HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting February 16, 2021
REGULAR MEETING VIRTUAL/TELECONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 16, 2021
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., February 15, 2021, the
Hon. Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Johnson, Frantom, Scott, McKnight, D.
Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Mayor: All right, well, good afternoon, everybody. We are here to do the peoples’
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business and we call the February 16 2021 Commission Meeting to order. The Chair recognizes
Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Thank you, sir. We will have our invocation by Commissioner Francine Scott
after which we’ll ask Commissioner Brandon Garrett to please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Please stand.
The invocation was presented by Commissioner Scott.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America was recited.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you to the Commissioner from the 9 for that invocation and
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Commissioner from the 8 for our Pledge of Allegiance. There was an addendum agenda that was
sent out this afternoon, three items, one is a revision which is a submittal to the revised resolution
then there’s the addition to the agenda around receiving an update from the Commissioner from
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the 1 and a deletion to the agenda. If there are no objections, if there’s no objection we’ll add
these to the agenda as noted, all right without objection. All right, the Chair recognizes Madam
Clerk.
The Clerk: Yes, sir ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, if you don’t mind just pause for a moment.
The Clerk: --- are we ready now?
Mr. Mayor: Okay, let’s proceed.
RECOGNITION(S)
EOM Natascha Dailey
A. Congratulations! Natascha Dailey as Augusta, Georgia’s Employee of the Month for
January 2021.
The Clerk: I call your attention to the Recognition portion of our agenda. Today we would
like to offer congratulations to Natascha Dailey as Augusta Employee of the Month for January
2021. Mr. Mayor, the Employee Recognition Committee has selected Natascha Dailey as Augusta,
Georgia’s Employee of the Month for January 2021. She was nominated by Takiyah Douse,
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Director of Central Services. Natascha has served the citizens of Augusta for the past 4 years as
the Central Services Administrative Assistant to the Director. Her presence and involvement in
every Central Service matter ensures the consistent service level promised through our mission
providing red carpet service. Ms. Daily acts as a resource for information for all those needing
Central Services assistance and has proven over the years her value and dependability in more
areas than one. Ms. Dailey is reliable, detailed oriented and committed to excellence in everything
she does as a true team player. She always puts her best foot forward and excels in areas of
responsibility as well as areas outside of her scope of duties. She is often called the ‘right hand’
of the Director and a trusted contact for many of the Central Services employees in addition to the
employees of Augusta. This accolade of recommendation by no way reflects Ms. Dailey’s
contribution to her department yet highlights an amazing project success due largely in part to her
involvement. Based on this nomination Natascha Dailey’s outstanding contribution to Central
Services and her service to Augusta, Georgia the Employee Recognition Committee would
appreciate you in joining us in recognizing Ms. Dailey as the January 2021 Employee of the Month.
Mr. Mayor: Would you all join me in congratulating Ms. Natascha Dailey for her great
work. (APPLAUSE) Ms. Dailey, thank you for your service to the City of Augusta and her
residents. I’ve had an opportunity to meet you and see you in action and you are certainly well
worthy of January 2021 Employee of the Month. Thank you to all you do and look forward to
your continued service in the City of Augusta.
The Clerk: I see Ms. Rookard’s there, Mr. Mayor, I don’t know if she had anything to add.
Ms. Rookard: No, ma’am, I did not.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, is her immediate supervisor Director, Ms. Douse, okay maybe Ms.
Douse has something to say we’ll give her an opportunity. Let’s bring Ms. Douse in. Okay, Ms.
Douse?
Ms. Douse: Yes, good afternoon.
Mr. Mayor: All right so we just recognized Ms. Dailey and didn’t know if you wanted to
share some words about her as Employee of the Month as well.
Ms. Douse: Sure, I would. Good afternoon, Commission as well as Mayor. Natascha
Dailey as I said from my writeup has been a pillar for the Central Services Department.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Douse?
Ms. Douse: Can you hear me, yes, good afternoon.
Mr. Mayor: We hear you. All right, so we just recognized Ms. Dailey and (inaudible)
device on if you’ve got You Tube or Facebook, please turn it off.
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Ms. Douse: Can you hear me now?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Ms. Douse: Okay, my apologies but good afternoon, Commission as well as Mayor. As I
stated in my writeup Natascha Dailey has been a pillar for the Central Services Department. I
consider her my right hand as well as all of those throughout Augusta. If you’ve had the
opportunity to contact my office and speak with Natascha you would too find that she is one that
is very accommodating as well as take hold to our mission of providing red carpet service to each
one of our citizens as well as employees. So it is with great honor that she is awarded and has
been named the January Employee of the Month, so thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. Douse, for your leadership and having great team members,
thank you.
Ms. Douse: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk?
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
B. Mr. Michael Gallucci regarding a “Resolution formally apologizing for Augusta’s role in
slavery, a commitment to end structural racism, and achieve racial equity.”
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Gallucci. Good afternoon. Thank you for coming to present
this afternoon. If you would state for the record your name and your address and you have five
minutes, sir, to present.
Mr. Gallucci: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Commissioners. My name is Michael Gallucci. My
address is 2237 Cadden Road, Augusta, Georgia 30906. Today I’d like to address this resolution
you know we (unintelligible) our past. We felt the pressure across the nation and within our
community as we struggle with the issue of race and those social economic and judicial instances
of the current past and it’s systemic and legacy environment that has impacted far too long our
social prowess by continuing to infiltrate our government, businesses, schools and communities.
We can’t avoid the ugly truth that race has been used to justify, shape and execute the systematic
underpinnings of the very systems affecting our daily lives. Virtually every indicator shows that
people of color in the U.S. experience worse outcomes and more barriers to success than their
white counterparts. It’s no different here in Augusta. Intervening to reverse these trends requires
contention and attention and intentionality about understanding historic and present-day
manifestations of racism and the attention to affect ways to properly disrupt them. We know the
issues discussed here within this Chamber and in the corners that we choose to whisper in. We’ve
heard these conversations, the need for better schools and better educational approaches.
Revitalization of our neighborhoods, the need to improve small businesses, specially minority
businesses. Better housing, improvement of our justice system, addressing the school to prison
pipeline, better de-escalation methods for police and the question of equity in our community in
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every aspect but we watched them take a back seat to manifestations of these issues. We appear
more concerned with renaming streets and buildings and highways and talk of moving statues or
the renaming of The Commons to signal our embracement of racial equity. What’s needed is to
see and feel the urgency necessary to address the root causes of these manifestations. Now some
believe that we live in a post racial America, a post racial Augusta. That’s hardly true. We bought
into the diversity pictures we see via the commercials, brochures and websites. We create
departments and label them with titles like inclusion and diversity and slap ourselves on the back
but then we sidestep the hard work to achieve the objective of those picture pretty beliefs.
Acknowledgement, reconciliation, healing and unity are hard work. It takes commitment again
attention and intention and this resolution will go a long way to gaining a foothold in that process.
Reconciliation creates respectful constructed conversations with shared values at the center. It’s
the repairing of our social values and our social fabric, the transformation of relationships,
reconciliation, atonement, healing all involve addressing wounds that have long been denied,
ignored or buried and each one of those are a source of resentment. It restores trust in institutions
and government. It provides a social space, permits and encourages individuals and governments
to acknowledge the past, mourn losses, validate pain experienced, confront wrongs and reach out
to take the next steps to restore broken and strained relationships. This resolution places Augusta
alongside other cities across this nation of recognizing that the task begins with respecting and
seeing the dignity of all its citizens and being candid about the deeply division that we experience.
It’s a call to service that cries for your proactive engagement. This Commission must act boldly
and yet it cannot succeed alone. I believe that the creation of the standing commission or counsel
can provide needed input from us our richly diverse community to guide your hand. Such a
commission will open doors to the development of trust, the conversations of challenges and the
promise of solution. Mr. Mayor, Commission, this is your moment, this is our moment to make a
real structural change. Pass this resolution, etch your name in our history and set the community
you love and serve on the road to a stronger equitable and just Augusta. Thank you for your
courage to reshape Augusta and I can take any questions that you might have.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Gallucci. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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4.
Mr. Sias: Move that we receive this as information.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, anyone with questions for Mr. Gallucci? All right, thank you again
for your presentation. There are no questions, thank you. Madam Clerk, next item.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, for order of procedure Mr. Day is here regarding zoning Item
number 24 and 25. I didn’t know if you wanted to defer the Planning items and allow Mr. Day to
address those or, I don’t know, the Attorney can ---
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, we can do that. We’ll do that at that time.
The Clerk: --- okay, so we’ll go to Item D under our Delegation portion.
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The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
D. Ms. Sharonda Williams regarding 1) COVID-19 Emergency Response Hotline (24 hour)
number and website 2) Distribution to community through mail in monthly utilities bills.
Ms. Williams: Hello?
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Williams, if you’ll, thank you so much. Ms. Williams, if you’ll state for
the record your name and your address and you have five minutes to present.
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir, can you hear me because I have on a mask.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, we can hear you.
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Ms. Williams: My name is Sharonda Williams. I live at 1031 13 Street Augusta, Georgia
30901. I’m under the purview of Commissioners Jordan and Scott. And thank you, honorable
Davis, for allowing me the opportunity to speak to both you and the Commission today regarding
this request. And to be honest with you I have gone to several institutions about this request and
don’t know if you’re the right people to speak with regarding this but hope it falls and it’s on the
right person’s agenda so if you could hear my request. Let me tell you a little bit about myself and
I’m going to keep it very brief because time is of the essence and we have less than five minutes
and I want to leave room for questions. But I come to you with a Masters from the University of
South Carolina (unintelligible) School of Public Health so I coming to you from a population
health as well as a community health standpoint. I have worked at a community health center for
over six years and have knowledge about different healthcare disparities, so I come to you with a
personal story. My mother has a disability as well as some morbidity and I found myself one
Saturday spending over five hours looking for COVID updated information. And I have a Masters
Degree. Now if my mother had to look for this information herself I don’t think she would’ve
been able to come up with her COVID-19 vaccination plan. And I share this out of concern with
you, Commissioners, because one there is a vaccination hesitancy that we’re seeing in our
community that’s causing people to not get the vaccination for two reasons and I’ll share this with
you and I think we could agree that we’re fighting two pandemics. Not only are we fighting the
COVID-19 virus but we’re also fighting the virus of mis-spreading of information and false
information. So at this time I’m coming to either the Commissioners or someone regarding coming
up with a if you will an easier way to spread a positive message about COVID vaccinations so
others will have an opportunity to create a COVID action plan. Now I’m leaving it at that. If there
are any questions at this point I think I sent a Power Point on what I am requesting or an example
to see if this is of consideration of the Commissioners, yes, is that Commissioner Clarke?
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ll come back to you., all right, the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 10.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and thank you and good afternoon for being here to
address this. I was one of the people that was skeptical about the vaccine but I had the privilege
along with the other Commissioners to attend the Pastor’s session out at the church to educate
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people on the vaccine and I took that opportunity at that time since I was eligible due to age and I
took the first round of vaccine and showed absolutely no ill side effects of it whatsoever. I went
back yesterday afternoon, and I took my second shot. 24 hours later I’m still showing no ill side
effects from it what so, course people want to how can they tell with me. But it’s not unsafe
vaccine I don’t think. It’s not an unsafe vaccine. If I thought that it was unsafe, I would not have
taken it myself. And I think I wanted to set an example not only that it’s a positive thing to do
because us as Commissioners can’t try to instruct people or lead people to do something that we
ourselves are unwilling to do. And I would just like to say on own behalf that I think the vaccines
are appropriate, I think they’re safe and I would recommend everybody to that is eligible to take
one to get one and I will help you get that word out.
Ms. Williams: Well, yes, sir. I’m coming from a community outreach perspective, and I
appreciate you being that positive example so others will see it’s not a negative thing. There’s still
a hesitancy in the community and also there’s a group of people that are called ‘hard to reach’ that
are not receiving the information so I’m trying to if you will pull on an experience from community
outreach with the consensus where we had to reach those hard to reach people in the rural areas
through mailing and through simple messaging and that’s what I’m coming to you I guess this
group asking for. I need something simple to say okay go to CSRAVAC.org or dial, and I’ll put
a number I’m just going to call out 711 for a 24-hour COVID response but I also was asking and
requesting if something could be mailed in the utility bill. Now back in April of 2020 last year it
seems like forever you all sent out something a simple message about the census that I was hoping
with that simple message it would get to everyone in the I guess the (unintelligible) of the 30901.
And I’m asking this because we know from research that healthcare is not just an individual thing.
it’s also community’s people’s health outcomes are based on their zip code so if a couple of people
aren’t receiving this information and, sir, even though you’re vaccinated you’re still at a risk for
being exposed to COVID. So I’m sharing this to say I hope we can find the some simplest message
in order to reach as many people as possible to make their own vaccination plan if they choose to
do so.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Williams, thank you one for sharing that information. Let me chime in
with a few things. We have been having a series of community conversations, COVID
conversations, where we brought individuals to the forefront. We started with doctors from
Meharry Medical College and we also had local doctors Dr. Stacey Davis, Dr. Ron Brown we went
from there to having some mental health professionals in our second cohort of conversations and
we concluded that or in least in third cohort with Dr. Jerome Adams, former US Surgeon General.
On the city’s website, on the City of Augusta’s website AUGUSTAGA.GOV there is a COVID-
19 alert button that provides information where individuals in our city can access information. But
I also think it’s prudent for us to point out to individuals that they can go to DPH.Georgia.gov and
find out real time and specific information not only about where vaccinations sites are across the
entirety of Richmond County but in the CSRA, sans South Carolina that information is readily
available along with access numbers associated with that. But the simple request that you have is
having an insert in the utility bill and that’s something that’s currently being worked on right now.
Ms. Williams: Sir, thank you. I have watched most of your conversations and I appreciate
you having that information however I’m looking for a more simplified way to say hey this is
information for Augusta and for the CSRA and not just the DPH because there’s several
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institutions that have their own COVID vaccination plan but it’s not all coordinated and put
together so that’s what I was asking for at this time.
Mr. Mayor: So that’s two things you’ve asked for a coordinated, Mayor Pro Tem, I’m
coming back to you to close the conversation you’re asking for a coordinated vaccination plan. Do
understand that the State of Georgia is leading the effort as it related to vaccination and the
distribution of those vaccines to our partner agencies whether that’s Walmart whether that Kroger
or any of the other associated pharmacies but also our hospitals and our entire healthcare
continuum that vaccination plan is being handled at that level. The City of Augusta has been
engaged most recently I believe it was two meetings ago our Administrator working in concert
with our staff and other stakeholders released the Augusta Forward Plan as it relates to COVID-
19 in our internal response as well as some linkages to those external response efforts as well. So
I would submit to you that the city has taken a step forward in those areas and will continue to
make end roads in how we communicate with individuals. At this point I’m going to refer to the
Mayor Pro Tem to give closing comments, Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Yes, sir, thank you and I think we made one mistake and that is we
assume that everyone is technology savvy. You know I’m 56 and I’m retired and I only use the
computer basically to pay bills and look at emails. So I was talking to Francine Scott,
Commissioner Scott, a week or two ago and one of the things we thought about and I did have a
conversation with Cedric Johnson he said that AU may be able to help is that I think we need to
put people at the emphases of stores and common places where people frequent and give them a
computer and let them go ahead and sign people up. Maybe we need to put a sign behind them
that says something like vaccination something and kind of work on a plan where we can get
people out in the neighborhoods and/or stores and common places where we can sign people up
themselves because I think we’re missing the point sometimes when we assume that everybody’s
technology driven as well as putting things in the bills would be fine too but I don’t even look at
my bill because I do everything electronically. So I do think we need to put some people in the
neighborhoods or should I say stores and common places. And Cedric Johnson did say they may
be able to help some over at AU, thank you.
Ms. Williams: Well, yes and thank you, sir and I’m also in connection with Dr. Weiss
Joshua Weiss at University so I hope to connect with him after today because it was something a
little more specific I was hoping for and I don’t think that it will be addressed here. But thank you
all for your time and thank you for answering my questions.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you, thank you, Ms. Williams.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
E. Ms. Ronie West regarding Equality and Economic Prosperity for the underserved
community.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Ms. West, you’ve presented before. Again name
address and if you’ll, you have five minutes.
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Ms. West: I’m Ronie West. My address is 826 Lake Terrace Drive, Augusta, Georgia
30904. Is my presentation ready?
Mr. Mayor: Did you submit it before hand, Ms. West?
Ms. West: Yes.
The Clerk: She did.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you.
Ms. West: Thank you, the state of emergency for Black America. I’m Ronie West the
President of the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, Health, Equity and Prosperity,
next slide please. As an organization we run approximately 100 activities throughout the Augusta
Richmond County and the CSRA area, next slide please. I want to specifically cover COVID-19
impact data. The pandemic is at a systemic essential gap within our communities and is growing
greatly daily so our efforts must be innovative, impactful and intentional. 41% of black owned
businesses are projected to close, PPE funding was denied to most black owned businesses. We
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held an event of February 8 We speak to local business owners and Commissioners we truly
appreciate everybody that participated. That event is still getting reviews and we look to hold
similar events in the future. Also during the 2008 recession the inter-quality gap widened between
white and black America even Secretary of State Yellin on a call with the US Black Chamber of
Commerce and other commerces around the United States stated this, next slide please. As a
Chamber we began advocating for Cares Act Funding to be utilized in an innovative way to impact
business owners in Augusta Richmond County and came before the Commission on September
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2 2020. Per the request of the Commissioners and the Mayor we began to meet with the interim
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City Manager and additional departments from September 20 to November 14 and provided our
program details and documentation. We were notified that a meeting would be held and additional
details and a committee will be established. We have not heard any results from these meetings
and do understand that Cares Act Funding has been exasperated but we’re looking to insure that
the program presented will be fully funded by Greater Augusta Community. We are watching
closely the $1.9 trillion relief plan from President Joe Biden that has set aside for equitable
distribution rents, local jurisdiction funding and black business support. This should be approved
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some time in March. Also there’s an executive order that was signed on January 20 2021
advancing racial (unintelligible) and support for underserved communities through the Federal
Government which goes right along with GABC (unintelligible) of equity and prosperity for the
underserved in black communities. I want to reiterate that this program is to serve the community
with guaranteed loans and grants and provide technical assistance to the community. Our effort
that we started back in September was presented to help the local area immediately and to provide
needed support and to help to prevent possible businesses closures. We as an organization were
alerted by concerns small business owners and other citizens in the community and through our
efforts of our townhalls and other efforts that a similar program was rolled out that we were
unaware of. Normally we are notified by the city of community efforts to share it with our base
as well as provide additional support. Now I come before you today once again seeking approval
for our program which is to comply with the federal funding and equity standards and proposed
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by the White House to ensure that black businesses and underserved communities do not get left
out of needed funding. One of our townhalls one of the things we stress is innovation and the need
for us to be creative or have a standing service so businesses owners and community at large.
Cities such as Athens, Albany, Atlanta have allowed for different groups and organizations to
understand if you add services to the community to participate and distribute needed funds to
resources. I recently followed up with the new City Administrator Mr. Donald and he had an
opportunity to review our documentation provided. I appreciate his follow up and look forward to
establishing a relationship, next slide please. We as an organization have worked diligently to
serve our members and the community at large since our inception. We have identified through
our efforts and while working with the Southeast Chamber Coalition programming that is in other
areas but currently does not exist in Augusta, Georgia, the second largest city in Georgia. We
stress the importance of having multiple programming running throughout the community on a
continual basis through multiple organizations. We also advocate for support for newer actively
engaged organizations to receive support in their efforts. This impact can and help assist with how
healthy growing community and attract more growth. Before you see a list of additional program
initiatives we look forward to bringing to the area but today I come to you to petition for the 500K
Program that includes education, technical assistance, weekly reporting and follow up of outcome.
We hope the efforts that we put forth are proven ability to be innovative, be impactful and bring
new ideals to the Augusta CSRA area are not taken for granted. Our team of partners are ready to
run innovative programming for the community that will have a lasting impact. We look forward
to establishing relationships and roll out the above initiatives and more to the Augusta CSRA
community. Thank you for your time today.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. West, for your presentation. Do we have any questions from
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the members of the Commission? All right, Commissioner from the 6, if you would unmute
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yourself, sir, Commissioner from the 6 you’re muted.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: --- thank you, Ms. West, for the presentation. I’d just like my colleagues to
take this we get with the Administrator and encourage the Administrator to get with Ms. West
again a second time if the legislation that she mentioned in March be passed. And as we realized
I think at this particular time local governments will receive I don’t know whether it’s going to be
called CARES money or money to enhance local jurisdiction is there in any way form or fashion
that the Administrator looks at that at the time the legislation passed and brings us back a
recommendation once he sits down with her again. Based on what she presented she’s anticipating,
we hope that she’s right from the way everything seems to be moving in Washington that would
be the time to hope the legislation would be passed so at that particular time the Administrator
brings back a recommendation after meeting with her when all that happens.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 6 I think I concur with you. I think Ms. West’s point
is that she wants to keep this on top of mind for everybody. Again, this is a seasoned conversation
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that the Commissioner from the 2 brought to us with her and her team support and we see things
moving in DC as you well indicated. I’m going to recognize the Administrator.
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Mr. Donald: Yes, sir, Mayor, I think Ms. West highlighted and I had an opportunity to
meet with her as well as a former colleague out of Atlanta to discuss their plan. I think it definitely
has quality merits to it and we are tracking. I’ll send the Commission I’m hoping to have it updated
by tomorrow but we’re on track if the plan goes through as presented to receive about $40 million
dollars through the Biden program and their allocations. I would say while we should very closely
look at putting money out through community organizations as well as through Augusta. We want
to make sure this is a competitive process. So we just can’t overly commit to giving one group
you know funding but making sure that everyone knows when the money is going to roll out and
give a fair opportunity. I think Ms. West and her group seem to be primed and prepared and should
definitely have an opportunity to compete. And I’ll continue to be in contact with her so that we
can continue those conversations and let the rubber meet the road. So thank you for that
opportunity and I think we’ll be well ready to support all Augusta and our supporting vendors.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Administrator Donald. Again, Ms. West, thank you for your
presentation. I think what we’ve heard is that as we track towards this the passage of the $1.9
trillion dollar stimulus bill. Hopefully what we’ve heard consistent with what the Administrator
just indicated Augusta stands in line to receive about $40 million dollars. The target date that the
Biden administration has expressed is having this on the President’s desk by the middle of March
so hopefully we’ll see this working and moving forward. All right, thank you for your time.
Ms. West: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, all right, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: I call your attention to our Consent Agenda and, Mr. Mayor, regarding the
Planning items if we could ask Director Sherman if there were any objectors to our Planning
Petitions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to be a part of the record. Our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through
23.
Mr. Mayor: Okay and again 1, 3, 4, and 5.
The Clerk: Yes, I need to hear from Mr. Sherman if there were any objectors so we can
enter that into the record.
Mr. Mayor: All right, understood. We’re bringing him in now.
The Clerk: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Anyone with You Tube or Facebook on if you would please turn the volume
down completely on those items so we don’t have the feedback. Director Sherman, Madam Clerk
is asking for consent on Items 1, 3, 4 and 5 to ensure there were no objectors.
Mr. Sherman: That’s correct, there were no objectors on those cases.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
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The Clerk: Our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through 23 with no objectors to our
Planning Petitions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic. All right, so Madam Clerk I’m going to offer Item 31, 32
and 35 for the Consent Agenda. I’ll recognizes anyone else ---
The Clerk: Say that again, sir?
Mr. Mayor: --- 31, 32 and 35.
Mr. Garrett: 32 is removed.
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Mr. Mayor: Yes, that’s correct, thank you, Commissioner from the 8. All right,
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Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: I would like to add 33, 34 unless the Administrator got a lot of explaining we
request to add 35.
Mr. Mayor: We did already.
Mr. Sias: I’ll stop right there.
Mr. Mayor: Anyone else?
The Clerk: Mr. Sias ---
Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am ---
The Clerk: --- on the Item for 33 could we identify the seat in which that person would
take?
Mr. Sias: --- just one second.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott ---
Ms. Scott: Yes, ma’am, Cameron Nixon.
The Clerk: --- okay, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: The Chair will entertain a motion.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
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CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
1. Z-21-10 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Tonya Self, RHA Health, on behalf of Scioto
Properties acting on behalf of FB Residential Holdings LLC, requesting to establish a Family
Personal Care Home per Section 26-1-(h) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for
Augusta Georgia affecting property containing 0.26 acres and known as 3957 Old
Waynesboro Road. Tax Map 183-0-056-00-0 DISTRICT 6 1. The home shall be staffed on a
7-day, 24-hour basis. 2. The home shall be limited to 4 residents total with staff coming in
shifts. Any live-in staff will be counted towards the maximum occupancy of 4 residents. 3. If
the rear of the property is not completely enclosed by a fence one must be installed to ensure
a safe and secure outside space for residents. 4. Any changes in the definition of the use,
nature of the clientele or increase in numbers of occupants shall require another Special
Exception. 5. The applicant must receive and maintain a City of Augusta business license
and a license with the State of Georgia. Proof of compliance with the minimum requirements
of Chapter 111.8-62.01 of the O.C.G.A must be provided, and the applicant must provide
annual fire department inspection reports. 6. All requirements must be met within six (6)
months of approval of the Special Exception, or the Special Exception is void. 7. At least one
bathroom must have a 36” ADA doorway that permits wheelchair access to the bathroom
facilities.
2. Z-21-11 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Luther B. Schwalbauch, on behalf of Windsor Heights
Baptist Church Inc., requesting a Special Exception to reconstruct and expand an existing
Church per Section 26-1-(a) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta Georgia
affecting property containing 1.84 acres and known as 3494 Bullock Avenue. Tax Map 120-
0-182-00-0 DISTRICT 5 1. The Concept Plan is considered for illustrative purposes only for
the present zoning action and approval of the Special Exception in no way indicates future
approval of the Site Plan currently under review for the subject property. 2. Approval of the
Site Plan submitted July 17, 2020 must be received prior to issuance of a Land Disturbance
Permit or any reconstruction activities on the property. 3. The church must be 25 feet from
all side and rear property lines. No variance from the setback requirements as set forth by
the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance will be allowed. 4. Parking to serve the church must
be based on the number of seats in the main sanctuary and nor variance from the number of
parking spaces or no variance from the surface materials requirements as set forth by
Augusta Engineering will be allowed. ADA compliance will be based on the number of
parking spaces required. 5. The size of the church shall be limited to 5,667 square feet – the
extent of the original improvements. 6. Sanitary sewer must be tied into, if required by the
Augusta Utilities Department. 7. If a septic system is to be utilized, approval by the
Richmond County Health Department is required. 8. If any outdoor lighting fixtures
servicing the church and/or parking lot are planned they shall be directed downward and
not toward nearby residences. 9. There shall be no outdoor activities that generate noise
greater than what would be expected in a normal residential setting and any noise generated
must meet the requirements of the Augusta Noise Ordinance. 10. Rebuilding of the church
must be initiated within five (5) years of the date of approval of the Special Exception or the
approval of the Special Exception is null and void.
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3. Z-21-12 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Lee Attaway, on behalf of Ralph Nelson, requesting
a change of zoning from Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to Zone B-2 (General Business)
affecting property containing 0.59 acres and known as 2418 Peach Orchard Road. Tax Map
086-4-151-01-0 DISTRICT 2 1. Any future development shall conform to all applicable
provisions of the Augusta Floodplain Ordinance. 2. No display or parking of vehicles on the
grass in front of the building. 3. Outdoor lighting must be directed away from nearby
residences. 4. Maintain a minimum of 20-foot natural buffer from the residential property
to the south.
4. Z-21-13 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Hull Barrett PC, on behalf of London Homes LLC,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to Zone B-2 (General
Business) affecting property containing 0.46 acres and known as 2702 Milledgeville Road.
Tax Map 071-3-076-00-0 DISTRICT 2 1. All parked vehicles spaces shall meet the parking
standards set forth in Section 4 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. 2. Required off-
street parking must be striped and provide proper maneuvering spacing. 3. No junk vehicles
may be stored on the property. 4. Any outdoor lighting shall be directed away from nearby
residences.
5. Z-21-15 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Thunder Investment Properties, LLC on behalf of
Jordan R. Timms, requesting a change of zoning from Zone A (Agriculture), Zone HI (Heavy
Industry) and Zone B-2 (General Business) and B-2 with conditions to Zone HI (Heavy
Industry) affecting property containing 2.31 acres and known as 129 Mason McKnight Jr.
Parkway. Tax Map 022-0-024-00-0 DISTRICT 3 1. The Concept Plan is considered for
illustrative purposes only for the present zoning action and approval of the rezoning of the
subject property in no way indicates future approval of the Site Plan for the proposed 36,000-
square foot Harley Davidson motorcycle retail sales building and the motorcycle certification
and training facility behind the proposed building. 2. The proposed building on the Concept
Plan must meet all applicable building setbacks when the Site Plan is submitted for review.
No variance from the setback requirements as set forth by the Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance will be allowed. 3. Building height is limited to 60’. 4. Parking sufficient to handle
the proposed uses (retail and storage/work area) in the proposed building will be required
and no variance from the number of parking spaces or no variance from the surface
materials requirements as set forth by August Engineering will be allowed. ADA compliance
will be based on the number of parking spaces required on the Site Plan. 5. The surfacing of
the motorcycle certification and training area must be adequately drained and must meet
requirements of Augusta Engineering at the time of the Site Plan review. 6. A cross ingress-
egress easement must be established over the existing driveway for use by Gander Outdoors
and the proposed Harley Davidson retail store. 7. Compliance with the Augusta Tree
Ordinance is required. In addition to the normal Tree Ordinance compliance requirements,
additional street yard and side buffer requirements, at the discretion of P&D staff, will be
required between the proposed use and Gateway Crossing Apartments to reduce visual and
noise impacts. 8. Outdoor activities that generate noise must meet the requirements of the
Augusta Noise Ordinance. 9. Loading, unloading, trash pick-up, and cleaning of the exterior
shall only occur between 6 AM and 11 PM. 10. Lighting associated with the retail store or
with the motorcycle certification/training area shall be directed downward and not toward
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nearby residences. 11. The use shall be limited to the Harley Davidson retail sales business
and the associated motorcycle certification and training area. Any other use must come back
before the Planning Commission and Augusta Commission for zoning review.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
6. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) subsidy
request for down payment assistance to be used for one (1) single-family housing unit located
at 918 Boyd Lane. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee February 9, 2021.
7. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s) request
to provide funding for architectural drawings for four (4) single-family homes within the
Twiggs Street Corridor as part of the Laney Walker/Bethlehem Revitalization Project.
· Two (2) 1700 SF three (3) bedroom, two-story, single-family residences
· One (1) 1700 SF three (3) bedroom, one-story, single-family residence
· One (1) 1900 SF four (4) bedroom, two-story, single-family residence
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee February 9, 2021)
8. Motion to approve the purchase of three pickup trucks, at a total cost of $79,476: $54,820
to Wade Ford for Environmental Services and $27,410 to Allan Vigil Ford for Utilities (Bid
20-265). (Approved by Administrative Services Committee February 9, 2021)
9. Motion to approve one (1) Emergency Rehabilitation project. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee February 9, 2021)
10. Motion to adopt the final ADA Transition Plan Update. (Approved by Administrative
Services Committee February 9, 2021)
FINANCE
11. Motion to approve Augusta Commercial Property Insurance coverage for 2021 offered
through Affiliated FM, current carrier, for a premium of $584,984 for full blanket coverage
and limited flood coverage in flood prone areas. (Approved by Finance Services Committee
February 9, 2021)
12. Motion to approve Excess Workers’ Compensation Insurance with Statutory limits and
a $1,000,000 Self Insured Retention (SIR-otherwise known as the deductible) to cover all
positions for a premium of $349,048. Safety National-Incumbent (Approved by Finance
Services Committee February 9, 2021)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
13. Motion to approve to Supplement Construction Contract to E R Snell Contractor, Inc.
in the amount of $87,978.36 for completing the supplemental Traffic Operation needed
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improvements in conjunction with the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Project, 15
Street Pedestrian Improvements Project as requested by AED. Bid 18-260. (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
14. Motion to approve to Supplement Construction Two to Superior Construction Company
Southeast, LLC in the amount of $550,000 for Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Project,
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5 Street Bridge over Savannah River Repair and Restoration Projects as requested by AED.
Bid 19-291 (Approved by Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
15. Motion to approve supplemental funding (SA2) for Engineering Phases of Design
Consultant Services Agreement to Hussy Gay Bell (HGB) in the amount of $198,700 for the
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Broad Street Improvements Project as requested by the AED. FRP 18-311. (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
16. Motion to approve the revised upfront construction cost of $150,000 on the installation
of 16 street lights along D’Antignac Street between Walton Way and R.A. Dent Blvd with an
annual cost of $8,570.88. Construction funding is available in Street Lighting Upgrades
SPLOST IV account and ongoing operations and maintenance in annual street lighting
budget. Requested by AED. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee February 9,
2021)
17. Motion to approve adjusting daily landfill operation schedule as recommended by
Engineering Director. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
18. Motion to approve and authorize the Augusta Engineering Department to accept and
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receive REBC grant from Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for 13 Street
(SR4) Enhancement and Beautification in conjunction with TIA funded 13 Street (SR4)
Improvements Project. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
19. Motion to approve continued funding of the current “On-Call Construction Material
Inspection and Testing, Construction Monitoring and Quality Assurance/Quality Control,
and Geotechnical Inspections and Investigations (DMT Geotech)” Services Contract in the
amount of $1,000,000 RFP 19-179 (Approved by Engineering Services Committee February
9, 2021)
20. Motion to approve continued funding of the current “On-Call Professional Services for
Engineering and Field Design, small to Medium Scale Maintenance Task Design, regulatory
Periodic Inspection Compliance and Structural Inspection & Investigations” Services (CEI
Services) Contract in the amount of $500,000 as requested by AED. RFP 19-241 (Approved
by Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
21. Motion to approve entering into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Phinizy
Center for Water Science (Nonprofit Organization) to assist Augusta Engineering
Department (AED) with implementing Section 319(h) grant supported activities that are
designed for stream water quality restoration in local waterbodies. Also authorized Mayor
to sign MOU as requested by the Augusta Engineering Department. Requested by AED.
(Approved by Engineering Services Committee February 9, 2021)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
22. Motion to approve the minutes of the Regular and Special Called Meetings of the
Commission held on February 2, 2021 and the Special Called Meeting of the Commission on
February 9, 2021.
APPOINTMENTS
23. Motion to approve the appointment of Ms. Lynn D. Gladney, Augusta Aviation
Commission; Ms. Stacy Pulliam, Board of Zoning Appeals and Mr. Jeffery B. Pooser,
Planning Commission representing District 9.
PUBLIC SAFETY
31. Motion to approve the purchase of one, grant funded, Mobile Pet Adoption Van for
$142,742.00 from Alliance Bus Group of College Park, GA (Bid 20-241A) for the Animal
Services Department. (No recommendation from the Public Safety Committee February 2,
2021 meeting)
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ENGINEERING SERVICES
32. Motion to determine that Spellman Lane as shown on the attached map has ceased to be
used by the public to the extent that no substantial public purpose is served by it or that its
removal from the county road system is otherwise in the best public interest, pursuant to
O.C.G.A. §32-7-2, with the abandoned property to be quit-claimed to the appropriate
party(ies), as provided by law and an easement to be retained over the entire abandoned
portion for existing or future utilities as directed by Augusta Engineering Department and
Augusta Utilities Department.
APPOINTMENTS
33. Motion to approve the appointment of Attorney Ashanti Lilley to an expired term on the
Downtown Development Authority. (Requested by Commissioner Francine Scott)
34. Motion to accept the recommendation of Dr. Joseph Hillson submitted on behalf of the
Stoney Medical Society to reappoint Merian Robison to serve on the Richmond County
Board of Health 1/1/2021 to 12/31/2024.
ADMINISTRATOR
35. Motion to accept the 2021 Summer Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP) Grant
for the 2021 summer program in the amount of $5,215.20 for the Management intern project
to cover two internships.
The Clerk: That was Mr. Hasan and Mr. Garrett?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: 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. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
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The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: Ms. Scott.
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. Mayor, just for the record on Item 32 that was the nomination of Ms.
Ashanti Lilley to an expired term held currently by Mr. Cameron Nixon on the Downtown
Development Authority. There were no other nominations, thank you.
Motion Passes 10-0. \[Items 1-23, 31-35\]
Mr. Mayor: All right, everybody again for the record that was Madam Clerk clarifying
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Item 33, Item 32 the Commissioner from the 8 indicated it was deleted from the agenda,
Addendum Agenda, okay. All right, Madam Clerk, I want to do this. Let’s go to Item #2 from
the Addendum Agenda and that should take us to having completed that, we’ll go to Item #2.
The Clerk:
ADDENDUM
37. Receive Homeless Taskforce Update. (Requested by Commissioner Jordan Johnson)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Johnson: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commissioners and everyone on the phone.
Thank you for number one giving me the opportunity to give this update on our Homeless
Taskforce that was appointed by the Commission. Commissioner Williams and I, Dennis Williams
and I have been meeting to discuss how this Taskforce should look, what the goals of the Taskforce
should be and how to effectively bring back recommendations on how to serve our homeless
population. And so in the spirit of update as we said we would do we have identified organizations
that serve the homeless to be a part of this Taskforce. They will meet with us monthly to come up
with some type of strategic planning and some type of goals that we could all get around to make
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sure that homelessness is eradicated in the City of Augusta. We will meet initially March 1 and
then come up with a meeting schedule from then with all the members of the Taskforce present.
With that we have been really focused on making sure that the city opens warming centers to make
sure that folks aren’t left out in the cold during bitter nights, bitter cold nights as we had this week
as we have coming up next week with certain winter storms that’s coming through the City of
Augusta. So I want to give you a little bit of feedback on what we’ve been working on so far as
far as warming centers being open based off of staff recommendations. We’ve met with EMA,
with our HCD Director, our Administrator’s Office, Parks and Rec to come up with ideas to open
May Park as a warming center for our homeless Augustans. Throughout the duration of this month,
it will be staffed by the Parks and Recreation Department, the Sheriff’s Office will provide and
pay for their security to be able to come in and do shelter clearance and just to pay for security to
make sure that nothing goes wrong while we’re there. The idea is to open the facility from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and then close for the day for cleaning. We need to make sure that we understand
this is not a 24-hour residential arrangement but as a nightly warming center. Showers will not be
available and of course most protocols will be observed i.e. masks, social distancing and
temperature checks so forth and so on. So the plan forward is that we will meet with our working
team to solidify these plans so that we can then make sure that this warming center becomes open
so that we don’t have another situation in our city to where someone is freezing to death on the
streets. And again, I want to publicly thank everyone that’s been a part of the conversation,
everyone that’s been a part of this working session to make sure that these types of conversations
are held and that direct action is taken. So thank everyone that I mentioned especially
Commissioner Williams and again those that I mentioned. But again, in the spirit of update that’s
what I wanted to share with the Commission and we agree that we will be updating you regularly
on what happens with this Taskforce and happenings so thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the recognition.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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3.
Ms. McKnight: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Johnson, I just wanted to ask you
this. If people drop off we’re talking about cold winter months coming up you know days coming
up where can we drop off heavy coats? Is that, do we take it to May Park or where can we go?
Mr. Johnson: Well, going back to the portion about us coming back to the table this week
to solidify final opening plans within that solidifying we will make sure that that information gets
publicized as to where folks can drop off donations. We don’t want, we want to make sure that
folks understand again this is not a 24-hour arrangement. This is something simply for folks to be
able to come in at night to be able to be safe from the cold you know and out by morning. But like
I said once we finish solidifying the plans, we will make sure that this information gets put out to
the community at large so that we can (unintelligible).
Ms. McKnight: Thank you.
Mr. Johnson: Thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner, anyone else? Commissioner from the 2.
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Mr. D. Williams: No, I have nothing.
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Mr. Mayor: Very well. All right to the Commissioner from the 1 thank you for that
update and look forward to the good work that will be done about the Taskforce. All right, Madam
Clerk, I think that takes care of the Addendum agenda. Let’s go back to Item D and we’ll take that
in companion with 24 and 25 I believe.
The Clerk:
DELEGATIONS
C. Mr. Donald Day regarding the rezoning of 4717 Rollins Road.
Mr. Rollins: Good afternoon. I am not Mr. Douglas Day. I’m Charles Rollins, I’ve been
hired to represent him before the Commission. Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, ladies and gentlemen
of the Commission, if you would me just to have a few seconds to speak. This is about the rezoning
of 4717 Rollins Road and I’m here representing Mr. Day particularly but also generally the
residents of the area. I have submitted into evidence with the Commission a stack of police reports
and 911 calls from the former location where this home is currently located on Brown Road. And
I want to make clear that the neighbors’ concern with this home are not because they don’t feel
that there are children in this community in need that these homes shouldn’t exist anywhere. The
issue with this particular home and the way that it appears to have been run, and there’s a lot of
runaway calls, reports about children you know in the road, lots of incidents and the particular
piece of property is a decent size lot on its own but it is up against a large tract of timberland that
is actually a hunting club. It’s up, it’s next to, there is a large number of neighbors and there are
some here that I know which I’m going to let them speak to you on their own behalf. The fear that
this road this home will not be run well like I said based on what we’ve seen from public records
we’ve been able to gather so far. And so based on that they said they’re very concerned with the
city granting the zoning application and would ask that it be denied and I’ll answer questions if
there are any for me and I think the actual residents would like a chance to speak. I will point out
I guess one of the last thing is that ya’ll should have gotten a petition that I believe all but one
resident in the neighborhood got them to sign this. There is a very strong support from the
neighborhood opposing this petition. Are there any questions?
Mr. Mayor: All right, Attorney Rollins, thank you for sharing that. I do believe we’ve got
one question, here’s out posture, we’re going to we’ll take some questions, but I do want to get a
chance to hear the Planning Petitions and hear an update from Director Sherman. And we certainly
want to give opportunity if there’s a spokesperson from the community who would like to speak
on behalf of the residents. And if we then could get a census, Ms. Bonner, I believe Natasha’s
downstairs with them so if we could get a census of how many objectors we have to these two
Planning petitions as well so we’ll go in that order. Rollins, Attorney Rollins, if you’ll pause for
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questions, I’ve got a question from the Commissioner from the 2 and the 8 in that order.
Mr. Rollins: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: You know you skipped me, don’t you?
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, I didn’t see your hand, sir.
Mr. Sias: It was up earlier but I’ll take third place.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. D. Williams: Okay, the Attorney recommended denial of this petition and I would like
to have a reason why it should be denied.
Mr. Rollins: The reason why this should be denied is because of like I say the 911 calls
that have been entered into evidence. Over two-hundred almost 250 911 calls to the current
location where this home is located over a six year period I know I understand that you know
anything like this is going to have some issues with the type of population that it serves but that’s
easily (unintelligible). You know I’m not sure why we need such a large group Personal Care
Home I guess is my concern and that’s the residents’ concern as well.
Mr. D. Williams: Mr. Mayor, one other question.
Mr. Mayor: Continue, sir.
Mr. D. Williams: Regarding the Fiscal Year 2020 Report from DHS and DFACS the home
out there received a score, a quarterly score of A+ so if they were having that much difficulty in
the home why wouldn’t DCFAS you know give them a lower score?
Mr. Rollins: I’ve seen these things and honestly I don’t know how square this is. The
issues appear to be there and then these reports. I don’t have an answer for that. It could be a
number of things ---
Mr. D. Williams: That you know of.
Mr. Rollins: --- I don’t know to be honest.
Mr. D. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and counselor.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 8 then the 4.
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Mr. Garrett: Please the Commissioner from the 4 was before me I think you just skipped
over him.
Mr. Sias: I’ll wait, I’ll wait, go ahead.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Commissioner. You know in regards to this petition I listened in
on the Planning Commission meeting as well and was listening to Ms. McKie and the Planning
Commissioners as they went through some of the details on this and one of the things that really
stuck out to me and, Mayor, if you don’t mind I’d like to ask Director Sherman a question. Mr.
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Sherman, during the Planning Commission meeting you recommended of the staff recommended
denial. Can you state why the staff recommended denial?
Mr. Sherman: Yes, just a little bit of a background on this. We have two zoning two cases
before you ---
Mr. Mayor: Rob ---
Mr. Sherman: Yes.
Mr. Mayor: --- before you proceed and I don’t want to do this but I think it’s probably
th,
prudent to do this, Commissioner from the 4 I’m going to ask you to yield as well, why don’t we
hear the Planning Petition because we’re now debating the planning matter. What we did with the
Attorney as he spoke on behalf of Mr. Day who would’ve presented just from a Delegation
standpoint so now we’re debating the matter. So let’s just suspend for a minute we’ll come back
in this order. I want to hear the Planning Petition read into the record and then we’ll come back to
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the Commissioner from the 8 and or 4 and Director Sherman okay, let’s do that. Madam Clerk,
if you’ll read the Planning Petitions.
Mr. Sias: Can we companion 24 and 25?
Mr. Mayor: That’s what we’re doing.
Mr. Sias: Okay, thank you.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
24. Z-21-08 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Margaret McKie, on behalf of Edward McKie,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone R-3A (Multiple-family
Residential) affecting property containing 1.84 acres and known as 4717 Rollins Road. Tax
Map 278-0-029-00-0 DISTRICT 8 1. The only permissible uses of the property shall be a
Group Personal Care Home or a single-family residence. 2. No further structural additions
for the purpose of residential use shall be permitted on the subject property. 3. A directional
sign with the address clearly labeled with reflective lettering will be placed at the entrance
to the common driveway at Rollins Road and at the entrance to the subject property off the
common driveway to assist emergency personnel should they be called to the facility. Should
the petitioner construct their own driveway at the parcel 25 ft. road access this condition
shall still apply. 4. A fence must be installed along the rear property line to separate the large
timber tract from the subject parcel (TPN 300-0-001-01-0).
25. Z-21-09 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve
with the conditions below a petition by Margaret McKie, on behalf of Edward McKie,
requesting a Special Exception to establish a Group Home in a R-3A Zone for boys ages 6-
18 years of age (21 yrs. If still in high school) per Section 16-2 (d) of the Comprehensive
Zoning Ordinance for Augusta Georgia affecting property containing 1.84 acres and known
21
as 4717 Rollins Road. Tax Map 278-0-029-00-0 DISTRICT 8 1. Approval of Z-21-08 to
rezone the property to R-3A (Multiple-family Residential). 2. The home shall be limited to
ten (10) school age boys, in general 6-18 years old. A boy may be allowed to stay until 21
years old if till registered in high school. 3. The home shall be staffed and maintained in
compliance with all State Department of Community Health regulations for a Child Care
Residential Home. 4. No detached residential space shall be added to the property; all boys
must live in the home. 5. A directional sign with the address clearly labeled with reflective
lettering will be placed at the entrance to the common driveway at Rollins Road and at the
entrance to the subject property off the common driveway to assist emergency personnel
should they be called to the facility. Should the petitioner construct their own driveway at
the parcel 25 ft. road access this condition shall still apply. 6. All safety measures regarding
the in-ground pool shall be maintained for the safety of the young children. 7. A fence must
be installed along the rear property line to separate the large timber tract from the subject
parcel (TPN 300-0-001-01-0). 8. The applicant must maintain a City of Augusta business
license and continue to maintain a license with the State of Georgia. Proof of compliance with
the minimum requirements of Chapter 290-2-5-18 of the O.C.G.A must be provided, and the
applicant must provide annual inspection reports. 9. The home must maintain all licenses
without a 12-month lapse or the Special Exception is void.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Director Sherman, Rob, if you’ll go back to what you were saying and
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then I’m going to kick it to the Commissioner from the 8 and 4, okay?
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor ---
th,
Mr. Mayor: All right, state your inquiry, Commissioner from the 6 state your inquiry.
Mr. Hasan: --- I think, I thought you was and if I’m wrong I’m going to apologize.
Normally I think you let the petitioner make their case and then you come back and let you know
the community one way or the other. I think the petitioner should be speaking about the merit of
the program first I believe how that’s normally done because right now what is happening you’re
putting us so deep in a hole that’s not going to change anybody’s mind one way or the other. But
now it’s going to be hard to come up because everybody’s coming you know and I’m assuming
what people are going to say but I think the petitioner should have the first chance to plead their
case. That’s no infraction on the Attorney but he was on the delegation. But normally I think the
petitioner should get a chance to appeal for the right to have the variance of the rezoning.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so we’re going to go back in this order. We’re going to hear from
the petitioner, we want to hear, Natasha I want to get a census since you’re there of those that are
in support and those that are in opposition to the petition. All right at this point we’ll hear from
Ms. McKie or Mr. McKie on behalf of the petition and then we’ll get our census.
Ms. McKie: Good afternoon, my Mayor and my Commissioners. I am Ms. Margaret
McKie. I am part owner with my husband Mr. McKie of taking a step beyond group homes, we
have been in business for going on eight years now and what was said previously we have
maintained an A and B average on our grade and it’s not from the DCFACS here locally, it’s from
the State of Georgia (inaudible) Peachtree Street, the Office of the Provider Management. I am
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going to address first of all the complaints or the misunderstanding as to what we do in our home
and the level the boys we accept. I also live in a community and I would be feeling the same way
as the public here against this if in my community if I didn’t have an understanding and I think
that’s what’s missing here. They’re not understanding what we’re trying to do; they’re going
against us because of a call log. I also would like to submit and I have proof that we are still
receiving and got received mail this week for at our home 1509 that belongs to the trailer. This
list of domestic violence calls on the list that they gave you that is not our group home. Youth do
not receive domestic violence calls. The runaway calls those reports are ours, the car theft report
that happened back in 2015 that was mine. Now explain the walkaways. These children have
rights. They are children; they’re your children, they are the community children. Most of my
children deal with trauma. They’re not, this is not a DJJ placement. I do not take kids with criminal
records from DJJ. My kids are here due to the opioid crisis. Most of their parents are in drug and
alcohol facilities and these kids need a place to go. My kids do have some kind of trauma, some
of them have been sexually abused, mentally abused, physically abused. I do have a young man in
my home right now he is the son of the woman a couple three years ago that drove her car into a
lake with all of her children, I have her son in my home. These kids are going to school, the
neighborhood is worried about their daughters. One young man told me he’s worried about his
daughter with my boys. The fact is my kids have been attending school with their children for
eight years. They’re zoned for Cross Creek, we’re zoned for Cross Creek so our kids have been
interacting for eight years. We go to Pinehill and Cross Creek those are the schools and Augusta
Tech where my kids go. These are everyday children in our school system who need a place to
go. So as I look over these records for the police reports yes we will admit runaway ours. We
have no carjacking, we have no disturbances of domestic violence will not be given to a child
under the age of 18 these are not family members. That’s coming from the trailer. We also have
mail to prove that we are still getting. When the police come out that whole property belongs to a
Mr. Johnson. The trailers and the house up front they put 1509. They put 1509 and they go every
once in a while we’ll get something for 1507, 1506 but we get a lot of 1509 mail that does not
belong (unintelligible). We do not get domestic violence calls. So if that’s the only thing that
they’re worried about they’re worried about the type of kids that’s going to be in the area. One
gentleman told me this afternoon that the kids would have nothing to do. If you have those packets
in front of you that I submitted my kids have plenty to do. They are members of the Augusta Boys
Club, they’re a member of the Augusta Family YMCA. Every day after school there’s an activity
by the state that we’re mandated that they have that activity. We’re very seldom even in the home.
Several Commissioners have came out and seen the facility and how we are set up. We do a
wonderful job taking care of our kids. As far as the walking away and runaway the kids have
rights. There’s a law passed by President Obama before he left office it’s called the Prudent Parent
Act. The Prudent Parent Act gives kids in care the opportunity to be afforded a normal life like
any of your kids and they’re allowed to walk the street if they want to take a walk or want to come
back. If they stay past three hours then we have to call so if they go to a friend’s house and they’re
playing Play Station and they get caught up and it’s past that third hour at 3:05 I have to call the
police to report them as a runaway. We have had no children in our home to actually pack up and
try to leave our facility. I heard a complaint earlier about one of the boys one of the ladies in the
neighborhood said her kids was in my facility and they did drugs and all this and that. He was not
in my facility he was in another facility that’s around the corner from me that’s called Fresh Start
owned by Mr. Crafton that is no longer in business. It was not my facility, that’s not the type
issues we deal with in our facility. So the reason that we’re trying to move to that facility is
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because it is all to itself, it is far back in the woods and we have a lot there’s activities we’re putting
out there in the shed house that’s there that’s going to be a state of the art activity center. The kids
have plenty of room to play and do the things that we do. We have a wonderful young men and I
wish everybody would take the chance to just come out and meet them. We had one that just won
Youth of the Year at the Hagler YMCA they gave him a $2,500 check for college and a new Dell
computer. We have kids that are graduating. If you see in your packets we have kids that go to
proms, we do things out on the patio for the kids on the lot that we do. We rent floaties and
balloons and we have fun. My kids are never bored. And as far as stealing off anybody’s property
I saw he put all these records I don’t have any idea what these neighborhoods Mr. Day is speaking
of or these are not my kids and stealing from other people’s property we’ve never had an issue. I
have a letter from one of my neighbors that moved into the property a year ago and he put a letter
and may I read this letter he says, to whom it may concern I am the neighbor to Taking a Step
Beyond Group Home. I was not even aware that this program existed nor that house next to me
was actually a group home. I’ve seen children from time to time but just thought that it was a
family with children residing there. During my time as their neighbor I have not had nor witnessed
any problems or had any concerns. I have not had any problems with the youth placed there as I
stated I wasn’t even aware that this was group home and foster care and this is Mr. Anthony
Wilkins. Also to address the property values. When I look at the property values on reports that
I have gotten most of the property values in that neighborhood start at $57,000 and I think one the
highest is actually from $57 to $101 the highest house property value on that property is the home
that I have purchased so I won’t be affecting their property values. Mr. Wright bought the home
next to us and his property value was $340,000 and it was still at $340 when he purchased the
home where we are right now. We’re not affecting anyone’s property value not at all and it
wouldn’t be much effect for the property values on Rollins Road because most of those places or
most of those lots are running between $50 and $100,000 dollars so we won’t be affecting anyone’s
property value.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Ms. McKie, for that. All right, there is a lot of questions that we
have, thank you for that presentation. Let’s do this. I want to hear from again a single objectioner
or single objector to this petition and then, Natasha, if you could again share with us the sensitive
information. Once we’ve done that I’m going to come back to the Commissioner from the 4th and
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then the 8 okay? Thank you, Ms. McKie.
Ms. McKie: I’m sorry, thank you.
Mr. Reed: Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners. My name is Oscar Reed. I live at
4736 Rollins Road directly across where they’re putting this group home. I don’t know if I can
follow that presentation she just gave but I can say that when I first seen this Planning Commission
them coming out there it struck me as a Group Personal Care Home and I thought that was going
to be for elderly people that come in and I have no problem with the elderly that was going to come
out there and being took care of in this care home. But then as time progressed and my neighbors
came to me they was telling me it was a home for troubled boys from 6 to 18 or 6 to 21 and they
gave me, presented me with some police reports and stuff. And we’re a nice quiet neighborhood
and it’s mostly elderly people, veterans that have retired from out there and it’s been nice and quiet
and we’re trying to keep it peaceful and nice and quiet and that’s the reason we’re all out there
owning two acres or more. As far as she’s saying the house property value $50,000 or $60,000, I
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wouldn’t care about the value. I live in a hundred and some thousand-dollar home because I’m on
three acres. And what this is is our space and it’s our privacy that we have and then it’s our safety
that we have out there in this area. We’ve got about a hundred and something people that live on
this road and we all are peaceful and we had some troublemakers that came out there moved in or
rented up the way we all got together and they moved out because we’re keeping it that way,
peaceful out there. I know children have to have a place to go. I have nine grandkids. I raised three
boys of my own. sent them to college and I had problems with them. The problems that I foresee
coming that a lot of kids like they said they have a lot of stuff to do out there the kids get bored in
the inner city. And I see kids walk up and down the street at all times of night and whatever and
that’s what we stopped from out there. But I have no problem with the break ins but my neighbor
have had young people that came and broke in his home but I own Rottweilers and about 600
pounds of dogs so I don’t have any problem with that. Now as far as I know these kids have to
have somewhere to go. This is a rural area like I’m saying and we try to keep any type of violence
and from what I’m reading on these police reports, I know she said it’s not her area but I know
Brown Road because I grew up out in that area, Gracewood, Brown Road. I know all these areas
and nobody can control saying what these kids are going to do. You say these kids go walking but
these kids go walking we have a dead-end street so walking out there the only thing they’re going
to be looking to do is get into some trouble if they’re having all these problems. I know kids need
help and whatever and they need counseling but I’m against this group home first of all because it
looked like it was deceptive to what they was talking about. It’s a care home a Group Personal
Home I’m thinking it’s for elderly people not for young people that’s troubled or teenagers or
whoever’s been getting in trouble out there and that’s what it’s going to amount to. We’re just
trying to keep our neighborhood safe and we don’t, we didn’t buy this property for folks to put in
group homes and homes to help these types of people or whatever unless it was like I said a
caretaking home our elderly taken care of. Our young people also need some care in the proper
place that they’re being put where they have these counselors and people that stay there. They
don’t live there. They’re there half of the time or come in and they’ll have somebody else cover
but if you don’t live there in a home, you don’t know what these kids, you just get a report to what
these kids are doing. And like I had spoken to her for the first time again I said you all are welcome
to move out there personally I said but we don’t want you bring all the group people out here and
have these kids out here that’s having trouble you done have problems with in our neighborhood.
And I’m sorry that it runs this way but there are other properties other places out there without
putting them in a place, and I know it’s not a neighborhood, a neighborhood with a lot of people
but we are spaced out but we’re also a close neighborhood and we all get along and we protect our
properties and we try to keep all of the violence and criminal activities from out there because we
are a rural area and it takes the police some time to get up there so we protect ourselves. I’ve
called all you guys and left you emails. Some have returned them and some have not but I hope
you vote on this matter and vote for us to keep our neighborhood safe because I’ve lived all around
Augusta and that’s one reason I moved out there and a lot of people moved there because it is rural
and it’s a safe area for us and we’re not looking for any type of trouble or any type of criminal
activity to come our way. So I thank you for your time and I hope that you give this some serious
thought and protect our community (inaudible) to keep criminals away from there with other things
that go on because it’s close to a lot of criminal area roads in that area, so thank you for your time.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, sir. We appreciate that. All right, here’s our posture. We’re going
to go to the Commissioner, Ms. McFarley ---
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Ms. McFarley: Yes, sir we have ---
Mr. Mayor: --- yeah, if you could just a census for us of those in support of the petition
and those opposed to it and just let us know that here in just a second, okay?
Ms. McFarley: --- okay.
Mr. Mayor: All right, a show of hands for those in support of the petition and those that
are opposing it.
Ms. McFarley: We have five supporters ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay ---
Ms. McFarley: --- six in opposition.
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Mr. Mayor: --- all right, very well, thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 4,
Chairman of Finance.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. I just want to speak on this behalf since my tenure in Augusta I
have been very active in our community and particularly active in our neighborhood issues. But
first I want to say to the client of the attorney here today. It’s okay to object to something but I
really take issue with some of the issues that was sent was raised via email to the Mayor and other
folks identifying saying that the African American commissioners was already supporting this and
he don’t know what the heck he was talking about and I resent that. Secondly, we heard this thing
about classifying these kids as all criminals. I take issue with that as well. It’s okay to object to it
but don’t pre-classify folks. I really, I detest that. Now I support communities and neighborhoods
and when we talk about what the situation we debated vigorously several times in Green Meadows
this is very much the same as Green Meadows and we had some folks in my view who supported
that with total disregard for the community that was there. I take issue with that. And I have a lot
more to say but I’m going make it a little bit shorter and I know these kids need somewhere to go
but I just don’t believe that in this neighborhood is the place for that particular facility to be there
because the community the neighborhood does not want that facility there. And these kids may
be in danger there if they are simply traversing up and down the road or ending up on somebody
else’s property I wouldn’t want to see one of these kids get mistaken as breaking in or doing
something nefarious when they may or may not. So I just think it’s a very volatile mix to even
consider putting this particular facility there with that kind of opposition. As I said I support
neighborhoods, I don’t support bigotry and I don’t support racism but I do support neighborhoods
who want to determine their future. So with that reference Item #24 reference rezoning I move
that we deny the rezoning petition.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
The Clerk: That Mr. Garrett?
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Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
Mr. Mayor: All right, that was a motion and a second to oppose the petition?
The Clerk: To deny ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: --- Mr. Sias and Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, I’ve got one more speaker for this matter in the audience that I
do think it’s certainly appropriate for us to hear from. I’m going to call to the microphone one of
our Juvenile Court Judges if you’ll proceed to the microphone, please.
Ms. Heath: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem and the Commissioners that
serve our communities I’m coming here in support of the petition for this particular group home.
As you’ve heard earlier from Ms. McKie ---
Mr. Mayor: Can you tell them who you are?
Ms. Heath: --- yes, I am Amanda Heath, Juvenile Court Judge for the Augusta Judicial
Circuit, 735 James Brown Boulevard. I have been on the bench for approximately five years now
and we have approximately over 300 (inaudible) in foster care just in Richmond County and the
issue with that we don’t have enough foster homes for these children to live in and a congregate
care home, a personal care home which is just a semantic for the State of Georgia as a
(unintelligible) for children as a last resort. The children that we place into these homes literally
have nowhere else to go and as Ms. McKie spoke earlier the type of children that are in this home
are not DJJ, Department of Juvenile Justice that involve youth. These are DFACS youth so
therefore under the law of the State of Georgia they have been abused, neglected, sexually,
mentally, physically or have been such deplorable living conditions that we the judges have to
make a decision to remove them from those situations and put them in a more positive place. Also
Ms. McKie spoke earlier most recently one of the youths in her home was named Youth of the
Year and received a $2,500 dollar scholarship check from Barnie’s Pharmacy. These are the types
of youths that are there in these homes. These are everyday children, everyday teenagers that like
to watch TV, play video games, watch WWE. You know these are boys that come and tell me
when they have to come to court about their cases. So I understand the objections. I’ve not seen
the police reports. I think there has been, I’ve not seen the police reports personally but from what
I’ve heard from the evidence presented today there’s been no valid evidence that these different
calls that are of issue, criminal activity calls, that are related to this particular home. In addition,
under the law of Georgia if a child stay away for ‘x’ amount of hours you have to call 911. That
is a requirement under the State of Georgia. So you know from the different things that were
presented today what the issues are again these are not Department of Juvenile Justice youth. I
don’t think they should be categorized as such. These are our children, these are children that have
been abused and neglected and have been rejected and we as a community have to step up and not
continue to reject these youths. They’re going to be adults one day. They’re going to be a part of
the community so if we reject them now we’re setting them up for failure. So I highly encourage
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this Commission to please think about the bigger picture here. I have about 70 children that will
qualify for this home that have to submit outside of this area because we don’t have enough homes
for our kids. So again if they’re in this type of placement setting, this is our last resort. We’re
trying to put them on the right foot. Again, on my case load the youth that just got named Youth
of the Year that was my child. He's been in foster care since 2018 and he’s been in that home and
he has thrived in that home and I feel comfortable placing my children there because I know they’ll
get the needs that they need. And again, this a state (inaudible) facility that has an A+ rating. The
State of Georgia doesn’t play when it comes to children so if this was a facility that would have
all these issues I assure you the State of Georgia does not play and will shut it down immediately.
If there are any questions, I will take them.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you so much Judge Heath. All right, the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 10.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes, ma’am you know I really have, I’d like some
information. I have heard from the proprietors of the home and I’ve heard from you about children
that are having issues and I’ve heard that the children are you know battered, some has got sexual
abuse, there’s trauma, there’s mental abuse I’ve heard everything except one thing, I haven’t heard
where there’s a program for these children and these young adults and I’ll say young adults when
you’re 18 to 21 in that situation you’re an adult. What counseling or care are they receiving?
Judge Heath: Yes, Commissioner Clarke so you know they are youths in the care of the
State of Georgia so actually Ms. McKie will be living there, there’s someone there, adult
supervision 24/7 for these kids. And actually all those services like you said, therapy, all have
behavior aides, different things (inaudible) order for the children. If those services do not come
inhouse which Ms. McKie will be able to speak more specifically to that either those services are
brought inhouse or they will be serviced by our local provider in the communities. So we do insure
you know our court orders mandate trauma therapy, behavioral aides, tutoring for school,
education assessment whatever those children need it is ordered by the court to happen. So if we
if, DFACS contracts with a provider, they provide all those services either inhouse or they will
contract with someone in the community. But again Ms. McKie can go into the specifics of that,
the day to day operations of that particular facility, but in general we make sure and ensure that
those kids are getting what they need. They can be successful like our most recent youth that was
recognized as Youth of the Year.
Mr. Clarke: Okay, I have one more question, what is the financial impact or what would
the home receive financial aid per one child, how much (unintelligible).
Mr. Hasan: Is that appropriate does that have anything to do with this?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner this, Commissioner Hasan, I appreciate that you raising that
concern you know again ---
Mr. Hasan: I mean (unintelligible) Mr. Mayor let me clarify if you don’t mind please
(inaudible).
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Mr. Mayor: No, no, no, hold on, hold on, you keep interjecting I mean you cut your
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colleague off let him finish. Restate your question, Commissioner from the 10, restate your
question.
Mr. Clarke: I was just inquiring how much financial aid the state puts forth for each one
of these children for them to receive the necessary programs that they need.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so I’m going to rule on germaneness. The issue’s that before us is
a Planning Petition and I’ll ask you to think about another series of questions that you’ll want to
ask but ---
Mr. Clarke: No, I’m done.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay, very well. All right, I’ve got a motion and a second to deny the
petition. I’ll offer the following what we heard from the petitioner and certainly those in the
community that have levied a series of concerns as they see it. We live in a time where we’ve got
individuals who are facing the greatest pandemic of our generation not only globally but locally
as well. We’ve got individuals who are being met with the challenges of social and racial injustices
and now we find ourselves with young people who on the cusp of having access to a better life,
having access to what it is to grow up in a familial setting of where they have the love, the care,
and the nurturing so vital to our upbringing, that is so vital to what it is to feel the love of a mother
and a father. And in this case we have young people, boys in particular, who find themselves faced
with these challenges that they watched reverberate across television airwaves for the past year
and now we as a Commission have an opportunity to not exact additional trauma on them by
denying this but we have an opportunity to give them a hand up. And yet we’re debating about
the merits of it when these types of things are well within the purview of the Commission to
provide for the zoning so that we can take a group of young boys ages 6 to 18 who have
experienced some of the most significant traumas of their life. Let us not as a Commission take
that same opportunity and exact additional trauma on them because we deny this but rather let’s
look for ways in our community, correct pathways for opportunity and for success. Clearly,
they’ve been doing good work. It not only benefits their community for us to provide these boys
with a place of shelter, a place where they can experience the love, nurture, care and concern from
clearly folks who are invested in this. But at some point they’re going to be adults as well. They’re
going to be adults who very well could find themselves sitting on this ZOOM screen ten years
from now, fifteen years from now. I would hope that our Commission is not the Commission that
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strips them of those opportunities. And so I’m going to go to the Commissioner from the 1 who
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wanted to weigh in on this and speak to this and I think the Commissioner from the 6 he may
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have wanted to speak but the Commissioner from the 1 think globally about this. We have an
opportunity to help people. We say we’re in the business of lifting up all of our community when
we talk about Augusta being a city of opportunity for everyone that includes those 6 to 18-years
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of age as well. Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You know, I find it very unfortunate that we’re
faced with a situation that’s causing us to be so torn because the situation in my opinion, this is
not the opinion of this body, it’s my opinion as an individual, you know I feel like we’re
fearmongering and we’re getting ready to make a decision based off of fearmongering. And for
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me personally it feels like I’m talking about potentially my own kids. We all know I don’t have
any but when I think about these young men I think about my unborn sons. And I feel that way I
think about them because when the majority of young men that are living in that facility I had the
pleasure of teaching them, of molding them and shaping them. I know their favorite colors, I know
their favorite song, Judge Heath mentioned wrestling, I know their favorite wrestler because I took
them to the arena to watch the shows live when we could go out in public. These kids are not what
we’ve classified them as today and to keep from sounding like a broken record I’ve watched over
the weekend email after email after email come in classifying these young men as convicts and
criminals and rapists. How can we move a conversation from whether or not a facility is doing
well enough to move into this position of something that’s not the case, shoulda, coulda, woulda’s
or what ifs. I think that is a shame. I think that we need to be a little bit more compassionate about
having the opportunity to help young men who otherwise have nowhere else to go, who otherwise
have no one else to stand on because of the situations that they’ve fallen into by no circumstances
of their own. Again, I know these young men. I hired these young men, I taught these young men,
I talked to these young men. They are not what folks are calling them, they’re not troubled youth,
that’s not what this is. And so again to keep from sounding like a broken record I want to just
make sure that I clear my heart because again it feels like I’m talking about my own son and
unfortunately, I’m torn about putting him up into a facility where their safety may be at jeopardy
and I should not have to face that. I shouldn’t have to feel that emotion. I should not have to wonder
whether or not giving this opportunity would put us into a position where we say well we should
not have it. And to everyone in the Chambers regardless of what side you’re on, have a heart and
understand that this is a life changing facility and I’m not talking about what somebody has told
me. I’m talking about what I’ve seen with own two eyes. It’s a life changing facility. These boys
are different because of this facility, these boys are different because of the programs that this
facility offers and if we deny this today I mean it shows that we don’t have an understanding of
what’s happening. So again, thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the recognition. In closing have a heart
in making this decision.
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Mr. Mayor: Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor, for coming back to me. Ms. McKie, I understand the
concerns and all the different information that we have received. Ma’am, I live every close to your
current home on Brown Road. I live in the neighborhood directly across the road I too have
received letters from the neighbors, I’ve spoken with some of the neighbors and they told me they
have broken up fights with some of the boys, they have had people on their property on the
powerline that separates you as well as other issues. They have not called the police about it.
They’ve just kind of taken care of it themselves you know as far as breaking up fights. So you
know I’m not against you staying on Brown Road where you currently are but the residents of
Rollins Road clearly have stated that they are in opposition to this and I support their feelings about
their neighborhood. So as the Commission moves forward with this it’s not about whether or not
I have a heart, Commissioner. You know I’ve worked in Harrisburg with the boys you and I have
talked about that, about you know the ministry that we do down there. I understand that there are
many, many kids in our community that do need help, they need places to go and I’m hoping that
as we have this conversation that it will help our Planning staff to help come up with better ways
to kind of direct these types of homes to find suitable locations for them. And also I’m hoping that
our community hears them and you know it’ll foster more foster homes. You know that is
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something that is drastically needed in our area. So with that I’m just going to say thank you for
what you’re trying to do in our community but the residents of Rollins Road I don’t think it’s a
good fit.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to submit to Commissioner Garrett and
anyone else who may have you know wondered if I questioned their judgment. I don’t question
your judgement as far as you have no heart or your compassion. You know I used to live off of
Brown Road and for years we didn’t even know that home was there so I’ll just submit again I
personally do not think that this is an issue that folks are making it out to be. I think it is a great
facility, I think it’s a great program and you know I’ll make a substitute motion to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a substitute motion to approve with a second from the
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Commissioner from the 6. All right, Madam Clerk, we’re going to go and vote in that order.
Mr. Sias: Okay, I’m just going to be polite I’m going to pass ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay, no, I’ll come back ---
Mr. Sias: --- no, you saw my hand. I ain’t gonna say a doggone thing but the next time ---
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Mr. Mayor: --- all right the Commissioner from the 4 ---
Mr. Sias: --- no, I’m not saying anything.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay, that’s fine. Madam Clerk, you’re muted, voting.
The Clerk: Okay, I’ve got it. I’m sorry, I apologize for that. The motion is to approve, a
substitute motion is to approve zoning petition Z-21-08 and Z-21-09 by Commissioner Jordan
seconded by Commissioner Hasan, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Mayor: Madam ---
Mr. Clarke: No.
The Clerk: Sir, Mr. Mayor, were you ---
Mr. Mayor: --- Madam Clerk, Madam Clerk, we have to take Item #24 by itself first.
The Clerk: Okay ---
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
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The Clerk: --- all right, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: No.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: Abstain.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
Mr. Clarke, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Garrett, Ms. McKnight, Mr. Sias and Mr. B. Williams vote No.
Ms. Scott Abstains.
Motion Fails 3-6-1.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, we’re back to the main motion which is to deny Item #24.
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The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: What is this motion ---
Mr. Mayor: It’s a motion to deny #24.
The Clerk: Item #24 to deny, Mr. Sias and Mr. Garrett motion.
Mr. Clarke: 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: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: Abstain.
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: No, ma’am.
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Mr. Hasan, Mr. Johnson and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
Ms. Scott Abstains.
Motion carries 6-3-1.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so this gives us we can now proceed with Item #25 at the adoption
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of #24, all right, hold on everybody suspend. All right, Commissioner from the 8 state your
inquiry.
Mr. Garrett: I was going to make a motion for #25.
Mr. Mayor: All right, hold on just a second. The Chair recognizes Attorney Brown.
Mr. Brown: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, because of the vote on Number 24 it is not
possible to grant a Special Exception because the zoning does not exist and the current zoning does
not allow a Special Exception so Number 25 must be denied. You have to have the zoning in order
to have a Special Exception.
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct. All right, so again for the record we can take, all right, the
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Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6 State your inquiry.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I’d like to ask Mr. Sherman or either the
Attorney either one that can answer this question. Based on that action let’s deal with just 25 I’d
like to vote on it and I think it say summarily or actually 25 is denied by default because 24 failed
because you can’t set up shop on a space you’re not allowed. So my question is does this 25 there’s
a distinction between 25 and 24 in times of coming back in other words what I mean 24 has been
denied so I think you come back in a year and try to get this if I’m not mistaken and does 25
(inaudible) does 25 have to abide by the same rules as well I would assume (unintelligible). So
can you come back in a year’s time?
Mr. Sherman: Yes on Number 24 you can and what I was going to say they’re companion
items you have to have 24 approved to have the base zoning of R-3A (Multiple-family). Multiple-
family zoning allows you by Special Exception to have a Group Care Home which was Agenda
Item 25. So you wait a year on 24 and you adapt it or someone else could petition for this. 25 is
just in neutral ground. There’s no action to be taken on it because as Attorney Brown said you’ve
got to have the base zoning in place.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. This is more of a statement. We see this situation all the time
where folks go out and purchase property and then have to start going through the rezoning process
and everything like this. And the question is as many times as this has happened, we need to
further educate our community for folks not to do this. My question is for Mr. Sherman does any
of these folks come to the Planning and Development Office prior to making these purchases that
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require these Special Exceptions, rezoning and sit down and talk with the city department before
they make these purchases?
Mr. Sherman: Generally they do but in this case we think that they did not because the
staffed would’ve advised them if they make a contract on the property, it be contingent on them
being able to use the property the way they intend to for the purchase. So it does occur as in this
case where someone can maybe get ahead of themselves without inquiring with our office.
Mr. Sias: And I totally agree. We need to have as much effort as we can to avoid this
because on many occasions we see requests for zoning, for a zoning change by the owner of the
property for the perspective buyer and not all has been successful, and we avoid this kind of issue
by doing that. So when they come to you all we’re hoping that they’re given the advice that they
may want to reconsider that or meet with folks in the neighborhood. And I know out on Tobacco
Road the owner of a property did just that before trying to get it rezoned and talking with the
community so we really need to encourage these folks to do that. And as my colleague said put
us in a position it always seems like we don’t have a heart and that’s not true. We also have a
responsibility to everybody in this community, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right again, Madam Clerk, Item 24 and 25 have effectively been addressed
at this point.
The Clerk: Okay, we’re at Item 26?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, Item 26.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
26. Discuss a plan to allow outside events on city property if they meet the CDC guideline
plan they have established for outside events. (Requested by Commissioner Sean Frantom)
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7 and then we’ll
hear from the Administrator who I believe sent a memo our regarding this matter. Commissioner
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from the 7.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m bringing this agenda item to the body because
I have spoken with the Augusta Market individual who runs the market and she you know basically
wanted to see where we stand as a community in having outdoor events. Also being the liaison
for the Arts in the Heart and the Arts Council as well and what they’re looking to do in September
with Arts in the Heart my concern is that you know there are CDC guidelines to allow outside
events. If you go to Decatur, Georgia, their farmer’s market starting in March, East Atlanta Village
their market’s starting in March and frankly we’re going to lose our market if we don’t have a kind
of a proactive stance in trying to get our market started. The market would like to start on the 19th
of March and the owner of the Market has you know sent in to Mr. Donald, Administrator Donald,
kind of a plan of like how to have a safe event outside whether that’s handwashing stations, masks
required, tables socially distanced apart, things that just kind of make sense. And frankly I was
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told you know we’re down like a million visits in downtown Augusta over the last year because
of COVID and we need to start to look at ways to bring some businesses back downtown, allow
people to come and go to the Market as well you know shop downtown, eat downtown while
they’re downtown as well. And frankly you know we had during in the December, November,
January there was events that happened on city property outdoors and I’m not really I’m kind of
concerned the fact that though I think the committee’s made up of everybody that needs to be at
the table the fact that we want to come back in April in my mind is a little late when you know
we’ve been closed for business, we’ve got employees that are working at facilities that can come
up with plans, implement the plans. And especially I’m going to speak to the Market because if
we don’t open this market in March I mean they’re going to go to our neighboring county and
they’re probably not going to come back which is very concerning that we weren’t in a sense open
for business or having willing to have that conversation as a Commission to kind of help. So I’ll
leave it at that, Mayor. I just wanted to start the conversation. I appreciate what the Administrator
did putting that committee together but me like to have to come back in April which is almost two
months away. Maybe we could take it on a case-by-case basis on the market piece they can handle
next week and bring it back in two weeks and then we can start the Market in late March like these
other cities are doing in the Atlanta/Decatur area, so thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. I want to support what the Commissioner from the 7th has
brought forth, but I also believe this item and several other items on here should go through the
committee process where we have the full length of time for discussion. And we send this back to
the committee and get the information and get it immediately and review what the Administrator
has put together I’d be ready to support it. But I’m going to move that we send this back to
committee, Public Services Committee and be ready to work with it.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 8.
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Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. In regards to what the Commissioner from the 7 is
bringing to us I fully support it as well. And my only concern about sending it back through the
committee cycle which I don’t disagree with is that if we don’t have a decision in place by March,
I would really hate to lose this market and you know the access to fresh food as well as avenue for
people to have revenue each Saturday which it provides and I would really hate for it to go to one
of our neighboring counties. So I would challenge the Administrator to help us through this and
help us come up with a way to come to a decision today as well as work towards you know a better
understanding of how we can use county property especially when it's outdoors in light of this
pandemic.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Donald.
Mr. Donald: Absolutely, so, Mayor, thanks for the opportunity to respond to that. I would
like to humbly remind the Commission that the authority to make any decision rests with our
eleven elected officials and by a vote of the affirmative of the majority you can move in whichever
way that you deem appropriate. As Administrator I simply bring recommendations for which you
can consider to move forward. For individual one/off activities I think it is well within the
36
Commission’s not only right but aligning with your vision to look at these and make decisions but
I do think it is appropriate for us broadly have a strong plan on how we’re going to allow people
to operate and increase their business. I think Commissioner Frantom brings a very important
aspect which is how we allow people to operate on city property. But I think also in using examples
from Decatur that he mentioned also you can look at the District of Columbia and the City of
Atlanta where they actually allow sidewalk openings for restaurants for them to be able to provide
eating and things of that nature which we don’t currently do in Augusta. So the working group
that we put together is literally to help come up with the framework to be able to do that. But in
lieu of losing business I think you can actually if there’s a will of the Commission to do so you
could actually vote on it today, if not taking it back through committee and then evaluating and
bringing those individual activities to a vote is also something that you know that ability rests with
the Commission. And so I will always defer to the will of the Commission and we will abide by
it in that way. So I think again, Mayor, there’s two folds. One, if there’s a will of the commission
to vote on these things individually and give access and that’s well within your right and ability.
And then two, my recommendation is simply to bring a codified plan back that you can abide by
moving forward.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 3.
Ms. McKnight: I make a motion that we go ahead and vote on this today and move forward
so that we can get this going if it happens in March.
Mr. Clarke: I’ll second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
Mr. Johnson: Can someone restate the motion what’s the exact motion we’re voting on?
Mr. Mayor: All right, okay, we’ll do that, everybody suspend for a minute. We’re going
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to restate, Commissioner from the 3if you’ll restate your motion and then I’ve got a couple of
fingers wagging, hands slapping.
Mr. Garrett: And make sure you see them.
Ms. McKnight: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I was saying I would like to go ahead and make a
motion today and go ahead and vote so we can get this moving on and go ahead and vote on it.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner, the question is you’re motion to approve what?
Ms. McKnight: Motion to approve that we go ahead and vote on the city property of
having a market is what I’m trying to vote on, what Commissioner from the District seven, vote.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right Commissioner from the 7 do you want to step in and?
Mr. Frantom: Yeah, I think I mean I appreciate the support and everything, I think you
know the motion I believe is like support the Administrator’s recommendation of the committee
37
to work together but at the same respect come back quicker with an idea of what to do for the
market. I mean the group I have no problem I think it’s a great group of people to meet because
there’s other things we need to put in place but there is the time sensitive about the market so could
we at least get that to come back in two weeks to really see kind of what that plan is. And I guess
to make sure they go ahead and meet would be the motion.
Mr. Sias: Committee cycle is next week.
Mr. Frantom: Yeah, so the reason it’s not on the committee, number one I wasn’t here last
week and number two I felt like this is time sensitive (inaudible).
Mr. Sias: That’s what I’m saying Commissioner (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: All right so everybody hold on, everybody suspend, all right everybody
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suspend. I’m going to go in this order go in this order. All right the Commissioner from the 8
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had his hand back up I’m going to the 4 and then I’ll go to the 6.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. I’m going to waive in reference to what the Commissioner
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from the 7 said let’s just do this in committee. If we’re going to vote this up or down today, I
think the motion should be basically to you know get a plan in place by next week or by the next
committee cycle that we can actually have a discussion about as Commissioner Sias recommended.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right is that included in the original motion?
The Clerk: No, sir.
Mr. Mayor: I didn’t think so.
The Clerk: If we could withdraw the substitute motion and Mr. Sias needs a second to his
motion to refer it to the Public Services Committee I think that’ll get ---
Mr. Sias: Next week.
The Clerk: --- yeah, for Mr. Frantom to get where he needs to go.
Mr. Mayor: I never heard a substitute motion but that’s a new one. I never, I didn’t think
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we had an original other than the Commissioner from the 3 motion.
The Clerk: It failed for lack of a second. I didn’t hear a second.
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Mr. Mayor: No, the Commissioner from the 10 seconded her motion.
Ms. McKnight: He seconded.
The Clerk: No, Mr. Sias’ motion.
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Mr. Hasan: I seconded Commissioner Sias’ motion.
Mr. Mayor: No, there was no second.
Mr. Sias: (Unintelligible) You cut me off again, not intentional I don’t believe.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, there was no second. All here’s what we’ll do, here’s what we’ll do.
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All right, Commissioner from the 3 if you’ll withdraw your motion and the Commissioner from
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the 10 if you’ll withdraw the second. I think there’s an appetite with clarification from the
Administrator and the Commissioner from the 7th that on next week at the Special Called Meeting
if there’s a draft proposal ready to be presented, we can address that and not have an additional
rd.
delay beyond the 23 That gives us time to mobilize in the event that there’s a draft proposal that
could potentially be adopted in the Special Called Meeting. And I think that effectively
accomplishes all of what’s being discussed here with the time sensitive nature.
Mr. Sias: I’m agreeable to that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Ms. McKnight: I’ll go with that.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Clarke: Third.
Ms. McKnight: Fourth.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom.
Mr. Frantom: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Garrett ---
Mr. Garrett: What are we voting on?
39
The Clerk: --- having this item placed on the Special Called Meeting for February of next
Tuesday.
Mr. Garrett: Yes.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
The Clerk: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: 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.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Item #27?
Mr. Mayor: Item 27.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
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27. Quarterly update from Jay Markwalter on the state of public art in Augusta. The update
includes updates on current projects, such as the Augusta Sculpture Trail, Storm Drain
Murals, the Arts City Festival, and the Downtown Mural Festival.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right where is Mr. Markwalter, okay, there he
is. Item 27 Mr. Markwalter, Jay, if you would provide us with the update.
Mr. Markwalter: Yes, sir, thank you. Can you hear me okay through the mask?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Mr. Markwalter: Okay, I believe we have a presentation to queue up for you and while
that’s getting ready thank you, Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission. Since we were with
you last I want to say congratulations and welcome to our new Commissioners and we look
forward to working with all of you in ’21 and beyond. And as promised and part of our agreement
actually with you as more reporting and quarterly reports and updates to you about public art. As
the Greater Augusta Arts Council implementing, the masterplan your 2017 adopted Masterplan
for the city as your public arts agency and we’d like to remind we were designated your public arts
agency in 2012. Again, I’m Jay Markwalter. I’m in a volunteer capacity serving as chair of the
Public Art Advisory Panel. We advise and work with several of your city departments and we’re
grateful for the support as we execute the masterplan and, do we have the presentation? Before
we offer this report, I do want to just mention again I am a local Augustan. I live on Aumond
Place East and I serve a statewide role as the Executive Director for Georgia’s Association of
Convention and Visitors Bureaus so my colleague here is the great Bennish Brown. I mentioned
before we’re excited to have him back in the Southeast and in Georgia and specifically in Augusta-
Richmond. So I work with Bennish and his colleagues across the state. And currently as we take
a look at the economic impact of the visual arts in the community we celebrate tourism, hospitality
and the arts as an overall impact. And, Mr. Mayor, you were with us for the ribbon cutting a couple
of Saturdays ago and several other Commissioners were there and I appreciate all of the remarks
that were made along with Director McDowell with Recreation and Parks about the importance of
public art and what it brings to the community, next slide please. We’re going to be back with you
quarterly so we’ll hit the highlights and take just a few minutes. We have added a few new slides
and then we have some updates on some ongoing projects and next slide please. This presentation
is also available to you and will live on our website but one thing we did want to always mention
is the importance of a culturally vibrant community. Of course we focus a lot on the downtown
district our urban core as well as all the districts in Augusta but arts and culturally vibrant
communities without question impact our local economy and lure and entice private investment.
We never know when people are making windshield surveys and mystery shopping our
community. There are beautification elements to public art and there’s certainly local pride as
residents. Next slide please. And as Commissioner Frantom mentioned that there was number
mentioned in the specific downtown district we do want to point out while your Downtown
Development Authority reported we were down over million visitors just in the downtown district
these are not the total numbers that the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mr. Brown
and his team would report for overall Richmond County impact of the virus that we’ve had. I can
report to you that statewide and industrywide in tourism that we have finally surpassed with
optimism the pessimism for travel. Travel sentiment is coming back with the rollout of the virus
41
with the rollout of the vaccine, excuse me, and we are encouraged by that but we do have a long
way to go. Leisure travel and new tactics needed for outdoor activities and outdoor projects
depending on the community and our product that we have to share. And for most leisure travel
is gradually coming back and we know that group business, convention business and especially
the business traveler is the missing link and will be the last to come back. So new partnerships to
showcase art and self-guided tours and highlight the diversity, cultural diversity of our community
in arts and culture we have to do this invest and that’s why we’re here to showcase some of the
new projects that are underway. Next slide please. I mentioned the Masterplan. We leave the
slide in there because it was developed in 2017 again this is our roadmap. Again, we have to work
the plan, plan the work and work the plan so we’re following that as our continued implementation.
Next slide please. In the Public Art Panel we like to show the slide and show the many different
team members and skill sets. All of your departments, again were grateful for the support. I want
to mention again Director McDowell and Bobby Martin and the team that are with us Sean
Edwards and John Ussery. I shouldn’t have started reading the list. We’re grateful for all of those
folks that are with us. And we have some new panel members there with us, we are in the
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nomination process for a 7 panel member to complete that. And again I’m proud to share this
committee currently the Public Arts Panel on behalf of the Arts Council for the community. Next
slide. And exciting news and the ribbon cutting again that we mentioned. This is a two-year event.
It’s actually a Sculpture Festival. Hopefully you’ve seen these pieces or had a chance to do some
of the tour already but we were very excited to cut the ribbon and launch the ten initial pieces.
They are leased for a two-year program. They are for sale and we hope that businesses will even
get involved and purchase permanent pieces. But public art can be temporary pieces, it can be
permanent pieces throughout the community, indoor, outdoor but this sculpture trail again working
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with Recreation and Parks launched and we had the ribbon cutting on the 6 I believe on Saturday
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the 6 and the installment is complete with signs and signage about each piece and they can scan
the code and go to the next slide please, to take walking tours. People are already doing this, taking
photographs and gone viral with social media to showcase the art in Augusta with these first ten
pieces again the Autocast Walking Tour and we have with your global app and then we have the
Emory University sponsors. We shared with you last report these were underway but this on the
website Augusta Sculpture Trail.com so we also hope you will visit the website and enjoy the tour
virtually if you’re not able to get out and enjoy them. Next slide please. Of course my children’s
favorite, I don’t think I’ll be able to purchase this one for our backyard but this a family highlight
of the popsicles and this is one of the ten pieces you’ll see this one happens to be on the Augusta
Common and was the backdrop of our ribbon cutting ceremony a few weekends ago. On the
website and on collateral handout materials the map has been updated to show the actual pictures
of where these pieces are located and we also highlight the Visitors Center there at Augusta and
Company at 1010 Broad headquarters of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Information
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Center there. Next slide please. It’s hard to believe it was October 27 that we had the James
Brown Mural ribbon cutting and again I want to point out as we travel across Georgia and not just
Georgia but the Southeast or entire US and really globally mural art this is such a great addition
not only to us for the Godfather of Soul but the Spirit of Funk Mural is a highlight and already a
backdrop all over social media with people coming to see this adds to just Georgia’s music heritage
as well. Again, we mentioned you know Otis Redding in Macon and Little Richard and the
Almond Brothers and Ray Charles down in Albany but what a great addition. And here is a quote
from the LaDisa Mediterranean Grill and this is what it’s all about the foot traffic of people
enjoying the public art has impacted that cash register. The cash register ringing is capital T
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tourism, overnight guests, day visits and we all know as far as the visitor markets that we
mentioned earlier over 50% of people visiting Augusta are visiting friends and relatives. We know
that there’s medical tourism, we know that there’s military and business activity but visiting friends
and relatives is a crucial element to those visiting our community. Next slide. In each report we
want to mention there is an actual gallery that the Arts Council organizes and puts together down
in the Municipal Building here so hopefully if you’ve had a chance this is on display downstairs
right now by this artist Billy S. Next slide. As well as an effort at 1010 Broad there’s a gallery
there of rotating exhibits is working with the Convention and Visitors Bureau team and local artists
and the Arts Council to keep a gallery on site there where visitors and locals are gathering
information about the community. Next slide. We shared this with you last month. We just had
an exciting update that we have been able to go from five initial drain designs again promoting
litter free and healthy bodies of water with this it all flows in the Savannah. We’re going to get to
launch this with twelve designs now. And we’ve had partners such as even Sherwin Williams
coming to the table and each of these slides we like to show in the top left corner all of the different
partners it takes. Next slide. This is a new slide to share with you and we have the funding for
two of these to launch first. You may have seen this in other communities and some other
downtown districts. This is not only a beautification project but for some of our vacant store fronts
would draw some attention to available real estate for potential retail businesses when you take a
look and of course we’re working with the Downtown Development Authority on this project. We
are already working on grants to try and add to this mural project. This is actually plywood. It
would be covering some of these vacant store fronts in the immediate downtown district. Next
slide please. Part of the Masterplan to add sculpture along the trails we showed you a different
slide last report. This is a whole new sculpture. This Rocky Shoals Spider Lily is a rendering of
what it will look like and since this slide was written the location has been decided working with
the Canal of course a National Treasure, a national heritage area. This sculpture will be placed
also at the Mills Village Trail entrance there near the Kroc Center. Next slide please. The Golden
Blocks Project now in Phase 2 and we added a terrific photograph here of one of our Public Art
Advisory Panel members Corey Rodgers with the Lucy Laney Museum. This project in Phase 1
brought attention with four artists doing projects to highlight the business community from the
Golden Blocks and this will be the Phase 2 if you highlight the educational institutions celebrating
the legacy of Augusta’s Historic Black Neighborhoods through the public art. That map there the
mosaic map on the wall that is actually mounted if you’ve not seen that at the Wallace Branch
Library.
Mr. Mayor: Jay, how many more slides do you have, sir?
Mr. Markwalter: This should be it.
Mr. Mayor: Okay great, thank you.
Mr. Markwalter: It’s an update here on the SPLOST 7 project. You will recall that in, we
had presentations of some designs of public presentations and we took a step back working with
you and Recreation and Parks and the Greater Augusta Arts Council got together at community
centers and had four hearings, input gatherings, community information, distribution about what
gateway projects are. And we have communicated twice with Procurement with Geri Sams and
waiting to hear back for the next steps so we can get these first two gateway sculptures underway
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and really get the SPLOST 7 executed. Of course, this is just a photograph from another city but
the first two sites to be Sand Bar Ferry Road and Alexander Drive. Next slide. And I’ll end with
this, Mr. Mayor. We are proud to support all public art, public and private. The projects certainly
lure other private investment. We have, we’ve seen Jessie Norman School of Arts adding art
around the community with the painted pianos and these sculptures and these murals. And we
now have been able to put together a procedure so that others can come to the city and do their
own projects. We needed some standard operating procedures on how to implement public art and
we were able to work with your team to get that done and other communities will use us as a
model. So we thank you, we’re proud to be doing this for you in implementing the Masterplan.
With that I’ll go ahead and stop. We’ve used a lot of your time and grateful for the agenda
placement.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much, Jay. We appreciate your presentation. The Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 7.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Jay, thank you for the presentation. Let me just say
the sculptures it was put into the budget in 2019 for $100,000 just so the Commission knows for
those sculptures. And I think it’s important that we look in next year’s budget because it is a two-
year sculpture and we look at 2022 for an additional $100,000 to increase the sculptures in the
different areas not just in downtown but increase it because it is phenomenal to walk around with
your cellphone and learn about those sculptures. Also, Administrator Donald, number one the
Gateway sculptures what you can do to support that. I think it’s important that we get this back in
front of the Commission because there’s a lot of energy for it, a lot of energy for art right now.
But also these sculptures there is a cost to them and I think that this Commission because it’s on a
two-year like cycle these sculptures I think it’s going to be around $290 to $300,000 dollars. I
think we really need to look at possibly purchasing some of these sculptures in the future and how
we could, you don’t want the base just to be there without a sculpture. And seeing if there’s
SPLOST dollars that we don’t, that we possibly could repurpose or if it’s some of the Gateway
money that we might not utilize totally going toward the sculptures as well because again art is
growing in this community. And I just want to say thank you to everybody that made this happen
and look forward to having future discussions on how we can increase it and enhance what we’ve
already started, so thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, thank you, Commissioner. I think those are great comments and
I certainly have been extremely pleased with the sculptures, the unveil that we had just a week or
so ago were phenomenal and this really sets the tone for any conversation that we have around the
Gateway Sculptures. We did this right, Jay. Kudos to you and the team, to (unintelligible) and
the team. We did this right and it’s real exciting for our community. And they look great those
that are on the Commons and at the other locations so let’s continue with that passion and energy
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around that. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, in light of what your comments and from
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my colleague from the 7 I’d rather see because we have so much controversial around the ones
that have been put in place at the major intersections I think out of the SPLOST the previous
SPLOST I think there was about a million dollars I think was allocated if I’m not mistaken. But
first let me make sure that number’s correct before I proceed to say anything. Is that number
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correct by the previous, right at a million dollars, so as opposed to going considering going into
our budget next year I know we’re ahead of the conversation because we hadn’t gotten there yet I
rather see us do something different there because as you know when they brought (unintelligible)
I think the public was displeased. That don’t mean you’re going to please everybody so we can
do something different with that money as opposed to make a commitment to allocate more money
in the upcoming budget. I’d rather see us take a shot at that which wouldn’t be a million dollars at
this point, it may be in the neighborhood of about $750,000 dollars and look at that as opposed to
potentially allocating monies in the upcoming budget especially to the tune of a quarter of a million
dollars.
th,
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner from the 6 thank you for that comment as well. I think again
as we look at the requirements of how and when we use those SPLOST dollars that be incorporated.
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It’s certainly appropriate as the Commissioner from the 7 has indicated for us again to do a deep
dive into how we allocate those resources. But without question there is broad energy and support
from the communities about the Sculpture Art Trail and this is a way for us to change that narrative
of what was going on with the Gateway Sculptures and turn it into a very positive or as they say
this is that moment where we’re now able to turn lemons into lemonade with this conversation.
And couldn’t come at a better time and so maybe the approach is to again have the Administrator
working with our Rec and Park’s team and our Arts Council Team to identify how best to use
those dollars. You know we’re going through this conversation around Procurement but there’s
probably a better way for us to address it using this model and accomplish the same thing so maybe
that’s the approach that the Commissioner wants to have the Administrator take. I see heads
bobbing and weaving like a Sugar Ray Leonard fight so is that a resounding yes?
Mr. Hasan: Let’s look at the legality of that, Mr. Mayor, so we can ---
Mr. Mayor: Well, that’s why I said have the Administrator take a look at it ---
Mr. Mayor: --- okay.
Mr. Mayor: --- he can address all of those especially around the SPLOST statutory
requirement and then come back to us at our next Commission, committee meeting. All right,
fantastic, Jay, thank you.
Mr. Markwalter: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Administrator Donald, are you tracking that conversation?
Mr. Donald: Yes, sir, we’ll be prepared. We’ve got our notes on it here so we’ll be
prepared for next week’s meeting.
Mr. Mayor: Fantastic, thank you so much. All right, Madam Clerk, we are down to our
final items.
The Clerk:
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ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
28. Discuss authorizing the Administrator, central services, and other relevant departments
to conduct a 60-90 day review of transitioning our non-public safety vehicle fleet to zero-
emission vehicles (electric) and any associated apparatuses. (Requested by Mayor Hardie
Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. I wanted to bring this item forward to the
Commission. Again, this is just a discussion and as we talk about this there have been several
major announcements in less than a month time. The White House as part of their comprehensive
plan to create jobs not only jobs but good jobs and stimulate clean energy industries they issued
an executive order that essentially moves forward procuring electric vehicles as it replaces or
expands its government fleet. General Motors subsequently made an announcement that they are
moving towards creating all zero emission vehicles by 2035 and then Ford made an announcement
investing $22 billion in electric vehicles up from approximately $10 billion that they previously
had pledged. The item that’s in front of us today is nothing more than a request for the Commission
to authorize the Administrator and his team to conduct a review of 60-90 days of what it would
take for us to transition our non-public safety fleet vehicles to zero-emission vehicles and any
associated needs that would include charging stations, training and bring back something to us.
Again, it’s a request to authorize the Administrator and his team to conduct the review. All right?
So I wanted to share that it certainly allows us to start a conversation in Augusta that puts us steps
ahead of other communities as we’re giving conversation to the mobility challenges and needs of
thth
what’s going on in our city. We’re going to go to the Commissioner from the 6 and then the 8.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I think one of the things we want to
accomplish especially with our new Commissioners on board. And I think this is good information
here in terms of what you’ve got in 28. But we want to try to send this back so we can have a full
blown discussion back to the committee cycle not only just 28, 29 and I hate for 30 as well so we
can have a full blown discussion at the committee level. Because what we really don’t want to do
is have these commission meetings no longer than need be. I think much earlier in terms of what
we did around the Planning issue we can’t get around those types of things when they come up but
these types of issues these discussions and things for all intents and purposes short of when they
are emergency situations that we should you know go through the committee process. And I make
a motion that 28, 29 and 30 go back to the committee cycle.
Mr. Sias: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We’re only addressing Item #28. You certainly can do that at that point in
time that we bring 29 and 30 up but let me go back to the conversation, Commissioner Hasan.
This is not trying to solve anything. This is a request to authorize the Administrator to do a review.
What you’re suggesting is let’s go have a conversation in committee to authorize the Administrator
to then do a review. That’s all we’re saying today that this is a conversation, have the
Administrator and his staff conduct a 60-90 review. We’re not making any decisions other than
doing a review. But what you’re now proposing what you’re now proposing is let’s go into
committee on next and let’s have a discussion about whether we want to authorize the
Administrator to do it or not. We’re not doing any work.
46
Mr. Hasan: But yes, because and I think that is true because we may not even want to get
involved with electric vehicles for all intents and purposes. It gives them an opportunity to do that
so we just want everybody, all of us to go through the committee process even Number 30 is mine,
it’s an item that I have on the agenda. So I’m including that as all for sake of time 29 and 30 to
send them back to the committee and I made a motion and I think I have a second on the table.
That’s all I understand your point but that’s what we’re trying to do is do it the way it should be
done, Mr. Mayor, even myself included.
Mr. Sias: Second that motion.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner from the 10.
Mr. Clarke: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Is it not true that years ago you signed a resolution
stating that by a certain year our city would be green and isn’t this a positive step in trying to
achieve that?
Mr. Mayor: I believe that is absolutely true. Like over 450 cities across the country were
a part of the whole Paris Climate Agreement conversation but more importantly we’re talking
about good jobs. In the City of Augusta it’s been suggested that 85 to 90% of our nation’s low
speed vehicles are made right here in Augusta. These are electric vehicles, whether it’s vehicles
at Club Car, Ingersoll Rand or it’s the vehicles at EZ-Go, the John Deere Tractors. Those vehicles
are made in our community and those are good jobs. We’re putting people to work on a day to
day basis. And once again the request that’s in front of us is simply a discussion around authorizing
the Administrator, Central Services and other relevant departments to do nothing more than
conduct a 60-day review of what it would take to transition our non-public safety vehicles to zero-
emission and then that would be an appropriate conversation to have in committee to talk about
what that looks like, how to move forward with that, is that something that the City of Augusta
wants to do from a job creation standpoint. And that same thing holds true around Item #29 since
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the Commissioner from the 6 has raised it. Most recently the Commission made a decision to
support small businesses in this community with Cares Act relief. That was a conversation that
was much debated. And we see even now in our city where there are in fact good landlords who
are providing workforce housing and affordable housing to our constituents who have not evicted
people. And every time we’ve had meetings since the beginning of January until now we’ve talked
about how can we bolster and stand up small businesses in our city. And once again even with
Item #29 it’s simply asking the Commission to discuss authorizing the Administrator, Finance and
other departments to just do a review and then bring back to committee the information that they
have identified so we can have a robust discussion. That’s the intent. At most saying let’s go to
committee and talk about whether we should do it that’s why we were putting it on the agenda
now.
Mr. Clarke: Then may I make a motion, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, you may.
Mr. Clarke: I’d like to make a substitute motion dealing with since we’re dealing
with 28, I’d like to make a substitute motion we go ahead and approve Item 28.
47
Mr. Mayor: You’re muted, Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: I said I’ll second that.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: I was wondering if you were going to skip over me again. I’m starting to feel
like Commissioner Sias. Thank you, Mayor. In regards to this item we’re discussing you know I
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concur with my colleague from the 10 about you know the direction our city needs to go but as
we’re voting on these matters let us not just be focused you know solely on electric. A couple of
years ago we built two natural gas facilities that I believe that our city vehicles should be utilizing.
You know we invested quite a bit to get that done and I think that it’s a great resource that’s clean
burning and it’s abundant so as we’re having this conversation whether we’re doing it now or in
committee next week let’s remember that as well.
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Mr. Mayor: I agree with the Commissioner from the 8 ---
Mr. Clarke: Absolutely.
Mr. Mayor: --- (inaudible) natural gas when we talked about purchasing our most recent
fleet of busses that was one of the conversations that came up at that time.
Mr. Garrett: Can I ask you a question, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely.
Mr. Garrett: So just in reading this you’re talking about transitioning our Public Safety
fleet or not our Public Safety our non-public safety fleet. Are you talking about changing over the
current vehicles we have or are you just mainly suggesting as we acquire new vehicles focusing
on other fuels?
Mr. Mayor: Again, it’s as we transition if you’ll note we talk about it in the caption it says
to conduct a 60-90 day review of transitioning our non-public safety fleet to zero-emission. That’s
as we move forward. Once again, I wasn’t trying to solve it today but simply getting
Commissioners to authorize the Administrator, Central Services and other relative departments to
do a review and then come back to us so we can have that broader conversation and discussion in
committee, that’s all.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you. All right, Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: No, I’m fine, Mr. Mayor. I just motion on the floor I got a second (inaudible).
48
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right we’ve got a substitute motion, Madam Clerk, with a proper
second.
The Clerk: Is to approve Item 28. Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: 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: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Sias.
Mr. Sias: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Bobby Williams.
Mr. B. Williams: No, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Dennis Williams.
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
Mr. Hasan, Mr. Sias and Mr. B. Williams vote No.
Motion Passes 7-3.
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Mr. Mayor: Item 29, Madam Clerk. Madam Clerk, before you go, before you proceed, if
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it well it’s not my item, it’s the Commissioner from the 6’s item, Number 29.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
29. Discuss authorizing the Administrator, finance department, and other relevant
departments to conduct a 30-day review of the impact, feasibility and cost of an up to 1
percent, FY 21 tax break to coincide with federal and state eviction moratoriums for
landlords providing workforce and affordable housing. (Requested by Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Again, the caption speaks for itself. As we’ve said
this is nothing more than asking the Administrator, Finance, and other relevant departments to
conduct a 30-day review of the impact, bring that back to committee of what it potentially the
impact could be for a up to 15% FY 21 tax break to coincide with federal and state eviction
moratoriums from landlords who have not evicted individuals and or providing workforce and
affordable housing. All of us are fully aware of over the course of the pandemic we’ve assisted
residents in this community with this especially as it relates to keeping people in their homes. We
recently approved crucial emergency financial assistance to families who were at risk of not only
losing their homes but on the verge of homelessness. And so the request in front of us is simply
for support that an analysis be done by the Administrator and his designees and what the impact
would be if were in fact to provide a tax break, a property tax break for the landlords who have not
evicted individuals and providing workforce and affordable housing. I do want to take a moment
and pause. I want the Administrator to clarify what we mean when we say affordable or workforce
housing and then we’ll hear from the Commission.
Mr. Donald: Yes, Mayor I think you hit the nail right on the head there that as we look at
this I don’t believe or at least to my recent research since I’ve joined that we have defined or given
a definition for Augusta for affordable housing whether that’s going to be 30% of AMI, 80% of
AMI or somewhere in between. And so this review if it is the will of the Commission we might
be able to determine that and make a recommendation during that time. So I think it aligns with
the things that the Commission has put in place and if it is the will of the Commission then we
would do the work to do that. I do think it may take a little bit longer than 30 days maybe 45 since
we has authorized to do the additional review under Central Services so to make sure we can
balance the workload I would humbly ask for a little bit more time to make sure that we hit it.
Mr. Mayor: That’s certainly not a problem. All right, I’m going to go in this order.
ththst
Commissioner from the 8 then the 6 then the 1.
Mr. Garrett: Thank you, Mayor. I’d like to make a motion that we refer this back to
committee for next week.
Mr. Clarke: Second.
Mr. B. Williams: Third.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay anyone else, voting.
The Clerk: Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom he’s out, Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: 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.
Mr. Frantom out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: State your inquiry, Mayor Pro Tem.
51
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- can I go ahead and make a motion that we send 30 back to
committee next week.
Mr. Mayor: Sure.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
30. Discuss if there is a need for a Blue Ribbon Committee and/or different avenue to study
the Consolidation Bill (Charter). (Requested by Commissioner Ben Hasan)
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
The Clerk: Item #30, Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: Abstain.
The Clerk: Mr. Frantom out, Mr. Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Hasan.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: 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.
52
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
Mr. Clarke Abstains.
Mr. Frantom out.
Motion Passes 8-0-1.
Mr. Mayor: Item #36, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk:
OTHER BUSINESS
36. Approval of a resolution being drafted and brought before the Commission for a vote on
2/24, in opposition to Georgia senate bills 67, 68, 69, 71, 73 74, and other bills aimed at
restricting methods available to Augusta residents to exercise their right to vote or cause
undue financial burden on voters. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Several weeks ago the Commissioner from the 4
appropriately requested and received support from everyone for a resolution commending our
Elections Director Lynn Bailey and her team at the Board of Elections. Their work during this
global pandemic was significant in allowing Augustans. Good Georgians, to be able to exercise
their vote not only safely but more importantly to do it in a way that powered our state to the most
significant turnout in our history. While that’s true, the legislature came back and members of the
senate drafted a series of bills that are being debated that not only add undue costs to obtaining
ballots but restrict voter access and they impede the work of organizations that have done this type
of work making sure that people have fair and equal access to the ballot. And so what we’re asking
the Commission to do is support for a resolution to be drafted and brought back before the
Commission for a vote that is in opposition to Georgia Senate Bills 67, 68, 69, 71, 73 and 74 that
in one way or another instead of us being able to move our city and our state forward and allowing
people fair, just and equal access to the ballot they do everything to impede that progress. In effect
have the effect of suppressing voters’ access to the ballot and they move us backwards. It’s
equivalent of us going from Wi Fi to dialup from cellphone to the rotary dial phone. And so again
a simple request for a resolution to be drafted on behalf of the Commission that we then transmit
to the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office in opposition to these bills.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, Mayor Pro Tem, I’m going to go to the Commissioner from the 4
---
Mr. Sias: Thank you ---
Mr. Mayor: --- and then I’ll come back to you.
53
Mr. Sias: --- thank you and due to the fact that these bills are already in progress are being
either discussed or in committee or whatever I move to approve that we do this because I think
this is critically important to all of Georgia and particularly the City of Augusta. Move to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
The Clerk: Item #36 motion by Mr. Sias seconded by Mr. Hasan is to approve Item #36,
Mr. Clarke.
Mr. Clarke: 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. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. McKnight.
Ms. McKnight: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk: Ms. Scott.
Ms. Scott: 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.
54
Mr. D. Williams: Yes, ma’am.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: I’m good, I’m good.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, I believe that’s all the business before us today.
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I have a question.
th,
Mr. Mayor: All right Commissioner from the 6 state your inquiry.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, on Item 36 does this need to come back in a special called meeting to go
at that point or we got time another week?
Mr. Mayor: I couldn’t agree with you more. That would be even more appropriate to come
back just as we did with the previous items and add it to the agenda for our special called meeting.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, can you ask the maker of the motion are they fine with that? As the
Commission we voted on it already because unless he says it’s fine and I agree then we need to
have, my question colleagues is do we need to have the resolution ready at the special called
meeting next week so it can go on up since they’re already in discussion about these matters.
Mr. Sias: Yeah, we can add it.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we have consent.
The Clerk: All right.
Mr. Mayor: All right, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.
\[MEETING ADJOURNED\]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
55
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
February 16, 2021.
_______________________________
Clerk of Commission
56