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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting February 9, 2021 CALLED MEETING VIRTUAL/TELECONFERENCE February 9, 2021 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 9, 2021, the Honorable Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Johnson, Scott, McKnight, D. Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Frantom, member of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown. 1. LEGAL MEETING A. Pending and potential litigation B. Real estate C. Personnel Mr. Brown: Good morning. Mayor and Commissioners, we request a motion to go into executive session for the discussion of real estate, litigation and personnel. Mr. D. Williams: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. The Clerk: We’re going to go with Commissioner Dennis Williams and Ben Hasan. We had several. Mr. Sias out. Motion carries 8-0. Mr. Mayor: Okay, everybody, we’re going to transition into closed session at this time. \[EXECUTIVE SESSION\] Mr. Mayor: All right, everybody, we are back on the floor. The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown. 2. Motion to authorize execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. Mr. Brown: Mayor and Commissioners, we request a motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit. 1 Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Garrett: Second. The Clerk: Was that Mr. Sias and Mr. Garrett? Mr. Sias: No, Clarke, wasn’t it? Or Mr. Garrett? The Clerk: I don’t know. I’m asking. Mr. Garrett: One of us. The Clerk: Yeah, I thought I heard him too. Okay, we’ll go with Mr. Garrett. Mr. Sias: Before he jump in the river there. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Attorney Brown. Mr. Brown: Yes, sir. We request a motion to approve the hiring of Mr. Mitchell K. O’Neal and Ms. Tevia D. Brown each as AED Project Engineering-Program Delivery in the Augusta Engineering Department. Each at an annual salary of $80,000 along with the customary benefits provided Augusta employees with an effective start date of March 20, 2021. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. D. Williams out. Motion carries 8-0. Mr. Mayor: Attorney Brown, you are recognized for a motion. Mr. Brown: Thank you, sir. We request a motion to approve the hiring of Mr. M. Mahgoub of Augusta Engineering as an AED Principal Engineer in Infrastructure with the Augusta Engineering Department at an annual salary of $92,500 and the customary benefits provided Augusta employees with an effective start date of March 20, 2021. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. 2 Mr. Mayor: Voting. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown for the reading of the motion. Mr. Brown: We request a motion to approve the hiring of Wes Byne as Director of Augusta Utilities Department at an annual salary of $140,000, a car allowance of $500 per month and the customary benefits provided Augusta employees with a commencement and effective date of March 8, 2021. Mr. Hasan: So move. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Ms. McKnight votes No. Motion carries 8-1. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown for the reading of a motion. Mr. Brown: Mr. Mayor, if we may, the Administrator will read the motion regarding the vacation pay. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. Donald: Allrighty, so it will be a motion regarding vacation pay will be a motion to rescind in total the action taken by the Commission on December 8, 2020 relative to extending the relaxation of vacation accrual limits and two, hereby approve the following policy regarding vacation accrual namely all accumulated vacation hours over 273 for regular employees and 335 for SES employees will be moved to a separate pool of leave titled COVID-19 vacation earned leave pool. The effect of this action will provide a 15-hour cushion before the employee is once again at the cap. COVID-19 vacation earned leave pool has no expiration date and is separate from regular vacation hours earned and shall be subject to the rules and processes enacted or approved by the Commission from time to time. The caps applicable to accrual of regular vacation leave will return to the levels which existed prior to the new relaxation due to the COVID-19 pandemic specifically 288 for all regular employees and 350 for all SES employees. The effective date of this policy will be March 6, 2021 and, Madam Clerk, we’ll forward for the record. The Clerk: Thank you. Mr. Mayor: All right, do I have a motion? Mr. Sias: So move. 3 Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown. Mr. Brown: There are no further motions to my understanding, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you very much, I agree with you 100%. Madam Clerk, I think this – The Clerk: No, sir. We have the addendum item. Mr. Mayor: The addendum item. The Clerk: Yes, sir, I just resent that to you. It’s a request from the Administrator to accept the U. S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance funding in the amount of $6,095,961.30. Emergency Rental Assistance Funds have been received, best practices require immediate approval of emergency use of funds to ensure public distribution by publicly stated deadlines. Mr. Hasan: So move. Mr. Sias: Mayor, Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Everybody just hold tight, just hold tight. All right, the Chair recognizes the th commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Do we need to add that to the agenda and then approve it? The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: We need to add it to the agenda. That’s what needs to happen first. All right, so is there any objection to adding it to the agenda? Without objection. The item has been added to the agenda. Mr. Donald: Mayor, may I amend the motion? Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on a minute, hold on a minute. All right, the Chair recognizes th the commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: No, sir, I’m fine, Mr. Mayor. That was the Administrator. 4 Mr. Mayor: Everybody just suspend for a moment. All right, so we’ve added it to the agenda and I do want to take an opportunity we discussed this last week at our meeting and we received it as information waiting to get confirmation that these dollars would be provided to the City of Augusta and I want to thank our team, our Administrator, HCD for working very closely with us in the Mayor’s Office to expedite getting those dollars here to the City of Augusta. When you think about the number of people who are concerned about whether they’re going to be able to pay their mortgage, their rent, people who are still waiting on unemployment to show up in their homes, these dollars, six million couldn’t come at a better time in Augusta Richmond County and th again, kudos to everybody and with that, I’m hoping that the commissioner from the 4 would make a resounding motion to accept these and a proper second to get these dollars out of the door as quickly as possible so we can continue to help Augustans. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Hasan: A resounding don’t need a second, does it? The Clerk: For the record we do. Ms. Scott: Second. The Clerk: I’ve got it, Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan, were you doing that or Mr. Clarke? Mr. Hasan: Ms. Scott got it. The Clerk: All right. Mr. Hasan: Commissioner Scott. Ms. Scott: Ms. Scott. The Clerk: The record is corrected, Ms. Scott. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. I want to take a moment and I want to recognize our Administrator to again read into the record some additional information but we worked very quickly to help make this happen. Administrator Donald. Mr. Donald: Yes, sir, so there are some specific actions that will be taking place that I think is important for the Commission to note, surprises as required by the (inaudible) but I think first I would want to highlight that we likely would not have been able to get these funds and especially as quickly as we got them, actually we didn’t even receive a notice of award. They just forwarded us the funds in our account and we wouldn’t have even been able to do that without the Mayor’s Office and really specifically your role in sitting on the U. S. Conference of Mayors and providing support to the (inaudible) departments so we are definitely thankful for that support from the Mayor’s Office. It was a big deal for us and will end up being a big deal for Augusta citizens 5 and so to make sure that the Commission is kind of clear on what we are required to do these funds st expire on December 31 and they will not be renewed so we have to get these funds out of the door quickly. We’ve met and received technical assistance and so the first thing we have to do that the Commission did is accept those funds for the Treasury. Second, we have to allow HCD to create an emergency rental assistance program which we will do next now that you’ve (inaudible) but that doesn’t have to come back to the Commission. The next thing is in our proposal HCD will recruit and obtain two contracted staff persons that provide program implementation. As you guys know but the public doesn’t know there is $600,000 in there that is admin money that they’re giving to cities of our size to make sure we get those funds out the door quickly so with this approval they’ll move forward and work with Finance on that and then a final thing is is now that you have accepted the funds, Finance will put it in HCD’s budget to make sure that they’re able to move forward with those other requirements and so just wanted to read those in the record. Of course it’s in your packet and in the proposal and all that good stuff but it has to be read into the record. So thank you for that opportunity, Mayor, and thank you all for your leadership. st Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Donald, I appreciate that. Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just had a question. I think is misheard the Administrator. Mr. Donald, you said when HCD comes back and creates the program that program does have to come before the Commission for approval? Mr. Donald: No, sir. We already included all of that information. You just authorized them to do it. So again all that stuff in your packet remains the same but by authorizing it you allow them to basically create another program specific to this funding source. Remember HUD has a similar program so you have to differentiate the two. I think we’ve got like $2.1 million from HUD that you approved through those HUD Cares funds. This is the U. S. Treasury for which the Mayor and his team helped us kind of get some additional funds to augment that so they’re separate and they just have delineate that. So that won’t come back before you. Mr. Johnson: Thank you. Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you again. Team effort. Thank everybody. I appreciate us getting through today and with that, Madam Clerk, we’re going to turn it over to committee chairmen. This special called meeting is adjourned. Committee meetings will now take place. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission 6 CERTIFICATION: I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Called Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on February 9, 2021. ______________________________ Clerk of Commission 7