Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-24-2001 Meeting I ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - September 24, 2001 1:00 P. M. PRESENT: Hons. Bob Young, Mayor; H. Brigham, Chairman; Kuhlke, Co- Chairman; Beard and Cheek, members; Jim Wall, Attorney; Walter Hornsby, Deputy Administrator; Vanessa Flournoy, Staff Attorney; Donna Williams, Interim Comptroller; Ken Kraemer, Augusta Regional Airport Director; Brenda Byrd-Pelaez, ~uman Resources Director; Ron Crowden, Interim Fleet Manager; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission. Also Present: Stacey Eidson of The Metropolitan Spirit, Heidi Williams of The Augusta Chronicle, other members of the news media, and Hon. Williams and Mays, Commissioners. The Clerk: Items 2 and 6 are the same item so we need to delete Item 6 and we need to add a report from the Aviation Commission regarding a called meeting they held this morning. Item 4 should also be pulled. Mr. Cheek: I so move. .l\1r. Kuhlke: Second. I Motion adopted unanimously. The Committee first considered the report from the Augusta Aviation Commission. Ms. Wilhelmi: The Commission met this morning to discuss the plummeting employment figures being received at Augusta Regional Airport and they voted to direct our Executive Director to immediately convene meetings to effect an unspecified percenta.ge for reduction in force that would more closely approximate the level of demand for those employees. We would ask for your concurrence in this unfortunate action. It is a very serious situation. Mr. Cheek: Is there a possibility of transferring some of the staff to other open positions in the government? Ms. Wilhelmi: Yes, there is. Mr. Kuhlke: I move approval. 1\1r. Cheek: I second it. I Motion adopted unanimously. 1. Motion to upgrade current pay grades and job descriptions in cooperation with Augusta Richmond County's Human Resources Department and to standardize salaries with the Augusta Richmond County Fire Department. I Mr. Cheek: I move to approve. Mr. Kuhlke: I'll second it to get it on the floor. After a short discussion, the motion was adopted unanimously. 2. Motion to approve authorizing the Director of Recreation and Parks, with the approval of Human Resources Director and Administrator, to offer up to mid-point of the salary range for the position of Athletic Supervisor to a qualified candidate. Mr. Kuhlke: I so move. Mr. Cheek: Second. Motion adopted unanimously. 3. Discussion of the fleet policy regarding the assigning and decaling of city- owned vehicles. (Requested by Commissioner Williams) Mr. Williams: We have a vehicle downstairs that does not have a decal. I Mr. Hornsby: It is true that it is a state law and should be done for all City-owned vehicles other than certain Public Safety vehicles. Mr. Williams: Mr. Siddall had stated in a previous letter that it was an unwritten rule that some vehicles .did not have decals. Do we know why this was done? Mr. Crowden: The fleet policy was passed in April of 1997. That policy gave certain powers to the Administrator to manage the fleet and it was a point of discussion. It was my understanding after talking with Harry that he met with Mr. Oliver and it was decided by Mr. Oliver at that time, who felt he had the authority given to him by the policy and it is in the fleet policy that the Administrator has that authority, not to decal certain cars. That is why Harry used the term ''unwritten policy". Since that time we have researched the decal as a state law and it was introduced as a House Bill 682 in 1999. It wasn't passed until sometime in the year 2000 and the effective date was supposed to be August of 2000, but apparently there was some more discussion at the State legislature which caused it to be implemented in January of2001. It in fact became a law, however, when House Bill 682 was introduced. It identified the decal law as a specific title and section number, but when you go to that title and number; you find it reads something concerning the millage tax. Mr. Wall found that it went into effect in January of2001. It is also for some vehicles in the Fire Department as well and I think I we are looking at three vehicles that need to come into compliance. The only exception _ 2 I to the law as it is currently written is that a local ordinance may be passed which exempts specific vehicles but it must be in compliance with the requirements for law. Until that is done, there are no exemptions other than the ones listed in the law so that means we have the Mayor's car in question, the Administrator's car and two in the Fire Department. Mr. Williams: I wanted to know about the policy for signing vehicles in and out for use. Mr. Crowden: The drive home policy that was adopted in Option B did not address turning in any vehicles. They addressed only the issue of who was authorized to drive vehicles home. It was discussed about the pooling and so forth, but in my opinion based on. what is written, there was nothing that dictated or mandated turning in vehicles. It was disapproved for certain people to drive vehicles home, and these vehicles remained with their respective departments. I did not see any change in policy and Option B was adopted in which 30 of the vehicles which were previously driven home were then not authorized to be driven home. That took effect May 1. ]'vIr. Hornsby: We found out on Friday about the law being passed and the Administrator will look at that when he comes back. I lVIr. Beard: I'm going to make a motion that we accept this as information and ask that we review the ordinance and seek clarity on what is said about other cars and we get a report back. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. IvIr. Mays: If this is not in an ordinance form, then perhaps it needs to be referred to the Attorney and let him bring it back to us for additional clarity. Motion adopted unanimously. 4. Approve staff recommendation to reprogramming of (not to exceed) $25,000 in CDBG funds to pay for consultant services to market Laney Walker Ii:nterprise Zone incentives and provide technical assistance to small, minority and female owned businesses wanting to locate in Enterprise Zone. The Clerk: The Mayor asked that this be deleted and referred back to the staff. 5. Approve amending Proposed 2002 Action Plan by decreasing CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program by $260,000, deleting Augusta Mini Theatre ($64,000) and direct $200,000 to Meadowbrook and McDuffie Woods Park projects and $124,000 to the Economic Development Revolving Loan Program. I After a short discussion, Mr. Cheek: A motion to approve. 3 Mr. Mays: I would like to see in the motion that rather than having a deletion, that you are just moving those funds since the particular project is not at the stage where the funds can be used. This way the funds can be returned at the time when they are needed for the project. The department can also look at additional areas to be included for eligibility due to the population growth. I Mr. Beard: Second. Motion adopted with Mr. Kuhlke voting "No". ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Lena 1. Bonner . Clerk of Commission nwm I I 4 ~ ADMINISTRA TIVE SERVICES AGENDA COMMITTEE ROOM - September 24, 2001 l:OO P. M. 1. Motion to upgrade current pay grades and job descriptions in cooperation with Augusta Richmond County's Human Resources Department and to standardize salaries with the Augusta Richmond County Fire Department. 2. Motion to approve authorizing the Director of Recreation and Parks, with the approval of Human Resources Director and Administrator, to offer up to mid- point of the salary range for the position of Athletic Supervisor to a qualified candidate. 3. Discussion of the fleet policy regarding the assigning and decaling of city-owned vehicles. (Requested by Commissioner Williams) 4. _Approve staff recorn.p1en~ation toreQrQgra!TIJIlin,g Qf (I1()! !Q~~~~e_d) $~?,_QOOjn CDBG funds to pay for consultant services to market Laney Walker Enterprise Zone incentives and provide technical assistance to small, minority and female owned businesses wanting to locate in Enterprise Zone. 5. Approve amending Proposed 2002 Action Plan by decreasing CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program by $260,000, deleting Augusta Mini Theatre ($64,000) and direct $200,000 to Meadowbrook and McDuffie Woods Park projects and S124,000 to the Economic Development Revolving Loan Program. 6. Motion to approve authorizing the Director of Recreation and Parks, with the approval of the Human Resources Director and Administrator, to offer up to mid- point of the salary range for the position of Athletic Supervisor to a qualified. candidate. I .