr. D. Williams: I’ll second. th Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you. I just want to make this one comment and I think everybody knows how I feel about Tom. We do have a process that has to go through so is my colleague say do it today or send it to go through that process? Mr. Mayor: I believe they said go through the process. I believe that’s what I heard him say. Mr. D. Williams: Take action on it. Mr. Sias: If that’s what his motion is then I can support it but it has to be, go through that process to find out if it can be done. Mr. Mayor: So I want to remind everyone that Madam Clerk just recently sent out a email with that information in it so everyone should have that of what that adoptive process is for stnd building namings. And again I believe that’s what I heard the Commissioner from the 1 and 2 indicating that they want to move forward with going through that process regarding naming the Walker Street Building after Tom Wiedmeier. Mr. Fennoy: That is correct. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, anyone else? All right, Madam Clerk, continue. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: No. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: No, ma’am not at this time. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom is he out, sir? Mr. Mayor: He’s out. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett. Mr. Garrett: Not at this time. 4 The Clerk: Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams, is he out, sir? Mr. Mayor: He’s here, he is muted, he’s coming. Mr. M. Williams: Yes, yes, Ms. Bonner. Mr. Clarke, Ms. Davis and Mr. Garrett vote No. Mr. Frantom out. Motion Passes 6-3. Mr. Mayor: Again that’s to go through the process regarding naming. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS C. Ronic West regarding Equity and Prosperity for the Underserved Community. Mr. Mayor: Ms. West, Ms. West --- Ms. West: Yes. Mr. Mayor: --- all right, again welcome to the Commission meeting this afternoon. You have five minutes if you would state for the record your name and address and then you can proceed, five minutes. Ms. West: Ronic West, 826 Lakehurst Drive, Augusta, Georgia 30904. I do have a Power Point and I want to know if I’m controlling the Power Point or if IT is. Mr. Mayor: IT is. 5 Ms. West: Okay. Well thank you, Commissioners, Mayor and delegation, I’m Ronic West. I’m the president of Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce I’m here to talk about state of emergency for Black America health, equity and prosperity. Please open the next slide. I’m going to cover today the HDC overview of Augusta (unintelligible) state of emergency for Black America case studies, projects and initiatives. Please go to the next slide. Okay this really quickly the overview for the Great Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce we have a growing membership of over 1,000 attendees at past events combined views (unintelligible) over 100,000 views and events, roundtables, business tips and financial (unintelligible). We also have hold several annual events, (inaudible) competition economic panel and everything else you seen in front of you. Please go to the next slide, sir. As an organization in Augusta, GA data we’re not going to cover that because I know you guys know that well as an organization I just want to point out you can go to the next slide that we decide as an organization we will serve our members and non-members because we need an organization here that is all about the community. Please go to the next slide. Okay what I’m here to do is state our case for becoming a funding source and the need to directly impact nonprofits and small businesses and a state of emergency for Black America. Please go to the next slide. (inaudible) in history Black Americans have been left out of (inaudible). When we have wars or pandemics that happen in America, I know a lot of times when we talk about slavery which was a great impact to Black America but I want to talk about the Homestead Act, the Grant Act, the Fair Labor Act. A lot of times (inaudible) they left out Black Americans. That’s how you get the gap today and then throughout the south we had (inaudible), we had the war on drugs which was in 1980 and then the crime bill which was in 1994. That of course disproportionately affected black families. 2008 economic crisis disproportionally affected black (inaudible) and (inaudible) them in a class which we have not been able to recover from. Black businesses receive only 25% of the FDA disadvantaged business package that was given out during the Obama administration in redlining and dislocation. Please go to the next slide. Term barriers for black America. And I want to point out that these barriers that reimbursement programs do not work for black businesses and black families because of the barriers that I’m going to go through here. Zero median wealth is projected to happen for the black community by 2053. Job discrimination is the same since 1989. There is a 228 year wealth gap. Black families are the number one homeless in America according to HUD right now. (inaudible) will (inaudible) about eight million jobs that will affect the black community directly. 33% of those jobs in Augusta partly will be impacted (inaudible). Revenue for white owned businesses is about 440K; black owned about 70K. Black owned businesses are (inaudible) for loans. Asians and black businesses use their own funds to start up. The network for white is about 170K versus black network is 17K. Please go to the next slide. And then what brought us here today is the COVID 19 impact. The impact from COVID 19 disproportionately affected the black community. 41% of black-owned businesses are projected to close. We believe those numbers will be higher once the pandemic is over. We’re still dealing with that. The majority of black owned businesses that applied for PPE were denied. 95% of black owned businesses were (inaudible) of small business initiatives. Blacks have a 3 to 4 increased risk of dying from COVID 19 and unemployment has doubled last year from Augusta and reports from the black community is usually 4% higher than what you see on the labor statistics. Please go to the next slide. Case studies and initiatives. Please go over to the next slide. What we want to point out is that they have had national initiatives that have directly impacted black businesses and organizations. Facebook, Pay Pal, NAACP (inaudible) a national pool and it also a lot of times they did not go into the smaller markets like Augusta, Savannah, Macon and Athens. Athens, Georgia was able to create out of their Cares Act funding a $1.6 million out of their $6.6 million 6 that directly impacted black non-profits, black Chambers and black businesses and that’s what we’re looking here to the Commission for today. Please go to the next slide. We’re looking at establishing the micro lending program, a new source in the Augusta, Georgia area for our black business owners, non-profits and so forth. We’re also looking to get technical assistance dollars so we can report accountability for business transitions, business support and collaborating so we can get access to our black businesses for government contracting. We support the disparity study that is coming out of the Commission at (inaudible). We also want a database that tracks all business data. Thank you for your time today and we look forward to assisting and working together for a greater Augusta. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. West. Ms. West, Ms. West? Ms. West: Yes, sir, I’m back, sorry. Mr. Mayor: All right, just pause, don’t mind the alarm. We’ve got a series of questions th for you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Am I muted --- Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: --- okay. I’d like to say to Ms. West that I appreciate her coming before this body and bringing those statistics that we know is true, that we know that there’s a great need. We just talked about the COVID money that’s coming down. I’m hoping that this body will consider some of the things Ms. West has brought to us that we already know about that we have not addressed. Now she mentioned several things and one of them was the Disparity Study. The Disparity study that cost us some $500,000 dollars, Mr. Mayor, sat on the shelf for a long time. We finally put if off but it’s been so long we was unable to do anything with it. We’re now in the process of doing another Disparity Study that some of my colleagues don’t agree with and I don’t mind that but I just know that it’s important to do the study that it’s by law. I brought that issue up several times. The Disparity Study has proved that Augusta, Georgia was discriminating against women and minorities. We have not addressed that, we have not talked about that. We actually left this undone, it went away by itself. With this Black Lives Matter and all lives matter I get that but it’s been evident here lately that the mistreatment of people have not always been fair. And so I want to say to Ms. West again I certainly appreciate her coming before this body. I need, I think she needs to continue to come before this body continue to update this body on what the Black Chamber is really all about and what they’re doing. As so many of us know don’t have an opportunity to hear that information she just put out today but with this Cares Act the COVID money that’s coming down I’m hoping I’m going to be advocating that we do something to assist versus trying to find a need knowing there is a need, knowing there’s been some neglect for many, many years. Now I can talk on this all day. I’m going to let it go right there, Mr. Mayor, but hopefully Ms. West has not come in vain that she’ll remind us and keep us reminding of how important her slides is. Thank you, Ms. West, again. Ms. West: Thank you, sir. 7 Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, Ms. West, thank you. Mr. M. Williams: Nobody’s got no questions, Mr. Mayor. Nobody, everybody’s satisfied, everybody understands that. th Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 10. Mr. Clarke: Hello, Ms. West, how are you today? I had an opportunity to have a lengthy conversation --- Mr. Mayor: Ms. West? Ms. West: I’m back. Mr. Clarke: --- I had an opportunity to have a very lengthy in-depth conversation with Ms. West and Ms. Hill who is putting this program together. And I would just like to say that the program that they presented was very precise in what they intended to do and what they would like to do among the community even to the fact of the monies that they’re going to be giving out and I think this is important for everybody to understand. The money that they’re planning on giving out to help these entrepreneurs and small, these small businesses it’s just not going to be a gift. It’s going to be you’re going to have to go through training, you’re going to have to understand the legalities of it, you’re going to have to produce, you’re going to have to perform so it’s just not a giveaway program it’s a building program. They gave me information on Athens Clarke County and I had the opportunity to reach out to a couple of people in that community about this program and from what I’m hearing it’s being implemented correctly. So I would just like to say going forward I’m not in any kind of opposition to this program if it is and I asked them would there be checks and balances and accountability and they equivocally told me yes and I trust what they say. So going forward I don’t have a problem with this program. I’d just like to see if we can do something with it. That’s all I’ve got to say, Mr. Mayor and Ms. West. Mr. Mayor: All right fantastic, thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from nd the 2. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, I’d just like to, can you hear me? Mr. Mayor: Yes. Mr. D. Williams: Oh okay I’d just like to endorse Ms. West’s presentation. The program that she’s speaking of and my colleagues Athens Clarke County is a real good program and it also will help the city get and become aware of and find out about a lot of our small minority business owners and nonprofits. And their program will give an opportunity I believe to help a lot of the small nonprofits and organizations that normally don’t receive any type of reasonable financing. th So it’s something I agree with my colleague from the 10 that we should look at it and see how beneficial we could be to the organization and the organization to Augusta Richmond County. Thank you. 8 st Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, if either one of my colleagues want to put that in a form of a motion I’ll second it. Mr. M. Williams: So moved. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Mayor: What are we motioning and voting on? st Mr. M. Williams: Commissioner from the 1 said put it in the form of a motion and I put it in the form of a motion. I don’t know, Ms. West had brought a good program. First of all I think the disparity money is coming in. We need to make sure that we use whatever we can to promote th this entity. The Commissioner from the 10 just talked about what a good program and how it was headed, how he agreed that it’s a good thing to move forward with. We know about the small businesses who’s been left out for a number of years. We know about the number of businesses that have been closed down who didn’t get any assistance has started with their own two dollars. So my motion is to use whatever monies that the city have gotten to help Ms. West in this venture to move this forward. I don’t think she came just to give us the information. I think that we ought to look at how we can assist in promoting that in this day and time. That’s my motion. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I’m going to ask a question again as I’m not quite sure you fully articulated a motion around any particular action so let’s hear some more discussion before we go there and again I’ll weigh in at that time. All right I’m going to the Commissioner from the th 8. Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. Well I guess part of my question is going to be what you were asking, exactly what is the motion on the floor? Are we suggesting allocating $1.6 million dollars to the Black Chamber? Is that what the motion is, gentlemen? Mr. M. Williams: I can second that I don’t know whether at one point --- Mr. Garrett: No, no you know if you listen to her presentation she said Athens put $1.6 million out of their allocation towards that so that’s, you know I’m just trying to get some clarity here. Mr. M. Williams: Well, we’ve got this money that’s coming in now and I think this is the right time. We talked about other agencies that’s needing funds this agency certainly needs to make sure that they get implemented the things that’ve been neglected. See it’s hard to catch up that’s the first thing and the longer we get behind it’s going to be even harder to catch up. Mr. Garrett: I have the floor still I know that you’ve got some --- Mr. M. Williams: Okay, I wasn’t even paying attention. I thought you were waiting for my response. 9 Mr. Garrett: --- I was just trying to (inaudible). Mr. Mayor: All right, so let’s suspend on dollar figures etc. Commissioner Garrett --- Mr. Garrett: Okay well, I still have some more (inaudible). Mr. Mayor: --- yeah I know you’ve got more so Commissioner Garrett if you’ll just yield for a moment you do have the floor. Ms. West, you’ve given a presentation. What are you directly requesting of the Augusta Commission? Ms. West: To look into what Athens-Clarke County did for the Cares Act. They did have one, they had $1.6 million for their Cares Act Funding. What they did they allocated $1.6 million directly to the black community. They gave to their nonprofit to their Black Chamber Organization which is Northeast Georgia Business Alliance which we work together throughout the Southeast so we’re a coalition of the Chamber so we’re not just working for this to happen in Augusta. We’re working for a coalition to make sure it happens in every city from Savannah to Buford to Black Chamber of Commerce, Macon and so forth. But they gave $500,000 to start their fund in Athens- Clarke County and then out of the other portion they gave to other entities that were black led, black founded that are doing dynamic things in the community with low budgets. And so that’s what we’re looking to do because this is not taking money from any other organization but an opportunity to start a new fund program in Augusta, Georgia which we know is greatly needed from a diverse group that can get the funds in the community with reporting and accountability and technical assistance and mentoring behind it. The Buford Black Chamber of Commerce which is a CDF they’ve been open for over 20 years. They are currently (unintelligible) in 2011 and they are CDFI. They sit on our board and helped us get started in Augusta. That’s why you see the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce moving as it is. Microlending has always been one of the programs we wanted to start in 2017 and with the pandemic and all the work we’ve done since March to help business owners and everything we’re like we have to get a Microlending Program started in Augusta and we see the opportunity through the Cares Act funding just like Athens Georgia what they do for their community so that’s what we’re asking for Augusta to do as well. Mr. Mayor: All right, so let me do this. I think this is probably appropriate where I can th weigh in at, Commissioner from the 6 I do see your hand. What Ms. West is again coming to present and articulate is important. I don’t think there’s any question the Commissioners from the stndth 1 the 2 and the 9 have registered that level of concern and interest. I think what needs to happen again I would encourage the Commission that if there is a motion to do anything it is to engage Ms. West in the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce with reviewing what the City of Athens, Clarke County has done particularly what they most recently done in concert with Winterville. I spoke with Mayor Kelly Girtz on last night, a very good friend of mine. We talked about a number of initiatives that they have rolled out in terms of using the Cares Act Funding early on with his first round of 30% money. They done a number of things which is what Ms. West is generally referring to. And as a result of that they entered into an agreement with the City of Winterville which is adjacent to them to build capacity. The presentation that she just gave particularly with regards to one of her last slides around projects and initiatives that talks about 10 directly what it is that they hope to be able to accomplish going forward as an organization. I think that those are appropriate steps and or actions to be taken. And so what I would offer to the Commission particularly in light of this request more importantly it’s not so much a request but a delegation you’ve got Item Number C, you’ve Item Letter E and the gentleman from F has waived and will perhaps come back at another time. But you have Item E as well but if you take a step forward and go to the Commission agenda there is a discussion under Item Number 11 that probably is a complimentary item --- Mr. Garrett: That item was asked to be deleted once we get there, Mayor. Mr. Mayor: --- okay, right. And so that’s fine but I think that what should happen absent using the term Subcommittee absent using the term Task Force I think it would be appropriate for us to take Item C and E and have a broader discussion. I would also offer to Ms. West that most recently we’ve worked very closed with the Kauffman Foundation. The Kauffman Foundation is probably the nation’s foremost organization in terms of working with communities to build capacity to build entrepreneurs and without question they’re working and providing grants and doing phenomenal work in terms of trying to grow the capacity of minority businesses. I have brought relationships here in Augusta. They have provided a grant most recently to the Clubhouse, for them a grant in the amount of $499,000. That’s just another avenue to help the Chamber, the Metro Chamber, Black Chamber to build capacity and have a mechanism to do some of the things that they’re talking about particularly in terms of the community development financial institutions’ efforts in generating economic growth and opportunity for underserved businesses and or populations. That’s what I would offer and encourage this body to give great consideration to doing that and then convene in the broader means. The Mayor of Athens has offered to be helpful in having that conversation with our community as well as in terms of how they are taking a step forward in leading into the challenges associated with growing businesses that are led by minority entrepreneurs etc. So that’s what I would offer and pose that to the gentlemen from the stndthth 1 the 2 and the 9. All right now I’m going to the back to the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. In regards to this you know I agree with the discussion that we continue to you know help those in our community that do need it but I do want to caution my colleagues that before we vote giving away all the Cares Act Funds that are coming to Augusta we need to make sure that Augusta is in a good financial position to take care of all of our citizens. You know there are shortfalls in our current budget that we need to address before we you know go on a spending spree. You know I appreciate what Ms. West has said. You know I definitely want to support that but we need to make sure before we make you know really we’re talking about spending over $2 million dollars today out of Cares Act funding that I’m not sure has ended up in our bank account yet. So before we go and spend all the money that’s coming our way we need to really you know hit the pause button and make sure that we have the proper county practices put in place as well as the legal ramifications for how we can allocate this money. th Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to the Commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes I agree with staying on point exactly what Ms. West asked of us, seriously take a look at what she’s offering us in working with the City of Athens and looking at what Athens is doing get more information find a way to support her. As well as 11 also we got to look at the Cares Act One. As I understand it you know we’ve got the 30% in hand the 70% as I understand it we’ve been approved for that as we heard much earlier today so pretty much we have done what we need to do with that money. And I don’t know when Cares Act Two is going to come which we anticipate I don’t know when that’s going to be but we look forward to doing further allocations in that because in the ones we do need to do some things to tighten ourselves. We reached the net today potentially based on what we did much earlier. But I do look forward to supporting Ms. West in terms of what she’s doing and also honor her request (unintelligible) ask her said hey take a look at what I’m doing, a serious look, give us your time. Look at what Athens-Clarke is doing and this thing. But I do have a question for Ms. West for clarity, Mr. Mayor, if you don’t mind. Mr. Mayor: Please do go ahead. Mr. Hasan: Ms. West --- Ms. West: Yes, Commissioner Hasan. Mr. Hasan: --- can you hear me? Ms. West: Yes. Mr. Hasan: Ms. West, how are you doing today? Ms. West: I’m doing okay. Mr. Hasan: Great. I have a question when you went back to the one six, the $1.6 million dollars. You done a breakout of a half a million dollars. What happened to the half million dollars? Ms. West: The five-hundred paid was to set up the new Micro Living Program which is what we want to establish in Augusta Georgia so it’s not as if the organization is, they’re keeping a part for technical assistance. The other portion of course will be microlending, a revolving loan program, a guaranteed grant program and a guaranteed loan program that includes that mentorship piece, that classroom piece that we’re talking about money smart and a piece of reporting back to the Commission and Delegation what those businesses were able to do with those funds with the assistance from that local organization. The other portion was being divvied out to the community to other nonprofit business owners that they found more dynamic things with little to no budget. Mr. Hasan: But in the very same community, right? Ms. West: Yes. Mr. Hasan: Because I thought I heard you say it’s around encounter I thought I heard the Mayor say something earlier about an (inaudible). Ms. West: Yeah, I think the Mayor has talked to the Mayor in Athens Georgia from my understanding if I understand clarify that and they have an agreement with another town it looks 12 like maybe they are kind of making sure those efforts are felt throughout the community and reaching outside of. Also the Athens Georgia area is to make sure that initiative does impact that greater community which of course we’re totally on board to do whatever areas you want to do. What we want to do as a Chamber is we want to do, we’re doing a project where we’re already getting districts set up. We’re doing stakeholder meetings. We want to understand how to impact these districts and then really get into those districts and we’re hoping to have a delegation from Augusta involved in that. Mr. Hasan: Okay Ms. West just for the record once again I fully support what you’re doing and I do want to honor what you’ve asked us to do more specifically exactly what you give us time to look at what you’re doing and find a way to be of assistance to you and that’s what’s going to be my motion to honor her request today or maybe a substitute motion at this time. Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. I think again be prepared for that, Commissioner from th, the 6 it may be necessary but it may not be --- Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Mayor: --- to just depending on how they respond. All right, so I’ve got the ndnd, Commissioner from the 2 his hand was up. Commissioner from the 2 you’re muted. Mr. D. Williams: Sorry about that. Mr. Mayor: No problem go ahead, sir. Mr. D. Williams: If my colleagues would agree I would suggest that we would get together with Ms. West because the program she has the whole program already written out steps, tracking, justifying approving disbursements of funding and all of that. And if, I believe if we sit down with an opportunity to look at her package and address all the issues that we have there it would be more productive then each of us coming up with a question this afternoon whereas we could have all the material in front of us and it will be an easier decision. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think that’s what I was suggesting is that you don’t take any action on this today other than what the presenter has given you and that is that we’ll convene a meeting with the task force or a group of commissioners and get the information from Athens Clarke County and have that broader discussion which then allows us to get to a place of what it is the community may be involved in being a part of, okay? Mr. D. Williams: Thank you. Mr. Mayor: All right, Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I actually met with Ms. West, had a great meeting, and I agree with Mr. Clarke on what he said. And for that reason I make a motion to approve the $500K microlending that she’s requesting today. 13 Mr. Clarke: Second. rd Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, Commissioner from the 3. Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mayor. I also met and had a great meeting with Ms. West the other day and am very impressed with what she brought forward. And I am in support of you know trying to help out different communities. I just think we’re going to have a large list of people and groups with their programs in need and we are still not 100% sure exactly how much funds we have that we’re going to be able to allocate and that was why I wasn’t comfortable today with the Paine College request as well. I think we’re going to run out quickly and I want to make sure that the piece of the pie gets around to you know as many programs and organizations as we can. So I just want her to know that I am in support in helping just I need to have a better grasp of what we’re dealing with and how much we can allocate to make it kind of go further than we want it to so I just wanted her to know that that I appreciate what she’s doing, thank you. th Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Again I agree with everything my colleagues have said but I realize the bag’s got two holes in it one at the top and one at the bottom and if we’re not careful then all of the funds will be disseminated in different places and we won’t be able to track that. But I want to remind my colleagues of what this government did years ago similar to what Ms. West is talking about. We put $2.3 I believe million in the bank for the assistance she’s talking about now and made two loans out of it and it just sat there. So this is a need, that’s all I’m saying. This is a need and we need to make sure we don’t just talk about it, that there’s some action behind when we talk, Mr. Mayor. I’m going to leave it right there and let you have it. th Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner from the 6, you’re muted, Commissioner. Mr. Hasan: I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing of seeing Ms. West’s plan but I’m going to trust my colleagues that they like what they saw but however I do have some things here, two things that need to be identified. If we’re going to do the half million dollars that needs to say where that half million dollars is going to come from is it the Cares Act 2 Cares Act 1 or whatever. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that Ms. West needs to be sitting down with our Attorney or whomever and find out what our requirements are as an organization and we can find out what she can do and how she can best carry that out for us. Right now she don’t know us other than what, well I can’t say all of us some of us have been impressed and I do trust their judgement. But I think (unintelligible) familiarity to what our criteria is to give out money as well but I fully support it. Let’s get to a point about that. That may be the Cares Act 2 and not 1. I’m not fussing about that one but I do think there needs to be some type of understanding what our requirements are and expectations of any organization that we get the resources especially because what’s she’s asking is a very unique one but I think at the same time a very needed one to be able to disburse the funds because many times as we (unintelligible) a million dollars out of HCD and they’re struggling to get it out because I know the paperwork or whatever it is but they’re struggling. So actually her expertise and for me and what’s she’s done in the past in terms of her business acumen that maybe she can help with that process. So I’m not against, I support it but then she needs to be familiar what we expect as a government. 14 Mr. Mayor: All right so, Madam Clerk, we’ve got a series of things that have been tossed around. Let’s establish what our posture is right now. The Clerk: Okay. We have a main motion on the floor made by Commissioner Marion Williams seconded by Mr. Fennoy was for Augusta Richmond County to engage with the Black Chamber of Commerce, Ms. West’s organization, to review Athens Clarke County City Alliance in an attempt to duplicate their program in Augusta for example the Microlending Program, the Microgrant Program relative to Cares Act funding promoting this program. Mr. Mayor: All right, that’s the main motion that’s what I understood as well --- The Clerk: The substitute --- Mr. Mayor: --- consistent, all right the substitute. The Clerk: --- the substitute motion was to approve $500,000 dollar allocation to Ms. Ronic West’s proposed plan. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, okay, very good. All right let’s go ahead and vote these things up or down here. The Clerk: Okay so we’re starting with the substitute motion? Mr. Mayor: The substitute. The Clerk: To approve $500,000 dollars allocation to Ms. Ronic West’s proposed plan, the Black Chamber of Commerce. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: No, ma’am, not at this time. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: No. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett. 15 Mr. Garrett: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: No. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: No. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: No. Mr. Clarke, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Sias and Mr. B. Williams vote Yes. Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Hasan, Mr. D. Williams and Mr. M. Williams vote No. Motion Ties 5-5. The Clerk: Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: No. The Clerk: That motion fails with the Mayor voting No. Mr. Mayor: Back to the main motion. The Clerk: The main motion. Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: Madam Clerk, can you read it again I’m sorry, I apologize. The Clerk: The main motion is for Augusta Richmond County to engage with the Black Chamber of Commerce to review Athens Clarke County Alliance in an attempt to 16 duplicate their program in Augusta referencing Microlending Program, Microgrant relative to Cares Act Funding promoting this program. Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am, thank you. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett. Mr. Garrett: No. The Clerk: Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, he muted, sir? th, Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 5 you’re muted. Mr. B. Williams: Read the motion for me again. The Clerk: The motion, a synopsis of it is to for Augusta Richmond County to engage with the Black Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Ronic West’s group, to review Athens Clarke program. Mr. B. Williams: Yes --- The Clerk: Okay --- Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: --- all right. Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. 17 Mr. M. Williams: You don’t have to read it, Ms. Bonner. Yes. Mr. Garrett votes No. Motion Passes 9-1. Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. West, we will be contacting you and convening a small group to meet with you and to engage with the City of Athens, Georgia around the programs that they’ve st implemented. All right, Commissioner from the 1 state your inquiry. Mr. Fennoy: Yes, is it possible that Ms. West could get us a copy of her presentation and a copy of her proposal? Mr. Mayor: It’s in your books. Ms. Bonner, would you take --- The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- would you take that presentation and just forward it to the members of the Commission once more? The Clerk: I will do it, sir. Mr. Mayor: Okay, did you like the way I preferenced that once more? The Clerk: Yes, sir. I’d appreciate that, much appreciated. I may have an appreciation program for you. st Mr. Mayor: That was from my good friend from the 1 over there. He says well one more hand. Mr. Fennoy: For old times. Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. West, thank you so much for your presentation. Ms. West: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: All right. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS D. Natalie Bryan regarding the introduction of P.E.A.R.L. to create toolkits to address the disparate impacts of COVID-19 amongst African American communities in the arena of Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence and abuse. Ms. Bryan: Good afternoon, Commissioners and Mayor. 18 Mr. Mayor: Ms. Bryan --- Ms. Bryan: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- you have five minutes. If you’ll state for the record again your name and your address and proceed. Ms. Bryan: Natalie Bryan, 2140 Reserve Lane, Augusta Georgia 30907. I am an organization with (inaudible) to the underserved community. My organization is called P.E.A.R.L. That acronym stands for Providing Education and Advocacy and Rebuilt Lives also a nonprofit and part of our mission to promote advocacy and education to the community through comprehensive development through programs and services. P.E.A.R.L. has educated over 300 (unintelligible) and community members on mental health, domestic violence, intimate partner violence and human trafficking. We have implemented conversations in local churches, educational facilities, on healthy touch, prevention of child sexual abuse, mental health and human trafficking. COVIC in African American communities has been damaging. I just want to give some statistics from (unintelligible) who are indicated about intimate partner violence, domestic violence and child abuse considerations. They are talking about how one in four women and one in ten women have experienced intimate partner violence. They’re also talking about how the CDC reports at least one in seven children have experienced child abuse and neglect. We all know that with COVID families are not allowed to escape from one another. The pressures of the disease has put people who are in precarious situations in an increased situation of danger. I was also looking at the fact of Georgia we are #46 in the 50 states when it comes to overall health. We are th ranked 10 in events involving men (inaudible) women. We are #37 in what it comes to education. We in Augusta Georgia 57.2% of population is African American and I wanted to bring forth that over 37% of domestic violence homicides were witnessed by children. So what is it that P.E.A.R.L. can do? We were looking to create and distribute two sets of families that (inaudible) in stressful situations to provide education and counseling services to both of you who have been victims of domestic and intimate partner violence, child abuse and neglect, to develop curriculum videos and resources that can be utilized throughout the community, churches and schools and helping to identify high risk situations that provide possible methods of reduction of crisis situations, having expert advocates for a healthy conflict resolutions, virtual platforms and create interactive (unintelligible) on You Tube that poses questions that participants can actually change the outcome of the situation. My last talking point is I just wanted to the Commissioners and the Mayor to know that I am one of these small programs or small businesses here in Augusta Georgia that have been denied the PPE and I think as became a part of the Chamber of Black Commerce because they did help me and educate me in giving me tools to help me be a better business owner. But for most small businesses (unintelligible) the paperwork, the documentation and even access to funding has been you know it has been difficult especially when you’re working to create funding to be able to start and provide services in a community with their own funding or limited funding. We also this year had to cancel many of our funding and outreach programs because of COVID so we were going to have an (unintelligible) with a reduction prevention program basics for them on human trafficking. We had the GBI involved, we had local law enforcement involved, we also had Dr. (unintelligible) who is one of the major leaders in when it comes to human trafficking in Atlanta Georgia. Just wanted to bring to everyone’s attention that just last week Operation Not Forgotten had picked up 39 children in Atlanta Georgia ages 3 through 17 and half 19 of them utilized for sexual trafficking. One in every forty seconds a child is being sexually trafficked. Thank you for your time. Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you so much, thank you. All right, there are no questions. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS E. Ernesia Wright regarding The Georgia Soul Women’s Basketball Organizations Equity and Prosperity for Underserved Community. Mr. Mayor: Ms. Wright, good afternoon. If you’ll state for the record your name and your address and you have five minutes. Ms. Wright: Good afternoon, Commissioners, Mr. Mayor. My name is Ernesia Wright, my address is 1810 Eva Lane, Hephzibah Georgia 30815. As I stated my name is Ernesia Wright and I’m an Augusta native and student athlete and graduate of Laney Pride and Augusta University. I’m a former professional basketball player and currently serve in the Army as an active duty Captain. I was fortunate to grow up in a dual parent household that was financially stable but unfortunately my parents lacked the basketball scholarship knowledge needed to assist me in the college selection process. Even though my parents sent me to Atlanta-Austin and I played for one of the top teams in Atlanta no one educated my parents on the steps or process of successfully securing a basketball scholarship. I received letters from mostly Division One colleges and I will tell you to this day many of those letters are still at home in (unintelligible). I did find a four-year th scholarship at Augusta University and finished 12in all-time scoring (unintelligible). This is one of the many reasons I created The Georgia Soul Women’s Basketball Organization in 2016 to help educate inspiring female athletes and their parents on how to successfully secure a college basketball scholarship. The second reason behind me creating this organization is to give women athletes an opportunity to continue displaying their talent after they have completed their college basketball eligibility and receive their degree. Not everyone can make the WNBA or overseas roster and many of them do not have aspirations of playing overseas or in the WNBA after college so by creating The Georgia Soul it gives them an opportunity to come back home, start working in their field while continuing to play in front of family and friends and giving back to the younger girls in the community as well as sharing lessons learned in college. The organization is made up of hard-working professionals who volunteer because they have a passion for the game of basketball and giving back to the young ladies in the CSRA. Our mission is to inspire young girls and women in our local community through mentorship, leadership, encouragement, sisterhood and community outreach. We have some of the best athletes in the State of Georgia right here in Richmond County but we are lacking some of the necessary resources or funding that’s needed to be on the same scale as places like Atlanta Georgia. Many of the parents cannot afford to pay for quality trainers or resources needed. There are nine middle schools, eight high schools that’s over 200 ladies with at least twelve (inaudible) for a team that we impact, mentor, train and educate right here in Augusta Georgia. That number doesn’t include the recreation, YMCA or independent teams. There are people preying on parents who are not educated on the steps to receiving a college basketball scholarship or what to look for in quality basketball trainers and are charging astronomical fees and giving bogus services. These same services The Georgia Soul provides 20 because we have subject matter experts that have already been through the process including individuals like myself. Did ya’ll know that 12 ladies that are on The Georgia Souls basketball roster have all received basketball scholarships to college and have completed their four-year degree? Just to give you an example of the type of mentors and role models we have Laney High, Bailey University, WNBA and current professional basketball player in Israel, Ebony Fields Laney High, Georgia State University current math teacher and head women’s coach at Butler University I mean at Butler High School I apologize. I could go on and on about the extraordinary ladies we have representing the City of Augusta but for the sake time you can visit Georgia Souls Basketball.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. In 2017 we were women’s (unintelligible) basketball lead national champion and each member of the organization received a certificate of recognition from Mayor Hardie Davis at the Augusta Commons (unintelligible). We have many amazing powerful individuals in Augusta supporting us. The only thing we are missing is a little bit of financial support from the City of Augusta. The pandemic has been tough to maneuver through. We were scheduled to kick off games this season at Augusta University th starting May 16 with premium courtside seating and hospitality. We provide opportunities for our volunteers, interns and mentees and the organization to gain hands on and gain the experience. Unfortunately due to the pandemic our season and many events we had planned this year were cancelled. Fortunately with a few financial donors we have been able to stay afloat and take care of bills. We were able to move some of the scheduled events and workshops to virtual. I will be here all night if I talk about all the things the organization has done and the things we would like to continue doing but the bottom line is we need financial assistance to continue making an impact and doing great things (inaudible). I think we have proved the last three years that we have run a successful, professional and premiere women’s basketball organization that represents the City of Augusta with dignity and respect. Give us an opportunity to show you how and worthy your contribution will be best used. Before I go I want to highlight the Black Chamber of Commerce and their extraordinary efforts in helping educating black businesses before and during the pandemic. Since the pandemic they have provided weekly member check in, they have been providing top tier virtual workshops, training and information sessions to help educate and assist business owners. This is an amazing organization that gives more than they receive. This is all I have. I appreciate your time. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. Wright. All right, Madam Clerk, if at all possible we are at that point now we’re ready to dive into the agenda items and I’d like for us to run the clock and move as expeditiously as possible. The Clerk: Okay, our Consent Agenda --- Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: --- our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through 3, Items 1 through 3. And for the record, Mr. Mayor, I would like to make a correction on Item #3 that approval by the thth Commission of this ordinance was September 18 opposed to I mean August 18 opposed to th September 18. But with that correction our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through 3. 21 Mr. Mayor: Okay thank you, Madam Clerk, and noted on Item #3 from the Consent nd Agenda again today is the 2 reading of that, fantastic. All right, the Chair will entertain any th motions to add. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. I need to delete Item 11 for Director Hawthorne --- Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. Garrett: --- and I’d like to add 21 to the Consent. Mr. Mayor: All right, do you want to talk about it at another time? Mr. Garrett: 22 is mine. 21 we’re moving (inaudible). Mr. Mayor: Okay, okay 21 is a consent? Mr. Sias: I have some questions on that one. Mr. Mayor: Okay with objection, all right. The Clerk: You said Item 21? Mr. Mayor: There is objection. All right, Madam Clerk, I’d like to, I’d like to go to the th Commissioner from the 4 Administrative Services. Mr. Sias: And I’m going to come back to Item 21. I remove my objection to 21. I misread something. Remove my objection from that. Mr. Mayor: All right, all right so 21 we’ll add to the Consent Agenda. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Mayor: And if we will add 13 --- Mr. Sias: (Inaudible) floor? Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ll go the Chairman. Go ahead, Commissioner. Mr. Sias: I want to, I want to consent Item 10. My colleague has already mentioned 11. We’ll delete that one. Item 13 I want to consent that one, Item 14 I want to consent that one, Item 15 I want to consent that one, Item 16 I want to consent that one and I want to take one word to mention item a couple of words to mention Item 12. I want to ask that for consent. That may seem like a complicated one but it’s basically saying that we now have received that guidance from HUD and they’re going to submit for those three categories according to the agenda item monies that we’ll be using in those three categories and one of them is a $1,061,000 thousand that 22 we used for the we have it more for the Small Business Loan Program so I’d like to consent Item 12 if there’s no objection. Mr. Mayor: Okay before we do that did we have any additional information about expenditures for the remaining $2.5 million dollars? Mr. Sias: Technically most of it has not been spent. Our Attorney has justified that one of them is the Homeless Program and, well we can talk about it so we can get all that rather than me trying to say it all right now but it’s not complicated. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, is there documentation that will help us know what those expenditures are? Again I fully understand it’s important one-million that’s being used for the Small Business Program and I’m not opposed to consenting that with the understanding that we’re approving the one-million dollar expenditure with the $2.5 being allocated at a later date. Mr. M. Williams: I’d like to hear from the Director if we can who’s going to be responsible for this that we’re approving. I understand the Commissioner may have some knowledge. I want to hear from the Director. Mr. Mayor: That’s fine. Mr. Sias: I have no objection to that either so let’s talk about it. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, no worries. All right any other motions to, what about --- Mr. Sias: (Inaudible) Item 19? Mr. Mayor: --- repeat that again, Commissioner? Mr. Sias: Consent Item 19. Mr. Mayor: --- all right consent Item #19, okay all right very well and consent Item #7, okay. All right, the Chair will entertain a motion. Mr. Sias: So moved. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, if you’ll read that back for the record what we’ve consented and what we deleted. The Clerk: Consent Agenda will consist of Item 1, 2, 3 with the correction with the th correction of August 18, Item #7, #10 with the deletion of Item 11, adding Item 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21. Mr. Mayor: Okay, voting. 23 CONSENT AGENDA PLANNING 1. Z-20-37 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Louis White, on behalf of Josie Alexander, requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1B (One-family Residential) to Zone R-3B (Multiple-family Residential) affecting property containing 2.22 acres and known as 2403 Mount Auburn Street. Tax Map 034-1-210-00-0 REPLACES Z-20-19 DISTRICT 1 1. The development must substantially conform to the concept plan filed with this application. 2. Provide a sidewalk on Montgomery Street that connects the proposed parking lot to the nearby intersection and meets ADA standards. 3. Any fencing above 4 feet in the front setback will require approval of a variance. 4. Any building encroachment in the front setback require variances from the minimum setback regulations. 5. The development must comply with the provisions of the Augusta Tree Ordinance. 6. Main building shall retain the Weed School name and the remaining 3 buildings shall be named by the Community for past educators, principals etc. 7. A Monument honoring the history of the school to be placed in front of the main building shall be designed and constructed by the Community at the cost of the Community with the developer having final approval over the design. PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS 2. Motion to approve the minutes of the Administrative Services Committee, Regular, Special Meetings held on Augusta 18, 2020 and August 26, 2020. SUBCOMMITTEE Pension Committee 3. Motion to approve Ordinances Restating the 1945 and 1949 Pension Plans and submission to IRS for favorable determination letter. (Approved by the Commission on September 18, 2020 – second reading. PUBLIC SERVICES 7. Motion to approve the Change Order #1 Remac, Inc. for Project Taxiway F, South Apron and Taxilane Rehabilitation at the Augusta Regional Airport in the amount of $97,739.08. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 10. Motion to receive as Information Housing and Community Development Development’s FY2019 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). (Deferred from the August 18, 2020 Commission Meeting) 11. Motion to approve HCD’s request to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, and Antioch Ministries, Inc, and the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce, in support of HCD’s Micro-Enterprise Technical Assistance Program. 13. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) request to HOME funding to Sand Hills Urban Development one (1) single-family unit for a low-to-moderate income family. 24 14. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) request to provide funding to assist one (1) low-to-moderate income homebuyer with down- payment assistance to purchase a home. 15. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development (HCD’s) partnership request with Georgia Rehabilitation Institute, Inc., and accept their financial commitment of $100,000. 16. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) request to provide HOME funding to assist one (1) low to moderate income homebuyer with gap financing, down payment and closing cost to purchase homes through the Employee Incentive Plan. FINANCE 19. Motion to approve purchase of updated audio/visual equipment for conference rooms in Tax Commissioners offices at: Municipal Building, South Augusta Tag Office and West Augusta Tag Office. 21. Approve resolution authorizing execution of the intergovernmental agreements (IGA) and related documents with the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) to issue bonds for the Laney Walker Bethlehem redevelopment project. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett, Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. Garrett’s a yes. The Clerk: Okay, that’s Mr. Garrett. 25 Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Yes. Motion Passes 10-0. Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic. All right, Madam Clerk, we’ll just we’ll go top to bottom. The Clerk: PLANNING 4. Ms. Edith Peebles regarding the Final Plat for Wright’s Point – S-903. The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, I don’t know if Mr. Sherman is there but at our last meeting they were asked to confirm the fact that Ms. Wright had complied with the requirements of some utility issues. Mr. Mayor: Right. Okay all right I believe that’s Ms. Wright. Is Ms. McFarley still there, Ms. Bonner? The Clerk: Yes, sir, she should be, Ms. Peebles. Mr. Mayor: Ms. McFarley, would you approach, is Director Sherman there? Ms. McFarley: No, sir, he’s not, he might be on the phone. Mr. Lewis: Mayor, I see him in the waiting room. Mr. Mayor: Okay, he’s in the waiting room. All right, very well, okay, very well --- Mr. Lewis: I’ll bring him in. Mr. Mayor: is that (unintelligible) okay, all right very well okay they are here now okay. All right, Ms. Peebles, Ms. Peebles, all right if you’ll just pause for a moment we’re going to hear from Director Sherman. All right, Director Sherman. 26 Mr. Sherman: Okay, Mayor and Commissioners, so the agenda item appropriately should read Final Plat Wrights Point – S-903 issued by Johnson Laschober and Associates on behalf of Edith Peebles requesting Final Plat Approval for Wrights Point a single-family residential development. It’s located at 1477 Wrightsboro Road and contains 13 lots. All departments have approved for the amended for the final plat to be approved. Mr. Mayor: All right, okay, all right, that’s really all we need. I’ll entertain a motion. Mr. D. Williams: So moved. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay voting. The Clerk: Who seconded that, sir --- Mr. Mayor: The Commissioner from --- The Clerk: --- Mr. Fennoy? Mr. Mayor: --- yes, ma’am. Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett, Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. 27 Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Yes. Mr. Garrett: Garrett’s a yes. The Clerk: All right. Motion Passes 10-0. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right --- Ms. Peebles: Thank you, Commissioners. Mr. Mayor: --- thank you so much, Ms. Peebles. All right, I’m going to ask my Mayor Pro Tem if he would look in his chat box if he’ll look in his chat box for a moment. Madam Clerk, if you’ll go to the next one. The Clerk: That will be Item #5 Ms. Walton will address Items 5 and 6. PUBLIC SERVICES 5. Motion to approve Existing Location: A.N. 20-32: request by Maan Cheang for a consumption on premise Liquor License to be used in connection with New Ming Wah Restaurant, Inc. located at 3415 Wrightsboro Rd. There will be Sunday Sales. District 5. Super District 9. 6. Motion to approve New Application: A.N. 20-31: request by Philip G. Caldwell for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Miller Theater, LLC located at 708 Broad Street. There will be Sunday Sales. District 1. Super District 9. Mr. Fennoy: Could we just do one vote, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor: We could, we’ll let her speak to both of them and. Ms. Walton: Alcohol A.N. 20-32 is a request by Maan Cheang for a consumption on premise Liquor License to be used in connection with New Ming Wah Restaurant located at 3415 Wrightsboro Road. There will be Sunday Sales. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has approved this application and Planning and Development. 28 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Sir, please state your name and address for the record. Mr. Cheang: Maan Cheang (unintelligible) Martinez, GA 30907. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Can I get a motion? Mr. M. Williams: So moved. The Clerk: Was that Mr. Marion Williams? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: It was. Mr. M. Williams: Yes. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I didn’t hear a second. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Hasan with the second. The Clerk: Can she do #6, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Sure. Ms. Walton: A.N. 20-31 is a request by Philip G. Caldwell for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with the Miller Theater, LLC located at 708 Broad Street, there will be Sunday Sales. This application has been approved by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Planning and Development. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Please state your name and address for the record, please, sir. Mr. Speaker: Philip George Caldwell, 3733 Inverness Way Martinez, Georgia. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, thank you, sir. Commissioner Dennis Williams had a question. Mr. Caldwell: Sure. Mr. D. Williams: Are there any objectors to these two items? Ms. Walton: No, sir, there were no objectors. Mr. D. Williams: Thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner Fennoy. 29 Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve. The Clerk: We have a motion. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We’ve got a motion and a second. I appreciate that. Ms. Bonner, can we go ahead and vote? The Clerk: Yes sir, Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett, Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Yes. Ms. Davis and Mr. Garrett out. Motion Passes 8-0. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Ms. Bonner, next one number eight. The Clerk: 30 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 8. Discuss and provide a solution for the security and safety of our code enforcement officers. (Requested by Commissioner Sammie Sias) Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Is this Commissioner Sias’ agenda item? The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Sias? Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. This is an item that we know we recently lost one of our Code Enforcement officers to a tragic, a barbaric act, a senseless killing. However the discussion about our Code Enforcement officers and folks have been going on prior to that. So this is not a complete reactionary item, agenda item but it’s an item that we have been talking about and on a personal basis we had talked about that issue already. So with that part out of the way we had also discussed about efficiency in our Code Enforcement Department. We’ve been talking about blight and all these other things for years now and as somebody said regularly here sometimes it don’t make sense or if you’re doing the same thing expecting different results they call that insanity. So I’m going to make a motion today that as follows: move to have the Law Department prepare an amendment to the Augusta Code to transfer City Code Enforcement personnel from the Planning and Development Department and Environmental Services to include salaries and equipment to the Augusta Marshal’s Department effective immediately with a transitional period of 14 days and this is the first reading. Mr. Clarke: Second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, we’ve got a motion and a second, we’ve got a lot more discussion. First off, Commissioner Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. I don’t understand how a Commissioner or two Commissioners can decide we’re going to take Code Enforcement from one department and take that whole department and put it up under the Marshal’s Department. Commissioner Sias made a good point that we’ve got people doing double duties I guess double work but we still had not seen the effect of it. I don’t agree with we ought to move anything under the Marshal’s Department. I think we had a sub-committee meeting the other day. We talked about some issues that need to be addressed not just with Code Enforcement but with the Land Bank and the landfill as well. But what gives us the authority for someone to either meet with the Marshal or meet with Code Enforcement and then coming back and bring to the Commission and then we make a motion and a second to do that? I mean it looks like this body would have enough decency to discuss this with us as elected officials as to what we want to do not with what one Commissioner wants to do, I take serious issue with that now. I can’t support that and I don’t think that’s right for us to try to put any other agency under another agency like that. So I make a substitute motion we have a sub- committee meeting again to discuss some things that are going on maybe we can take the Marshal’s Department and put it up under Code Enforcement. In fact that’s going to be my substitute motion. Now you’re going to take Code Enforcement and move it over. That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard 31 in my life. No, it ain’t the craziest thing but one of the craziest things I’ve heard in my life. I mean --- Mr. Hasan: You have a good motion, Commissioner, you can’t (inaudible). Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: (Unintelligible). Mr. M. Williams: --- well okay, okay that’s not my motion. I motion we have another sub-committee meeting to discuss the problems we have. We know we’ve got some safety issues that’s going on. That man lost his life senselessly. I get that; that wasn’t called for and my understanding that some of the other agencies were supposed to have been there when that happened and they didn’t show up. So my motion would be to have a sub-committee meeting to discuss the problem with Code Enforcement and the Marshal’s Department as to what’s being done with not the Assistant Marshal but the Marshal himself versus somebody else coming down telling us what he had told him a week ago. So that’s my substitute motion. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, so we’ve got a substitute motion for a sub-committee meeting seconded by Commissioner Hasan. Next up will be Commissioner Hasan and then Sias then Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know the thing about it, it is something we’ve been struggling with this since we’ve been here. As I said last week prior to this we had scheduled our meeting (unintelligible) before the accident happened. Another thing it’s only common decency that we finish this process. I do agree there needs to be some centralization but let’s see what that looks like because you say right now to place Code Enforcement, Code Enforcement is also the landfill Code Enforcement is a lot of different places so it’s not that clear. I’m not sure you can make the kind of amendment that my colleague just said make. That is more of an ordinance issue. I don’t think you can amend it that way what he’s talking about anyway but my point is to just stay on point. We ought to have the decency to finish it out because we do need to do something to have the full grasp of what we are passing on and what we are attempting to organize. That only makes good sense. Also just remember Code Enforcement is a constituent service that many of us call, our constituents call us and we make the phone call and we get the ditches cleaned out, we get the street potholes fixed, things of that nature so we don’t want to give it up to an elected official and then we have little or no say so about it at the end of the day. Also think about the employees. None of these employees are going to make a haste decision without us in any way giving serious thought about what their future’s going to be because they’re not protected by the PPPM where they have an appellate process against any allegation or anything being brought against them. Let’s give them and their families some consideration as well as we look at this. But also what do I mean when I say no control. I spoke, I’ve been speaking about this since we started this but let just share with you an email I got from Mr. Sherman just this morning because I was talking to him this morning because something came to mind for him, to him. This nd is saying, this is December the 2 2019 --- Mr. Mayor: Marshal (inaudible). 32 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Mayor, can you please mute? Thank you. Go ahead, Commissioner Hasan. nd Mr. Hasan: --- this is December the 2 2019. This is from Scott Peebles to Mr. Sherman from Mr. Peebles to Mr. Sherman. Good Morning, Rob. For some time now the Marshal has had a desire to discontinue the practice of writing citations on Code Enforcement’s behalf for several reasons. I’ve attempted several meetings with Carla as we don’t want to act unilaterally and want to make sure we do what is in the best interests of the city but we were unable to connect. I know th. you have a meeting scheduled with Col. Probus on December the 12 I was hoping this was something that could be addressed at that meeting. If not, can you schedule a meeting? The st Marshal has set a tentative end date for writing citations on March 1. Please give me your thoughts on this and we can discuss. Thank you. But let me answer what happened there because I talked to Mr. Sherman whether this meeting was ever had and he had said the meeting was had. They had made up their mind, they were not going to write any more citations and the date was st March the 1 and let them know after that. The Marshal doesn’t have that authority. The Commission assigned him that authority. I asked him to go back as far as he can go back to see how long had the Code Enforcement I mean sorry the Marshal’s Department been writing tickets. He can go back as far as citations, he can go far back as 2006 from the time they started chronologic, keeping track a record of that. They can’t, the system won’t go beyond that. This was the Marshal’s task and without telling any of us they made a decision to stop writing citations for the Code Enforcement. They had to pick that back up. The Marshal doesn’t have that authority. The Commission made a decision possibly to give the previous Marshal a salary enhancement to provide this service. So these are the things we’re stepping into and not to belabor the point, it’s just simply follow the process because this is a (unintelligible) situation that we can put out to the end we knew nothing about a service that the Marshal should’ve been (inaudible) and he made a decision that (unintelligible) and they’re not doing it anymore and as a result of that some of the Code Enforcement they get trained to get ready to start doing that service and we knew nothing about it. Also we just gave them seven more people last year, it might’ve been this year, or what have you so let’s be mindful of what we’re doing here because this was uncalled for. Nobody ever spoke to us as a body. I can’t say any of you as my colleagues did not, was not aware of this but I was for sure not aware of this up until this morning and Mr. Sherman gave me this email. This is too important here. This is a service of the Marshal’s supposed to be providing per the request of the Commission as far back as 2006 and he has given it up. Thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Commissioner Hasan, Commissioner Sias then Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Sias: Thank you. Number one, I want to get the Marshal in on this discussion please but in the meantime let me say something. I won’t go down the road of what I’ve heard already. It almost sounds like it’s unconstitutional for us to amend an ordinance and we all know that that’s not true. We amend ordinances all the time. Secondly, when we talk about employees needing protection some of, a lot of them, several employees there needed protection from us so when I tell you the Marshal has the ability to properly manage his team. I haven’t heard a complaint or anything filed against the Marshal in doing his job. Now you may have a disagreement with somebody on a personal basis or whatever but I can tell you this what we allocate to the when we 33 allocate the personnel to the Marshal that give us the opportunity to a couple of things. Number one, that gives us a centralized point for basic code enforcement. Code Enforcement doesn’t do the ditches for us, that’s the Engineering Department, that’s who we call for that. That’s the retention pond. We call the Engineering Department, we don’t call Code Enforcement. When we are looking at blighted property that’s when we call the Code Enforcement. When we’re looking at junk cars we call the Marshal. We already know the Code Enforcement sets on a certain degree they can’t deal with certain parts of junk vehicles or whatever. And we had this confusion on who’s supposed to do what. We put it in one central location that goes away. We’re prepared to do that. Now as far as any emails or swapping of duties, I’m not aware of anything that was done improperly but the Marshal here can answer that and I’m also pretty sure Mr. Sherman is somewhere around but I still say it’s better if we centralize our basic Code Enforcement. We’re not talking about Code Enforcement with the on utilities, right of ways and this thing we have with Engineering to go out and do. I’m talking about the basic litter, trash and that kind of code enforcement which is in Planning and Development, in the Marshal’s Office and in Environmental Services. All that should be under one roof. Now I have enough respect and trust in the Marshal in doing his job that he can do that. This elected official is not as we had discussed earlier, this elected official is not a state constitutional office on the other position (unintelligible). This was created just for Augusta Richmond County. All right, thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Sias, did you have a question for the Marshal? You requested him in. Mr. Sias: Yes, thank you, I appreciate it. Marshal Lamkin, give us your take on this as far th as what Mr., what my colleague from the 6 raised and also your take on the ability or your willingness or not willingness to take on this task of Code Enforcement --- Marshal Lamkin: Okay, first --- Mr. Sias: --- and a little bit of how you would do it. Marshal Lamkin: --- okay, thank ya’ll for having me. First, I want to address the citation issue. It was really a duplication of services. We had Code Enforcement out there already. We had dealt with complainants several times and then where they have the complainant there they did issue a citation. Then we did come back to the office and then ask one of my deputies to put out a citation request and then we would have to go track them down and it would go weeks and weeks and weeks without you getting (unintelligible) then we’d finally get them and we may get the citation but as opposed to having Code Enforcement when they’re already there with the person go ahead and issue citations. The conversation I had with Rob Sherman to try and streamline services and make the government working more efficiently that they can go ahead and issue citations. So they came up with a way for them to issue citations we cleared it with magistrate court then fines and issue citations that way so that’s cleared that. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, if we’re going to have this discussion now we down need to have a sub-committee meeting. Now I ain’t got no problem having it now --- 34 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, hold on come on, Commissioner Williams, hold on I’ve got you on the list. Commissioner Sias, are you done? Mr. M. Williams: --- if we’re going to have this discussion --- Mr. Sias: I’ve got one more point I want to make. Mr. M. Williams: --- (inaudible) Rob Sherman in here --- Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: He’s in, in the meeting. Mr. M. Williams: --- do it we don’t need a subcommittee. We’ll do everything right here now. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Rob Sherman’s in the meeting, Commissioner Sias, if you can wrap up with your last question. Mr. Sias: I wanted to ask the Marshal what is this process, this disciplinary process, how do we go about it and what is the concept of disciplinary action and this kind of thing? Marshal Lamkin: Well, we have two ways to look at that. Sometimes things can be fatal. If it’s a fatal disciplinary issue like someone violating the law then that’s unneeded coming at you but most of the time when we have disciplinary issues we confer with H.R. because I’m not afraid to say I don’t know it all and I go to the experts you know who know all that the Human Resources to ask that I think. So we work with our progressive discipline with all employees and that’s the way we deal with this one. You know we always consult, always, you know three minds are better than one. We’re always looking for in life how to do things better and every time we always consult with H.R. when we’re dealing with those disciplinary issues. Mr. Sias: And do you think that your policy is not to just for a lack of a better word be the bully in charge and just fire folks left and right? Marshal Lamkin: No, sir, we have not demonstrated that. You can look at our track record. We just terminate people left and right unless if it is some of those fatal errors that you’re violating the law if you’re doing something that you know just (unintelligible) you can be terminated for that. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes, you know I had a conversation with some people in Code Enforcement and one of their concerns is that because the Marshal’s Department is an elected official that if we get a new Marshal they may not have a job. Now what they said is that they didn’t have a problem with the Marshal but because his position is elected it puts them, their job security in jeopardy where as they know they have a job now they know what they can and cannot do. I also had a 35 conversation with Marshal Lamkin and I expressed to him the concerns of the employees in Code Enforcement and he assured me that any time an elected official takes over the employees that are at the top are usually the ones that get displaced because he needs someone close to him that’s going to that has his back. But he also said if you look at his history then employees have not lost their job because of foolishness. The biggest problem from the workshop that we had last week is money. The biggest problem we have with cutting grass and tearing down houses is money. It’s not who’s in charge of it but we just don’t have the financial resources to do the jobs that’s necessary so that our city, especially our inner city, could be the great city that it is. So my concern is the safety not only of the Marshal’s Department but of all the employees that work for the City of Augusta and I support programs that will increase the safety of the Code Enforcement. What Code Enforcement did say is that bullet proof vests have been ordered for all of the employees and a lot of times when they are accompanied by someone from the Marshal’s Department so that’s all I got to say, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Commissioner Fennoy. Commissioner Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Several issues here, first of all we know that horrific incident that young man lost his life and whether he’s got a vest on or however that happened that was bad but we have done everything we can do with the Marshal and Code Enforcement. Commissioner Fennoy mentioned about the problems being having the finances to perform their duties. It ain’t which department it is. It’s the finances that can cut the grass or tear down the structure that needs to be torn down. But I’ve got a problem when one Commissioner or two Commissioners meet and decide that we need to do this versus coming in and talking to the ten of us and with the Mayor about how can we structure something or what’s the best way. When you have these sidebar meetings and I heard Commissioner Sias talked about the Commission being afraid of some of the elected officials but those who carry guns I’m sure they are afraid of them. I mean I seen some that carry a weapon (unintelligible) myself. But I’m saying that to say that we gave Code Enforcement money, we gave the Marshal extra money to take on those responsibilities. He said he could do it if he had the staff. We gave him equipment to go out there and do this work. Now we’re going to give him more equipment, take a whole department and dissolve it I guess we just let Rob Sherman walk around and pick up marbles he finds or do something crazy like that. But that’s the craziest thing I heard in my life. We had a sub-committee meeting, we talked about the issues what we need to do, how we need to do it. I need to know from Rob Sherman, he’s in the room I want to hear from Rob, what’s his thoughts on this, I’ve got another question but I want to hear from Rob. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Rob, can you hear us? Mr. Sherman: Yes, I can so I think --- Mr. Mayor: So hold on, hold on a minute, hold on a minute, Mayor Pro Tem, let me chime in for just a minute. I am concerned, greatly concerned at the nature of this conversation this conversation --- Mr. M. Williams: You just got concerned, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, you just got concerned? I mean this conversation has been going on for some time and you just --- 36 Mr. Mayor: --- no, no --- Mr. M. Williams: --- (unintelligible) concerned? Mr. Mayor: --- so the nature of this conversation in terms of how we’re conducting this conversation in this business today. We are about to ask Rob Sherman to weigh in on what he believes is best for his department and his staff when he works for the Administrator --- Mr. M. Williams: We just --- Mr. Mayor: --- (unintelligible) this government and so to that end --- Mr. M. Williams: --- (unintelligible) Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: --- to that end you then put the Marshal in betwixt this conversation and say well tell us what you think in terms of how we should do our business. At the end of the day this body, this legislative body has a responsibility to provide for the health, welfare and safety of all of our citizens. What we will not do is ask department directors to weigh in on their future and put them in this position. We should not be doing that. Secondly, when you talk about the issue of code enforcement on last Friday I was unable to be a part of the meeting but let me be clear. This was the first time at least in the six years that I’ve been here when you brought all departments together and said as a legislative body, as a governing body we’re going to try and understand how we do code enforcement in the City of Augusta and all of the (unintelligible) departments that have a role in trying to accomplish that. That was the first time that’s been done at least in the six years that I’ve been here. And now we’ve gone from that initial conversation of trying to gain that understanding and said we just simply need to put what we heard about on Friday under the Marshal’s Department. We then train this around who best to lead it. I don’t believe that the Marshal should be in that conversation, I don’t believe that Rob Sherman should be in that conversation. Right now this is a legislative or governing authority discussion that should be happening at that level and happening consistently across developing a better understanding of our inability to do code enforcement which most people translate as addressing the issues of vacancy, blight in the city. We have done a piss poor job of that for six years as long as I’ve been here. And if I listen to the Commissioner from the 9th it’s been here at least sixteen years since he’s been here. And so for us to now change this conversation, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem and members of the Commission, into let’s just stick it under the Marshal’s Department and that will solve all of our problems. I submit to you that that is not only fundamentally categorically wrong but it is not true because we still do not understand how all of this gets done and we just started that discussion on this past Friday. Let me mention a few things as it relates to this issue of code enforcement. In communities all across this nation and state code enforcement officers not only perform a function, a variety of functions as public servants but code enforcement officers have a role in impacting property values, the ins of a community, every community struggles with vacant buildings with trash, with tall grass, with weeds, with graffiti, with inoperable vehicles and code enforcement officers have a responsibility to their legislative bodies that in that ordinances for the good of the entire community. What’s being lost in this conversation is that no one can function and do the work of code enforcement unless this body the ten commissioners enact good public policy that 37 addresses the issue of vacancy and blight in our city. And what I’ve seen and heard for the last six years is that we have not done a good job of that. Number one we have not had the courage to fund it and talk about how we’re going to get after it. We started when Janice Jackson was here th with the effort with the Commissioner from the 9 over here on Wrightsboro Road with the churches and it came to null. We then went from there to having a conversation about moving th over to 15 Street and it went to null. We then put $900,000 dollars into it and Environmental Services and it went to null. At the end of the day if we as a governing body don’t get our ducks in a row about what we want to champion and commit and make investments to as a city we can stick it over here under the bridge under a bushel we can even stick it under the James Brown Statute as tall as it is and we won’t accomplish a doggone thing. Now what I’m concerned about deeply is how we’re framing the lives of employees between the Marshal who has not asked to be brought into this fight or conversation let alone understanding but then we’re going to ask the department director well what do you think about the employees who work for you and yourself. That is not the conversation we should be having on this floor. That is not the conversation we should be having as it relates to this. We need to develop a deep understanding about the issues of Code Enforcement, how do we accomplish that, bring in all those resources into alignment and yet we just completely dismissed that part of it around what really is the role of Code Enforcement. They enact public policies of the governing authority and to date from my vantage point this is a very difficult job, one that the governing body has not been committed to outside of giving people pay raises and we’re real good at that. But in terms of the hard work the work that needs to be done on the ground so that you don’t have 4,000 properties in the City of Augusta that continue to sit on the vine and vacancy, blight and abandonment. We haven’t done our job. That’s where the real work needs to happen at and that’s not happening. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I agree --- Mr. Mayor: I’ll turn it back over to you, Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right well, Mayor, very passionate. Mr. M. Williams: --- I was discussing before the Mayor came back in the room was I not, Mayor Pro Tem? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah, to you still. Mr. M. Williams: Okay, well I tried to tell the Mayor Pro Tem that we should not have this conversation on the floor like this. I said we need to have a subcommittee meeting. We allow the Marshal to come in and give his views with Commissioner Sias’ blessing. I said before we got started that we shouldn’t we ought not to be bringing anybody back in the room and discussing this because we can’t push it off on one (unintelligible). Since we had the Marshal to talk I asked Rob Sherman to reply. Now I ain’t got no problem meeting some other time but we done done everything we need to do except sit down and get serious about cleaning this city up. You’re right, Mr. Mayor, it’s been more than 16 years. It was here when I got here and it’s going to be when I’m gone unless we get man enough woman enough to do what’s right for this community. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, sir. Commissioner Hasan. 38 Mr. Hasan: Yes sir, Mr. Mayor, I want to applaud you for you know but I’m going to say Commissioner Williams did say what he said we can’t make that as a caveat. But I applaud you for your comments, Mr. Mayor, and that’s just what we was trying to do and that’s why it’s unfair to everybody to do it. And I agree with you plus I’ll say this, Mr. Mayor, and I apologize for saying it you have to realize now Commissioner Marion Williams is only doing what the Marshal has done. The Marshal didn’t go to the Administrator. He went to (unintelligible) and changed and decided they wanted to do something that the commissioner had assigned them to do that the department to do for quite some time. Rob don’t have that authority that the commissioner gave the Marshal. But I don’t want to beat that dead horse, Mr. Mayor. I just want to I appreciate what you said and hopefully my colleagues will honor us to have a full conversation. Commissioner Bobby Williams and I talked very briefly yesterday and I said to him because he had mentioned earlier that the Commission decision this is our community in terms that we need to make a decision about what that’s going to look like and be mindful last but not least for a funding perspective Code Enforcement office for the most part be funded out of that building fund out of Planning and Zoning (unintelligible). So let’s be, we may stand something else up but we’ve got to stand up very closely (inaudible) of that Code Enforcement because that’s where it’s funded at. If we don’t we’re going to create a havoc on our General Fund. But I applaud you, Mr. Mayor. I agree with everything you said weighing in on this deal and (inaudible). Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner Garrett and then Commissioner Sias is going to wrap it up. Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. So in reference to this conversation you know I’ve gone back and forth quite a few times of where it took place. Code Enforcement yeah this conversation was even taking place before the loss of Mr. Case. So I have a couple of questions that I want to ask and I guess the first question is for Rob Sherman. Rob, currently with Code Enforcement under your department it is paid for with Enterprise Funding, is that correct? Mr. Sherman: Ten percent. Mr. Garrett: What’s that? Mr. Sherman: Ten percent of the Code Enforcement budget comes from the Building Division. The balance comes from the General Fund. Mr. Garrett: Okay so that’s not as big of a budget impact as I thought that it was. So tell me how all of this was structured prior to you getting there. I know that you come from a code enforcement background but also in regards to --- Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Garrett, let’s table that from the standpoint I’m mean I’m kind of --- Mr. Garrett: It’s amazing that everybody else can have a long discussion about what they want to talk about and keep going on but any time that Commissioner Garrett gets on most have a discussion after he’s waited in line with everybody else. 39 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I hear you but let’s keep it germane to not asking the department head things that are operational. I mean they don’t need to weigh in on that stuff I would agree on that so now, is he gone? Okay, Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: I’m not going to say anything else, Mayor Pro Tem, because it probably, it probably would not be professional so I’m going to leave it at what I said. We have a motion and a second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, we’ve got a substitute motion to have a subcommittee meeting, Ms. Bonner is, that correct? The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Hasan: To continue the meeting (unintelligible). Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Ms. Bonner, whenever you’re ready. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Yes. The Clerk: Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Frantom --- Ms. Davis: I think he’s asleep. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: No, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. 40 Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Yes. The Clerk: Is Mr. Fennoy back, he’s out. Mr. Fennoy: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Yes, okay, thank you. Mr. Sias votes No. Mr. Garrett out. Motion Passes 8-1. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I guess Agenda Item #9 please. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 9. Motion to deny the Protest and Appeal of TranterGrey Media regarding RFP 20-172 Airport Marketing Agency. (No recommendation from Administrative Services Committee August 18, 2020) Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Are we hearing anything from anyone or are we just voting? The Clerk: I’ll ask the Law Department Procurement. Procurement is available, the process by which we’re going to proceed. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Attorney Brown. Mr. Brown: Yes, our code provides that in that they have timely appealed and asked for this hearing that the protestor gets five minutes and the Procurement Department gets five minutes. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay are they both --- Mr. M. Williams: Question, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: Do we not have a period to do that? Are we going to have another one he’s saying? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Attorney Brown. 41 Mr. Brown: No, sir, we’re not having another one the code says they may summarize their argument, there will not be a retrial and there will be no new evidence allowed. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: So we have to let them speak today? Mr. Brown: Yes, up to five minutes --- Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay --- Mr. Brown: --- if they choose. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- okay. All right, it looks like Mr. Bailey is at the podium. Could you state your name and address for the record, sir? Mr. Bailey: Ted Bailey, 530 Adamsville Lane, Evans, Georgia 30809. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, sir, you have five minutes. Mr. Bailey: So briefly (inaudible) the new RFP came out in February 2019, 17 applicants were screened. One of the three were selected to present. They decided to take their proposal off the table because there some in-house marketing stuff that happened. They redid a proposal in ththth February 2020 with a due date of March 17 I mean March 19. On March 17 they put out a notice that said COVID’s happening, everything is shut down, we’ll clearly communicate with you when everything is back (unintelligible). It said once officials lift restrictions we will notify all vendors and provide updates regarding solicitation meetings. So addendums was sent out during COVID by certified mail. Our office was practicing what we were told to do and we were working from home so certified mail was we could be reached by that and what had happened was I did get the third addendum by certified mail and it said that the new RFP opening date was May th. th the 20 They were out of town on that date and I called on the 26 and talked to somebody from the Procurement Department which I thought was Geri Sams but she said it wasn’t her but she said th it was someone from her department. They told me the date of Wednesday May 20 was the third date to have the RFP due. They also informed us in the last meeting there was box downstairs that we could turn RFP’s into. There’s no communication that was given to us at that point in time that there was (unintelligible) turn it into. And on the original RFP they had to open the due date stated on the front of the RFP and then 26 pages of that RFP in the bottom right hand corner it th says, due date Thursday March 20 at 11:00 a.m. So what I would like to say if it wasn’t a reconvene due date because of COVID then this communication happened and what I want to do is submit the RFP and have a chance to bid for the contract. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, sir. Any questions, colleagues? All right, Ms. Sams, can’t hear you. Ms. Sams: Can you hear me? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, ma’am. 42 Ms. Sams: Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you, Commissioners, for giving me an opportunity to speak with you. I think that the Procurement Department has presented all of the data needed for you to make a decision. We continue to ask you to deny this protest and we asking you to deny it on the grounds that Augusta Georgia followed all of the available laws and ordinances as required by the Procurement Department whereas it is with regret that the vendor was out of town or was not able to receive all of the addendums and for that you know I’m really sorry. But at the end of the day Augusta followed the guidelines, procedure and the law and did what was asked as the Procurement Department in trying to make this bid convenient for all of those persons who was interested in submitting. We did however receive eight proposals regretfully so Mr. Bailey was unable to get his in to us. With that said, gentlemen, ladies, I would like for you to deny this because you would be asking for us to one, receive a proposal that was not a part of the original process. Two, you will be setting a precedent and once we open that door it’s going to be very difficult for us to close as the City of Augusta. Thank you very much for your time. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, I have some concerns I just want to say for (unintelligible). I’m going to make a motion after making my comments and as the gentleman sitting next to Ms. Sams Procurement, Ms. Sams mentioned as well, the reason they pulled it back at one time because it was going to do something in-house and then they decided to go back out so that does concern me. So I’d like to make a motion that we deny the protest, they bring it back and they bring it back in- house to immediately to begin readvertise within the next 90 days they put it out on the street and rebid it. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: So you want to deny the protest and rebid the project? Mr. Hasan: Right, but in the meantime we we’re giving them month to month out there. If they, if they, but actual month to month we deny that and they start doing something in-house because that’s what they said they were going to do when they stopped the process last time. So this time let them advertise in-house at this particular time while they rebid again to put it back on the street. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, is there a second to that motion? Mr. B. Williams: Second. Mr. Fennoy: I will second that, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, but I don’t want it to go back out on the street. Mr. Brown: Commissioner Hasan’s motion to deny it and then also motioned that they put it back on the street in (inaudible). Mr. Fennoy: To rebid it. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: To rebid. 43 Mr. Fennoy: To rebid. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay. Mr. Fennoy: (Unintelligible) second. Mr. Hasan: You’re bringing it in-house for 90 days and then you’re bidding it out. Now you’re bringing in-house. Mr. Brown: Right. Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, any other discussion? We’ve got a motion and a second to deny and rebid within, is it within 30 or 90 days? Mr. Hasan: 90 days. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: 90 days. Any more discussion? All right, Ms. Bonner. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke, is he out, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I don’t see him. The Clerk: Okay, Ms. Davis, she’s out. Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am and Ms. Davis is here. Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am, sorry. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Garrett. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: He’s out. The Clerk: Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. 44 The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: No. Mr. M. Williams votes No. Mr. Garrett and Mr. Clarke out. Motion Passes 7-1. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, thank you all. Ms. Sams: Thank you, Commissioners. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Down to #12. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 12. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) Substantial Amendment Request for the allocation of $4,583,023.00 in CARES Act funds for CDBG, EST and HOPWA. (Requested by Commissioner Sammie Sias) Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Sias, start the conversation? Mr. Sias: Yes, no problem with that as I had said a couple a little bit earlier but I’m just going to go ahead and request that they bring Director Hawthorne Welcher in and let him go ahead and just nail that down. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, he’s not in the queue, there he is, okay, go ahead, Mr. Welcher. Mr. Welcher: Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, HCD we received our federal instructions and with your approval today we are ready to move forward with our federal CARES Act submission for HUD approval and to seek reimbursement of about $3.5 million dollars. What was asked we’re ready to just sort of go over this plan across three federal programs so we will ask Jeff at this time if we could share the screen. Mr. Lewis: Yes, Glenn has that, he’s bringing it up. 45 Mr. Frantom: Mayor? Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Director Welcher, can you have that sent over to Ms. Bonner so we can get an electronic copy of that along with what those expenditures are? Mr. Welcher: Yes, sir, we can do that as well. Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you. Mr. Lewis: Okay, Mr. Welcher, you should be able to share now. Mr. Welcher: Okay, all right, we’re ready. (unintelligible) will quickly go through the grid. Mr. Evans: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission sorry --- Mr. Lewis: Dead --- Mr. Evans: --- I apologize. Mr. Lewis: --- you’re fine. Mr. Evans: Should have it back now. So for the CARES Act funds that are coming from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the three programs that were mentioned and captioned to this motion the grid that we’re going to go through explains the proposed utilization of the those plans. As has been discussed with the Commission and received approval before our Community Development Block Grant allocation is being allocated towards Small Business Relief Program in the amount of $1 million-dollars and the remaining $61,135.00 we propose to use for administrative costs for the City of Augusta in administering that program, I apologize we’re having some technical issues. Mr. Lewis: Mr. Evans, did you want to share it on the screen? Mr. Evans: Yes, sir. Mr. Lewis: You should have the ability to share your screen. Mr. Evans: Sorry about that. Mr. Lewis: No problem. Mr. Evans: Okay, sorry, you should be able to see that now. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We can’t see it yet. 46 Mr. Evans: Okay, we were, Augusta was a community that was lucky to receive two allocations from HUD under the CARES Act for our Emergency Solutions Grant Program that is our Homeless Services Grant Program, and I apologize our screen keeps crashing on us here, I’m trying to bring us up. So we’re proposing to make use of the Emergency Solutions grant dollars you see listed here to provide funding for, screen crashed again I’m sorry. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Can ya’ll send it to Jeff and maybe he can bring it up? Mr. Lewis: If you want to send the document to me I can share it for you. Mr. Evans: Very good, sir. Mr. Hasan: Can I say something in the meantime? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Sure, Commissioner Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, sir,, I’m just you know if I don’t say something to Director Welcher but I’ll just disappoint you all so I need to say something to him. I’m just disappointed, Mr. Welcher, for the most part I don’t see a whole lot of stuff in here, anything about the program so we could’ve looked at that because it looks like it’s the same money you got from the CARES Act much earlier. It looks like you put the same information back in there and that would’ve helped us along but you didn’t put that back in there. Like the only thing you stuck in about the $61,000 dollars if I’m not mistaken I’m trying to look through it now once again. That’s could’ve helped us a whole lot with this process. Mr. Evans: Commissioner Hasan, I apologize. Mr. Welcher stepped away --- Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Evans: --- for a second but we did just try to provide you with a summary of the information of the plan that we’re going to submit to HUD to make utilization of make use of these dollars. Mr. Hasan: That’s not the same, okay, all right, then thank you. Mr. Evans: Jeff, do you have that document you received from us? Mr. Lewis: Not yet. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Mr. Welcher, I have a question for you as we wait. The one-million that we discussed, the loan funding, that’s a separate bucket of money than this or is it the same. Mr. Welcher: It’s a part of this. 47 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, so what is the status of that I was told that we’re not being able to distribute that money as much as we would like I think only like $265,000 or so has been distributed and how do we re-kickstart that program to get that money out in this community? Mr. Welcher: So currently you’ve had about 94 applications submitted. Of the 94 we had approximately 53 that you’ve made to date. And you know from our standpoint there is a consistent (unintelligible) we’ve had about four (unintelligible) of applications come in as high as about 23 applications in one (unintelligible) that’s more about eight it another. If you ask me what would sort of kick start it or what would sort of catapult you know interest in it potentially maybe the funding amount if you sort of look at it you know from that perspective. I mean if you asked me that question, that’s basically what I was told. So if you took basically you know the 53 to about 55 awardees that you currently have and if you multiply that 5,000 times times you know 10,000 then you are about half a million dollars so I think that would be one thing initially to sort of take a look at. You know I can continue if you’d like me to, sir. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I think that this Commission needs to have another discussion about that because I mean I’m concerned that $265,000 out of $1.5 million is only then distributed out and like how we can make this more impactful in the community, I don’t know, that’s just my general feeling about it. Mr. Welcher: And another thing that I will share with you you know these are federal resources and federal funds as well so we would like to simply just in future from a grant standpoint and not actually ask for different documentation from perspective businesses but we can’t. I think what we’ve done to for the most part is we definitely relaxed the qualifications and things that we’ve asked for. We’re only asking for about three or four documents to be honest with you. So you know from a federal standpoint it’s a little different than the $10 million that the city got from a state perspective as well. You know so but from my perspective you know one thing that would catapult it if you look it would make it more maybe more attractive I believe. I know originally when we talked about some issues we talked about ten to fifteen thousand and of course we as a collective body you know to include HCD as well you know as a city department agreed to move down to 5,000. And I think in my opinion I’m not going to say that’s the only reason I think but that will be one of the reasons when you look at a person saying okay well we have you know federal (inaudible) against only $5,000 dollars that may not necessarily be the most attractive is one of the things we’ve heard. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, thank you, sir. Mr. Welcher: I think we’re ready now to sort of just move forward, very quickly (unintelligible) for your submission for your and potentially hopefully for your approval. Mr. Evans: Thank you and I apologize for the technical difficulties there everyone so I’ll get back to (unintelligible) ESG implementation. As with our normal allocation for the City of Augusta under ESG we have the ability to provide services in three major categories: Outreach, Rental Assistance Programs that I’ll talk about in detail later and Emergency Shelter. So what you see here listed on the first page on these first sections are allocations being made or by immediate emergency shelter assistance as well as long-term shelter operating expenses down the road. 48 Included in the emergency shelter line item are the funds needed for the hotel relief effort that we’ve been working here at HCD for the last several months in partnership with our other homeless service providers we’ve discussed with your permission many months ago so that’s lined out to be a reimbursed expense but the rest of the expenses you see listed are proposed and have not been incurred. And our hope is also to be able to make whole our shelter partners who have been had exorbitant costs over the last several months dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If we can go to the next page I can explain those rental assistance programs we’re proposing. More rapid rehousing in our Homeless Prevention Initiatives these funds are proposed to remain available as we do every year throughout communications through nonprofit agencies to provide needed services. In the case of rapid rehousing to deliver persons who are experiencing homelessness into permanent long-term stable housing and for the instance of homelessness prevention is to prevent individual or households at risk of becoming homeless because of an arrearage either in rent or a utility bill to help them again maintain stable housing throughout the duration of this public health crisis. The City of Augusta is allocated 10% of the total award for administrative costs. You see that listed there is the $237,089 dollars and we’ve broken those out as you see in the chart. For our Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids Program just a background as you all are very aware this is our direct assistance to households that are low to moderate income and have a household member who is HIV positive. This is a very small funding stream in comparison to the other two but we feel that it articulates here a very good approach to providing supplement to the existing implementation that our HOPWA partners provide. So as you see the City of Augusta is afforded 6% of the award to provide for administrative costs. We are proposing to using $10,000 dollars of the award to provide nutritional assistance in the form of food vouchers and gift cards. That’s a cost that these households are experiencing throughout the pandemic. The medical services line item is also something that has come into stark relief as being needed where a lot of our clients that are served under the HOPWA Program are able to receive assistance with their HIV medication through the ADAP Program as well as other services for their HIV condition through the Ryan White Program. Some of their comorbidities whether it be diabetes, high blood pressure, things like that they don’t always have a good resource to provide funding or resource to meet those needs so we propose to make a small portion of the allocation available for that. Where you see (inaudible) we are looking to create some deeper partnerships in the local hotel/motel community to help persons who are obviously medically fragile because they’re HIV positive be able to isolate or quarantine if they find themselves in a living situation that does not allow them to either be isolated away from a family member with COVID-19 or if they themselves contract isolate away from their family members. If we can go to the last page it’ll speak to the bulk of the HOPWA allocation. This is (inaudible) most of you are familiar hearing us talk to you about the short-term Rental Mortgage Utility Assistance Program. It’s very much like homelessness prevention that we discussed but for HOPWA eligible households only. This is able to help with arrearages and rents due under or mortgage and utility costs that can help these households maintain stable housing. And under the provisions of the CARES Act we are eligible to are able to assist these households for up to two years where normally we’re restricted to a certain number of weeks, 21 weeks within a calendar year, in helping with these different types of bills but the CARES Act funds allowing us a longer runway to provide hopefully and deeper and more impactful service for these households. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Evans, for that presentation. Any colleagues have any questions? Commissioner Fennoy. 49 Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We have a motion and a second from Commissioner Hasan. Ms. Bonner, whenever you’re ready to vote. The Clerk: Mr. Clarke. Mr. Mayor: He’s gone. The Clerk: He’s out okay, Ms. Davis, is she out? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: She’s out. The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Garrett, he’s out. Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams, he’s out. Mr. Clarke, Ms. Davis, Mr. Garret and Mr. M. Williams out. Motion Passes 6-0. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: If the Mayor’s ready to take over, are we on #17? 50 The Clerk: Yes, sir, we are. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right. The Clerk: PUBLIC SAFETY 17. Receive as information an update on the new MyAugusta311 mobile application and web portal. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Who’s going to speak to this? The Clerk: Is Daniel Dunlap in the waiting room, Mr. Lewis? Mr. Lewis: Daniel Dunlap, I do not see him. The Clerk: Okay, we can reschedule --- Mr. Lewis: Michele Pearman’s going to speak to this --- The Clerk: --- oh okay. Mr. Lewis: --- she’s coming up, Michele, are you there? Ms. Pearman: Can you hear me? Hey, how are y’all? Good afternoon, Mayor Davis, Mayor Pro Tem and Augusta Commissioners, I’d like to share my screen and give you an update on my Augusta 311. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you. Mr. Lewis: We can see it. Ms. Pearman: My name is Michele Pearman, Information GIS Project Manager and I’m here to supply you with an update on MyAugusta311 Program. This project has experienced a prolonged delay this year due to the overwhelming citizen support 311 provided with COVID-19 and department delays and service during the shelter in place order. MyAugusta311 Citizen Engagement Program will be Augusta’s one stop shop designed to increase digital citizen engagement and communication. Citizens can request the service or call the existing service, access online payments, learn about interaction tools like City App and Special Media, sign up for emergency notifications and more. This is a replacement platform for Central Services 311 current mobile app Citizens Web Portal. The new mobile app and Citizen Web Portal will leverage the latest technology. It features two-way software integrations for 311, Animal Services and Code Enforcement with our business system network. The project is a collaboration with Information Technology, Central Services, 311, Administration and departments working together to implement the best solutions for our community. There are a couple of milestones I’d like to share 51 th with you today. First on September 14 the team will hold a large scale meeting with Administration and departments to discuss the overall vision and promotion of MyAugusta311 along with leveraging future statistics for data driven decision making and the development of st service level agreements. Second, on September 21 Information Technology will deploy a soft launch of the program for increased testing protocols. We anticipate MyAugusta311 to be searchable in both app stores during that week. Additionally 311 will engage with Citizen Focus Group to provide the team with feedback. Third, a publicly promoted hard launch is scheduled for th. October 12 Thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, I can’t see give me just a second here, any questions for Ms. Pearman? Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Ms. Pearman, I think that the staff at 311 do a great job but the problem that I have 99% of the time is when I dial 311 on my phone it goes to Columbia County. Mr. Lewis: Mr. Frantom, Kelly’s on the line from 311. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Ms. Pearman, would you want Kelly to answer that or would you like us to answer that? Ms. Pearman: Perhaps Kelly from 311. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Kelly, did you hear Commissioner Fennoy’s question? Ms. Kelly: I’m sorry, no, it doesn’t have any volume. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: He asked that when he called 311 99% of the time it goes to Columbia County. Kind of understanding why that is. Ms. Kelly: Sure, so there’s a shared (inaudible) between Columbia County and Richmond County and depending on where you are and what type of device you are calling 311 you may actually hit Columbia County (inaudible) Richmond County but that is why we have a Memorandum of Understanding and we transfer calls in between the offices. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Fennoy? Mr. Fennoy: (Unintelligible). th Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, just to follow up. So on October 12 is when we’re going to do some kind of public campaign, press release on this new APP is that correct, Ms. Pearman? Ms. Pearman: Yes, sir, it is. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, I think it’s important we do something big try to get it out in the community for sure, Commissioner Fennoy, you’ve got another question? 52 Mr. Fennoy: No, motion to receive as information. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right --- Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- got a motion and a second, Ms. Bonner. The Clerk: Can we do that without objection, sir? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, ma’am, thank you ladies --- Ms. Pearman: Thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- thank you for what ya’ll do. The Clerk: FINANCE 18. Present the financial report for the 6 month period ended June 30, 2020. Mr. Sias: Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, I’ve got a question when we get the Finance people online. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Sure, Donna and Tim, who’s going to lead the presentation today? Mr. Lewis: I think Tim was going to lead the presentation. Tim, do you have, are you sharing your screen? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Donna, we can’t hear you. Ms. Williams: There we go, okay. Buttons, buttons, everywhere. Okay, so you have a -- Mr. Sias: I have a question for her, Mayor Pro Tem, before they start. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: You’ve got a question to raise, sir? Mr. Sias: (Unintelligible) before they start. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Commissioner Sias has a question for ya’ll. Go ahead, sir. Mr. Sias: Thank you to Ms. Williams and the Finance folks. Every time we have this briefing from Finance we ask about the presentation. Why do we have it then we need to get it. I don’t see it in the book and it wasn’t mailed electronically. My simple question is why do we keep asking the same questions and getting the same negative results not getting these presentations ahead of time. 53 Ms. Williams: Okay, sir, all of the reports are in the book attached to the agenda item. The report is 30, 27 pages long. Was that not included? Mr. Sias: Tell you what, email me the report, okay? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: It was there (unintelligible). Ms. Williams: I’m sorry, ya’ll you’re both breaking up. I didn’t understand that. Mr. Sias: I’m asking for it because I don’t have it. I can look under the tab to see if it’s there, okay? So I would appreciate it if you would email a copy, thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes sir, all right, Ms. Donna. Ms. Williams: Okay so the report is in our standard format that we present to you quarterly and we’re reporting on the same funds that are typically included in this report which is the General Fund, Urban Services, Law Enforcement, Fire Protection, Water and Sewage, Garbage, Airport and Storm Water. Additionally in the back of the report are all of your active SPLOST projects which show the project budget, the amount extended and the amount remaining in all of our open phases for all those projects. So as we typically do we’ll start off with the General Fund and I’m not going to go, this is a voluminous report if it’s okay with you guys I’ll just hit on the highpoints and what you guys need to know. I think it is the most important and then if there’s specific questions we would of course address those as best we’re able to. So we always start off with the General Fund and the Law Enforcement fund which for purposes of reporting on our audit are combined together but we track those separately during the year and they have separate budgets. th So the second quarter which ended June the 30 of course does not have your ad valorem taxes because they have not been billed yet. Those will show up in the third quarter because the billing is in September. The impact to the General Fund and Law Enforcement for your combined ad valorem taxes and those two funds are a little over $46 million dollars. We do not expect to see and hopefully do not see a significant impact to those revenue collections from the pandemic. What we do see impacting our revenue is from our sales tax collections. The sales tax for those two funds is almost $36 million dollars between the two funds. That revenue supports the General Funds as well as the Sheriff’s Department operations for Law Enforcement. We are lagging behind in sales tax at the end of June. We were a little over 7% below our budget which was approximately $2.3 million dollars below the same time period last year. So while it is still behind June collections actually gave us a little bit of hope that we were looking a little more like what we used to call the old normal I guess which is where we’d all like to get back to. Those collections were a little over $20,000 dollars over the amount that was collected in June the prior year. So we would hope that we continue to increase those collections creep back up to where they need to be. If they do not and as we now know we will not have an in person Masters Tournament. The Masters Tournament runs the gamut from the numbers we typically look at the impact is $700,000 to almost a million dollars-worth of what we call the April Spike. Obviously we hope to make at least a portion of that up with the tournament rescheduled until November. Now that it is not an in person tournament you will not see that significant a spike if you see much of a spike at all. So that being said and we’ll know how accurate our projections are for this year sometime in early next year but the numbers that we are working with right now indicate that we could be four to five and a half 54 million dollars short on our sales tax collections. Using the data we have now it lends you to the bigger side of that range as collections come in and we have more months to add in and can see a trend and have a better methodology to average and to do projections. Hopefully we will move towards the lower end of that range. Our expenses are about a percent or so less than they were this time last year even looking at the impact that we have had from increased level of expenditures due to COVID particularly the PPE, hazardous pay, we’re looking at increased medical claims, we’ve been down that list with most of you before. So at the end of the year as we stand right now if nothing else changes we will be probably dipping into our fund balance or we will need to use funding from other sources to cover our shortfall. Moving on to Urban Services it is impacted by sales tax but to a smaller degree and hopefully that will be offset maybe by the increase in the digest because the digest in Urban Services for 2020 did increase over 2019. In Fire Protection your ad valorem taxes and your insurance premium taxes both show up in the third quarter or the very beginning of the fourth quarter depending on when the state sends out the insurance premium tax funds. The expenditures at this time are below the halfway part point at about 40% whereas normally you know it would be very close to 50 at this time. Our water and sewer fund of course our revenue in that fund is fairly seasonal. Obviously if you have more rain as we have had your revenue goes down somewhat. Also the service cutoffs were suspended due to COVID and have just recently picked back up so that you would expect to see in the third quarter that some of those past due bills are now remitted and that revenue would show up, it’s just been delayed. For your garbage bills those go out on the tax bills so once again that revenue will show up in the next presentation. And for the airport it has suffered from greatly from it was one of the worst hit areas besides probably the hotel/motel tax. Their revenues are only 23% of what they have anticipated so hopefully those will begin to recover as well but you know at this point I don’t think, well nobody knows exactly what is going to happen. We have to continue to adapt to the situation because that pretty much changes monthly. The next, beginning on about Page 6 are the individual revenues and expenditure statements that are typically provided followed by the two graphs that show you your sales tax information. Those are on Pages 15 and 16. If you are looking at Page 15 the red bar which is 2020 you will notice what I said about June. That is actually the first month where the 2020 bar and collection exceeded the same corresponding month for 2019 so we would, we would love to see that graph continue as the sales taxes hopefully begin to pick up. Page 16 is the same it just shows last year and this year and then from then on out you move into your individual sales tax phases and all the projects that are listed within those phases. So at this point I’d be happy to help address any concerns. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Donna and if we could definitely get this electronically because when you said the red graph on that one Page 15 because you can’t tell --- Ms. Williams: Uh oh. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- what’s on that so please send it. I have two questions based on sales tax of revenue SPLOST 7 when would that collection be completed in your best estimate? st Ms. Williams: We have projected that as December the 31 2021 as the ending date of the collection. 55 Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: And we typically do a vote like a year in advance of when it ends, correct, just in case it fails so we can do another one so we don’t have a lapse, is that correct? Ms. Williams: That has been the methodology that we’ve used. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay. And then my second question is around stormwater. I see that, and I’ve lost the page now I see that we brought in a hundred and something thousand more than we did last year, about $120,000. My question is why is the capital projects carried forward amount why do we not use that within the period I mean the year. I mean we brought over $1.7 - -- Ms. Williams: $1.7. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- and then this year we’re bringing in like why are we not using that money instead of --- Ms. Williams: Those are ongoing projects. As you know they’re typically large projects, they don’t get completed within a year but you’ve obligated funds towards those projects by means of issuing purchase orders and so that is that’s what you see in that category. It’s not the same project that gets carried forward from year to year to year. That’s the place holder for those obligations that the city put out. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- gotcha. Okay, any of my colleagues have any questions? Mr. Fennoy: I have a question. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Donna, the stormwater fee that’s collected, does any of that money go towards the General Funds? Ms. Williams: The, no, sir. The only, the only portion that is allowed from the Enterprise Funds to be used are for what we call indirect cost allocations because it takes administrative overhead to operate those programs such as a portion of our resources from I.T. are used to run their systems. Obviously I have budget analysts even a portion of the Clerk’s time is allocated in that and that process is done for all Enterprise Funds because you know Procurement happens. Procurement is funded by the General Fund but an awful lot of their resources and time is taken up putting out bids and receiving them for Utilities, stormwater, SPLOST, all those other different operations that occur outside the General Fund. Mr. Fennoy: All right, thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Any further questions? Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: Thank you. Ms. Williams, I’m going to ask my colleagues and yourself for us to sit down here and look at some of our indirect cost allocations that may overlap. I’m looking to 56 see if we can put a little bit more money particularly from stormwater on the street. In other words I get what the indirect cost allocations are and we’ve got about two more requirements to go with that. One of them is what do we call that, what’s that word, Ms. Williams? Ms. Williams: Payment in lieu of taxes? Mr. Sias: Yeah, what we call that, the acronym? Ms. Williams: Payment in lieu of franchise also. Mr. Sias: And then we have one more. I’m looking to see if we can see where one program may be overlapping the other and if you’ve got these folks doing these jobs it may not come out to anything but it’s seriously worth looking at to see where we have these funds at that overlap their administrative fees and we can streamline that and put a little bit more money out there on the streets. I’m going to be requesting the Finance Director to I mean I’m sorry the Finance Chair to set up something so we can just talk about that two or three of us along with yourself and whoever so we can kind of get an understanding of that, is that okay with you, Ms. Finance Chair? Ms. Williams: I’ll be happy to do that. If I can offer that that exercise and that allocation process is done by an external firm those processes and those allocations have to be done in strict accordance with federal guidelines because those allocations are also used for HUD and they have to be in for the airport and they have to be done in an acceptable manner. So there is not a whole lot of leeway if you would as to the methodology that is used and how those allocations are calculated but we’ll be more than happy to discuss that subject. Mr. Sias: There is some leeway, Ms. Williams, because just before I came on the Commission we changed the percentage of one particular, one particular indirect cost allocation (inaudible). Ms. Williams: Yeah, it was a payment in lieu of franchise. Mr. Sias: Right, so there are some leeways in this but I’m looking to see that we can see wherever we may have overlapping and like I mentioned earlier particularly in the stormwater and stuff around the Engineering that we could do some things that if there’s overlapping payment for the same service we should be able to streamline that a little bit. I’m not saying we don’t need to pay it. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is we can look for some efforts to streamline that. And so I’m going to ask the Finance Committee Chair to get that conversation started and get it started quickly so we may need to incorporate that in the upcoming budget, thank you. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Ms. Bonner, I think we lost our quorum is to what I’m saying. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I don’t think I don’t think, because we’ve got to have seven, right? The Clerk: Right. 57 Mr. Sias: That takes care of that. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah. Mr. Lewis: I don’t know why it’s seven. It’s always been six. The Clerk: No, seven is a quorum. Mr. Fennoy: It takes seven to conduct business. Mr. Sias: Who said it’s six, though? Mr. Hasan: I believe it was Jeff. Mr. Fennoy: I agree with Jeff. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: He’s the I.T. man (inaudible). Mr. Lewis: I was talking to Glenn and I didn’t (inaudible) sorry about that. Ignore me. Mr. Sias: I kept wondering where that strange assertion came from. That’s all right, we’ve got a new commissioner on the line. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I guess, Ms. Bonner, we’ll move the other agenda items. I don’t know what’s left here 20 --- The Clerk: We have #20 --- Mr. Sias: You’re ready to call that, Mayor Pro Tem, you’re running it. We ain’t going to wait for the rest of them to come back. Mr. Fennoy: 20 and 22. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- yeah. The Clerk: Let me say this, for Number 12 because we didn’t have a quorum it will appear th back on our September 15 agenda for ratification, okay? Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, all right, well, thank ya’ll. Mayor, I hope you had a good day. Mr. Mayor: But (inaudible) outstanding --- Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Living the dream over there, Mayor. The Clerk: Wait a minute, wait a minute, was the Mayor in, were you in when we did 12? 58 Mr. Sias: We had a quorum at that time. The Clerk: Okay, we had a quorum for #12, okay. Mr. Mayor: If I couldn’t vote on anything, I ain’t going to say I was there. I was a ghost. Mr. Sias: We had a quorum for that one. The Clerk: All right then. Mr. Mayor Tem: All right, well thank ya’ll. Meeting’s adjourned. Ya’ll have a great day. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: See ya’ll. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] Lena 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 Regular Meeting of The Augusta Richmond County Commission held on September 1, 2020. ______________________________ Clerk of Commission 59