HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting August 4, 2020
REGULAR MEETING VIRTUAL/TELECONFERENCE
AUGUST 4, 2020
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., August 4, 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.
Mr. Mayor: --- and I’ll call this meeting to order. And since we’re at this place we’re
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going to have the Commissioner from the 9 he’ll lead us in our invocation today. Madam Clerk,
when we again when we do convene so we’ll call this meeting to order.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, our invocation will be delivered today by Commissioner Marion
Williams, District 9. Will you please stand and after which we’ll ask Commissioner Bobby
Williams to please lead us in the Pledge.
The invocation was given by Commissioner Marion Williams, District 9.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, for the sake to establish a quorum, I think we’re only missing
Mayor Pro Tem Frantom, is that correct?
Mr. Mayor: That is correct at this time, yes.
The Clerk: Thank you, quorum established, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you, Madam Clerk. Okay, Jeff, at this point we will go, I’m
going to recognize Attorney Brown but if you’ll prepare for us be ready to go into Executive
Session after I recognize Attorney Brown.
ADDENDUM
22. Motion to approve going into an Executive Session to discuss potential or pending
litigation.
Mr. Brown: Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, good afternoon. We request a motion to go into
Executive Session for the discussion of potential or pending litigation.
Mr. Hasan: So moved.
Ms. Garrett: Second.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, who made that motion?
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Mr. Mayor: The Commissioner from the 6 and Commissioner from the 8.
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The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Frantom out. Mr. Garrett:
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: 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.
Mr. Fennoy and Mr. Frantom out.
Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right everyone, we will transition into the Closed Session. Okay,
Jeff.
DELEGATIONS
C. Mr. Randy Walden, remove trees at 1833 Fenwick Street, right-of-way from the sidewalk.
ADDENDUM
20. Update from the Administrator regarding Continuity Operation Plan. (Requested by
Administrator Jarvis Sims)
21. Receive a report from Board of Elections Executive Director Lynn Bailey regarding the
November election. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, what I’d like to do is let’s go ahead and address the
Addendum Agenda items if we can. That way we’ve got a full agenda that we’re working with.
Again to the members of the Commission we’ve got really three items for consideration under the
Addendum Agenda. Number one is a deletion and that’s Mr. Randy Walden’s request to
reschedule to the next meeting and if there’s no objection we’ll push that to the next meeting. And
then is the matter of an update from the Administrator regarding Continuity of Operation Plans
and then receive a report from the Board of Elections Director Lynn Bailey. If there are no
objections, we will add them to the agenda, okay without objection, Madam Clerk. Okay all right,
it’s in your hands.
DELEGATIONS
A. Update from Messrs. Bob Young and Don Clark regarding the state veterans cemetery
progress.
The Clerk: Our Delegation portion of the agenda, Item Number A is an update from Mr.
Bob Young and Don Clark regarding the states veterans cemetery progress.
Mr. Mayor: All right, if we could get those participants in the room I don’t see them so
I’m not sure ---
Mr. Lewis: Mayor, Mayor Young is there.
Mr. Mayor: --- say that again, Jeff?
Mr. Lewis: Bob Young is in the meeting, he’s ready.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right very well, all right there you go. All right, he’s our
representative today. Okay all right, all right, former Mayor Bob Young again you know the drill
if you’ll state for the record your name and address. You have five minutes.
Mr. Young: Bob Young, 2103 Summerhill Lane, Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Mayor and
Commissioners, it’s indeed a pleasure to be with you and to update you today on our efforts to
obtain that veterans cemetery for Augusta. I’m going to show a couple of pictures and a couple of
graphics and if I’ve got everything worked out correctly we’re going to see it here in just a moment,
let’s see here. All right, are you seeing, are you seeing the graphic and all? Anybody see a graphic?
Mr. M. Williams: Not yet, Bob.
Mr. Young: Not yet, we’re going to figure this out because we tried it before the meeting
and it worked so let me let me try one more time I’m supposed to hit the share screen button ---
Mr. Lewis: Share screen, right.
Mr. Young: --- yeah but what I’m trying to share is not going up there for some reason.
Let me try it one more time and then we’ll see, I’m supposed to open that up and ---
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The Clerk: Mr. Clark is also joining us.
Mr. Young: --- well, I can’t get the darn thing to work. But any way ---
Mr. Lewis: Mr. Young, I can put your photos up for you.
Mr. Young: --- can you do that?
Mr. Lewis: Yes, sir.
Mr. Young: Okay all right if you can put that up for me, let me get rid of this Power Point.
I need my grandson in here actually to do that for me. You recall last September under the
leadership of Commission Fennoy Don and I were asked to come to a Commission meeting and
we were challenged to get the city’s efforts back underway to get a state veterans cemetery in
Augusta. And subsequent to that we met with veteran’s groups, we secured support from local
governments including the RDC from the General Assembly, we’ve obtained resolutions from the
House and the Senate and we also have letters of support from members of Congress. And then
we reached out to the Georgia Department of Veterans Services which are the folks who actually
build and own the cemeteries and they challenged us to come with a recommended site for the
cemetery. And so at that point we came back to the Commission and through the auspices of
Commissioner Dennis Williams we were able to obtain the services of Rob Malden and 2KM
Architects based here in Augusta as consultants for the city and it’s important that they’re involved
because of they have built the two other state cemeteries that are now in operation. So the
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pandemic kind of slowed things down but then last Friday July 31 as you see in the picture here
the Georgia Veterans Services Commissioner Mike Robey and his team came to Augusta and spent
several hours with us, part of that time out at the preferred site which is what we know as
Gracewood State School and Hospital and appropriately it’s located in South Augusta for our
South Augusta Commissioners. In attendance in addition to Commissioner Robey and his team
and Rob Malden and his team were Commissioner Dennis Williams and State Senator Harold
Jones. Jeff, if we could go to the next graphic. We’re going to show you what the property looks
like. The entire Gracewood site that we have selected is not the entire campus that’s out there.
We picked out about 200 acres all total. This that you see on the screen is about 60 acres located
on the south side of the main campus and then on the other side of the red line which represents
the railroad track is located another large segment of acreage for future expansion. But if you were
to look at this and you’ll see the boxes on here those actually show areas of internment for veterans
and the numbers on the boxes represent the number of gravesites that would be in any particular
area. This site is accessed by a county road in the upper left hand corridor. It’s called Cemetery
Road. It comes off Highway 25 and then right onto the Gracewood property so that easy access
would be important. So if we could look at the next graphic. Okay we only had two then all right.
So Commissioner Robey and his team were most engaging. They didn’t make any commitments
to us during the visit on Thursday other than the Commissioner promised that Augusta’s request
would be at the top of their work agenda and so we’re looking for an answer in weeks I think rather
than in months. There were two comments that really hit home that I wanted to share with you
today. Number one the staff of the Veterans Office said it’s an excellent site; it’s a perfect site for
a cemetery. And number two they speculated that the internments at the Gracewood Cemetery
site would be done at a faster rate than the internments at Milledgeville and Glennville the two
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existing cemeteries so they definitely see that there would be a successful venture to put a state
veterans cemetery in Augusta. Whether they’re going to go along with it we’re waiting to hear.
Don, are you on here? Don Clarke. I see your name on there.
Mr. Lewis: He is here, I do have him.
Mr. Young: Yeah Don, if you could talk to the Commissioners about the next steps going
forward and kind of bring us up to where we’re headed next.
Mr. Clark: Hey, so good afternoon everyone. So again had a great visit, great presentation,
really excited and it was important that we shared with everybody the next steps going forward
but also that that there’s still progression going with this effort. As far as the next step so Senator
Jones had already presented to the committee and it was passed and it went to the Senate floor
along with Representative Prince trying to do the same thing at the House level in trying to get the
effort to go before the House as well. So again this is going to be a slow process. The main thing
is the first thing is what Bob was just going over which was identifying a suitable spot. There are
a couple of things that need to be kind of considered with that location, one being the entrance but
I’m sure with Commissioner Williams being there he understood clearly what needed to be done.
The main thing going forward is they understand that the support is overwhelming for the region
as a whole to bring this but they also understand that for us to get this forward it definitely has to
come with an endorsement from the Governor in otherwise to accept bringing yet another cemetery
to the area. So as we continue to go through that through the leadership of our delegation members
leading up there along with the support from Commissioner Robey and his team we’ll continue to
push and fight to bring this into fruition for Augusta.
Mr. Young: Probably the next thing we would do after we hear back from the
Commissioner’s Office if we get a favorable report is go and have a meeting with the Governor
and that’ll involve more than just our little two-member delegation of Don and I, and of course
he’s got his own challenges with the state budget right now but I think if we can talk in terms of
this being a long-range project and a partnership and some aspects with the City of Augusta then
we’ll have a better than even chance of getting this on the state agenda ---
Mr. Mayor: Bob, let me ask this question ---
Mr. Young: --- and (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: --- Bob, I’ve got a couple of questions ---
Mr. Young: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- one I know that in the information that was provided to us there were a
number of our federal partners to support the idea. Has there been any conversation about
identifying federal appropriations? Typically this initial investment somewhere around the order
of $300 plus thousand, has there been any conversation about that?
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Mr. Young: No, not directly. We have not talked about anything financial with our
representatives at the federal level other than the VA Grant Programs itself.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Young: The state has to put up some seed money that is reimbursed through the grant
and we’re trying to get the state engaged first, Mr. Mayor, and then we’ll go dip into some
pocketbooks up in Washington.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you. All right, anyone else?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 1 Go ahead, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, when we went to DC I think it was in December we met with
Senator Perdue and we told him about the veterans cemetery, a need for a veterans cemetery and
we had put together some people here in Augusta that are working on that and he supported it
100% and said that anything that he could do to help us facilitate this he would.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, you are correct and there’s a letter of support I believe in the package
from Senator Perdue’s office. And I think as Bob indicated the next push is from Commissioner
Robey and then the Legislature. I believe the Legislature simply provided resolutions of support
from each of the committees and it would require transference of the property over to, well in this
case it wouldn’t even require transfer I mean again the state would be the owner of it, the state
would be the owner of it so just need money from the State of Georgia at this point to help support.
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All right, Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’ve got a question for Bob. I think he mentioned
that the financial impact right now is getting this thing started, $300,000?
Mr. Young: Well, the initial outlay by the state is a percentage of what the Phase 1 cost
would be and those numbers haven’t been determined. But we anticipate the state would have to
put up maybe up to a million dollars in seed money to do the planning and the other work that’s
necessary before construction can begin and then that money is reimbursed once the VA offers a
grant to the state to pay for construction. So there’s no money, no money from the City of Augusta
involved in this at all.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay so, Bob, what about the purchase of the property? I mean
Gracewood that property out there we know there’s been a transition out there but is there any cost
as far as this property, how will the state acquire it?
Mr. Young: Well, the state already owns the property. It is state property right now and
that’s the reason we thought that that would be the best site for the cemetery. It just turns out that
the way the property is developed today is conducive to converting it to a cemetery.
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Mr. M. Williams: Okay, I just want to get it clarified, that was my main thing.
Mr. Young: Well, since the state owns it, Mr. Commissioner, there might be some
considerations, the Mayor may know more about this being in the Senate, there may be some inner
agency considerations with moving property around that might involve somebody having to pay
somebody some money internally within state government.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, okay.
Mr. Mayor: I think in this instance right here I was going to ask that but then I thought
about it. The State Properties Commission they would still be the owner of this just as they are of
Gracewood and I don’t think that we would want to transfer because long-term these are you know
properties of the state, the one in Glennville, the one in Milledgeville, the state owns those and
provides maintenance effectively operations and maintenance of these facilities it would just be
situated in this area and region. I think the next closest one to us would be I think Fort Jackson so
---
Mr. Young: Well, that’s a national cemetery there.
Mr. Mayor: --- right. This would put Augusta in a very unique position particularly with
the installation being as close as it is and the number of former service members and active duty
service members that are in the area. So if there are no other questions this is a fantastic update
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and we appreciate it. Commissioner from the 6 is your hand up?
Mr. Hasan: No, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right again Bob, Don, thank you both for the work that you’re doing
on this. We really appreciate it.
Mr. Young: And we’ll continue to keep you all informed on this as we make progress.
Mr. Mayor: All right, wonderful.
Mr. Clark: Mr. Mayor, if I can just reiterate one thing just for clarification for everyone.
Mr. Mayor: Go ahead, sir.
Mr. Clark: Hello ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir, you’re here go ahead.
Mr. Clark: --- just wanted to reiterate one last thing, again so that no one misunderstands
this effort. This will be like it’s been noted a state cemetery. This wouldn’t be a cemetery that the
city would run or anything like that. This would be a state-run cemetery.
Mr. Mayor: All right wonderful, thank you both.
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Mr. Young: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Yes sir, our Consent Agenda consists of item, I’m sorry, we have one more
delegation.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, we’ve got one more delegation.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
B. Ms. Deloris Opapo regarding Corona Virus Pandemic.
Mr. Lewis: Is she in the Beasley Room, Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: Commission Chamber.
Mr. Lewis: Commission Chamber, okay I’ll add her to public from here.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Ms. McFarley, we see you, we are ready for Ms. Opapo.
The Clerk: She pronounces it Opapagu.
Mr. Mayor: Opapagu, okay thank you, Madam Clerk. Ms. Opapagu.
Ms. Opapo: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: All right, if you would please just again state for the record your name and
your address and you have five minutes to present.
Ms. Opapo: My name is Evangelist Deloris Opapagu, 103 East Walker Street, Augusta,
Georgia 30901.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much, go ahead, Ms. Opapagu.
Ms. Opapo: Good afternoon, good afternoon. One of the biggest flimflam scams of
deception for a fact deliberately to bankrupt the United States of America, H.L Greens, J.M. Fields
(unintelligible) Kmart, Kress and the list goes on and on. Morning noon and night certain times
poisonous, hazardous, harmful, toxic odors flows through the air, flows in our homes causing one
to wear a face mask (unintelligible) in need of a ventilator, 80043700479 distribution
advertisement for retail stores deliberately for a fact using deadly poisonous ink on their
newspapers. Our infrastructure our (inaudible) our property is being continuously ventilated being
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destroyed keep one spending money. The jail correctional center, 4 Street waterway is covered
with COVID-19 green/black fungus, mildew stuff deliberately causing one in the long run the use
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of a facemask all these and more are the trademark of COVID-19. Half man made and half
invisible enemy, thank you. Are there any questions?
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Evangelist Opapagu. I don’t see any hands for any questions.
Thank you so much for your concern. Okay all right.
The Clerk: Our Consent Agenda consists of Item Number One.
Mr. Mayor: Okay thank you, Madam Clerk. All right at this point I will entertain any
motions to add or add items to the Consent Agenda. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from
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the 3.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mayor. If the Commission and the Mayor would agree to consent
Item 8, Item 10, Item 13 and Item 14 please.
The Clerk: Commissioner Davis ---
Ms. Davis: Yes ---
The Clerk: --- consider Item 17 under Other Business and the Commission you may
remember this was an item that was on our last Addendum Agenda it was not heard but it was
approved by the Planning Commission and it should’ve been under their consent items.
Ms. Davis: --- absolutely if we could also consent Item 7, thank you, Madam Clerk, for
bringing that to our attention.
Mr. Mayor: Item number 7?
Ms. Davis: 17, sorry.
Mr. Mayor: 17, okay. All right and there is objection to 14.
Ms. Davis: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, okay, Madam Clerk, I want to delete Item number 3. We’re still in
conversations with our Department of Public Health regarding that so I want to delete 3. Item
Number 4, hold on a minute. If we can get everybody to mute their devices if you’re not speaking.
Item Number 3, Madam Clerk, we’re going to delete that item and we’ll delete Item Number 4 as
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well. All right, Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: I would like to add Item 16 to the Consent Agenda.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, without objection. Okay, Commissioner from the 6
Commissioner, you’re muted. Unmute yourself, sir, you’re muted.
Mr. M. Mayor: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to add Item 7 to the agenda.
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Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute, Commissioner, Commissioner from the 6 all right, you
unmuted yourself. Go ahead.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to add Item Number 12 ---
Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute oh okay I thought you had your hand up for another reason,
all right go ahead Item Number 12?
Mr. Hasan: --- yes, sir.
Mr. Clarke: I have an issue with that, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Hasan: Okay Item Number 10, Mr. Mayor, I have a quick question I think it was added
---
Mr. Mayor: It was.
Mr. Hasan: --- was it granted an extension because you see the timeline on it that’s all I’m
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asking, July 1 because there’s nothing in the book under that.
The Clerk: Well, I sent out the supporting documentation for that ---
Mr. Mayor: Right.
The Clerk: --- Attorney Decara Brown is handling this grant award. It was placed in the
agenda queue for today’s meeting so hopefully they are aware of the time issue and they will be
taking care of that.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, all right thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: I’d like to add Item Number 7, Mr. Mayor, to the Consent.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Sias: I’ve got questions on that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, you’ve got questions, all right, very well. All right, Madam Clerk,
(inaudible).
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Motion to approve Consent and deleted items as stated.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
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CONSENT AGENDA
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
1. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular and Special Called Meetings held on July
21 and July 28, 2020.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
3. Discuss the hiring of contact tracers for Richmond County to aid in stopping the spread
of the virus. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
4. Plan a MaskUp Augusta campaign to include providing masks to members of the
community. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
PUBLIC SAFETY
8. Approve Contract with Microsoft for the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and Microsoft
licensing purchase through Dell Inc.
10. Motion to accept Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant awarded to ARC Juvenile Court in the
amount of $390,000 effective July 1, 2020.
13. Motion to approve the award of Bid Item #20-193 Furniture and Exercise Equipment for
New Fire Station 20 to Modern Business Furniture and authorize the Mayor to execute the
appropriate documents.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
16. Motion to authorize the Administrator and HR Director to conduct a Needs Assessment
of the Environmental Services Department; and authorize expenditure up to $25,000 from
the Environmental Services Department’s training budget for additional professional
assistance as needed and conclude within a six-weeks time period. (Requested by
Commission Bill Fennoy)
OTHER BUSINESS
17. Z-20-31 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve, with the conditions below, a petition by Phil Winsett, on behalf of Augusta
Association of Baptist Churches, Inc., requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1A (One-
family Residential) to Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) affecting property containing 1.53
acres and known as 1120 Marks Church Road. Tax Map 031-0-004-06-0 DISTRICT 3 1.
Permitted used included in the B-1 zone but all businesses must close by midnight. 2. May
not request a Special Exception for a convenience store, liquor store of tavern. 3. Any
parking
lot or security lighting must be directed downward and not toward adjacent residences. 4.
Any new construction must meet all applicable codes and regulations in place at the time of
submission of a site plan, including but not limited to, parking and tree ordinance
compliance. 5. No reduction of the required tree buffer may be requested along the property
lines that are adjacent to residential uses.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion and a second, voting, Madam Clerk?
The Clerk: Who was the second on that? I didn’t get that.
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Ms. Davis: Commissioner Garrett.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 8.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett, okay. Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: 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 and Mr. Marion Williams Mr. Dennis Williams out.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. D. Williams: I had to unmute my mic.
The Clerk: Unmute your mic, okay, how are you voting?
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
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Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right again I’m going to ask everyone if you’ll mute. There’s a
considerable amount of background noise on today, okay thank you. Okay, Madam Clerk, let’s
do this. All right let’s go to Number 9, let’s go ahead and deal with Number 9.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
9. Receive as information a report on the City of Augusta Virtual Day Celebration for
Richmond County 2020 Graduates.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, what I would ask is if you are going to be presenting or joining
our meetings if you would, if you’re on YouTube if you would turn the volume all the way down
or if you’re on another source turn the volume all the way down because we do hear that in the
background. All right, Ms. Allen, you’re recognized.
Ms. Allen: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission. Just bringing
you an update as it relates to the actual City of Augusta’s Virtual Day Celebration which fell on
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July 16. As you are aware I sent the notice out and gave an update previously by way of our
advisory that the event was (unintelligible) success. A number of the actual parents came in with
the students and informed us of their appreciation of the actual event that was taken or that was
provided by the City of Augusta. Based on the fact that as you all know the graduates have been
affected by so much this year and this is one thing that helped them out as it relates to adjusting to
the new norm. So we received a significant amount of funding from outside agencies who
sponsored the event. None of the actual funds came from the City of Augusta. It was sponsored
with sponsorship from the community and as such we have to make sure that we effectively report
that the funds were taken in by check as well as monetary donations that was actually provided.
All checks were provided by our Finance so the receipts of the actual funds coming in were also
accounted for with the amount of actual gift cards and things that were expended for the actual
event. So as part of this I just ask that you receive this as information so that we can have, we
have done our due diligence in reporting this actual event and the way that the expenses were taken
care of.
Mr. Garrett: So moved.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much. Does anyone have any questions for Ms. Allen? Okay
there being no questions all right I think we’re going to receive this as information again without
objection. We’ll move to the next item, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: And that would be, sir?
Mr. Mayor: All right and let’s go ahead and deal with #7.
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The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
7. Motion to approve support for the National Rhythm & Blues of Fame induction ceremony
in Augusta, GA in 2021 and task the Administrator with meeting with Mr. Lamont Robinson
and his team along with some commissioners. (Requested by Commissioner Marion
Williams)
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Mr. Mayor: All right Madam Clerk recognize our Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This has been reworded to (unintelligible) we
spoke on last meeting to make the verbiage sound correctly I guess is a good word. This is about
the induction ceremony that we’re trying to do that we’re really I think pretty significant impact
for economic in Augusta. So I don’t have anything else to add to that. My motion to approve the
item and then put out for quite some time. I just think we need to have the dialogue with the
Administrator maybe the Attorneys and Mr. Robinson to see how we can continue this process
and form a partnership.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay great all right, there are questions, Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you. In relationship to the first resolution of support that we did for this
Rhythm & Blues concept, Hall of Fame concept. There was an idea that there would not be any
expenditures from the city and we basically need to do a resolution of support and now that has
changed already. So my concern is if we approve this item does that mean we’re giving the
impression to the organizer Mr. Robinson or whoever that we’re ready to start spending money on
this before we know all the details? Maybe that’s not the intention but I’m concerned that that
could be the impression given to Mr. Robinson seeing as how he was also asked to kind of cease
and desist some of the information and things words he was putting out after the resolution of
support. I’m just concerned that this is not tightly worded enough or just kind of gives the
impression to Mr. Robinson or somebody else we’re ready to start expending funds on this, so
that’s my concern. Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. Commissioner from the, all right, let’s do this. Let me
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get the Commissioner from the 10 and then I’ll come back to you okay, Commissioner from the
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10 Commissioner John Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. My concern around this whole R&B Hall of Fame
Museum and induction thing is this gentleman has shopped this around to eight to ten different
cities and it hasn’t taken hold in any city that he’s tried to shop it to. There’s been one event and
it’s been moved on. So you have to ask yourself why if it’s such an outstanding attraction and
investment why hasn’t another city jumped on that bandwagon. That’s number one. Number two,
all of a sudden it’s going to be free, free, free there’s not going to be any money from anybody
everything is going to be donated whatever and now it comes down to the bottom line that hey, we
need Augusta and the taxpayers to come with $150,000 dollars so we can bankroll the free event.
I would word caution. I think this has gone far enough. I think the dance has been danced and the
14
song has ended I don’t see how in good conscience that we can vote to go forward with this. That’s
my opinion, thank you so much.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, thank you. I don’t see any other hands. All right, let me try to
add some clarity to what I think is before us right now. I want everybody to put in the parking lot
the notion of a bricks and mortar facility. Item #7 is specifically around a conversation related to
holding the induction ceremony in Augusta, GA in 2021 and having the appropriate city
representatives and principals of the National R&B Hall of Fame be a part of that conversation.
That’s the matter that’s effectively in front of us. I know that there have been recent conversations
in the paper about requests for funding and whole host of other things. I think the way that you
flesh that out to ‘have thoughtful conversation’ is to at least bring those principals in the room and
have that thoughtful conversation and then bring that back to the members of the Commission as
opposed to what has historically been happening and that is you know this gaslighting approach
of just throwing stuff out there in the public’s face and then folks are having to respond to it which
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I’ve been vehemently opposed to. So I think what the Commissioner from the 9 has brought to
us is a reasonable request of just support a conversation with the Administrator and other members
of the Commission to include the Attorney. So I would encourage support for that. That way we
can at least have a thoughtful conversation and decide what role if any Augusta has in it. All right,
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Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I can’t speak for Mr. Robinson and I agree with
your comments exactly. We had not sat down and talked at any length about anything as far as
this R&B induction ceremony. And I’m not talking about bricks and mortar like you said I’m
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talking induction ceremony. Let me remind the Commissioner from the 10 District that he
approached me about using Bonnie Ruben’s building to create a James Brown Museum of some
sort he said. I asked him one question I said to him if they gave the City of Augusta everything to
do with Elvis and brought it to Augusta and gave it to Augusta we would put it there and he said
no it wasn’t big enough I said well it’s not big enough for James Brown. Now whether he likes
James Brown or understand James Brown or anything to do with James Brown is irrelevant to me.
What I see in this is an opportunity that we can attract visitors to Augusta to help our economic
dollars that we’ve been talking about. Now everything comes down to money. I hear
Commissioners saying how much money we need how much, let me see his business plan. No
Commissioner should see any of that anyway if we have not had a conversation face to face. And
I think this item would get us face to face to talk about what we expect and what Mr. Robinson
expects. Whether we can do it or not is going to be determined after our conversation. But, Mr.
Mayor, I’m really knowing, I’m really feeling some stuff here I really don’t want to put out this
yet and I see you smiling ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Mr. M. Williams: --- you know where I want to go with this.
Mr. Mayor: I know, I know but I want to try and help you and say don’t do it ---
Mr. M. Williams: Okay ---
15
Mr. Mayor: --- don’t do it, don’t do it.
Mr. M. Williams: --- but it’s crazy when you can’t understand what common sense ought
to be to all of us. So I’m going to leave it just like that. All I ask of you to do as a body like we do
everything else is to have a conversation.
Mr. Mayor: Why don’t we do this, why don’t we do this, why don’t we again I think it’s
appropriate. I want to remind the same body that several years ago we set aside $100,000 dollars
for the conversation associated around with the James Brown Soul Festival you know whatever
we called it I don’t remember what we called it but we called it something and we said we set aside
$100,000 dollars whatever and we’ve effectively not done anything if you will at this point. So I
think this is appropriate for us again this is not a financial conversation. This is taking the
deliberate steps that a city should in fact take, getting the appropriate principals in the room having
a conversation. Why don’t we do this if it pleases the Commission? Let’s get the Mayor Pro
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Tem, Commissioner from the 9, Commissioner from the 4, Administrative Services in the
room with the Administrator and the Attorney with these principals, let’s let that be the
group and then we have this conversation, okay? If we can get that in the form of the
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Commissioner from the 9 he was raising a motion but if we can do that. All right, going to
my Mayor Pro Tem, Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah, I’ll second that motion if that’s the motion on the floor ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- to have the meeting.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right.
Mr. M. Williams: That’s my motion, Mr. Mayor, if that’s what it means that’s my
motion.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well. All right, so let’s vote on this matter with those principals
that were just indicated. Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
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The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: If I’ll condone some trickery, yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams, he’s out.
Mr. Mayor: No, he’s not out. Let him unmute, Madam Clerk, if you don’t mind.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: And Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Garrett votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, #6.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
6. Update on monument committee. (Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy)
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Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, Commissioner from the 1 asked that question. The task force
has been identified. Let me begin by thanking the members of the Commission who submitted
names there were several of you who submitted names, those names have been included on the
taskforce. There’s a draft press statement that is being put together. It has not been released yet
but it will be going out on tomorrow and there will be a convening of those eleven members who
comprised the taskforce and they’ll have 60 days to convene and get a report back to the members
17
st.
of the Commission, Commissioner from the 1 That is where we are at this point. It took a few
iterations for us to get enough members from the members of the Commission.
Mr. D. Williams: Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right hold on, let me finish with the Commissioner from the 1 since he
raised this issue.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, are you at liberty now to talk about who these eleven people are?
Mr. Mayor: I’d rather not until we have the press release completed and all of them have
been informed that they’ve been selected.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay and, Mr. Mayor, my, since the death of John Lewis my phone has been
ringing off the hook with a request to rename the Calhoun Expressway the John Lewis Expressway.
So I should send that request to the committee as opposed to bringing it forward on the
Commission?
Mr. Mayor: I would encourage you to do that. I think it certainly gives an opportunity for
a complete but measured conversation to have and as they bring those recommendations forth it
very well may be on someone’s mind who’s a part of the taskforce.
Mr. Fennoy: And my last question, Mr. Mayor, once this committee is up and running we
as Commissioners could always make suggestions or recommendations to this committee?
Mr. Mayor: Well, you could but the intent behind the taskforce is for them to review and
develop recommendations regarding the future of those monuments, streets and landmarks as well
as our public rights-of-way and to provide those recommendations in written form to the
Commission that the Commission then would take and have a document that helps guide any
decision making as it relates to monuments, streets and landmarks that we have in the city. Okay,
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Commissioner from the 2.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, Mr. Mayor. On that committee would they be, their guidelines
would there be guidelines that was like submitted to the Historical Society about the
recommendations for permanent committee on monuments, historical markers, naming, renaming
streets and other locations would that task be, would their tasks be that great?
Mr. Mayor: Well, I’m certainly not thinking that. I don’t that there’s anything that
precludes them from having that conversation as well but the task at hand is a very direct one, it’s
a very clear path forward. There’s a guiding document that they’re going to have that gives them
that and all of that will be made available to the members of the Commission on tomorrow as well.
Mr. D. Williams: And before any action is taken by this commission this committee would
it go through the Commission?
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Mr. Mayor: The taskforce that will be announced on tomorrow will not take any action.
They are a recommending body in written form and to present to the members of the Commission
who then will have the ability to take action based on those recommendations.
Mr. D. Williams: That’s fine, thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. All right, anyone else?
Mr. Hasan: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I want to make a, my question is going to
be pretty much what the statement that Commissioner Fennoy made which was who was the
members. I respectively, I respect the information that you shared that not at this time based on
where we are but I think in the future, Mr. Mayor, you probably don’t want to get too far away
from doing it and you can correct me on this one I think your request around this issue was saying
that you (inaudible) would not committee formed and you (unintelligible) the Mayor appointing
six persons to that body and the Commission appointing five but the issue never came before the
five (unintelligible) before the Commission as a body and we get a chance to (unintelligible). To
be frank I don’t have anybody that I would’ve recommended that I know of that might have been
interested. My point was the process the Commission as a body never got a chance to discuss it
and never say to submit names for how we got here and already have five people from the
commission side with no commission input. That’s just you know my concern about it. But I’m
not trying to back it up (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, well, I appreciate that Commissioner. There were several members of
the Commission who provided names. No less than five members of the Commission who
provided names.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor ---
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 9, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: --- along those lines though I mean five and I didn’t provide a name. In
fact I knew the issue was out there. We never really discussed it but how can five determine who’s
going to serve if you’ve got ten Commissioners plus the Mayor but five made the decision it only
takes six anyway but five Commissioners shouldn’t have done that I think. I mean I’m like
Commissioner Hasan I don’t want to prolong it, I want to move forward with it. I think it’s a good
effort but I think we ought to be careful going forward when we make those types of decisions and
not include everybody because really that can’t be binding when you do that. You put a
subcommittee out there they bring back information that the Commission has a whole lot to vote
on but as a whole didn’t have the opportunity. I’m not going to hold it up. I just wanted to make
that point.
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Mr. Mayor: All right I appreciate that, thank you, I appreciate that from both of you and I
certainly I share and respect your concern. Madam Clerk #5.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
5. Erect a Memorial Wall in honor of Augustans who lost their lives to COVID-19.
(Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy).
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, 2020 has really not been a good year for the world and we are
losing people right and left as a result of this virus. Once a person goes to the hospital for treatment
they sort of don’t have an opportunity to see their families, friends and loved ones. And I think
that because of the historic significance of what’s happening in this world and in this country as a
result of the virus we need to somehow honor those that have lost their lives as a result of this
virus. We need a place where people can go just like they look at the Viet Nam Wall or the World
War II Wall or the Korean Wall. We need a COVID-19 wall so that we can remember the ones
that have lost their lives as a result of this virus. So I’m asking my colleagues for support on this.
I have no idea what it would look like. What I would like to do is to get cooperation, support from
my colleagues to maybe ask the Arts Council to design a wall of what it would look like and bring
back to the Commission for approval if we decide to move forward.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah all right, I don’t see any hands. All right ---
Mr. Fennoy: So I’d like ---
Mr. Mayor: --- go ahead, Commissioner.
Mr. Fennoy: --- yeah, I’d like to make a motion to move forward.
Mr. D. Williams: I’ll second it.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, maybe the approach here should be a little different from the standpoint
of how do you memorialize in perpetuity those who have lived through COVID-19 who have been
victims of COVID-19. Maybe we ought to give some more consideration to that just as a thought.
I know this is a very noble approach to trying to do that but I think that there have been a number
of things that have been done from a national perspective. I’m sure many of you have watched
broadcast television of where on a regular basis they have had what they refer to as the Faces of
COVID-19 and they’ve done that via video motion picture to memorialize and remember. So
maybe what could be done is we get some members of the Commission to think about what that
looks like have some conversation before we make an effort to try to take some action on erecting
a memorial wall without giving consideration to what the implications would be financially. You
talk about the memorial wall for Viet Nam and the cost associated with that I think you probably
ought to be more thoughtful about that and really you know frame that before we take action.
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That’s what I would suggest while we’re having this conversation. It’s a very noble conversation
and certainly one that I think we should be having because this is a time that we will never forget
but let’s be a little bit more thoughtful and measured in terms of how we attack this and what that
could look like. And I think getting a couple of folks in a room or on a ZOOM call like this,
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Commissioner from the 1 might be helpful to you in garnering maybe even brought community
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support to help lift this, okay? Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: I agree with my colleague. I think something should be done but I think
that we need to look at the cost of this as well as we look at the cost of everything else. This
epidemic is not over with. We don’t know how far or how much impact it’s going to have in the
City of Augusta then we can build a wall we got to have a maintenance service in order to maintain.
You can’t just put a wall up and just say well there’s a wall. The continuation I think we need to
just to consider this and maybe get some folks in the room to talk about the far reach that it might
end up being because this think is not just in Augusta. This thing is all over and we all know that.
But I can support what my colleague is saying. I just think that we’ve got to be mindful about how
far the wall’s going to go how many whether we’re going to put a wall up that can be significant,
can you read the names if you put everybody’s name there you’ve got to put it so small so high
it’s just a lot of unanswered questions, Mr. Mayor, so I can support something but I think we ought
to have some more dialogue about it.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 1 again this is you know it’s kind of like preaching
on Sunday, Madam Clerk. There are moments in life where God will delay us without denying us
and I think this might be an appropriate time to have a delay and think about introspectively what
you want this to look like and how to garner raw support as opposed to saying you know we make
a motion to erect a memorial wall and it not go anywhere, that’s my suggestion, Commissioner
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from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: So moving forward, Mr. Mayor, what do you recommend our next move
should be?
Mr. Mayor: Well again I think this is an administrative issue. This would effectively go
through Administrative Services Committee and I would submit that you take a few moments to
have some conversation with those who are you know supportive of this idea about how do we
recognize individuals and even families for that matter who have been victims of COVID-19, lost
their lives. You read stories day after day, week after week. I don’t know you all feel about it but
this has been a very difficult time I know for me. I’ve watched people who have lost their lives, I
pray for people who have lost their lives and the challenge associated with that. They don’t teach
you this in seminary school and it’s not going to go away. So what I would submit is let’s take
this off the table in terms of having this conversation, get a couple of folks in the room and say
how do we in our city recognize the life of those who have been taken by COVID-19. That’s what
I would suggest.
Mr. Fennoy: All right, I can deal with that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, thank you. Madam Clerk ---
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The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- Item #12.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
12. Motion to approve the transfer of funds from Animal Services’ object code 52 line item
to a object code 51 line item for the reclassification of one (1) Kennel Worker position to a
Veterinarian position.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Sims: Mayor, Commissioners our Animal Services Director is also available. The
request is simply to transfer a Kennel Worker 1 position to go ahead and fund a Veterinarian full
time position.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have Mr. Hill, he’s coming on. All right, he’s ready, let’s get him
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first and then I’m going to come back to the Commissioner from the 9, all right Mr. Hill.
Mr. Hill: Can you hear me?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Mr. Hill: Okay, good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commission. Basically simply what this
is, is allowing a transfer of funds from one line item to another in order for us to compensate for
the salary difference for the Kennel Worker versus the Veterinarian position.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, several questions I’ve got. First of all is this
addition to the Kennel Worker salary or an addition for the Veterinarian because I think there’s
two different, is that right?
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir, basically what would happen is the Kennel Worker position will be
reclassified to a Veterinarian position.
Mr. M. Williams: And the cost difference is how much?
Mr. Hill: The cost difference is well this year is $20,700.00 dollars.
Mr. M. Williams: For this year?
Mr. Hill: For this year, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: That’s for the remainder of this year.
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Mr. Hill: Yes, for the remainder of this year.
Mr. M. Williams: The other thing is (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: Director Hill ---
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- go ahead, Commissioner, go ahead. I was going to, would you talk about
the position? What is the salary range for the position of Veterinarian versus Kennel Worker.
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That’s what the Commissioner from the 9 wants to know.
Mr. Hill: Okay so for the Kennel Worker salary starting salary is $23,320.00 dollars. The
starting salary for the Veterinarian is $75,789.00 dollars.
Mr. M. Williams: And we’re going to lose one of the kennel workers to help with the
salary for the Veterinarian, is that right?
Mr. Hill: That’s correct. We’ll lose one of those positions, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: So do you have a Veterinarian now?
Mr. Hill: No, we don’t. There’s a prospect, that’s the reason why I’m going forward with
this.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and we had veterinarians before. Why would a veterinarian work
for the City of Augusta when they can go into private practice and make twice as much than they’re
making. What do we need a veterinarian to do in Augusta that we hadn’t been doing?
Mr. Hill: Well, there’s a lot of things as far a veterinarian is concerned for Augusta.
There’s a lot of different types of programs that we can start looking at if we had veterinarian in
house. One of the major benefits that having a veterinarian in-house will be that we don’t have to
send out our staff like the kennel workers that we have working now meaning that we don’t have
a veterinarian in-house we almost have to send them out and what that does is take them away
from the tasks that we’re doing here.
Mr. M. Williams: I’m hearing that the, I mean you’re talking to an animal lover for sure -
--
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I’m trying to figure out why would we need and I’m not against that
I’m just trying to see why would we need a veterinarian in the at the animal shelter when the
taxpayers get an animal should be responsible for taking the animal to the veterinarian. If we’re
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going to use a vet service there then they don’t need to go out to the local veterinarian to have
many services done.
Mr. Hill: Well, no, sir, I’m sorry go ahead.
Mr. M. Williams: What would those jobs be for the veterinarian that you’re thinking
about?
Mr. Hill: The veterinarian, the in-house veterinarian would not be for the general public.
It would be for our consumption so there’s a lot of expertise a veterinarian brings as far as our
officers in court, abuse cases having a veterinarian on staff is good for those abuse cases.
Whenever we pick up strays in a field when they come in having a veterinarian on staff will be
able to look them over is an excellent thing. Something as simple as whenever someone’s animal
comes in we pick it up they’ll be able to have their rabies vaccination done here as opposed to
paying the fees here and going out to secondary location to get that done so it’s a lot more
convenient for the citizens as well.
Mr. M. Williams: Let me tell you my real problem with this. We tried this before; we had
several veterinarians that came on and was able to make a good salary until they could get their
own practice going and ended up leaving here. Now if we’re going to lock something in at a time
period I can support it but those answers, I get what you’re saying they can look at an animal when
it comes in they can check the animal out and do all that stuff but I hadn’t seen a veterinarian stay
in Augusta in my entire life I’ve been here when the animal shelter was up at the old Stockade on
behind the old Jail, Mr. Mayor. So I just think that we tried that, it didn’t work, it sounds good, it
looks good. I just don’t see how that’s going to benefit the City of Augusta. It’s going to benefit
the veterinarian for a short period of time until they can get in their own practice. That’s been
proven already.
Mr. Hill: Well, Commissioner Williams, the only thing I can say about that is based on
our size and the amount of animals that we bring in it really doesn’t make sense for us not to have
a position for a veterinarian just for the sheer numbers that we bring in. If we’re going to be
progressive going forward, we’re definitely going to need a veterinarian to implement any type of
these progressive programs.
Mr. M. Williams: Well (inaudible) ---
Mr. Mayor: Director Hill ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- I’m in support I just think that we need to be careful about when we
do that, that’s all we tried this before (inaudible).
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Mr. Mayor: --- yeah thank you, Commissioner from the 9 for that. Director Hill, thank
you so much for your forward thinking as it relates to what you just shared with us. I’m going to
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go to the Commissioner from the 5 but I’ll say this as we transition to him and that is this is an
opportunity to teach a new dog new tricks.
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Mr. B. Williams: I agree. I think you said everything that needs to be said. Motion to
approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay ---
Mr. Garret: Mayor, I’ve got (inaudible) questions.
Mr. Mayor: --- I’ve got a motion and a second. I’ve got everybody, I got everybody, hold
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on. I’ve got the Commissioner from the 5 I’ve got the Commissioner from the 6 which I think
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he waives because he was going to make a motion and I’ve got the Commissioner from the 8, the
stth. th
1 and the 10 Go ahead, Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. This question is for Mr. Hill. How much do we currently
spend on vet services each year?
Mr. Hill: Well so far this year you’ve got to think about COVID we spent about $51,000
but that’s just in basic vet care for spays and neuters, some other medical things but that’s just
basic, nothing you know to implement anything on our end as far as programs are concerned.
Mr. Garrett: And you know I’m still trying to understand what additional programs you
could have because I mean we already have a budget in place for a spay and neuter program so
what else could a vet bring in regards to those types of services?
Mr. Hill: Well, we don’t actually have a budget for a spay and neuter program. We have
a medical budget and that includes all types of medical but just put one up just to give you an idea
a foster program. A foster program could definitely get off the ground if we had a veterinarian on
staff because basically what we have now anyone that wants to foster they pretty much have to
take on the responsibility of taking care of the animal until it’s available to be adopted. Having
our own veterinarian that would open up a lot more opportunities for the citizens the public that
wants to come in and foster. They can take that animal and foster; anything goes wrong they bring
it to us because we have a veterinarian on staff.
Mr. Garrett: How many trucks do you have on the streets right now? I know it’s my
understanding that you’re pretty short staffed over there. I was out there the other day and noticed
there was probably four animal control vehicles sitting in the parking lot that weren’t being used.
It would make more sense to have more folks out in the community actually addressing you know
the dog situation the strays that are out there that we get calls about every single week instead of
having a vet that we already have contracts with. So is there, you know what’s your plan for
getting more trucks out on the street for the animal control?
Mr. Hill: Well actually we have enough trucks. We just don’t have the manpower as far
as turnover.
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Mr. Garrett: Well, that’s what I’m getting at you’re wanting to reclassify a position to
make an event when we can use that same position to put a truck on the road.
Mr. Hill: Well, it’s not about the position. It’s about being able to fill the position and
you’re talking about kennel worker position versus animal control officer position. You know
once we get animal control officer in the position you know we keep them there then you know
it’s not an issue. But I think you’re talking about two separate things you’re talking about turnover
as opposed to ---
Mr. Garrett: No, I’m talking about we already have a contract with a vet service where and
we also have a position open for an animal control person so why not hire the animal control person
since we already have the contract with the vet?
Mr. Hill: We are hiring animal control officers. That’s why I’m saying it’s two separate
issues you’re talking about we’re not, I’m sorry.
Mr. Garrett: Never mind, just carry on.
Mr. Hill: I’m not, okay.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 1 it’s on you. We do have a motion with a proper
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second, Commissioner from the 1 you’re muted.
Mr. Sias: Call for the question.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Hill ---
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- are a lot of the, a lot of the services that the animal your department needs
the full time veterinarian would be able help to help implement those services?
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: I heard my colleague how much money have we spent in veterinarian services
and you said around $51,000 ---
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- and what is your anticipated costs on medical services for 2020?
Mr. Hill: You mean for the remainder of this year? It’s hard to say because of the COVID
has changed a lot of things but I would say anywhere from around about $70 to $85,000.
Mr. Fennoy: How much did we spend last year for veterinarian services?
26
Mr. Hill: I would have to look that up. I don’t have that in front of me right now.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay all right okay I don’t have anymore, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you, thank you. We’ve got a motion and a second
Commissioner from the Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Hill, if we hire this person in the veterinarian
services you won’t need that money anymore you want have to expenditure that money or would
you still expenditure money in that area?
Mr. Hill: No, we won’t because we’ll have a vet in-house. The only thing we would have
to utilize is something, an emergency that you know (unintelligible) but other than that yeah I
mean in-house we’ll be actually using an outside vet.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: And for your 2021 budget what do you anticipate with this new
position like is it flat or is that the $20,000 gap increase next year? What does the 2021 budget
look like?
Mr. Hill: Well, to start what we’re doing is for the starting salary for $75,789 so it would
be whatever the difference was we would need the entire amount actually for the next budget.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: But if you’re losing your veterinary services then it’s a wash in a
sense, right?
Mr. Hill: Yes, sir, I mean it it’s (unintelligible) a vet yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay thank you, thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: Yeah, so I’m going to go to the Commissioner from the 10 and I know we’ve
got a motion and a second to approve this. I’m concerned about the line of questioning particularly
in light of where we are. The germane issue here is wanting to hire a vet something that’s long
been needed with operations that are there at the Augusta Animal Services. Quite frankly those
who’ve had a chance to do a deep dive know we’re operating on a wing and a prayer at animal
services notwithstanding the facility in and of itself. And so to the degree that this is an investment
that the city is making veterinary services are more than just having a body. You’ve got to have
the resources to support that. As you’ve heard spay and neuter is something that we’ve effectively
outsourced. We don’t have a budget and expanding line item in the budget for spay and neuter.
And not withstanding that there are other things. You’ve got to have medicine to the degree that
we’re not just euthanizing animals there at the shelter. So I want everybody to be mindful of the
global dynamics of running an animal services facility in the city and I’m really encouraged with
the work that’s been done over there over the last year and I applaud Director Hill. I thought he
was somebody else the first time I say him but I applaud him for the work that he’s done over
there. And our animal services facility with the team that they’ve got and their building is certainly
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becoming stellar. Commissioner from the 10 and then we’re going to vote on this measure.
27
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I go out to Animal Services, attend the meetings and
what have you and I go out and I visit and see the facility and they do excellent work with what
they have to work with. My main concern here is the facilities that we’re operating in is so ill
equipped and stability of the building and what’s in the building is in such disrepair I think that
we need to probably put more resources there than we do for a veterinarian at this point. We have
a Director and an Assistant Director out there that’s doing more than capable job and I think budget
wise we should look at other things right now instead of a veterinarian. So what I would like to
do is make a substitute motion that we do not hire a veterinarian at this time but take a look at it in
the 2021 budget, so that is my motion.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, can I say something is you don’t mind?
Mr. Mayor: Well, I hope you don’t ---
Mr. M. Williams: I second that.
Mr. Mayor: --- hold on a minute.
Mr. Hasan: Obviously it’s been three times and I hadn’t got called on the last three issues
you talked about.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute, hold on a minute, Commissioner. I’ve got my list right here
and you were on the list.
Mr. Hasan: I know that’s my concern.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I got you on the list. I wrote your name down, I got you down here.
Mr. Hasan: Well, let me just ---
Mr. Mayor: You’re fine, hold on a minute. I heard a substitute motion and I don’t know if
it got a second.
Mr. M. Williams: I seconded it, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Who was that, okay all right okay very well, very well.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, let me, let me to my colleague ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on a minute, hold on a minute. All right, Madam Clerk, are
you tracking that?
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner from the 6.
28
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m just going to address the immediate last statement
and that is if my memory serves me correct this SPLOST with what we put on there a brand new
animal shelter so that issue ---
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct.
Mr. Hasan: --- so that issue would be resolved so I ---
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct.
Mr. Hasan: --- I mean we can go ahead and assist the Director and what his needs are.
He’s been there two or three years I think if I’m not mistaken. It’s the second time for this
particular request so obviously he’s at a point where he’s confident enough to come back and ask
us once again. I think he articulated very well the need for it, the savings, what it gives an
opportunity for the city to be progressive as a whole and just because we’ve had them before and
it didn’t work out doesn’t mean we still don’t need it you know so I think we need to look forward
to give him an opportunity to do his job because he's only asking to do his job.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, is the SPLOST list finalized? Is that what I’m hearing that
ya’ll done put a SPLOST list together? I mean I know a lot of stuff is out there but had we finalized
the SPLOST list yet?
Mr. Hasan: Let me answer that.
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on, everybody hold on, everybody just suspend.
Mr. M. Williams: I just need to know because I thought we ---
Mr. Mayor: Are you going to give me a chance to answer your question?
Mr. M. Williams: --- yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, all right, all right, let’s pause and let’s everybody take a deep breath.
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The SPLOST list we have not had a meeting since March the 13 I believe that was our last
SPLOST meeting and we had a general list and the Animal Services Facility was one of the things
that was generally agreed upon with unanimity, okay? So you’ve got about five or six items on
that draft list that were under consideration but independent of that the good work of putting that
SPLOST list together will be happening at the same time that we’re working on the budget so
you’ve got time, you’ve got time.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, but I’m just ---
Mr. Mayor: So let’s do this ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- making sure we hadn’t finalizing this because ---
29
Mr. Mayor: --- no you ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- if it was finalized about the animal shelter then some others had to
be finalized too.
Mr. Mayor: --- well, you hadn’t been in a meeting so you know it hadn’t been finalized --
Mr. M. Williams: Okay well and that’s ---
Mr. Mayor: --- you know it ain’t happening without you.
Mr. M. Williams: --- my point.
Mr. Mayor: You already know it ain’t happening without you so calm down.
Mr. M. Williams: So the list hadn’t been finalized, Mr. Mayor, let’s be real, man.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, so we’ve got a substitute motion with a second. The Commissioner
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from the 10 made a substitute motion and the Commissioner from the 9 seconded it, Madam
Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
30
Mr. Sias: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Hasan, Mr. Sias, Mr. B. Williams and Mr. D. Williams
vote No.
Motion Fails 3-7.
Mr. Mayor: All right.
The Clerk: The regular motion Mr. Bobby Williams, Mr. Ben Hasan is to approve. Mr.
Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: No.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis.
Ms. Davis: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
31
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.
Mr. M. Williams: No.
Mr. Clarke and Mr. M. Williams vote No.
Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- we’re going to go to Item #19.
The Clerk:
OTHER BUSINESS
19. Approve budget adjustments for departments that exceeded 2019 expenditure budgets.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor ---
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Mr. Mayor: We’ve got Donna coming in. Commissioner from the 5 state your inquiry.
Mr. B. Williams: --- could we put 18 and 19 together because the overage is basically
probably coming from the COVID, can we put those two together that’s the question.
Mr. Mayor: No sir, no sir ---
Mr. B. Williams: All right.
Mr. Mayor: --- yeah, they’re not the same issue. Thank you for that question, no, they’re
not the same issue. All right, Director Williams.
Ms. Williams: All right so we’re on 19, right?
32
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct.
Ms. Williams: Okay, occasionally I bring to you after the year end a short list of
departments that for one reason or another had exceeded their budget and this is what is before
you today. I have three areas that ran over their budgets and the request would be to allow us well
to recognize that, number one, and to allow a after the close but before the audit budget adjustment
so that these are not, these departments are not recorded as a budget overage to the State of Georgia
that requires corrective action on our part. These three areas as shown in the backup belong to
Probate Court and Juvenile Court as well as the Law Library Fund both ---
Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute, Donna, can you suspend? All right there is a substantial
amount of background noise. If you could mute your devices and then we’ll see your hand and
you can come off mute but if you will would, if everyone can mute your devices please. All right,
Donna, continue.
Ms. Williams: ---okay, both Probate and Juvenile Court you would use the amount that
was in the 2019 Contingency Fund to transfer for a budget transfer to cover those overages. The
Law Library Fund would use its own existing fund balance to able to support itself. So this is
pretty much a clerical administrative type action that requires the approval of the governing body
so I would ask that you approve these in the amounts that are listed.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you. I didn’t find any attachments in my binder was that an oversight
from wherever or something or did I miss that on a mail out or something?
Mr. Mayor: You missed that. Again under Tab 19 you’ve got Probate Court the amount
over is $11,811 or 10.4%, Juvenile Court $62,867 the ---
Ms. Williams: And the Law Library Fund ---
Mr. Mayor: --- the calculation on that’s a little wrong, yeah. Then the Law Library is
$18,848 we multiplied by a 1,000 instead of 100.
Ms. Williams: --- the Law Library Fund was not an overage in their expenditure budget.
It was a shortage in their revenue budget so we just need to make the corrective entry to record the
use of their fund balance to be able to balance that fund.
Mr. Sias: Now how did I miss that, Mr. Mayor? What do you mean I missed it?
Mr. Mayor: That was in your notebook.
Mr. Sias: Obviously then I must’ve lost my notebook, no it wasn’t there but thank you I’m
good with what ya’ll described.
Ms. Williams: I’ll send you a copy.
33
Mr. Sias: I’d appreciate that.
Mr. Mayor: The only reason I know about it it was in my notebook. All right,
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Commissioner from the 9 I got you from the 5 coming next.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You know and we set these budgets for a reason.
I mean state law says we have to do that. I just think that we need to make sure and Donna
explained about law and how it got to this point but we just can’t say we went over budget. We
put everything on COVID-19. It’s going to become dog had puppies because of COVID-19.
Everybody’s got a reason to use COVID-19 but when we set a budget the budget ought to be
heeded to, Mr. Mayor, whether it be Juvenile Court, the Mayor’s Office, the Commissioner’s
Office whoever it is and that’s why we set the budget. But if we can come back and do this every
time I ain’t going to have to do this no more but I mean those who got to come back and keep
doing something that we set a budget for why are we setting a budget then? So ain’t nothing we
can do about it except approve it but I did want to make mention that COVID-19 is going to get
blamed for everything we know that’s coming up from now on so.
Mr. Mayor: Well, this is not being blamed on COVID-19 ---
Mr. M. Williams: Not yet, not yet. Ain’t anybody said it yet but if you ask them why
anybody didn’t say a word.
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Mr. Mayor: --- yeah I understand, Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. M. Williams: Motion to approve.
Mr. Mayor: All right, you’ve got a motion to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am, Ms. Donna.
Mr. Mayor: Can I get a second? I got a motion to approve from the Commissioner from
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the 9 ---
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: --- okay. All right, Commissioner from the 6 continue.
Mr. Hasan: Ms. Donna, are you there?
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir, I’m here.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am, I see where you’ve got Judge James I guess increase in salary. I
do understand about the Law Library shortage of funds but the Juvenile Court I know
(unintelligible) Juvenile Court when they was entered into these contracts to give, did they make
34
contact with Finance and say we don’t have the funds we’re going to be shuffling funds or they
just do it and you find out after the fact?
Ms. Williams: Some of both. There were conversations with the Juvenile Court Judge
who has now passed away during the year that they were projected to run over their budget that
their expenditures were exceeding the level of their budget during the year and that did happen --
Mr. Hasan: So let me ask you this ---
Ms. Williams: --- they did run over their budget and they failed to transfer funds.
Mr. Hasan: --- okay, so did that go to the Administrator’s Office to give the Administrator
a heads up or just the Finance Department to make that decision for them to go forward?
Ms. Williams: I’m not sure I follow you with make a decision. Finance Department as you
know cannot control specific line items in the budgets of elected officials but they were aware of
the issues that were occurring regularly in their budget.
Mr. Hasan: Well, I do realize that, Ms. Donna, and I may be wrong about this. I know you
can’t control it but you can let them know they don’t have no more money. You spent your own
budget and so that’s just my point about it but if they’re over budget then it looks like they got to
go to the Administrator’s Office and end up on the Commission floor in some form or fashion.
Now I do know sometimes you find things out after the fact, I grant that, but to say you can’t
control it I get that too but when they’re over budget and they overspend their budget then that
becomes problematic. Thank you, ma’am.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion and a second, voting. Madam Clerk, you’re muted.
You’re muted, Madam Clerk, you’re muted.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Hasan: They’re muted now.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
35
The Clerk: 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.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Ms. Davis: Madam Clerk I’ll vote yes, sorry about that.
The Clerk: All right, that motion carries with Mr. Sias voting no.
Mr. Sias votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- we’re going to go to Item #2.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
2. Abolish the Augusta Land Bank Authority/discuss/receive information consisting of a
total list of all properties, when they were purchased and a copy of the rules governing the
Land Bank Authority. (Deferred from the June 24, 2020 meeting)
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is an ongoing issue that I’ve got some
serious problems with. The Land Bank is supposed to be acquiring properties and put them, place
them in the hands of somebody’s going to develop them and do something with them but we’ve
36
been selling those properties and the people who get those properties they’ve been leaving them
in the same condition that it was in before the Land Bank got rid of them. So we’re really not
doing ourselves any good about by allowing the Land Bank to address those issues and then leaving
them in the same condition. Now Perry Avenue is a good example. The Land Bank owned some
houses that I had in the book the last time that’s more than dilapidated. The people who owned
them in the beginning didn’t want them but the people who acquired them now is just leaving them
like that so why are we selling them to someone who either can’t go on the property and do nothing
because of the rules or don’t want to go on the property. But I thought we were selling these
properties to make the community better but the community’s in the same state if not worse. When
you’ve got a overgrown lot or overgrown piece of property that’s been demolished almost through
vandalism and anything else and we leave it like that? So that’s why I put it on there to dissolve
the Land Bank Authority and let Housing and Neighborhood Development or other agencies take
these properties and do something with them. It’s just not fair to the community to leave them like
that. It’s not fair to the community for someone to buy them. Several of the churches bought these
properties but when they bought these properties they walk away from them like they didn’t own
them. So they buy those properties they at least ought to be able to fix it up in a better position
than it was in, Mr. Mayor, and that’s why it’s on this agenda.
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Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I understand, Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I think some misunderstanding about
what the Land Bank does in totality but even the basis of it the Land Bank doesn’t own the property
that we’re talking about on Twiggs on Perry Avenue. The HCD Hawthorne Welcher’s department
owns that property. It may be housed in the Land Bank and that’s what the Land Bank is. It houses
this property. The owners of those properties over 200 hundred properties in the system and not
being utilized is owned by Housing and Community Development. Now we may not like it but
that’s the structure that fits in this regard. The Land Bank 50/60 properties that they personally
own. The most of those properties that we’re talking about is owned by HCD the most of those
properties so that’s what we got to look at around those issues around Perry Avenue those
(inaudible).
Mr. M. Williams: If I can address that, Mr. Mayor. I don’t want to, can I respond?
Mr. Mayor: Well, before you attempt to respond to that let me ask you a question. What
is it that you would like to see accomplished? This item has been moved a series of times and now
we have it we’re debating this matter. What is it that you would like for us to do today?
Mr. M. Williams: Well, something’s got to happen. Either the Land Bank resolved or the
code being changed but it doesn’t make sense to house property for somebody else and you keep
it in the same condition then we might as well leave them in the hands of the people who had them.
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Now I heard my colleague from the 6 say that Housing and Neighborhood Development owns it
but if I leave my animal in your yard with you you’re responsible for him. You’re responsible to
make sure that he’s taken care of. I can’t say it’s my animal but he can do what he wants to. So
somebody’s got to change, something’s got to change to make the neighborhood better now. Perry
Avenue is just one example of the hundreds, the hundreds of dilapidated properties we’ve got that
the Land Bank is associated with. Now if you take it in you ought to be responsible for it and if
37
you’re not, the code or the rules or whatever needs to be changed need to be changed. I’m not
going to sit here and act like neighbors next door shouldn’t have to tolerate a bad property owner
and sell it to another bad property owner. He might as well not sell it, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Clarke: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, I’m going to recognize everybody just raise your hand and I got you.
I’m writing your name down.
Mr. M. Williams: I think something needs to be done something needs to be done, Mr.
Mayor, to correct this issue. We’re not helping the taxpayer when we leave it in the same situation.
It’s bad. I’m not talking about some of the overgrown grass. I’m talking about falling down.
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There’s a house on Perry Avenue and 11 Street across the street from the old L.K. Reese. The
house was partially burnt, Mr. Mayor, but the grass the kudzu has grown over that house and it’s
still sitting there ---
Mr. Mayor: Yeah ---
Mr. M. Williams: 25 to 30-years this house has been like that.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay.
Mr. M. Williams: The Land Bank or the City of Augusta we’re not doing our taxpayers
justice to leave that situation like that.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 5.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, sir. Just want to reiterate and I’m going to probably put it on the
agenda for our next commission meeting, remember we approved writing a Blight Ordinance. I’m
not sure if anybody’s done anything on it because I haven’t brought it up and nobody else has
brought it up. But if we approved writing a Blight Ordinance like they have in Macon, like they
have in Savannah and some other areas where when you put things in the hands of folks and they’re
not doing what they’re supposed to do they on the list then they don’t approve then you attach
some additional taxes to it and eventually if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do then we
take the property back. So we’ve got to get these things and he’s right in the hands of responsible
people and we’ve got to have a mechanism for taking them out of the hands of people who think
they just want to buy up a whole lot of land, create some wealth or something or wait for somebody
to come through and pay them a whole lot of money for it, in the meantime you’ve got your people
that’s just stuck with them. So I think we need to get to work on that Blight Ordinance. Thank
you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. I do not disagree with you. There’s a lot of real important work
that we have two years and four months to try to get done. All right, the Commissioner from the
st
1.
Mr. M. Williams: Four months, Mr. Mayor, that’s all I got.
38
st
Mr. Mayor: All right, I understand, I’m on the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Can you hear me?
Mr. Mayor: We can now.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay, Mr. Mayor, I was able to talk with one of the Land Bank board
members and during our conversation he talked about a lot of the properties in the Land Bank
being owned by Housing and Community Development. And the reason that is is that the Housing
and Community Development have plans for that property but they don’t have the money. They
don’t have all the money that they need in order to develop that area so what they do is that they
get the property first a lot like they did on Pine Street, a lot like they doing around Twiggs Circle.
I think that if we want this process to speed up then we ought to give Mr. Welcher more money
for development or include in SPLOST 8 monies from demolition and construction of properties.
But I think there’s a need for the Land Bank. According to the board member if when people
acquire property for the Land Bank they have a certain length of time to develop that property. If
it’s not developed within that length or time or they haven’t started the development process then
it reverts back to the Land Bank.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the 10, Commissioner from the 10.
Mr. Clarke: Okay, hold on I’ve got to agree with everything that the Commissioner from
st
the 1 said. There’s an absolute need for the Land Bank. I think they’re doing a good job.
Hawthorne Welcher and his team has transformed that area I was riding through it yesterday and
they have transformed that area using the tools that we have available and I think we need to leave
those tools in the belt so that they can continue to use them. I think that we should look at
appropriating some more money for demolition of properties and you know how many years has
Augusta been talking about it and it seems like we keep kicking the can down the road just a little
bit further. So I’m in total support of the Land Bank and what they’re doing. Thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you, Commissioner from the 9 all right, your final comments.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I don’t need to but I will put this back on the agenda for the
next meeting because I think our citizens are being taken advantage of when we have allowed the
Land Bank or Housing and Neighborhood Development or anybody else to have blight on our
neighbors. Now any of you want to ride out to District 10 and ride down Perry Avenue or any of
the streets in Super District 9. I heard the Commissioner from District 1 talk about all of the
abandoned houses he’s got in District 1 and I get that but a lot of them belong to the Land Bank or
somebody associated with the Land Bank. I’m not against them but I ain’t going to sit here and
act like that doesn’t bother me when my neighbors got snakes and rats and everything else coming
out of their yards or out of a field next door where an abandoned house is sitting at when the house
is so small it’s not big enough to park a car in the driveway and the Land Bank’s saying we got to
have four of five of these to make one lot. Now it’s a big problem and I will keep it on the agenda
in the next four months because all I got, Mr. Mayor, but I will keep it on the agenda to make sure
the people understand and I’m not going to sit back and let them suffer with critters running all
39
over there yard, snakes and everything else because we’re talking about the Land Bank, who’s
ever bank it is ought to be responsible for it. Now if you own it you got it, you ought to at least
keep it cut keep it clean. You can’t have a house falling down because you own it. It ain’t going
nowhere you got to clean it up. Several churches have purchased property through the Land Bank
through the taxpayer and walked away and just left it like that. I’m not going to sit here and act
like I don’t see that. So I don’t want to ride through District anything to look at it. I live through
it every day and I’m going to do everything I can in the next four months, Mr. Mayor, and it ain’t
long, you ain’t got to hear this much longer but I guarantee you you’re going to hear it the next
four months.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right sir, thank you.
Mr. M. Williams: Madam Clerk, put this back on the agenda. I can say that right now
because nothing’s going to be resolved today, we’re making no move. We’re going to talk about
it next meeting whenever we meet back on the agenda, please, ma’am.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, thank you. All right, Madam Clerk Item #15.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
15. Discuss ending the flawed curbside recycling program. (Requested by Commissioner
Sammie Sias.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. As I’ve said before when we discussed this back in February we
have a terrible ineffective waste of money recycling program to a certain degree. One of the things
that I’m very disappointed in the information that we received yesterday talking about the process
of what would happen if we eliminate this. And I’m very upset that the folks that we’ve been
talking about this since February and it taken them to this date for somebody from the
Environmental Services to provide some information about it. I don’t necessarily dispute the
information they provided but I’m sure upset about the process of how they got that to us or the
timeframe they got this to us. So at this time I move that we take this as information.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, all right without objection. Okay, Commissioner from the 9 state
your inquiry.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I agree with my District 4 Commissioner that there is a flaw
there but we have people we’re picking up garbage now that we’re still going to look at the garbage
program not just the recycling but what’s been going on at the Environmental Services has not
been working out for quite some time from not just recycling but picking up as a whole. So we
need to look at our whole garbage situation again and find out what we need to do to change that
to make that better because it’s not working. We pick it up once a week but we’re not picking up
40
the recycling stuff or we’re not picking up stuff you have to call in and tell you that that the stuff
is on the street when the garbage man go by every day. Mattresses, beds, bed equipment all kind
of stuff on the street and if you don’t call it in for somebody they pass by like they don’t even see
it. So our whole garbage system needs to be, the pickup needs to be looked at not just the recycling
part of it.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, well I appreciate that and there was an item on the agenda from the
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Commissioner from the 1 Item #16 that hopefully will get after this conversation as they do need
the assessment of Environmental Services and hopefully we can take up the same matter during
that time and look at it holistically. So I think there’s an effort to try to take this in the right
direction so thank you for that. Madam Clerk, I want to go to the Addendum item and this is the
one with I’ve actually got two items. I want to go to the one from the Board of Elections. I want
to hear from our Executive Director Lynn Bailey at this time and I’d like for us to pick up the pace
and run the clock a little bit here. We’ve got just a few items left and we need to get through them.
Madam Clerk?
The Clerk:
ADDENDUM
21. Receive a report from Board of Election Executive Director Lynn Bailey regarding the
November election. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Director Bailey, the floor is yours.
Ms. Bailey: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commission. Thank you for inviting me to
your meeting today to talk about the upcoming election. As you know you received in your packet
a document outlining what the Board considers to be extensive election related expenses
attributable to COVID. We are very hopeful that these matters would be considered in round one
and round two funding as indicated to help us do several things, one to provide some good services
for November which I will talk to you about in just a moment. But number two to also help us
refute the expenses we incurred from the June election primarily due to purchasing PPE for poll
workers, voters, advanced voting and all that. And also for the processing the vast number of
absentee ballots that came our way that was caused by the large number of mail in absentee ballot
applications that came as a result of the mailing the Secretary of State’s office sent out prior to the
June election. I think it was a good call by the Secretary to send out the application, I don’t mean
to imply otherwise, but the result was that the number of ballots that we sent out in our jurisdiction
rose by 2900% so instead of sending out just less than 1,000 absentee ballots we sent out 30,000
and that makes a big difference in your operation not just in the front end of sending out the ballots
it also on the backend when the ballots come back doing the verification on it, opening them up
and getting them ready for scanning so you’ll see those costs reflected all through this document.
I also think it’s important to know as we go forward that last night the Board of Elections met and
unanimously voted to support these requests for funding. You know obviously there’s a shortfall
in our election of June because of the overages there so that’s you know one issue. But the biggest
issues that are out there I think are whether or not this city would want to send out prefilled absentee
ballot applications to its voters for the June election, excuse me, for the November election. The
Secretary of State office has decided not to do that for counties in Georgia for the November
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election so if we decide to move forward with that I think it’s certainly a COVID related expense
because otherwise we wouldn’t be offering it. And you know I do think that it would be a step in
the right direction I think the last thing we want in November is to see our polling places
overcrowded. You know I think that trying to provide proper spacing inside the polling place and
also get as many people through in a reasonable amount of time are in conflict with each other
because we’re cleaning equipment between usages and fewer people can get inside the polling
places at one time. So the idea is we have as many people vote ahead of time for public safety and
also for those people who do come out to vote in person to be able to get through the process as
quickly as possible. So that’s one item that we’ll talk about. The other item is we do have an
opportunity to open up the Bell Auditorium for a big advanced voting center for November. We’ve
been talking to the Coliseum Authority for a month or so now about that and they just came back
last week and offered to waive fees that they were going to charge us for daily utilities for the
facility at the Bell Auditorium so they’re waiving those fees. And also I think important to know
the Marshal’s Department has agreed to provide security for the facility up there but by using the
Bell Auditorium we would be able to instead of providing twelve or thirteen or fifteen voting
machines like we normally would down in the Beasley Room we could put up 45 to 50 machines
in the Bell Auditorium and provide more scanners and more check-in stations and I think
accommodate a whole lot more people which would be a good thing leading into November’s
election. So going back to the absentees by mail we’ve priced that initiative with a local contractor
here that the City of Augusta currently holds a contract with and the cost for doing that is a little
over .50 cents per piece of mail and that’s to prefill the voters name in there, package it up, provide
a return envelope and send it out to the voters. The cost for doing that for approximately 125,000
voters is going to come in at $75,000 dollars and we think if we do this mailing it will certainly
increase the number of absentee ballots that we send out over what would happen if we didn’t do
this mailing and so we’re asking for another $25,000 to help offset that cost. So the total cost of
the project if we decide to move forward if the funding’s available will be about $100,000 dollars.
And for the Bell Auditorium initiative the cost for that is around I think $54,000 dollars of which
would be absolutely and completely the cost of staffing at that location for 19 days straight for
advanced voting. So I think those are the biggest things but I would be happy to take any questions
from any of you all about voting (unintelligible) or anything else you would like to talk about
related to the November election.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much, Director Bailey. We do have a question the
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Commissioner from the 4 it’s on you, sir.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mayor. Ms. Bailey, I absolutely concur with everything that you
presented and I hope my colleague’s won’t have an issue with funding we know that we can request
reimbursement on this COVID funding. I just have a couple of questions very quick.
Ms. Bailey: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: On the initial payment for these items will that be coming from your budget or
do we need to provide that?
Ms. Bailey: Well we ---
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Mr. Mayor: We need to provide that, Commissioner.
Ms. Bailey: --- I think we do. I mean our budget can’t sustain this and then also carry
forward with the November election. We at this quite frankly have already borrowed from
November’s budget to pay for June you know to make up those expenses.
Mr. Sias: Great. I appreciate that so that just makes it all the more important that we fund
it. Now the second question I have on using the Bell Auditorium particularly under the conditions
of COVID-19 that’s a splendid idea. I would like to know this one simple thing because you have
the large number of polling stations there I mean the voting units and all that would it be improper
I really appreciate that we could also use that same location just like in advance voting on election
day where folks who might be in the downtown area passing through or anywhere else coming
from across town they could go by the Bell Auditorium regardless of their precinct and vote at the
Bell Auditorium. Can we do that?
Ms. Bailey: Commissioner, I’m afraid we cannot. I think it’s a splendid idea and it’s a
concept that’s used in places around the country that’s called Vote Centers where on election day
they might have 20 or 30 of those such facilities all around the jurisdiction where people go
anywhere to vote just like they do during advance voting. In the State of Georgia though you are
required to vote, to report to your home precinct to vote and that is the case for probably thirty or
so other states in the country as well. So the State of Georgia is just not positioned to do that at
this point but if we want to deal with that you know I think that it’s something that a lot of election
officials in the State of Georgia would like to see happen but we would need to petition the General
Assembly to have the law changed before such a move could happen.
Mr. Sias: Okay, well then I would like to see put extra money in advertising about
advanced voting particularly for this week. It’s already out there now so I mean for next for
November coming up but really put some money into advertising about the advanced voting
particularly at the Bell Auditorium. And, Mayor, with that I move that we approve it ---
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Sias: --- and it’s coming from the round one of COVID-19 funding I believe.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay thank you. I’ve got a motion and a second Commissioner from the 9
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and then I’m going to come to you Commissioner from the 6 okay.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m in support of supporting Lynn in what she
needs to do but I had question I had a call today maybe Lynn you may have gotten the same call
about someone who voted and didn’t take their sheet and put it in the machine. They carried their
sheet with them at the last election. They came back and voted today I guess because they was in
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conversation with one another they found out it was supposed to leave their ballot. Do you know
anything about that?
Ms. Bailey: I do, I do. I received a call from that voter as well. Apparently when they
went to the polls to vote in June they voted their ballot but somehow didn’t know that the ballot
needed to be printed. And it was only today they went back to vote in the runoff and actually
printed the ballot then the realization was oh we need to print the ballot. And actually I think when
they printed the ballot they did it not because they thought it was their ballot itself but because
they thought it was a receipt or something for casting a vote. And so when they went to leave the
polling place the poll worker said well you need to put your ballot in the machine and it was only
then that they put everything together and realized that they had missed that opportunity during
the June election. I talked to them a long time about it and you know we also appreciate feedback
on that. I explained you train your poll workers to give instructions to voters and whatnot and the
law requires that we put poll workers in certain places in the polling place like in the area where
the voting equipment is to make sure that voters don’t leave and leave their ballot on the printer or
something like that. We’re also required to have a poll worker at the scanner at the door of the
polling place and those things are done to try to circumvent people from either not printing their
ballot or failing to put it in the printer and not knowing that they need to do that. And what I
explained to the voter and I will tell you all here you know we constantly train them on this issue
and we trained on this issue for the last three weeks while we’ve been training our poll officers
and we will continue to train on that issue so that our poll workers and voters quite frankly until
we all grow more accustomed to this new voting system.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, okay, you know I knew they in fact that I advised them to call you
and you said you knew what happened but at the same time I hope there’s more training coming
like you just stated to inform, a lot of people don’t know with the new system they really don’t
know and if you don’t know then you won’t be able to do it but I just thank you for all you do.
Ms. Bailey: Well, thank you for the question and the way the voter explained it to me he
said he and his wife went in they got their card like we all do when we vote in person and put it in
the machine and they touched the screen and then pulled the card out and walked away just like
they always do just with the old system. But clearly that extra step is required with this new system
and so we’ll continue to make every effort we can to make sure voters are properly instructed on
how to do that moving forward so thank you for the question.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: I’m fine, Mr. Mayor, you can go ahead, I’m fine.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, you’re sure? All right, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second, Madam Clerk?
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
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Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: This is to approve, 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. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: 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.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you, Ms. Bailey ---
Ms. Bailey: Thank you very much.
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Mr. Mayor: --- we appreciate it. All right, looks like we’ve got some folks that are fading.
I was yawning, others are fading and so let’s pick up the pace a little bit okay, let’s pick up the
pace we’ve just got a few more items and we’re going to pick up the pace. All right, I’m going to
Administrator Sims, Madam Clerk, this is one of the Addendum Items update on Continuity Plans,
Administrator Sims.
ADDENDUM
20. Update from the Administrator regarding Continuity Operation Plans. (Requested by
Administrator Jarvis Sims)
Mr. Sims: Mayor and Commissioners, I will be very brief in lieu of our time. On last
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Friday the 31 I sent an update regarding the COVID-19 and its impact on our organization’s
operation. The update included detailed information on each department and how each department
is coping with staffing issues in related to the spreading of the pandemic. Some of the departments
were inadvertently left out and I also thought it would be important to recognize those departments.
Our Legal Department, our General Counsel continues to work in the office daily. He has
scheduled two teams Team A, Team B. Team A works Monday and Wednesday, Team B works
Tuesday, Thursday. The teams alternate on Fridays. The General Counsel is working every day
in the office. Our Clerk of Commission their team is open and staffed on a daily basis. I’d also
like to note in case of emergency they also have an alternative schedule to work remotely if and
when it’s possible. Our Compliance Office they are working remotely. I would also like to
emphasize we continue to stress to our employees the importance of wearing masks, social
distancing, hand sanitizing and other CDC measures. We’re also utilizing Telework strategies
where feasible and rotating staff within our facilities to minimize contact to the extent possible
among our employees. Our goal is to continue to provide services to our citizens while keeping
those citizens as well as our employees safe and healthy. With the rapid change in environment
our operations must be adaptable to the circumstances we are given. As we continue to make
adjustments in our operational plans we will provide updates to you in order to keep you abreast
of any changes that are occurring. Thank you.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Mr. Mayor, in spite of what the Administrator has
said and what we’re all knowing is happening across the country I heard one doctor about two
weeks ago, Mr. Mayor, and I believe it was the most profound thing I’ve heard through all this
crisis and this pandemic. And what he said at this particular time is that they were asking the
question when do you think the pandemic will slow down, COVID slow down. He said that he
believed it will slow down when 50% of Americans get it. I mean every other person in this
country will have it and it seems to be that it’s on pace to do just that and it’s rapidly growing fast.
And I think when you look at the COVID outbreak we’re talking about some of the things that
we’re going to be having as a body and entertaining. We’re about to entertain a lot of workshops,
budget we’re talking about SPLOST 8. We have the Administrator and the H.R. Department to
do an assessment. We’re talking about all those things so we need to consider our staff works
tremendously in putting these things together. And so my suggestion, Mr. Mayor, and also let me
46
put this in perspective Mr. Williams is on something I just on something but I think we need to
look back at that and look at expanding (inaudible) the Marshal’s Department, Keep Augusta
Beautiful, Warden Jones, Environmental Services, HCD and the Municipal Court to get a handle
on that. Those are workshops that need to be had. We’re at the business time of our season going
into our budget season so what I would like to suggest, Mr. Mayor, I’d like to make a motion that
at this particular time let’s not go back to committee cycle. That’s my motion because all the
things that we’ve got to go with less as possible in terms of the staff having to expose them we
have the luxury of just showing up and we show up but our staff all of us are nervous energy in
terms of the things we do on a daily basis trying to stay safe as humanly possible and I’d just like
to see us just not go back to that committee cycle because that puts undue pressure on our staffing
in trying to make sure we’re prepared to have a committee and then the following week have a
commission when we have people with alcohol licenses there here at the committee cycle. They
come back to the commission cycle so let’s just be mindful of that, Mr. Mayor. We just have a
better way of managing what we’re doing now and I make a motion that we stick with commission
at this particular time.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you. I don’t agree with that concept. I think what we need to do is we can
make some modifications (inaudible). My colleague mentioned people come for alcohol licenses.
We can do that once it’s approved at committee we can waive them from coming back to the full
commission meeting. I just think we need to be effective with these items that we’re considering
and at present doing it one meeting at a time is not going to work. So I can’t support that because
I think we can make some modifications and still keep everybody safe. That’s what we’ve been
doing all the while. Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, anyone else? I was on a call earlier today so let me do a couple
of things. One, Administrator Sims, thank you for that update. I don’t know if that’s the one you
sent out by way of email the other day, was that the same thing the update?
Mr. Sims: No, Mayor, I also included the additional departments that were not included in
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the email on the 31.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, so if you would I would greatly appreciate you sending out an updated
copy of what you have, sir ---
Mr. Sims: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- great. I was going to call earlier today our weekly GMA call I sent it out
by invite to the rest of you if haven’t been attending those meetings. And Corona Virus Task Force
Coordinator Dr. Debra Burks was our confirmed speaker this morning. She shared what many of
us already know and have heard but there were several telling things that she said today. You’ve
seen her on TV on CNN and everywhere but she referred back to the Governor’s report that they
provide on a weekly basis. This is the White House Corona Virus Task Force report that they
47
provide to the Governor on a weekly basis. They meet with the nation’s Governors Monday
generally as a rule of thumb and if not on Monday then on a Tuesday and it was noted that our
Governor has been a part of all of those meetings but what was telling is that in Georgia, 159
counties 110 counties in Georgia are in the red zone, okay? We already know that the inner city
that we’re a red zone city. She pointedly said a host of cities and she mentioned metro cities but
then she expressly stated that Richmond County was one of the twelve most hot counties. We
can’t make this up; this is a serious matter. We don’t know when a vaccine will be available but
what we can do is take the necessary precautions as a governing authority. What I’ve seen is that
there are some employees who have been coming into government buildings without masks or
attempting to at least challenge the system. One of the things to know is that there’s an order in
place for everyone. If you are here in these buildings (inaudible) Administrator Sims it’s vital that
that message be communicated and we’ll do whatever is necessary to broadly communicate that
to all of our workforce that you have to have a mask on. There are guidelines that have been
provided by H.R. as well but this is a serious issue. When you hear again all of our health officials
say that in fact she made another statement in that they do not see a turning point any time soon.
That right there is a great concern and we’ve got to do something about that we’ve got to do our
part. We’ve got to wear a mask, wash our hands and watch our distance; we have got to do that.
We’ve got individuals that are (inaudible) who work with us even here from a governing authority
standpoint so I think this conversation comes up at an appropriate time. All right, there’s a motion
and a second. We’re going to go ahead and vote on this measure, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: No.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis, Ms. Davis out sir?
Mr. Mayor: I guess so, yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Okay, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
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Mr. Sias: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams.
Mr. M. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Clarke, Mr. Sias and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
Ms. Davis out.
Motion Passes 6-3.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, Madam Clerk, that brings us to our final two items we’re going
to go Item (inaudible) ---
The Clerk: I’m sorry, sir, you were breaking up.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay I’m sorry our final two items Item #18 and we’ll close with #14, Item
#18.
The Clerk:
OTHER BUSINESS
18. Motion to approve funding source for COVID-19 expenses.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Sims.
Mr. Sims: Mayor, Commissioners we also have our Finance Director who can provide us
with details but what we’re requesting or asking is that we are aware that we recently received our
first phase of our COVID funding in the amount of $3.1 million dollars and Ms. Williams has a
list that we’d like to share with you all about some of the expenditures that we have as well as
some projected expenditures.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Sims, let me get everybody to mute your devices if you can. I
want to pick up the pace on this right here. We talked about this before. I think there are questions
that are out there but more importantly right now the motion’s that in front of us is approve a
funding source for COVID-19 and I believe that that is the $3.1 million dollars from CARES Act
funding, is that not true?
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Ms. Williams: Yes.
Mr. Sims: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: All right, okay so that’s the matter that’s before us ---
Mr. Frantom: Motion to approve.
Mr. Mayor: --- (inaudible) running total we can get a running total of what the expenses
are as well but I want to make sure we stay focused on the matter at hand and that is this has come
before us on multiple occasions about attempting to approve an amount, it was $2 million then it
was $1.85 million then it was $1.5 million now we’ve got in hand the first phase of CARES Act
funding that we believe will be in three rounds that currently the Governor’s considering to the
tune of roughly $10.2 plus million dollars that we hope to get in our city coffers. Those dollars
cannot be used for revenue replacement. These are expenses, expenditures and there’s a list of
eligible expenses and I believe that we have a list of eligible expenses that track for approximately
$2 million dollars to date. I think that’s what Ms. Williams is going to provide us with. And absent
us approving a funding source I think that’s the only action is that not true, Director Williams?
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir. We have tracked, yes, sir we’ve tracked expenditures to date that
are qualified for reimbursement and currently they are standing at approximately $2.3 million
dollars.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right so if we can get a motion to approve the current allocation of
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CARES Act funding for COVID-19 expenses that will be fantastic, Commissioner from the 10.
Mr. Clarke: Motion to approve.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, does that include already that’s the $2.3 she’s got?
Mr. Mayor: Those are the expenses to date.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, does it all would that well what we done with Ms. Bailey today with the
board what do we do with that?
Mr. Mayor: That should be included in that amount.
Ms. Williams: What has already been expended for election expenses related to COVID
which is a little over $200,000 dollars it was included in that total that I just gave out.
Mr. Hasan: So what about today that what we passed today, does it have any bearing on
this?
Mr. Sias: We need to include that.
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Mr. Hasan: That’s what I’m asking.
Ms. Williams: It’s incorporated into this motion. It provides that funding source.
Mr. Sims: Yes.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: So Commissioners (inaudible) Ms. Bailey’s full request was about $380,000
---
Mr. Sias: That’s correct.
Mr. Mayor: --- request was about $382,000 that should be included in Donna’s $2.3, $2.2
million dollars.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. Sias: You said should be. Is it or is it not?
Mr. Sims: It is.
Ms. Williams: What she has already spent is included in the $2.3 and it will handle the
rest of it, yes, the short answer is yes.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, okay I know I’m not, I know and account is not an exact science
but her statement is confusing she said (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Bailey’s request, Lynn Bailey’s request was approximately $400,000
dollars and of that was $60 plus thousand as you all see in your notebooks of expenditures from
the June election. Those expenditures Ms. Williams, are in fact included in that number that she
just gave us, is that not true?
Ms. Williams: That is correct.
Mr. Mayor: Okay and the additional request which effectively is about $200,000 that’s
included in that as well, is that correct?
Ms. Williams: It’s included in the $3.1 that is available.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, I’ll leave it alone, okay, thank you, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going back to somebody else had their hand up. I’m trying to
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track all the hands. All right, Commissioner from the 9 did you have your hand up or you waive?
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Mr. M. Williams: I’m going to waive, Mr. Mayor. I don’t understand all of the process
here so I’m going to waive, I’m not, ya’ll done wore me down.
Mr. Mayor: No, we didn’t weigh you down. I think ya’ll wore me down.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke, to approve.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis she’s out, Mr. Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: 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 out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, I’m going to ---
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The Clerk: We have 11 and 14.
Mr. Mayor: --- yeah, I’m going to digress for just a moment just to point out a couple of
things that were included in the notebooks and in the notebooks there was an invite to a reopening
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of the Lucy Craft Museum of Black History on August the 4 from 10:00 so that’s over with,
okay? There’s an update report from the CVC about their assets and liabilities second quarter
report just wanted to bring it to your attention. And there’s a correspondence from the Secretary
of the Interior monument and then of course the streetlight conversation that we have revisited and
will continue to do so in the short term. That information was included in your packet which brings
me to our Item #14, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
14. Motion to approve proposed rollback mill rates for each taxing district, advertise the
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required 5 year history of the digest and to schedule the date of the meeting for August 18
at 2PM to adopt the proposed rates.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Hasan: You’re going to do the roll back right, Ms. Donna?
Ms. Williams: I need that, I need that in the motion and ---
Mr. Mayor: Do you know what the amount is, Commissioner?
Mr. Hasan: Sir?
Mr. Mayor: Do you know what that amount is?
Mr. Hasan: Well, it’s not so much that, Mr. Mayor. What I do understand from being here
was my understanding is that we try to do the rollback so we won’t exceed our tax cap.
Mr. Sias: (Unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: That’s not the question. The question is do you know what the proposed
rollback rate is?
Mr. Hasan: It’s not so much is what the number is (unintelligible).
Mr. Sias: Mr. Mayor, I thought you said we were going to step it up?
Mr. Hasan: (unintelligible) giving the impression we’re doing a tax increase in the middle
of this pandemic.
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The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, do we need Ms. Donna to give it to us for the record?
Mr. Mayor: We do.
Ms. Williams: Okay, I can, I will read from the schedule that’s included in your
attachments. The rollback rate for the General Fund M&O is 9.045, for Urban Services it is 4.845,
for Capital Outlay it is .722, for Fire Protection it is 1.967 and for the Blythe Fire District it is
3.299. Now included ---
Mr. Mayor: Donna ---
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- go ahead.
Ms. Williams: Included in that motion is I had a presentation but if Glenn could put the
slide #13 up there which allows me to advertise the history and you also have to set the date for
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adoption which would be scheduled for the August the 18 regularly called meeting. That would
be the appropriate motion to proceed.
Mr. Mayor: So, Donna, before we proceed and again we’ve got a number of things
happening here. From a tax standpoint we could roll it, we’re currently at 9.678 and ---
Ms. Williams: That’s correct.
Mr. Mayor: --- and the tax associated with that is roughly $3.7 million. If you rolled it all
the way back to 9.045 that number is now $400,000, is that not true?
Ms. Williams: It will generate an increase assuming that you’re reading from the slide
with the 5 year digest ---
The Clerk: We don’t have that, Donna ---
Mr. Hasan: We don’t have that.
The Clerk: --- at present it wasn’t (inaudible).
Mr. Hasan: It’s not in the book.
Ms. Williams: No, it wasn’t in the book. It was sent out separately.
The Clerk: Okay, this week you sent it to us?
Mr. Lewis: Donna, we have the presentation. What slide did you want it to be on?
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Ms. Williams: Okay you want me to run, can I run through this? I apologize if it did not
go. I sincerely apologize for those slides.
The Clerk: Can Jeff go through it quickly?
Ms. Williams: All right.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: So let’s, before we do that I don’t think it’s necessary for us to go back through
the whole thing, we’ve done that before ---
Ms. Williams: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- the questions that are before us right now are what (inaudible) will be I
mean we’ve got a option to roll back from 9.678 which is our currently approved rate mill rate
(unintelligible) to rolling it back to 9.045. But in between 9.678 and 9.045 there are several options
for us to roll it back to as opposed to going all the way back to 9.045 (unintelligible).
Ms. Williams: Okay, if I can go through this really quickly I can get you to exactly where
you need to be because the tax cap does come into play. Okay, we can skip this slide this is just
the process so go to the next one. This is the process again that if you proposed something higher.
This is the slide that shows you what it would like and at using the rollback rate you would generate
approximately $400,000 dollars more at 100% collection rate which is what this notice requires
you to do. So at the rollback rate you generate, you still generate approximately $400,000 dollars
more in taxes. Now your growth in your digest, just let me throw this out there for just a minute
or two the way you get to the rollback rate, your growth in the digest comes from two different
places: it comes from reassessment and it comes from natural growth. The state law requires that
any growth due to reassessment and convert that into a millage rate and that is what’s considered
the rollback rate, you have to reduce your mill rate from the previous year by the amount that
would be generated from your reassessed existing property, so that’s how the rollback rate comes
into play with the state law. So if you compute the rollback rate it reduces down to 9.045 which
still does generate additional taxes over last year for the General Fund, okay? So go to the next
slide and skip it and go to the next slide and skip it because that tells what you have to do if you
exceed the rollback rate. So here we are this would be the timeframe if the rollback rate that is
proposed is what you put out there for your millage rate. You would do that today. I am required
to put that ad in the newspaper and then no less that one week after that you could actually adopt
the rate at a public meeting. Okay so go the next one. Okay, if you exceed your rollback rate the
9.045 an additional procedure is required from the State of Georgia. Whatever that amount is,
even if it is less than the mill rate that you adopted last year, you have to advertise it as a property
tax increase. Then you have to hold three public hearings and publish a Notice of Intent to increase
property taxes. That is the state procedure for anything other than the rollback rate. Next slide,
that’s not the next slide, go to 10. Okay, this is the schedule that I just read to you which shows
the millage rate for the rollback rate for each taxing district as well as the rates that were approved
last year and you’re right they are lower but they are the result of the computation due to the
reassessment of existing property and the state procedure that regards that. So the next slide #11.
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Okay, this would be the effect on our $100,000 house example if those millage rates were set at
the rollback rate. The suburban district the decrease would be almost $29.00 dollars, Urban
Services $35.00 dollars and Blythe twenty-three and some change. Next slide. This is our tax cap
which is unique to Augusta, Georgia. The state rules for setting a rollback millage work hand in
hand with our tax cap so while we could set a rate higher than our rollback rate and advertise it as
an increase because of the tax cap if you will look right smack in the middle of the page where the
little arrow is our millage rate is only .139 mills less than what the computed tax cap is. So the
maximum you could go to without exceeding the tax cap is the 9.045 plus .139 which would give
you a millage rate of 9.184. That would be required to be advertised as a tax increase and that’s
as far as you can go. You can’t go to the 9.6 from last year. That is an amount that exceeds the
tax cap. So the question for the body today is do you want to adopt the rollback rate as it is
computed or do you want to go to the tax cap and advertise the tax which would be technically a
tax increase which would generate another $700,000 dollars.
Mr. Mayor: Donna, I’m not quite sure how you articulate that from the standpoint of again
our current mill rate is 9.678. We’re rolling it back to 9.045 which effectively when you look at
again from an increased revenue or as you say taxes standpoint that’s fairly substantial difference
between $400,000 and today’s mill rate $3.7 million dollars. So again by statute that number could
be 9.145, that number could be 9.245 which would all result in as your chart shows and I think you
showed it on it may have been Slide 5 I believe but that right there because what I don’t want to
see happen Slide 4 but what I want to see happen is you know we’re going to come back and at
some point in time here you’re probably going to say hey, you know we’ve got a deficit over here
in this area when we could’ve effectively covered that by rolling back the mill rate to some number
that’s not 9.045 maybe 9.145 or 9.245. The only difference is you’re advertising it over a three
period that’s all.
Ms. Williams: You can go anywhere up to 9.184. That is the tax cap. That is what you
can go to and that is certainly your decision. If you go to the 9.184, we kick into the alternate
procedure and as I said that would be an additional $700,000 dollars on top of the $400 which
would be approximately $1.1 million should this body decide to go that route.
Mr. Mayor: I think that’d be a prudent move for us but again I’ll pause there. Mayor Pro
Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: With the suggestion that the Mayor has just given does that mean we
would have the tax increase or have to basically publicize it that this is what we’re doing?
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir. The procedure on Slide #9 would kick in. You would be required
to advertise a tax increase and because of the timing of the public hearing that you’re required to
have there are three of them that are required and it has to span a 2-week timeframe after the
published, the 5-year history is published. The earliest that you could adopt that millage rate would
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be on August the 21.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay and then on slide, it’s the one that has all the years on it I don’t
what number it is I’m sorry.
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Ms. Williams: The 5-year history?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah, can you pull that one up? I did have a quick question.
Ms. Williams: That’s Slide #3 maybe.
Mr. Lewis: Yeah, sounds like it.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: So why, I understand why it’s going up and everything but why
would we not roll it back all the way to where there’s not an increase of that $400,000 in 2019?
Like why would we not just want to be flat based on what’s happened in 2019 and keep rolling it
back?
Ms. Williams: Well, I mean you can certainly go lower than the lower computed mill rate.
I mean that’s another decision but the state formula is pretty much set up no harm no foul. This
$400,000 dollars, that assumes you’re going to collect a 100% of everything that is levied and it’s
all going to be collected during that fiscal year. That doesn’t happen, that doesn’t happen.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Well, I just know the streetlight conversation’s coming and I just
wondered why we would keep rolling back if you know if that’s going to be an increase with the
gap that we have there and how we’re going to fill that gap so okay, I appreciate it.
Ms. Williams: You could fill that gap by going to the cap ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: No, I’m not (inaudible).
Ms. Williams: --- it’s out of the General Fund but I don’t think there’s a willingness to do
that.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: No.
Ms. Williams: I’m just trying ---
Mr. Mayor: I don’t think anybody’s suggesting going to the cap but I think when you’ve
got a prudent opportunity that quite frankly is more administrative than anything you have an
opportunity to close those gaps. And is it also not true, Donna, that this will be distributed across
the entire county as opposed to single entities so I mean dispersion helps this conversation.
Ms. Williams: This is the countywide millage rate, you’re correct, but anything you do if
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it is a 1000 of a mill over 9.045 it does trigger the tax increase clause and procedure so if that is
the will of the body to pick a number between 9.045 and the allowable cap then it would be my
suggestion that you pick a number that is worth the fight ---
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, can I say something?
Ms. Williams: --- if you’re going to advertise a tax increase.
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Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I’m going to come back to you, Commissioner I’ll let you close that
out. Jeff, can you take this down so I can see hands? Thank you, sir. All right, I’m going to go to
the Commissioner from the, Commissioner let me go to someone else ---
Mr. Hasan: Okay, all right.
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Mr. Mayor: --- okay Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. Can we pull that slide show back up to the one that had
it broken down for the millage rate for this year, what your proposal is based on each tax district?
I think it’s 13 maybe.
Ms. Williams: The rollback, yeah slide number I had it I think #10, Slide #10.
Mr. Garrett: Not that one.
Ms. Williams: Ten is the one that has ---
Mr. Garrett: That’s not the one I wanted keep going, one more, that one right there.
Ms. Williams: That’s the tax cap calculation.
Mr. Garrett: I understand that ---
Ms. Williams: Okay.
Mr. Garrett: --- can you help me understand why the millage rate for the Urban Services
District is showing only 41% of the tax cap allowed in that district?
Ms. Williams: Because those have been the millage rates that have been adopted year to
year to year ---
Mr. Garrett: So basically ---
Ms. Williams: --- then there’s been no increase identifiable with the level of services in
the Urban Service fund that the body felt comfortable in increasing the millage rate simply for
Urban Services District. That’s part of it.
Mr. Garrett: --- so am I reading this correctly in assuming that the General Fund portion
is showing where basically that’s the county paying 99% of their tax cap?
Ms. Williams: Not the county, it is countywide. Urban Services District also pays the
countywide rate.
Mr. Garrett: Explain that to me, please.
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Ms. Williams: I don’t know that, okay, the general what was referred to as the General
Fund on here is the countywide millage rate. Everybody that owns a parcel of property inside the
confines of Richmond County that is not a tax-exempt parcel pays that millage rate. The Urban
Services fund millage rate is the old city limits of the City of Augusta. They continue to pay that
millage rate because they do not, number one, they do not pay fire protection. Consolidation was
not a perfect exercise so there were services that were being provided and there were and they
were not pulled out and identified with various funding mechanisms to pay for those services so
we were kind of left with a patchwork quilt of how to pay for various things.
Mr. Garrett: So basically the county’s still paying to supplement the urban district, right?
Ms. Williams: Not necessarily. Those items that the Urban Service District pays for are
specifically identifiable, two things that are not found in other fees. Our fire protection, fire
protection is a main one because Urban Services does not pay the streetlight fee and God I hate to
say streetlights but they do not pay the streetlight fee ---
Mr. Garrett: And yet there’s more streetlights in the urban district than anywhere else in
the county.
Ms. Williams: $85.00 per residential parcel is transferred over to streetlights from the tax
collection for Urban Services. I’ll be happy to sit down individually and go through the Urban
Services versus General Fund.
Mr. Garrett: No, I think a meeting like this is the best place to discuss this.
Ms. Williams: Right but I don’t think we can get through all of the explanation of General
Fund Urban Services and why those two exist in the confines of this meeting.
Mr. Garrett: I think you told me that last year too and the year before but I digress. Thank
you, Mayor.
Mr. B. Williams: Well at least the story is consistent, isn’t it?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, pretty much I’d just like to ask Ms. Donna
rolling it back you’re saying that there’s still going to be seen as a tax increase.
Ms. Williams: No, sir, no, sir. If you use the computed rollback rate 9.045 I run the
advertisement for the 5-year history and then you set the, and it specifies the date you plan to adopt
the millage rate and that’s it. It is not considered under the protocol of the state statute that is not
a tax increase adopting the millage rate as a rollback rate is not an increase. Anything above that
number is.
Mr. Hasan: Does it have any impact of our tax cap?
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Ms. Williams: We’re still .139 mills below the tax cap at that rate.
Mr. Hasan: Would I pay even though it’s not considered a tax increase will my tax bill to
me go up on a personal level for all intents and purposes?
Ms. Williams: It depends. It depends on the value of your property.
Mr. Hasan: So some will go up as a result of this action.
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir. Those properties that were reassessed could see their tax bill go
up because the millage rate is applied to the value of the property.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, Mr. Mayor, I’m going to stick to my motion and let it be. I think the
caption will reflect what I think Ms. Donna’s trying to get to because even though it’s not seeing
a tax increase, Mr. Mayor, for many Augustans it will increase. We got to deal also with the
streetlight conversation which we need to do something on that. I think we need to be aware of
the times we’re living in and to do that seeing people’s taxes increase is a bit much for me and
personally I don’t have the wherewithal for it. I think we did have a motion and a second but I
think the caption can reflect what Ms. Donna says she needs if that passes.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, sure. I think that you know again this is a moment where I think we
should do something different. The capsulated amount and the input that you see they’re all subject
to change. I’ll state for the record I’m opposed to this. Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
The Clerk: Ms. Davis out, Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
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Mr. B. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Marion Williams, Mr. Marion Williams. Is he out, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: I’m not sure he’s still lit up but.
Mr. Garrett votes No.
Ms. Davis, Mr. Fennoy and Mr. M. Williams out.
Motion Passes 6-1.
The Clerk: Ms. Donna, could you please get us that presentation along with the rates that
you read out so we have them for the record.
Ms. Williams: You will have it right time I click off this meeting, yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Thank you. Mr. Mayor, we just have the one that’s left and Mr. Williams is
out so #11 is forwarded?
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SAFETY
11. Discuss duties and responsibilities as it relates to the ARC Code Enforcement illegal
dumping/litter Division placed under the Marshal’s Department. (Requested by
Commissioner Marion Williams)
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think there’s no further business before us so we’ll call this meeting
adjourned.
The Clerk: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
{MEETING ADJOURNED\]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
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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
August 4, 2020.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
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