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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-22-1996 Called Meeting CALLED MEETING COMMISSION-COUNCIL CHAMBERS April 22, 1996 City Council convened at 12:00 Noon, Monday, April 22, 1996, the Honorable Larry E. Sconyers, Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Beard, Bridges, H. Brigham, J. Brigham, Handy, Mays, Powell, and Zetterberg, members of Augusta-Richmond County Commission-Council. ABSENT: Members absent included Mr. Kuhlke and Mr. Todd. Also present were Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission-Council; James B. Wall, Interim Attorney; and Cathy T. Pirtle, Certified Court Reporter. MAYOR SCONYERS: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Will the Special Called Meeting of the Augusta-Richmond County Board of Commission-Council please come to order. We're going to have the Invocation by Mr. Freddie Handy, Vice-Chairman; and then if you'll remain standing after that, we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance. THE INVOCATION WAS GIVEN BY MR. HANDY. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WAS RECITED. MAYOR SCONYERS: Do we have any additions or deletions, Ms. Bonner? CLERK: No, sir. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay. What's our first item of business, please? CLERK: The first item is the Proposed Organizational Structure for the new Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development. MAYOR SCONYERS: Who's going to handle that for us? Well, actually, the Project Manager is not here. Is Mr. Beard going to do it? CLERK: Mr. Beard. MR. BEARD: Yes. I thought we were going into the -- CLERK: We're on Item A, the Proposed Organizational Structure for the new Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development. MR. BEARD: Okay. Mr. Mayor, I think we all have received copies of this, and I would like to move that that be approved -- that structure be approved. The Project Manager submitted this project to us last week at the meeting, and I move that it be approved. MAYOR SCONYERS: We have a motion by Mr. Beard. Do I hear a second to Mr. Beard's motion? MR. J. BRIGHAM: I'll second his motion. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a second by Mr. Jerry Brigham. Further discussion, gentlemen? MR. HANDY: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, as you know, I was not available at that particular meeting. I have some concerns, and I would like to ask if this could be received for information only until we get some of my concerns answered, and then bring it back at the next meeting. I'd like to put that in the form of a motion, as I do need to understand just exactly what we're doing as well as how it's going to affect the whole department as a whole. MAYOR SCONYERS: We have a substitute motion by Mr. Handy. Do I hear a second to Mr. Handy's motion? MR. POWELL: Second. MAYOR SCONYERS: Second by Mr. Powell. Discussion? MR. BEARD: Mr. Mayor, I thought the Project Manager would be here so that he could possibly, if there were questions, that he possibly could explain this. As you know, we've been talking about, you know, this for the last few weeks. This was presented at one of the -- at the last meeting that we had. We've had this, and I think it's time to move on with this. Because HUD was down here last month, and I believe you were in on that, Mr. Mayor, that they are saying that we need to -- there are a couple of things that we need to do. And we need to get a structure, because then we can go on and move and get a director. And we are in need of a director because right now the whole organization over there -- we don't have a director, and I think this was one of the things that we are proposing, that we go on and accept this so that we can move toward getting a director. And I'll be happy to, you know, answer any questions if they have questions on it. I'll be happy to attempt to answer any of those questions that you have at this point, but I think to just keep putting this off and putting it off, we aren't getting anywhere with it. MR. ZETTERBERG: I think one of the considerations for moving it to today rather than waiting for a number of weeks until we have our formal meeting was the fact that there are certain state and federal grants out there and we don't have that expertise to take advantage of those things. And we were looking -- apparently, all of the people in the departments and the Project Manager were in agreement that this activity, the way it is structured, will deliver the services and support that are required for this critical agency. I can understand why Mr. Powell and Mr. Handy might like to have further discussions, but I'm not too sure that there's a need to make major changes in this organization. And if that's what we're waiting on, I would like to -- I'd like to hear that and would like to move it forward so that we can get on with consolidation and get on with helping in this -- fund these programs, or manage the programs. MR. BEARD: I might add, Mr. Mayor, that there's nothing new in this, other -- you know, just the structure here. The Project Manager met with the people in the department, and I think that the whole department is in agreement with this. And he explained it to us at the last meeting. MAYOR SCONYERS: Further discussion, gentlemen? MR. MAYS: Yes, Mr. Mayor. I guess probably my question is to Mr. Beard because I'm not on that committee. Lee, on the structure -- and I think you - - I don't have a problem with the structure that's on there. What I wanted to ask was on the vacant position in there on this structure where the financial officer is. Would that be the same as where the financial officer was that that position has been vacant or is this a new, revamped situation? MR. BEARD: No, this is not a new. This was a vacancy, and that vacancy -- we're already in the process of hiring that person. MR. MAYS: Okay. Well, I'll further my question then. And I don't have a problem, I'm just trying to get some info on it. Has any thought been given to -- I know at one time that salary was at a certain range and then I know it went -- I guess you can say it went backwards. Have you all moved it forward in a range -- I guess what I'm looking at overall is that you've got a lot of people -- not a lot of people, but the people that you have there, whether they came out of -- which government they came out of, but you've got some salary levels in there, and I guess what my concern is, is that in the responsibility of some of those positions, has that part of it been weighted out to a point of where they will be new and revamped in that whole overall new structure to where they will be basically paid in terms of ranking and responsibility? Because I had a concern maybe when we blended as to whether or not -- well, I won't use the term overpaid, but where you may have had some responsibility maybe from people, say for instance in the financial officer's category, as to whether or not that might need to be more than what it is in terms of us being where we are with this type of government and the responsibilities that are going to lie there. Because it would not definitely --the responsibility there financially is going to be more than what it was in the old existing City government, and so I think that's probably a little bit outdated at this point, and I don't know whether that's been upped to do that. Those are the kind of questions I would have. I don't have a problem with the structure, but I do think if we've got a number of people there, that we maybe need to look at what we've got down the line and where the new responsibilities are going to be in terms of the process that we are going to go after and seeking new monies and those responsibilities that are there, whether or not we have existing personnel that maybe could be shifted to handle some of that or whether, you know, we may need to do some outward advertising. Structure I don't have a problem with at all, but I just wanted -- if we were going to move on totally today, I just wanted to find out where we were in that category. MR. BEARD: Well, at this point we are talking about structure, vacancies, being given the authorization to do the financial person. We've looked at that, and that is being done by the Human Resources people and the people at -- who are presently in Community Development, the directors and those people that interviewed people. And we've been moving in that direction, and I think that we are at the point where that person can be hired at this point. But, you know, right now we're talking about the structure of the program. This is being recommended by the Project Manager, in consultation with the people over there, and, you know, I think most of us saw it last week, you know, the structure. MAYOR SCONYERS: Further questions, gentlemen, or discussion? MR. ZETTERBERG: I'd like to just call the question. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay, we're going to vote on the substitute motion first. That was to receive it as information; is that correct, Mr. Handy? MR. HANDY: Yes, sir. I don't have a copy of the structure. I don't have a copy of anything about this department, but it's my fault because I was not there. MR. BEARD: It's in the first part of your book. MR. HANDY: But I need to look at it before I can vote for it. I'm not against it, but I just need to look at it. Because I don't even -- I can't be against something I don't know anything about, but I don't even have the information. MR. MAYS: Mr. Mayor, does Freddie have a time frame in his motion, if he was going to delay, if there was information that you wanted to find out as far as when you -- MR. HANDY: Till the next meeting, that's what I said, Mr. Mays. MR. BEARD: Well, we must remember that, you know, it's going to be two weeks before we meet again. You know, we don't meet next week. It's going to be May whatever -- about the second week of May before we meet again, and -- MR. HANDY: Mr. Beard, excuse me, if we're only doing the structure, what difference does it make about the two weeks? You said we're just doing structure, we're not putting anybody there, so two weeks ain't going to make no difference. MR. BEARD: Well, the point would be, I think without the structure we can't -- you can't move on anything else. MR. HANDY: But if you do the structure now, you're not going to move on anything else until the next time we meet anyway; right? So why can't we do it all at one --we're going to have to have a legal meeting today. If we can just postpone it until we have our legal, then that way I'll get a chance to look at the organization and I may be satisfied with what I want to see, if you want to do that. I'll accept that if you'd like to do that. MR. BEARD: Okay. MAYOR SCONYERS: All right, let me understand what we're saying. You want to come back and vote on it after the legal meeting? You want to change your motion to that, the way I understand that? MR. HANDY: Right. That's okay, Lee? MR. BEARD: Yes. MR. HANDY: Okay. That'll be fine. MR. POWELL: I'll second that motion. MAYOR SCONYERS: All right. Mr. Handy's motion was, with the addendum added to it, that we would receive it as information, give him time to look over it, and then come back after the legal meeting and vote on it; is that correct? MR. HANDY: Yes, sir. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay. Does everybody understand? All in favor of Mr. Handy's motion, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MOTION CARRIES 8-0. MAYOR SCONYERS: Item B, please. CLERK: Item B: Authorization to proceed with recruitment for position of Department Director. MR. BEARD: Mr. Mayor, this goes back over some of the things that I just recently said. According to the people in Atlanta, the HUD people in Atlanta, they're saying that we need to go on and hire a department director. And because of the funds and because we are behind, we have -- now, we've had an interim director, Mr. Patty, but he's had a lot of other things to do. He's in Planning and he hasn't been able to do most of this, so this is being kind of left out. And it was the recommendation of not only the Project Manager but also the people from HUD that we need to get started on this because of the funds and, you know, get this person in place so we'll have some direction as to where to go. MAYOR SCONYERS: Is that in the form of a motion? MR. BEARD: I move that we approve this proceeding for recruitment for the department director. MR. ZETTERBERG: I'd like to second that. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay, Mr. Zetterberg. Discussion, gentlemen? All in favor of Mr. Beard's motion, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MR. H. BRIGHAM AND MR. HANDY VOTE "NO." MOTION CARRIES 6-2. MAYOR SCONYERS: Item C, please. CLERK: Item C: Recommended designation of Interim Department Director. MR. BEARD: Mr. Mayor, the Project Manager met with some of the people in the department, and he was going to recommend Ms. Serena Rogers as the interim department director. And he was doing this because Ms. Rogers is the person who's been working there, she's the administrator there, and he had perceived that -- and he talked with Mr. Patty on this, and Mr. Patty just doesn't have the time, and at this point in time we need someone there to give direction. You've got two -- you have the County and the City people that merged there, and they're over there and they need someone there on a day-to-day basis to give them some direction; and, therefore, he was going to recommend that an interim director be appointed, and that person is Ms. Serena Rogers, and I so move. MR. ZETTERBERG: Second. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a motion by Mr. Beard, seconded by Mr. Zetterberg. Discussion, gentlemen? MR. MAYS: Yes, Mr. Mayor. I don't have any problem with us moving today, the only question that I was going to ask: If you're delaying Item 1, then I guess how are you really moving on Items -- quite frankly, Items 2 and 3, if you were going into legal and you're dealing with that afterwards? I think we may need to back up and just deal with everything we're dealing with or don't deal with anything, you know. I mean, you've got, quite frankly -- like I said, I have no problem, and I voted for the structure that you've got there. But, you know, not being on that committee, I'd like to -- I kind of would like to -- I'm like Freddie in a way, I'm going to separate names from where we're going with structure to a point up and down on this thing in terms of top salary for Economic Development director, financial officer, the whole nine yards, because I had a problem when I saw that financial officer's money that's out there, period. I'm not so sure that -- your structure's fine, but I'm not so sure that your whole basis of monies don't need to be redirected in there, and you may be overloaded with some situations in there. Now, if you're moving into an interim deal today, you know -- I mean, we've got interims up and down the line in the whole government. You know, we've still got, technically, almost now three administrators. You got a Project Manager, you know, you got making decisions, you got a Suburban Administrator, an Urban Administrator. You know, whether you're taking Economic Develop-ment and CD and totally putting them together, whether you're having some separation in there, and I'm just not so sure whether you --and I think Ms. Rogers is doing an excellent job in terms of her area and where she is in there and of letting them continue if you're going to set a time frame of going out and hiring somebody. Because I'm not so sure whether or not we -- and this is not -- and I'm like Freddie again, maybe this is not the setting to deal with some personnel and dealing with it in here. I think something that important, if Bill was going to recommend it, then maybe Bill ought to be in here, because I got a question or two in there as to where some of this maybe needs to go, and that's absent of any personalities. MAYOR SCONYERS: Further discussion? MR. H. BRIGHAM: I thought the suggestion was that we look at the structure after the legal. And certainly to start with names at this point, I was just wondering whether we should have waited since it's a personnel matter. And I think that -- I'm sure that Ms. Rogers can do a fantastic job with it, but I was just wondering how is that going to overload her if she already is doing it and then we add the whole department to her. But I think that's something -- I'm kind of like Mr. Mays, it probably, personnel-wise, should have been discussed other than in this setting, in my opinion, and I was hoping that that first motion -- I thought that took care of this, for a while anyway. MR. BRIDGES: Call the question. MAYOR SCONYERS: Mr. Bridges called the question. All in favor of Mr. Beard's motion that we appoint Ms. Rogers as the interim department director, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MR. H. BRIGHAM, MR. HANDY, AND MR. POWELL VOTE "NO." MR. MAYS ABSTAINS. MOTION FAILS 4-3-1. MAYOR SCONYERS: Item 2, please. CLERK: Item 2 is a legal session. MR. HANDY: So move, Mr. Mayor. MR. H. BRIGHAM: Second. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a motion by Mr. Handy, seconded by Mr. Brigham. MR. WALL: I think the motion should recite that it's to cover certain litigation matters as well as real estate matters. MR. HANDY: So move for that also. I accept that. MR. J. BRIGHAM: You might want to add personnel to it. MR. WALL: And one personnel matter. MR. HANDY: Okay. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay. Is that so noted? CLERK: [Indicates affirmatively.] MAYOR SCONYERS: All in favor of the motion, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MOTION CARRIES 8-0. [LEGAL SESSION, 12:38 - 2:26 P.M.] [MR. MAYS AND MR. ZETTERBERG ABSENT AFTER LEGAL SESSION.] MAYOR SCONYERS: Good afternoon again, ladies and gentlemen. We'll resume our meeting at this time. Ms. Bonner, do you want to go back to Item A, I believe? CLERK: Item A is to accept the Proposed Organizational Structure for the new Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development. MR. HANDY: So move, Mr. Mayor. MR. H. BRIGHAM: Second. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a motion by Mr. Handy, seconded by Mr. Brigham. Further discussion, gentlemen? All in favor of Mr. Handy's motion, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MOTION CARRIES 6-0. MR. H. BRIGHAM: Wasn't there another part of that motion, Mr. Handy? MR. HANDY: He's going to come up with it next. Ms. Bonner is going to handle it. Number two, Ms. Bonner. CLERK: Item B: Authorization to proceed -- MR. J. BRIGHAM: We've done done that one. MR. HANDY: We've done that one. Go to C. CLERK: Item C? MR. HANDY: Right. CLERK: Recommended designation of the Interim Department Director. MR. HANDY: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion that you write a letter directing Mr. George Patty to authorize Ms. Serena Rogers to be the office manager of this department until we find a permanent director. MAYOR SCONYERS: Okay. And you want him to remain as interim department director? MR. HANDY: Yes, sir. And then Ms. Serena Rogers will be over the day- to-day operations of that office. MR. H. BRIGHAM: Second. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a second by Mr. Brigham. Further discussion, gentlemen? All in favor of Mr. Handy's motion, let it be known by raising your hand, please. MOTION CARRIES 6-0. MAYOR SCONYERS: Anything further, Ms. Bonner? CLERK: No, that's it, sir. MR. POWELL: Move we adjourn. MAYOR SCONYERS: I have a motion by Mr. Powell that's non-debatable. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 2:29 P.M. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission-Council CERTIFICATION: I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission-Council, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Called Meeting of Augusta-Richmond County Commission-Council held on April 22, 1996. ______________________________ Clerk of Commission-Council