HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission Meeting January 16, 2007
REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
JANUARY 16, 2007
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:10 p.m., January 16, 20007, the
Hon. Deke Copenhaver, Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. Holland, Smith, Grantham, Harper, Hatney, Beard, Williams, Cheek,
Bowles and Brigham, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Also Present: John Manton, Attorney’s Office; Vanessa Flournoy, Staff Attorney; Fred
Russell, Administrator; Lena Bonner, Clerk of Commission.
The invocation was given by the Reverend Sheryl Sinch, Pastor, Christ Church Unity.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
Mr. Mayor: If you could hold on a second, we have a little something for you. Please
join me in the pledge. Reverend, if you could come forward, please, ma’am.
The Clerk: On behalf of the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and members of our commission we
are delighted and it’s a pleasure to have you with us today. We appreciate that affirmation in
that decision to happen on our behalf. Thank you and we enjoyed having you with us today and
as a token of our appreciation we have named you our chaplain of the day.
The Mayor: Thank you so much. Madame Clerk, if we could move on to our
recognitions.
RECOGNITION(S)
Employee of the Month Award
A. Lt. Jack Womack, III, Augusta Fire Department, December 2006 Employee of the
Month.
The Clerk: Mayor Copenhaver. The employee recognition committee has selected Jack
Womack, III as the December 2006 employee of the month for the city of Augusta. Mr.
Womack has been an employee with the city of Augusta for nineteen years. He is currently a
Lieutenant with the Fire Department. Lt. Womack was nominated by Battalion Chief Bolgla.
Lt. Jack Womack was nominated for his exceptional performance. He is always the first to
volunteer to teach new recruits the skills of the ladder. He volunteered for the rope rescue team.
To quote his battalion chief, he is a great asset because of his love for the job. Lt. Womack also
volunteered to assist with the Annual Holiday Widows Baskets that are given out. He drove to
South Carolina, picked up several cases of fruit and arranged most of the baskets himself. The
committee felt that based on the recommendations that Lt. Womack’s dedicated and loyal service
to the city of Augusta would appreciate you joining us in awarding Lt. Jack Womack, II,
employee of the month for the month of December. (APPLAUSE)
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Lt. Womack: I don’t have much to say. First of all, I just thank the Lord for everything
and thank my family who stand behind me, and thank Chief Bolgla for putting me in for the
award and thank the committee for selecting me. Thank ya’ll. (APPLAUSE)
The Clerk: I just want to say, we worked with Jay for a number of years in the Mayor’s
office and he was a tremendous asset to our department and I missed him and he’s quite
deserving of this award. Congratulations. (APPLAUSE)
Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities
C. Mr. David Oliver Doswell II, Staff Writer Metro Spirit and the Metro Spirit, December
19, 2006 article “Christmas in Bethlehem”. (Requested by Mayor Pro Tem Betty Beard)
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor, I have a couple of items I would like to read. And the first one
is, note from the editor Metropolitan Spirit, December 21 to 27, Volume 18, Number 21. Note
from the Editor: David Oliver Doswell II, reads Ralph Waldo Emmerson and John Locke like
many of us read John Clancy or Stephen King. He loves rich language and deep subjects and
he’s entirely self-taught. This week we asked him to write about something that we have
pondered for much of the past year, the neighborhood of Bethlehem. It’s a community in
Augusta bounded by Railroad Avenue, Old Savannah Road, Wrightsboro Road, McCauley
Street, Poplar and Clay Streets. Bethlehem has some of the richest history in the city. When
Doswell met Addick Scot Powell at her home in Bethlehem, a home that she can date to days
before the Civil War, he learned of the neighborhoods connections to the construction of the
Augusta Canal, the building of the road to the Capital and Teddy Roosevelt’s victory at San Juan
Hill. To Powell, the neighborhood is a glorious place. She talks of the relatives of Pearl S. Buck
and of Frank Yerby who walked these streets. She speaks proudly of four religious school
systems developed there, including those that would beget more Moorehouse College and Paine
College. She herself has proved of what a fine education one could find there. A graduate of
Paine College, she went on to earn two Masters degrees, one from our and one from Atlanta.
Yet today, Bethlehem is mired in poverty and neglect. We asked Dowell to reflect on the
neighborhood, a place that once spawned great thinkers, musicians and business people yet fell
through the years into grave disrepair. Dowell understands such things. His reflections are not
intended to answer the questions why or what now. They’re not a call to charity, for Doswell is
a conservative but believes the bootstraps are the best tools for raising people. But his history is
an opportunity to pause the need, the metaphorical star, to ponder Augusta’s once thriving
neighborhood named after the birthplace of Christ and to ask, why have we turned away from it.
That’s the first one and the article is simply magnificent. If you have not read it you must. And
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now I’d like to take you to another item. A press release dated January 3, 2007. City of
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Augusta enters National Partnership. It fostered diversity and inclusion. December 19, 2006,
the City of Augusta joined a growing number of cities across the nation in a partnership to build
inclusive communities through committed efforts to increase citizen participation and
engagement while prompting equal opportunity and fairness. The partnership of working toward
an inclusive communities, an effort led by the National League of Cities, unites city leaders who
are working to support such issues as racial justice and exclusionary zoning as well as those who
celebrate the diversity of race, religions and cultures in order to build communities that are
accepting and representative of the differences among its citizens. Increased involvement by a
wide representation of citizens and governmental activities will also be a hallmark of these
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inclusive communities. By joining this partnership, Augusta is not only reaffirming its
dedication to its citizens locally but it’s commitment to building a nation of inclusion that NLC
President James C. Hunt, council member from Clarksburg, West Virginia. Through this
partnership we hope to bring together the collective will of cities in order to build strong, viable
communities across the nation. As part of this commitment Augusta has passed a resolution
reaffirming its pledge to promote inclusion and it has been since the National League of Citizens.
The city will also display a sign that serves as an indicator and daily reminder to its citizens that
the city is working to build and inclusive community. Members of the partnership will raise
awareness and focus attention on the importance and value of inclusive communities, motivate
other cities and towns to make a public commitment to building inclusive communities and
provide support to local officials and focus efforts around affordable housing, race and ethnic
relations and equal citizen participation in community decision making. And I want you to know
this vote was unanimous on this commission and that is why we have called them today to thank
them for their fine article and to recognize them from it. At this time I’ll turn if over to the
Mayor.
The Mayor: Okay, first off it’s a Certificate of Recognition presented to the Metro Spirit
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for the December 19, 2006 article “Christmas in Bethlehem”. The city of Augusta recognizes
and appreciates your efforts to acknowledge the historical value and the much needed
revitalization of this once thriving community as we move forward in the National League of
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Cities Partnership for working toward inclusive communities initiative. Given this 16 day of
December, January 2007, Deke Copenhaver, Mayor and Betty Beard, Mayor Pro Tem.
Congratulations. (APPLAUSE)
And the second certificate of recognition is presented to Mr. David Oliver Doswell, III,
staff writer for the Metro Spirit on behalf of the August commission and the citizenry of Augusta
we extend to you our appreciation for the significant contributions exemplified through your
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historical walk in the December 26, 2006 article “Christmas in Bethlehem”. The city of
Augusta recognizes and appreciates your efforts to acknowledge the historical value and the
much needed revitalization of this once thriving community as we move forward in the National
League of Cities Partnership for working toward inclusive communities initiative. Give this 16th
day of January 2007, Deke Copenhaver Mayor and Betty Beard Mayor Pro Tem. (APPLAUSE).
Mr. Doswell: Thank you very much. I really appreciate, thank you, Mayor. Thank you
Mayor Pro Tem. It means a great deal to us to be recognized for something we think is very
important and that’s taking a look at difficult issues in this city and we promise to keep looking
very deeply.
Mr. Grant: I just want to say thank you to every one. This award means a lot. It
represents a lot more than journalism, I was kinda, I didn’t know much about journalism when I
got started, Tom kinda convinced me that the integrity of journalism is not lost and um, I’m
convinced our republican press will rally together and um, I want to thank the commission, Fred
Russell, Mayor Copenhaver and thank you. Thank you, Betty Beard, this means a lot to me and
um, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
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Ms. Beard: And, Mr. Mayor, I would like to say Mr. Doswell had a book signing on
Saturday and if you didn’t know, that is correct, isn’t it? And I’m looking forward to purchasing
one and I hope the others will go back and check it out. Which bookstore was it? Borders.
Thanks again.
RETIREMENTS
C. Lt. John Baxter, Augusta Fire Department 37 years of services.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Certificate of Retirement given to John Baxter, Lieutenant for 37
years of dedication, loyalty and service to the city of Augusta and the Augusta-Richmond
County Fire Department, congratulations to you on this milestone achievement of retirement.
We extend to you our deepest appreciation for your devoted service and best wishes for an
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enjoyable retirement. Given unto my hand this 16 day of January 2007, Deke Copenhaver,
Mayor. Congratulations. (APPLAUSE)
Mr. Baxter: Lady and gentlemen, I’d like to say thank you to the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem
and all the commissioners for this. It’s been a pleasure serving in this capacity and I’ve enjoyed
it so much but it’s time to go do something else. (LAUGHTER)
Thank you so much.
The Clerk: Now we ask that Mr. Randy Teasley of the Augusta Animal Control
Department. He’s retiring with 25 years of service.
Mr. Mayor: Certificate of Retirement given to Charles Randy Teasley, Animal Services
Director for 25 years of dedication, loyalty and service to the city of Augusta in the Augusta-
Richmond County Animal Services Department. Congratulations to you on this milestone
achievement of retirement. We extend to you our deepest appreciation for your devoted service
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and best wishes for an enjoyable retirement. Given under my hand this 16 day January 2007.
Congratulations.
Mr. Teasley: Thank you Mr. Mayor, it’s been an honor serving. Thank you,
commissioner, I’ve enjoyed it but all good things must come to an end.
Mr. Russell: Mr. Mayor, if I may, the um, Randy has served in a lot of capacities here,
with the Fire Department, with our communications division. When I first got here he was a
supervisor dispatcher with the Communications Division and his hair was not gray. It’s got gray
in the past several years at Animal Control. So thank you, Randy, for a job well done.
Employee of the Year
BEmployee of the Year Award.
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Mr. James: Mr. Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, I’d like to say greetings from the Employee
Recognition Committee. As we do at the beginning of each year we take this opportunity to
explain what the Employee Recognition Committee does as far as the Employee of the Month
goes and then we present to you the Employee of the Year. The Employee of the Month
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program started in July of 2000. Each month one employee, one city of Augusta employee is
selected as Employee of the Month. Each department throughout the government is allowed to
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submit a nomination each month, by the 5 of the month to the Employee Recognition
Committee and the committee selects an employee based on work performance and duties done
off and on duty. The winner of the monthly, Employee of the Month receives one day off with
pay and a Letter of Accommodation from the Mayor. The Employee Recognition Committee is
made up of Joyce C. Ford, from Housing and Community Development, Theresa Russell from
the Marshall’s Department, Linda Hand from the Recreation Department, Jim Williamson from
Public Works and myself Chris James from the Fire Department. At this time we will have
Joyce Ford, Theresa Russell and Jim Williamson introduce the winners of each month who won
Employee of the Month in 2006.
Mr. Ford: Good afternoon Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, to the Commissioners and to all of
you. B.J. Rucker from Public Services, he won December 2005 Employee of the Month. Mr.
Rucker was nominated because of the pride and great attitude he exhibits whenever he starts a
project. He has sacrificed his weekends on several occasions to insure that tasks are completed
in a timely manner. He is also very innovative in finding ways to be cost effective with funds
and man-hours. His dedication and hard work has led him to become a leader for the
construction job. January. Brian Alan Cameron. Mr. Cameron was nominated for his efforts
during a call to a structure fire on Windsong Way. Upon arriving on the scene the crew was
notified that there were animals and possibly one occupant inside. Firefighter Cameron entered
the residence and located a dog. The dog was taken outside and revived by a rescue breathing
administered by Firefighter Cameron. A second dog was also located by Lt. Johnson who
brought the dog to Firefighter Cameron who began treating that pet also. Firefighter Cameron
used his medical training to provide care on these family pets. He revived them to a stable
condition and they were transported to a veterinarian hospital by the neighbors. February.
Charles Wells, Augusta Utilities. Mr. Wells was nominated for his actions and intervention
during a serious health issue for a fellow coworker Ricky Greene. During a lunch break Mr.
Wells noticed that Mr. Greene was showing symptoms associated with experiencing a stroke.
He immediately called for assistance and an ambulance was also called. Other employees helped
to keep Mr. Greene calm but it was Mr. Wells’ quick intervention that was the key in Mr.
Greene’s outcome. Thank you.
Ms. Russell: Theresa Russell for those of you all who I don’t know yet. April’s monthly
winner. William Dickerson, the Augusta Regional Airport. Mr. Dickerson was nominated for
orchestrating the move of the current tenants at the Augusta Regional Airport into the new
concourse. He worked many hours coordinating with the individual airlines, local utility
companies, contractors and the construction program manger to insure that the transfer from one
facility to the next was successful. During the transfer ad airline was not familiar with the
networking process so Mr. Dickerson stepped in and performed the networking for their system,
which allowed the airport to meet their deadline as well as saving money both the airline and the
airport. May’s winner is Chris Sawyer, Augusta Recreation and Parks. Chris was in charge of
the local track and field event and the Georgia Recreation and Park State Track and Field. He
ran a very successful local track meet for boys and girls that was combined for the first time in
Augusta Recreation Track history. He worked with the marketing coordinator to insure that
sponsors received the team schedules and other sponsor perks. Chris sets goals and achieves
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them. He will assist with any and all programs. He has an outstanding attitude and was selected
as the April employee of the month for Recreation and Parks as well. June. This was a duo.
Debbie Freeman and P.C. Abraham from Information Technology. They both exhibited a true
commitment to developing and implementing a web based system to track and identify vendors.
As a result of their dedication the DBE Department has the capability to register vendors and
capture the contract information. The program was required and integration of the Procurement
Department and Accounting and the Licensing Department. They were both creative and
proactive in their performance. The August winner was Richard Russo, Public Services. Mr.
Russo organized a training session at his residence to allow fellow employees the opportunity to
renew their CDL permits for their job requirements. He is constantly involved in motivating
other coworkers to strive to do their best. Mr. Russo is a role model for new employees. And
now Mr. Jim Williamson from Public Works.
Mr. Williamson: Mayor and members of the commission. Our September winner was
Mr. Robert Brandon with the Augusta Regional Airport. Mr. Brandon volunteered to extend the
safety zone around the runway that was in danger of becoming a violation of the FAA. With the
help of the staff the work was completed within one week and saved the city approximately
$48,000.00. His ability and knowledge to do these unexpected tasks have proven to be
invaluable. It is this dedication that makes him stand out among his coworkers.
The October Employee of the Month was Mr. Glenn Dukes with Public Services. Glenn
was very instrumental in several major projects including a new facility for the Recreation
Department that included street, wall and ground lighting at Barrett Plaza and upgrading power
service to the security gate at the levee for utilities. Glenn’s quality of work in the electrical field
is unsurpassed. Glenn is very dependable and can be fully relied upon to complete projects on
time or ahead of given due dates. His recommendation was enthusiastically endorsed by Judge
Dudley Bowen Jr. in his letter. Judge Bowen states that Mr. Duke’s work is exemplary, his
attitude is immensely positive and his example to other men is admirable.
The November Employee of the Month was Michelle Pearman from Information
Technology. Ms. Pearman was nominated for her invaluable service to several geological
information systems, GIS projects. One such massive project was at the Magnolia Cemetery
which she collected GPS points of gravesites. That had to be a tough job there. Another project
was for the Augusta Canal which she designed and produced an updated National Heritage Area
Map. She along with Augusta Canal employees walked the trails to record GPS points of
interest. Michelle is also the creator of the GIS newsletter, I read it all the time, which is
distributed to keep readers informed of the latest GIS news. Ms. Pearman has shown that she
will do what it takes to get the job done. She has become an indispensable employee on the GIS
team. And at this time I’ll turn it over to Ms. Linda Hand and she’ll select the winner.
Ms. Hand: The winner’s already been selected. It is indeed a pleasure to do this, as this
is my sixth year on this committee, I would like to congratulate each one of you. You’re all
winners. Commissioners, Mayor, these are some of the best employees you’ve got. I believe
Richmond County as twenty-six hundred employees but these are the outstanding ones.
Definitely. (APPLAUSE). Prior to introducing the 2006 winner I’d like to introduce to you
some of our previous winners. Tom Moraetes with the Augusta Boxing Club is in Atlanta today.
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He’s the winner for 2001. Gerald Wall, he’s with Augusta utilities. When Gerald got his award
I think we actually had to go get him out of a sewer somewhere. He was working so hard. John
Tully with the Augusta Airport, 2003 Employee of the year and Kenneth Settles with Public
Works. He was our 2004 winner and then our 2005 winner was Ralph Jenkins with the Augusta
Fire Department. All outstanding employees. (APPLAUSE) Each year when we make this
selection it gets harder and harder and ya’ll are great, but our winner this year is Glenn Dukes.
(APPLAUSE)
Mr. Dukes: I want to thank everybody involved (INAUDIBLE).
Mr. Mayor: I’d like to say thank you all for all of your hard work and for all that ya’ll do
for the city and thanks to all of our employees, we’ve got some great ones and um, just all of
your work is very, very much appreciated so thank you all. (APPLAUSE) All right, Madame
Clerk, on to the consent agenda.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor, our consent agenda consists of items 1-51. That’s items
1-51. For the benefit of any objectors to our planning petitions, when the petition is read, and if
there are any objectors, would you please signify your objections by raising your hand.
PLANNING
1. To approve a zoning petition from a zone changing, a zone from a zone light industry to a
zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property located on Bobby Jones Expressway at Gordon
Highway.
2. Is a request for a change of zoning from a zone R-1A (One-family Residential) to a zone R-
3B (Multiple-family Residential) affecting property at 109 Alexander Drive.
4. A request for change of zoning from a zone R-1 (One-family Residential) to a zone B-1
(Neighborhood Business) with a special exception to establish a group of retail buildings.
5. Is a petition for special exception to establish a church at 3856 & 3868 Karleen Road. And
for the record comes with some stipulations.
6. A request for special exception for property located at 412 Greene Street.
7. A request for special exception for property located at 611 Laney-Walker Boulevard
Extension.
8. A request for special exception for property located at 3201 Riverstone Drive.
9. A request for special exception for property located at 3564-A Jack Kelly Road.
10. A request for a change of zoning from a Zone A (Agriculture) to a Zone B-2 (General
Business) affecting property located at 4267 Deans Bridge Road.
11. With conditions a request for a change of zoning from a Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business)
to a Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property located at 1704 Jenkins Street.
12. A request for change of zoning from a Zone A (Agriculture) and Zone R-1B (One-family
Residential) and a Zone R-1C (One-family Residential) to Zone LI (Light Industry). Are there
any objectors to those planning petitions?
Mr. Cheek: None noted.
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The Clerk: I call your attention to the Public Services portion of our agenda, for the
alcohol petitions. Once the petition is read if there are any objectors would you please signify
your objection by raising your hand.
PUBLIC SERVICES
13. A request for a retail package beer and wine license to be used in connection with 635 Laney
Walker Boulevard.
14. A request for an one premise consumption beer and wine license to be used in connection
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with 129 9 Street.
15. A retail package beer and wine license to be used in connection with 232 Sand Bar Ferry
Road.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to those petitions?
Mr. Cheek: None noted.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, do we have any items? Mr. Williams.
Mr. Williams: If Ms. Bonner could read that one for Laney Walker. What number was
that Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: Number 13, item 13.
Mr. Williams: Item 13?
The Clerk: It’s to deny that petition.
Mr. Williams: Okay, I just want to make sure that that’s the ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
The Mayor: Okay. Do we have any other, any items to be pulled for discussion?
Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Item 17, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to pull Item 10, Item 39.
The Clerk: Just a minute, Mr. Williams. 10 and 39?
Mr. Williams: Yes, ma’am. 44 and 46.
Mr. Cheek: 44 and 46?
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Mr. Williams: 44 and 46, Mr. Mayor. 10, 39, 44. I just want to get some clarity on a
couple of those if I can.
Mr. Mayor: Are there any other items to be pulled for discussion? We will now move on
to any items to be added to the consent agenda.
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to add number 53 to the consent agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mayor, I’d like to add number 52 to the consent agenda and change it
from a denial to an approval.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir, I got a little problem that change that Mr. Brigham wants to
make. I’d like to hear from Planning and Zoning so maybe we need to hold that one just to ---
Mr. Brigham: Okay.
Mr. Williams: I mean if there going to be a change I’d like to know what ---
Mr. Brigham: I’m sorry I had the wrong number.
Mr. Williams: You had the wrong number?
Mr. Brigham: I had the wrong number.
Mr. Williams: Okay, scratch that, Mr. Mayor. He had the wrong number.
(LAUGHTER)
Mr. Brigham: Those things happen.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Are there any further additions to the consent agenda?
Mr. Manton: Mr. Mayor, number 13 on the denial of the application for Back Hap Ja
Son. I think we should put it in the record Mr. Mayor, grounds for denial and some of those
grounds matters came before the same commission back in 2005/2006 which was denied.
The Clerk: Why don’t you just put it on the record now and then you don’t have to pull
it?
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Mr. Manton: Put on the record the basis for denial. Is that Richmond County code 265 --
- look at number 9, congregation of minors that this is directly across from the neighborhood, I
forget the name of the basketball court directly across from ---
The Clerk: M.M. Scott Park
Mr. Manton: Also look at 6-26511 for a previous denial of revocation ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: I want to add 54 to the consent agenda, Mr. Mayor, too, as well.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Do we have any further additions to the consent agenda?
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, you can add number 55 to the consent agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Any further additions to the consent agenda?
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor, is ---
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: --- there any reason for us to go into a discussion with the agreement with
Georgia Power’s relocation of facilities? If not, I would like to add that to the consent agenda.
Mr. Mayor: 63.
The Clerk: Which one is that?
Mr. Brigham: That’s 63.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, any further additions to the consent agenda?
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Mayor Pro Tem Beard.
Ms. Beard: --- if item 62 can be added and if so with the understanding that I will remain
a member of the Finance Committee.
Mr. Williams: I’ve got some problems ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: I’ve got some problem with that one. We need to discuss that one I think.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay. Any further additions to the consent agenda? Hearing none, I would
look for a motion to approve the consent agenda.
Mr. Cheek: So moved.
Mr. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioners --- Madame Clerk.
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, before we carry the motion on that, could we please read the
planning items that were added to the consent agenda for the benefit of any objectors?
Mr. Mayor: Please.
PLANNING
53. A recommendation for requesting a change of zoning from a Zone A (Agriculture) to a Zone
B-2 (General Business) affecting property on Wheeler Road.
54. A change of zoning from a Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to a Zone B-2 (General
Business) affecting property located at 1439 and 1441 Twelfth Street.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to those planning petitions?
Mr. Brigham: None noted, Madame Clerk.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just for clarities sake that was a motion on 54 to
concur with a recommendation of Zoning and Planning to deny.
The Clerk: And 53 to approve.
Mr. Cheek: Correct. Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, if there’s no further discussions, commissioners will now vote by the
usual sign.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
1. Z-07-11 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE with the condition that if the sale is not completed in one year
the zoning shall revert to the current (Light Industry) zone; a petition by Meybohm
Commercial Properties, on behalf of Fort Gordon Land Partners, requesting a change of
zoning from Zone LI (Light Industry) to Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property
containing approximately 45 acres located where the southwest right-of-way line of Bobby
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Jones Expressway intersects the northwest right-of-way line of Gordon Highway. (Tax
Map 068 Parcels 010, 010-03 and 126) DISTRICT 5
2. Z-07-12 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Brandon Scarboro, on behalf of Bobby J.
Scarboro Jr., requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1A (One-family Residential) to
Zone R-3B (Multiple-family Residential) affecting property containing approximately 2
acres and known under the present numbering system as 1009 Alexander Drive. (Tax Map
008-3 Parcel 059) DISTRICT 7
3. FINAL PLAT – THE LAKES AT RAES CREEK 9FKA THE ENCLAVES AT RAES
CREEK) – S-696-B-II – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County
Planning Commission to APPROVE a petition by Southern Partners Inc., on behalf of
Richmond Development Partners LLC, requesting final plat approval for The Lakes at
Raes Creek. This residential subdivision is located off Amli Way and contains 36 lots. 1-3-
07)
4. Z-07-01 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE with the conditions listed below a petition by Forum
Development Group, on behalf of James F. Mills et al, requesting a change of zoning from
Zone R-1 (One-family Residential) to Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) with a Special
Exception to establish a group of retail buildings which would exceed 15,000 square feet of
area per Section 21-2 (a) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond
County affecting property containing approximately 2 acres located on the east right-of-
way line of Walton Way Extension, 750 feet, more or less, south of Pleasant Home Road.
(Tax Map 016 Parcels 050, 052-04, 052-03) DISTRICT 7. 1. There shall be no development
or other encroachment in the 100-year floodplain except for connections to sewer lines if
necessary; 2. The only access to the property shall be a new intersection on Walton Way
Extension in the vicinity of Hebron Court to be paid for by the developer of the subject
property. This intersection shall also provide access to the apartment complex across
Walton Way Extension. The intersection shall be signalized and the cost of equipment and
installation shall be borne by the developer of the subject property. If the new signalized
intersection is determined not to conform to the AASHTO standards, then the new zoning
classification shall revert back to the previous classification. 3. There shall be no access to
Walton Way Extension except at the new signalized intersection. An additional right in,
right out access point that serves the entire development may also be permitted. If out
parcels fronting on Walton Way Extension are created there shall be no access easements
placed on plats and deed of such parcels. 4. Illumination at the rear of the complex is a
potential impact that can be mitigated by the following: ? A fence, wall or solid vegetative
screen shall be located along the entire floodplain at least six (6) feet above the elevation of
any retaining wall or fill a that location. ? For building walls facing the floodplain on the
creek side of the property, all building wall lights shall be directed down the building, not
outward; ? In the rear parking area there shall be full cutoff lighting that does not shine
into the floodplain. 5. That the only development of this property other than development
of this property other that development allowed in the R-1 and R-1A zones shall be an
upscale shopping center consistent with the concept plan in the file. If site plans for such
development are not presented within two years of approval of the rezoning then the
zoning of this property reverts to R-1A. If development of the property does not begin
within three years of approval of the rezoning, then the zoning classification reverts to R-
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1A. 6. That the Storm water system shall be built to detain a 100-year storm and release it
at no more than 90% of the predevelopment rate.
5. Z-07-02 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Samoan Christian Fellowship, on behalf of Dallas
Blume, requesting a Special Exception to establish a church per Section 26-1 (a) of the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting property
containing 6.60 acres and known under the present numbering system as 3856 & 3868
Karleen Road (Tax Map 139-4 Parcels 004 & 005) DISTRICT 8
6. Z-07-03 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Michael Griffin requesting a Special Exception to
utilize a structure for residential purposes in a P-1 (Professional) Zone per Section 20-2 (b)
of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting property
containing .19 acres and known under the present numbering system as 412 Greene Street.
(Tax Map 047-2 Parcel 302) DISTRICT 1
7. Z-07-04 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Bernard Johnson, on behalf of Bernard Johnson
and Laney Walker Memorial Park Inc., requesting a Special Exception expanding an
existing cemetery and bringing the entire cemetery into zoning conformance per Section
26-1 (m) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting
property containing a total of approximately 11.39 acres and known under the present
numbering system as 620 Laney-Walker Boulevard Extension (aka 611 Laney-Walker
Boulevard Extension) (Tax Map 061 Parcels 015 & 015-05) DISTRICT 1
8. Z-07-05 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Keystone Homes requesting a Special Exception to
establish a sales office in a model home in Riverstone Subdivision per Section 8-1 (f) of the
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting property
containing .42 acres and is known under the present numbering system as 3201 Riverstone
Drive. (Tax Map 004 Parcel number not yet assigned by Tax Office) DISTRICT 7
9. Z-07-06 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE a petition by Southern ERA Ministries, on behalf of Elaine
Williams and Pete Coleman, requesting a Special Exception to bring an existing church
into zoning conformance per Section 26-1 (A) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for
Augusta-Richmond County affecting property containing approximately .75 acres and is
known under the present numbering system as 3564-A Jack Kelly Road. (Tax Map 144
Parcel 030 & 031-01) DISTRICT 8
11. Z-07-10 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
commission to APPROVE with the condition that the only use of the property be limited to
those uses permitted in a B-1 zone and a furniture restoration business staffed by
handicapped individuals; a petition by Coldwell Banker Commercial Sherman &
Hemstreet, on behalf of Usher Paint and Supply Co., Inc., requesting a change of zoning
from Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property
containing .29 acres and is known under the present numbering system as 1704 Jenkins
Street. (Tax Map 035-4 Parcel 488) DISTRICT 1
12. Z-06-10 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE with the conditions listed below a petition by M. Vernon Smith,
on behalf of Crowell & Company, Inc., requesting a change of zoning from Zone A
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(Agriculture) and Zone R-1B (One-family Residential) and Zone R-1C (One-family
Residential) to Zone LI (Light Industry) affecting property that contains 8.98 acres and is
located on the west side of Barton Chapel Road, 125 feet south of the southwest corner of
Edison Drive and Barton Chapel Road. (Part of Tax Map 053-2 parcel 113) DISTRICT 3.
1. 20 foot buffer on all sides of the property. 2. Signage limited to what would be permitted
in the B-1 (Neighborhood Business) zone. 3. The only uses of the property shall be the
??
following: Any use permitted in the R-1C (One-family residential) zone Mini
??
warehouses, 22-1 (b)-(9) Business park, 22-1 (b) (11) Wholesale, storage and warehouse
?
facilities, 23-1 (b)(1) Lumber, feed and other similar storage yards, but not salvage yards,
??
coal yards, or junk yards, 23-1 (b)(2) Uses of a light industrial nature …, 23-1 (b) (3)
Storage of construction equipment and other heavy equipment and trucks in excess of one
ton capacity and having three or more axles, 23-1 (b) 4. Substantial conformance to a
preliminary site plan with purchaser having the option to change the driveway to realign
with Sharon Road. 5. Purchaser agrees to provide circular driveway for egress/ingress at
1715 Barton Chapel Road as long as property remains residential. 6. Purchaser will
develop property whereas any existing water runoff will be corrected. Site plan approval
will address water run off concerns of adjacent property owners. 7. Dirt berm will in
installed with agreeable planting by all parties. 8. Purchaser will adamantly pursue the
BEST mosquito control for the area.
PUBLIC SERVICES
13. Motion to deny a New Application: A. N. 07-01: request by Back Hap Ja Son for a retail
package Beer 7 Wine license to be used in connection with Corner Mini Mart located at 635
Laney Walker Blvd. District 1. Super District 9. (Approved by Public Services Committee
January 9, 2007)
14. Motion to approve new application: A. N. 07-02: request by Linda K. Evangelista for an
on premise consumption Beer & Wine license to be used in connection with Cock N Dawg
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Bar & Grill located at 129 9 St. There will be Sunday Sales. District 1. Super District 9.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
15. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A. N. 07 – 03: request by Haren
Parikh for a retail package Beer & Wine license to be used in connection with Ankur
Parikh Investments, Inc. located at 232 Sand Bar Ferry Rd. District 1. Super District 9.
(Approved by Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
16. Motion to approve an amendment to the grant contract with CSRA-RDC for recreation
and wellness services to senior adults, adding $6000.00 to the grant total, and to approve a
budget amendment related to this additional funding. (Approved by Public Services
committee January 9, 2007)
18. Motion to approve Purchase of Software, Services, and Equipment for the
implementation of Code Enforcement, Excise Tax, Business License, and Building Permit
Management software. (Approved by Public Services and Public Safety Committees
January 9, 2007)
19. Motion to approve a request by Richard Cutler for a Therapeutic Massage Operators
license to be used in connection with The Club at Raes Creek located at 3206 W.
Wimbledon Dr. District 3. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee
January 9, 2007)
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20. Motion to approve a request by Rhiannon Hubbard-Graham for a Therapeutic
Massage license to be used in connection with Rhiannon Hubbard-Graham at The Club at
Raes Creek located at 3206 W. Wimbledon Dr. District 3. Super District 10. (Approved by
Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
21. Motion to approve the issuance of an RFP or RFQ for the operation of the Newman
Tennis Center. (Approved by Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
22. Motion to approve, in resolution form, support of the Transit System Flexibility
Protection Act of 2006. (Approved by Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
23. Motion to rescind designation of the Olde Town Neighborhood as a Local Historic
District. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee January 8, 2007)
24. Motion to approve retirement of Mr. Charles R. Teasley under the 1949 Pension Plan.
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee January 8, 2007)
25. Motion to approve retirement of Mr. John W. Baxley under the 1949 Pension Plan.
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee January 8, 2007)
FINANCE
26. Motion to approve the abatement of taxes on Map and Parcel No: 040-0-075-00-0.
(Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
27. Motion to approve a request from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. regarding city
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sponsorship through the purchase of tickets for the 10 Annual Unity Breakfast.
(Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
28. Motion to approve a request from the Augusta BioBusiness Center for funding in the
amount of $90,000 for the Life Sciences Incubator Infrastructure Project subject to the
Administrator identifying a funding source. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9,
2007)
29. Motion to approve accepting the Preserve America Grant in the amount of $100,000
($50,000 in matching federal funds, $25,000 in in-kind contributions, and $25,000 in cash
donations) for the Wayfinding Plan, to be administered by the Augusta Convention &
Visitors Bureau; Approve amendment to the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau
professional services contract to reflect a name change and modify the Tourism Grant
Program and to keep under review with the CVB making periodic reports. (Approved by
Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
30. Motion to approve a request from the Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. regarding a waiver of
property tax on its land at 2546 Deans Bridge Road. (Approved by Finance Committee
January 9, 2007)
31. Motion to approve property insurance coverage for 2007 offered through
AFFILLIATED FM Insurance for a premium of $227,906 on a $50,000 deductible policy.
(Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
32. Motion to authorize Historic Augusta, Inc. to prepare and submit a 2007 Historic
Preservation Fund Grant application on behalf of the city of Augusta in order to produce a
series of walking tour brochures for Downtown Augusta. (Approved by Finance Committee
January 9, 2007)
33. Motion to approve refund recommendations from the Board of Assessors for 9
accounts. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
15
34. Motion to approve a request from the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History
regarding city sponsorship through the purchase of tickets for the Lucy Craft Laney
Heritage Gala. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
35. Motion to approve a request from Paine College regarding city sponsorship through the
purchase of tickets for the Masked Ball 2007. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9,
2007)
36. Motion to approve a request to refund the tax balance for property known as Map 36-4,
Parcel 168. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
37. Motion to approve 1% disability retirement (non-work related) under the 1977 Pension
Plan for Mr. Robert Harrison. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
38. Motion to approve 1% disability retirement (non-work related) under the 1977 Pension
Plan for Mr. Thomas Alley. (Approved by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
40. Motion to approve and accept an Easement Deed from Margaret Caughman.
(Approved by Finance Committee January 8, 2007)
41. Motion to authorize condemnation of a portion of Property #051-0-087-00-0 3934 Scott
Street and #051-0-088-00-0 3930 Scott Street, which are owned by Shanta White Wallace
for 16,675.30 sq. ft. of permanent easement area and 3,157.57 sq. ft. of temporary
construction easement area. Public Works Project: Belair Hills Subdivision Improvement
Project. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 8, 2007)
42. Motion to deny a request from Mr. Leroy Davis regarding an appeal for the removal of
solid waste charges from his tax bill. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
January 8, 2007)
43. Motion to approve and accept a Warranty Deed from Maxwell Richmond Hill
Properties, LLC for a strip of right of way on Richmond Hill Road. (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee January 8, 2007)
45. Motion to approve additional funding in the amount of $331,625.25 for the 8” waterline
relocation along Davis Road in conjunction with the GADOT, Davis Road Widening
Project. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee January 8, 2007)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
47. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Commission held January
2, 2007.
APPOINTMENT(S)
48. Motion to approve the appointment of Evett Davis to fill the unexpired term of Hardie
Davis on the Zoning Appeals Board representing District 8.
49. Motion to appoint Wilfred Hunt to the ARC Library Board of Trustees representing
District Six.
50. Motion to approve the appointment of Mr. Keith C. Brown to the Augusta-Richmond
county Coliseum Authority representing District 2.
51. Motion to approve the appointment of S. Renee D’Antignac to the Human Relations
Board and Robert Anderson to the Planning Commission representing District 4.
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PLANNING
53. Z-07-07 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE with the condition that an acceptable concept plan must be
presented to the Planning Commission Staff for review and recommendation before the
January 16, 2007 Augusta Commission meeting; a petition by Blanchard and Calhoun
Commercial, on behalf of McKnight Properties Inc., and MCC Inc. by Intermediary,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone B-2 (General Business)
affecting property advertised as two tracts; Tract A containing approximately 15 acres
located on the southwest right-of-way line of Scott Nixon Memorial Drive where the
Columbia County boundary line intersects and Tract B containing approximately 6.5 acres
located on the north right-of-way line of the off-ramp on Interstate 20, 535 feet, more or
less, east of Wheeler Road. (Tract A – Tax Map 22 Parcel 010-03, 010-02, 010-12 & 010-14
and Tract B – Tax Map 022 Parcel 026) DISTRICT 3
54. Z-07-13 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to DENY a petition by George H. Anderson Jr. requesting a change of zoning
from Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) to Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property
containing .17 acres and known under the present numbering system 1439 and 1441
Twelfth Street. (Tax Map 059-1 Parcel 428) DISTRICT 2
PUBLIC SERVICES
55. Motion to approve, in resolution form, support of the Georgia Transit Association’s FY
2007 Legislative Agenda. (No recommendation from Public Services Committee January 9,
2007)
OTHER BUSINESS
63. Agreement with Georgia Power for Relocation of Facilities.
Motion carries 10-0. [Items 1-9, 11-16, 18-38, 40-43, 45, 47-51, 53-55, 63]
Mr. Mayor: Okay and we’re gonna take two items first. We’re gonna take the Judicial
Center Subcommittee report, number 58.
The Clerk:
SUBCOMMITTEE
Judicial Center Subcommittee
58. Receive reportfrom the Judicial Center Committee on the status of the redesign after
budget approval, the land acquisition and a timetable for completion of the project.
(Requested by Commissioner Andy Cheek)
The Mayor: I know we now who you are but if you could state your name and ---
Mr. Kuhlke: Yes, sir. I’m Bill Kuhlke. Mr. Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and Commissioners
um, Mr. Russell asked me to come before you today and give you some update. I know that ya’ll
got some information last week when you met with the judges. But I wanted to tell you is that
basically the subcommittee has not done anything for the last two years and the reason for that is
17
the um, the referendum for the first SPLOST not passing then the second SPLOST passed, and
uh, the approach by the commission was to fund the judicial center as the funds came in. So the
schedule of those funds were to begin in the third or fourth quarter of ’08 and the project budget
had been reduced from roughly $80 million to $55 million. So we decided that it wouldn’t be
the right thing to do to move ahead and come up with the design until we could coordinate what
the cost of the facility’s going to be. Last week I met with Mr. Russell and he indicated that the
sales tax money is coming in basically ahead of schedule and that probably this committee
should begin to function again and as a result of the reduction in the budget we basically are
going to have to start over. From a property acquisition stand point I think we only lack
acquiring about three parcels of land uh, the price on those parcels have been agreed upon, it’s
just the legal process that we’re having to go through. So uh, I really have three things that I
need for the commission to consider today. One, and um Ms. Bonner I think handed out a list of
who’s on the Judicial Subcommittee. I guess with the time passed as it has I need to see if you
are still comfortable with the subcommittee and um, so that we can convene and begin to go to
work on this. The second thing is since we are basically starting over uh, we had retained the
architectural firm of Turner and Associates out of Atlanta. They’re a good architectural firm
however we’re gonna be starting over and I guess the question to you is do we continue to work
with Turner and Associates whom we have a contract with or do we start over there and re-
advertise for RFQ’s and select and architectural firm. And based on your answer to that if you, if
you decide to stay with Turner and Associates uh, then we would need some authorization for
the committee along with Mr. Wall who’s been representing the committee to negotiate a
contract, an extension of the contract that we already have with Turner and Associates and once
that’s done it would come back to you for final approval. So those three things Mr. Mayor, I
need some answers on if we’re gonna begin to get back on the Judicial Center project.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, just a couple of questions. Mr. Kuhlke, do you
um, know how much money is left in the account from the previous SPLOST allotted amount of
$20 million?
Mr. Kuhlke: The most recent report we got, we had about $16,855,210.00. That does not
include the three parcels, Mr. Russell, that we still have to buy. We had, early on we had
budgeted for property acquisitioned, let me tell you, of $3 million. I think we will be less than
$3 million when everything’s through. So what I’m projecting is that we, we’re gonna be
probably in the $55 million range as far as the budget goes on the Judicial Center.
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor, to follow up with that. Then this would leave you with
enough funds now to start the preliminary works as to what you need to do and to get either the
present architect on board to do the project or have another one. But what is the
recommendation from the committee based on Turner and Associates?
Mr. Kuhlke: Well, I’m, I would say Turner and Associates is a good, reputable
architectural firm. The advantage of staying with Turner is from a timing standpoint. They have
a grasp of the project. We did a project definition early on. That definition of the project is
going to have to be amended because of the dollar amount we’ve got. And it’s gonna have to be
18
phased in. They, going through the project definition phase, if you bring another firm in they’ve
got to absolutely start from scratch. Turner would have the advantage of amending what the
program that they already have. And to answer your question, let me caution you on one thing.
If we started today, or started in a week or so, it’s gonna take us a year to go through the
planning process, the definition part of it and have documents ready to go out for bids. We need
to make sure that if we go through that process, that when the plans are complete that we’re
ready to go after the bids and to be able to fund that project. Otherwise with costs escalating like
they have in the last year, we could have a problem.
Mr. Grantham: Right. Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Beard.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor I really do feel we should send this to Engineering, the three
questions and have them resolved and brought back before the commission.
Mr. Mayor: Would you like to put that in the form of a motion?
Ms. Beard: I shall move.
Mr. Grantham: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This list that was passed out being that my
name’s on there as one of the committee members, it’s been stated that we have not had a
meeting and not come together but I’m wondering, how much money have we spent already with
Turner and how much more would it cost if we go and do it over. I think that the bid is right I
think we better talk about that but since we hadn’t done anything, how much have we spent
already with Turner and Associates and then if we decide to continue with them which probably
gonna be the most feasible thing to do like you said because they’re already up and running so to
speak. So to go out for a bid for somebody else is gonna put us even longer. So how much
money have we spent and we hadn’t moved on? My other question Bill is that the amount of
dollars we got left. I think you said that the property’s been already uh, purchased for us price
wise, just some legal things we gotta do? Shouldn’t that be subtracted out and we’ll know
exactly how much money we got to work with. Can you give me answers to those two, Bill?
Mr. Kuhlke: Yes, and we have that information and uh, those funds unfortunately have
already been spent. The negotiations as we go forward is to tie down a fee schedule with any
architect we hire on what’ll it cost us if we forward.
Mr. Williams: Okay, and I guess my question is, how much money have we spent
already with Turner and Associates. I mean ---
Mr. Kuhlke: If this is going to committee I can have that, I’ve got it here but I don’t have
it, it’s broken out in different phases and I’d have to add it up. And I can’t do that that quick.
19
Mr. Williams: Okay and Mr. Mayor, my last question is since I’m on that committee and
I guess that’s why I’m asking this question, I’m on this Judicial Center Advisory Committee and
I was, I was just willing to think that we would know, the Administrator, somebody would know
how much money we done spent already with the firm. I mean, they ain’t waiting to get paid---
Mr. Kuhlke: I’ve got it. I’ve got it. If you want me to go down the whole list I’ll be glad
to do it. I didn’t want to pull them out ---
Mr. Williams: Who got what.
Mr. Kuhlke: If you don’t mind I’ll add it up and I’ll slip you a note in just a minute.
Mr. Williams: Okay, send me a note.
Mr. Kuhlke: Is that all right?
Mr. Williams: Send me a note.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner Williams. Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The reason I asked to have this put on the agenda is
an item of concern. I’m hearing today that we’re at least a year away from being able to go out
for contracts. That added to the year of inaction is probably from a value standpoint about a 2-3
million dollar impact on the project due to construction cost escalations. So we’re now able to
get less. The budget on this as a byproduct of the passage of the sales tax as been set for over a
year and I find it disturbing that the committee after having a fixed budget has not gone through
some of these preliminary actions that would have had us positioned to move on this in a much
more timely fashion. We are losing the ability to have a nicer judicial center because of the
delays and if we follow the current trends it’ll be three years before we start at the cost of about
$5 million of construction cost overruns if they stay at the current rate which is hard to say with
China and India taking up all the steel and many of the other products that we depend upon for
construction. I have no problem with this going back to committee uh, I know that we have the
money coming in over the period of the SPLOST, but there are funding mechanisms that would
enable us to deliver on the promise to the people that we would get this and other contracts and
construction projects underway as a shot in the arm to our local economy to provide jobs to our
people, keep the money and get these much needed facilities on the ground. Mr. Mayor, I’m just
concerned that I don’t see any change from the trends, and this has been dragging on for years,
years and years and it’s time to get this and many other projects on the road. I’ll be happy to let
the committee hash this over and come back with recommendations but I for one am very
concerned about staying the course knowing that everyday we are losing additional funds and
there doesn’t seem to be a departure from that uh, behavior. So I for one look forward to the
committee meeting, Engineering Services and moving forward on this and I will remind the
commission that we promised the people, that we would deliver this project as well as the
Convention Center and several others in a timely fashion. As quickly as we passed the SPLOST,
as quickly as we could get bonding and funding to provide jobs, economic infusion in this area
20
and we are not living up to that promise at this point and it doesn’t sound like we’re planning on
living up to that if we stay this course.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a --- Commissioner ---
Mr. Holland: Holland.
Mr. Mayor: My mind’s blank today.
Mr. Holland: I understand. Both of us have had a long day.
Mr. Mayor: Exactly.
Mr. Holland: I just want to know uh, in reference to the Advisory Committee, do we
have anyone on this committee that has dropped off. Do we need to replace anybody because I
see with Judge Overstreet in parentheses, we see Tom Gunnels’ name down here. So do we have
anybody that we need to replace on this committee? Because in meeting with the judges, I think
we discussed you know, keeping the same committee to keep from changing because we didn’t
want anyone to think that we were that far behind. So, do we need to replace anyone on this
committee and the way it sits, it sets up now?
Mr. Kuhlke: That’s a good question and with the time elapsed as it has you know, I need
to get back with all these committee members and see if they are willing to stay on. Basically
Judge Overstreet replaced Judge Fleming. Tom Gunnels is the court administrator and in a lot of
cases will sit in for the, for the judge.
Mr. Mayor: And I take it that I’ve replaced the previous Mayor as well.
Mr. Kuhlke: Yes.
Mr. Holland: Why don’t you say you gonna get with those committee members?
Mr. Kuhlke: Yes, sir.
Mr. Holland: How soon would we know that this committee has been revised?
Mr. Kuhlke: Well I’m, I don’t know. I’m assuming the Mayor Pro Tem’s motion, to go
back to Engineering Services that you probably want me to come back. Commissioner Williams
has asked me a question. I need to clarify that for him so I would know by the time you have
that committee meeting.
Mr. Mayor: Thanks, Bill. We have a motion and a second. If there’s no further
discussion, commissioners will now vote by the usual sign.
Motion carries 10-0.
21
Mr. Mayor: Okay, and we are now gonna move on to item 61.
The Clerk:
OTHER BUSINESS
61. Receive a report from the Richmond County Development Authority’s relative to the
proposed development plans in the next 12 months for the land located on Mike Padgett
Highway.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Sprouse. If you could state your name and address for the record please
sir.
Mr. Sprouse: I certainly will. I’m Walter Sprouse. I’m the Executive Director of the
Development Authority of Richmond County. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today to
answer any questions that you have. I trust everybody got a copy of this. We sent it last week
and uh, we wanted to know, I believe primarily about some information about marketing, not
only the Augusta corporate part but also some of the other things that the Development
Authority’s doing. And uh, what I have included in here is a copy of our ---. Before I tell you
what’s in here, somebody may have gotten some copies that look like mine where the color
wasn’t all that great on that. 90% of the time my printer does a great job but some of ya’ll may
have gotten some copies that were in that 10% and if you did, my apologies. We don’t let things
go out of our office like that but we we’re under a time crunch and so we wanted to go ahead and
get it out. So if you happened to get some of those maybe a little discolored, please overlook
that. But number one, we have our marketing plan, also something I think is very important is
what we based our marketing plan on and that was granting strategies in economic development
and marketing by Development Counselors International out of New York and then also there
was information in here about our display ads, some print ads also support data here about the
Augusta Corporate Park. All of our information here, all of our maps, all of our TOPO maps, we
even have one that is a sketch that I’m sure you saw of a 750,000 square foot building that we
have actually revived and working on that particular project at this time. And then there were a
variety, a number of news releases and stories and things such as that from the newspaper. So
um, with that information I’ll be more than happy Mr. Mayor and the Commissioners to discuss
any of this and in any detail you like.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Walter, for coming and sharing with
us and uh, we’ve had this property for quite some time and you know we uh, we propose an idea
of trying to build a facility out there that would bring over $30 million and uh, to this economy
for a, per year and that’s just on a one week event if we could’ve got the proposal we were
looking for. But I need to know from the governing authority what specific plans for that
location, now I got your report and your report had a lot to say but it didn’t tell me what I wanted
to know. It didn’t say it didn’t address that issue out there. You and I talked about this certainly
but we’ve had that property how long now, how many years have we been managing it I guess.
22
Mr. Sprouse: Uh, I’ve been here for four years and we’ve had it longer than that. I’m
guessing probably about eight or nine years.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Russell, how long have we been ---
Mr. Russell: We’re talking probably fifteen or so.
Mr. Williams: Fifteen or so. Fifteen, sixteen years that, and that’s not on your watch
Walter, I wanna be fair with you, I don’t think that you had anything to do with that then but I’m
asking the question I asked to that economic impact and we’ve gone, we own 1700 acres of land
that we know what the newspaper said and what they reported about the noise and how it said it
wasn’t gonna be an economic impact that we said. They had to throw that out the window. But
we don’t have anything else and I read your report about a mega site. It don’t take but 1200
acres to classify a mega site. So, if we got 1700 that means we got a mega site plus. And if we
got some development that’s coming, I think the Authority wants to work with this government,
I think the government wants to work with the Authority but we’ve got to do some things that,
that’s innovative. We just got through talking with Mr. Kuhlke about uh, the uh, new judicial
building that we want to build and we don’t have no funds. We hadn’t got, we were depending
on sales tax. I need to hear from you what plans are developing for that location and is gonna
take the 1700 acres? Is it gonna take half of that 1700 acres? What development plans do the
Authority have in mind in the next twelve months for that particular piece of property.
Mr. Sprouse: Thank you, Mr. Commissioner. I will tell you that um, I’ll begin to answer
that uh, and going back about a year and a half. One of the things that the Development
Authority did several years, and I think one of the reasons why there was so much inactivity on
that particular piece of property, was not really a lack of effort. I think it was a lack of the type
of prospects we’re looking because as you know, there are a number of medium to small size
companies that were looking here. One of the things we found out was that the smaller the
company the closer they want to be to an interstate highway. And that was one of the things we
looked at. And about a year and a half ago the Development Authority looked at this and
decided that the best thing to do would be to uh, to change the marketing entirely of this
particular property. Obviously that was not working. And so we decided let’s go ahead and take
a look at that instead of trying to sell 5 acres here, 10 acres there. And 8 miles away, 8.8 miles
from interstate 520, Bobby Jones Expressway, every time we would bring someone out there,
they’d always say, geez, this is beautiful property it’s really nice we could go right here, we
could do the plans for them. But if they needed to be within a mile of the interstate highway than
that just tossed out that project all together. The larger the project the greater distance it can be
away from the interstate highway. One of the projects we are working on right now is a facility
that is close to about 750,000 square feet but they would need a lot of space not only for that also
for associated industries. Right now they’re looking at about 1400 acres. Actually the usable
land out there, all that 1700 acres as you know, you can take a look at that TOPO map, you can
figure out not all the 1700 acres is usable. And so, we’re really pushing the limit on that
particular one right there, not only for this company but also for their associated companies just
to get them in. Actually it’s about 1300 acres of usable land but we’re gonna try to do some
other things such as whatever parking or something they may need but they also need some
green space around it too so that additional acreage would certainly help on that. We’re gonna
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continue to market it as a mega site. I think it’s important to notice that uh, there are a number of
sites throughout the state of Georgia that are, you can go on the website and find sites, 1000
acres, 1500 acres, 2500 acres. But there’s only three in the state of Georgia that has water,
sewer, the rail, the natural gas, five-lane highway and one owner. There’s only three of them in
the state of Georgia. So that’s what we feel is the best use for this particular property and uh,
that’s what we’re committed to do is to continue to not only market and work with this one
particular company that we just started about, about two and a half months ago, working with
this particular company and uh, and trying to stay in um, stay in the game on that particular
project there. If it works, if it pays off for us then we will be seeing a large number of uh,
investment but also a number, a large number of jobs too. One of the things that tipped the
scales for us was the fact that one of the requirements they said they need to be within 25 miles
of the interstate highway. Obviously that’s a major selling point for us because we can say for
the first time, we’re only 8.8 miles away from the interstate highway. In previous years we’ve
been having to apologize for that but we don’t apologize for that anymore. So um, so that’s our
goal uh, for that and to continue to market it.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I wasn’t finished responding but I was trying to get an answer
but I’ll give it to Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ll come back to you.
Mr. Cheek: Just a couple of questions. I read the brochure and it just seemed to me
Walter like we’re going to pursue the same marketing approach for this property that we have for
the last decade and a half um, question one I guess is are we, this company that we’re courting, is
it also looking at a site in Pooler, Georgia?
Mr. Sprouse: I don’t know.
Mr. Cheek: Is it an international automotive company?
Mr. Sprouse: I don’t know.
Mr. Mayor: And Commissioner Cheek I would hate, I don’t wanna interject too much
here but in economic development, you know there, it ---
Mr. Cheek: But, Mr. Mayor, the thing and, I don’t, I understand. I don’t want to go into
too great a detail. I don’t want to spoil anybody’s deal. But I got a piece of property, 1700 acres
that we’ve marketed the same for the last fifteen years, we’ve maybe made a few changes but
looking at the graphics and the report that you gave us, it pretty much indicated that we were
gonna pursue pretty much the same tact when it came to publications and other things and I
know of all the companies that we’ve courted to have our eggs in one basket with the hopes of
one uh, which may not be the case, that we haven’t closed, Mr. Mayor until you came along we
hadn’t closed a whole lot of deals. So my concern is that when I am gone and looking at all of
this from the outside, that in ten years that property is not sitting there, that we have returned it
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back to profitable status in this city and that we have industry out there instead of a place where
people are dumping trash. And uh, so I just don’t see and, Walter I pray and hope you’ll prove
me wrong but I didn’t see a whole lot in that report that indicated to me that we have a new fresh
approach to uh, bringing people in. I know that some corporations have had problems with the
rails berm, the heights of the bridges between here and the ports, that there are other issues with
the property, that subdividing it may be the way to go. Building spec buildings may be the way
to go. But have it sit idle for another ten years to me is an unacceptable condition and I’ll help
any way that I can to market it or do whatever but I just didn’t see a whole lot of difference in the
approach and I look forward to you proving me wrong.
Mr. Sprouse: Thank you, Mr. Cheek. I will tell you this, that um, we changed our
marketing strategy not only for that particular piece of property, at the beginning of 2005, we
changed a lot of things we did in marketing Augusta. We’ve spent a lot of time taking a look
and doing a lot of what other communities did and we realized we needed to change that, so we
did. If you take a look at that Development Councils International report, and notice that our
marketing plan that we changed the beginning of 2005. 2005 was the greatest year in the
Development Authority’s 30-year history as far as the number of investment and the number of
new jobs created. About $240 million in new investment and 1700 new jobs. Last year our
numbers were not as good investment wise but they were nearly as good on the number of jobs.
We just finished the report on that. It was about $125 million in investment and 1300 new jobs
and so in that past two years the Development Authority’s been responsible for the creation of a
third of a billion dollars in new investment just in Richmond County and close to 3,000 jobs and
I think I would put that record up um, with any community in the state of Georgia and
throughout the Southeast. As far as the marketing goes, yes sir we have changed the marketing.
As I said earlier we took a look at that property where it was small parcels here and there and we
decided to go after the larger type companies simply because it’s very rare to try to find a piece
of property, not only in Georgia but also in the Southeast that is a one owner piece of property
with all those amenities also. So um, well I appreciate the help of um, your offer of help, Mr.
Cheek and I certainly will um, call on you whenever we do need you on these projects.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Walter, thanks for this report and I feel like that
. As far as the information regarding
you know, with what we’ve asked, you delivered to us
this piece of property and what the Development Authority does, what I’d to see is that we,
and I’d like to put it in the form of a motion we receive this as information and that we
request you and the Development Authority to present a quarterly report to us in regards
to the progress you are making, not only on this property but on others as well uh, that you
are working in that direction.
Mr. Sprouse: I would welcome that.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion. Is there a second?
Mr. Smith: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for turning back to me. Walter, I need to ask one
question. You and I talked and we talked about a ’67 Chevy you had in the barn somewhere.
You still got that?
Mr. Sprouse: ’66.
Mr. Williams: ’66 you got in the barn somewhere and you and I talked about how much
money there are in automobiles and how, how people are amazed and just mesmerized with uh,
with sports cars and that kind of thing but I said, I like to say we’re talking about a study. We
paid $25,000.00 for this commission board to do the study. We had a man from the NHRA to
come in here and bring us a study, they didn’t charge, it didn’t cost us anything, they said the
same thing that a $30 million impact to this community would be, would be held and would be
felt every uh, year for, just upon that one impact alone. Now these people that you’re courting,
these other contracts, and other businesses that you’re looking at, are we talking about the same
type impact for the economy uh, per year plus local stuff and if you add everything together, and
I’m gonna estimate it at $50 million, I’m just gonna put a number out there. You know they give
us some numbers here so I can give you some too like that. Uh, fifty million impact uh, we
talking about per year for uh, a 250 acre, we’re not talking about the whole 1700 acres. I want
everybody to understand something else. We’re talking about taking that whole area. This
facility only needs 250 acres of the 1700 acres that we have. We still have the rest of it to do
whatever we need to do with it. But I just need to know from you are the impact that was given
back to us by the $25,000.00 we spent for that study, just a free study that we didn’t need to do
but we did it anyway, doing the same thing. Are we talking about something that’s gonna impact
this community, $50 million a year?
Mr. Sprouse: I think if this one particular company does locate, and once again we’re in
competition with a number of communities and I think we’re in good shape. Investment on this
would somewhere between $130 and $160 million dollars. That would be very significant and
the number of jobs would be very well paying jobs. That would be jobs everyday probably
employing around 600/700 employees average starting wage, 30/35 thousand dollars a year. I
think that would make a significant impact on the economy.
Mr. Williams: Well, then my last thing Mr. Mayor, I finished now, you recognized me
twice. I’m gonna do what you want me to do. But my mother told me a bird in the hand is
worth two birds in the bushes. If you got a prospect, if you got somebody who can produce that
kind of stuff and not take all of the land, I’m thinking we can do both of those projects, the
project you’re talking about and on the project that this Commission voted on. But uh, to, to not
be in uh, conditions to working together to try to be a collaborative group where we’re working
with whatever company comes in and whatever business comes in. I mean I don’t know what it
is. You know you hadn’t disclosed that but I think the Development Authority really needs to do
that, what Mr. Grantham said is show us some reports as to what’s been going on. We let ya’ll
run the show out there but I think we end up with the ultimate responsibility and we, those that
are gonna be elected, cause Mr. Cheeks ain’t gonna be here after this year, he gonna be gone.
I’m gonna follow him out the door. But as I follow him I’m not leaving Augusta, I’m still gonna
26
be in Augusta. I learned where all the bodies are buried at and I know where to go to how to get
‘em up so.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Beard.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor, maybe I need to pass on this. But I want to bring to the
audiences attention. I spoke to the Sand Hills Community last week and one thing I took with
them, I took the brochure, Good News Augusta, that was printed by Augusta Tomorrow and it
talked about the many activities and millions of dollars that took place last year and uh, it’s
bothersome for you to think nothing is going on in Augusta. With the hospitals much is going
on. We were in the Wall Street Journal. We were in Georgia Trend saying we were one of the
most looked at city’s now a uh, I think we’re ready to move forward. I think the entire
commission, and I’m gonna ask uh, our Clerk of Commission to run this off and pass a copy to
each. And I want you to join with us to move this city forward, period.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
Ms. Beard: Madame Clerk.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, and I really like the motion about report backs. We were, we
asked for that from all of our developmental authorities and we did the Economic Development
Summit. I think it’s time that, and I’ll go one further than the maker of the motion. I think that
we a, we are over due for a report back from our Economic Development Ombudsman. We are
over due for a report back from all of our, all thirty-one of economic development entities and
I’ll go so far as to say that none of these things had become to change until we called the summit
and started looking for measures and indicators of performance from all of these entities. And
that took place about three years ago. I’m not sure of what form and Mr. Mayor I’ll leave it in
your hands to call that summit and reconvene the groups and let’s see where we are versus where
we were when we convened the first summit. But I really think that it’s time that this body, and
as my twin brother has said, we’ll be gone at the end of this year, but what’s left to this city will
either be a continuation of the status quo or a continued improvement which I hope for and uh, as
far as, I won’t go into that, but uh, Mr. Mayor I’d just like to ask you as the leader of this city to
take that reconvening of the summit in the hand and I will support the motion.
Mr. Mayor: I’ll be happy to do it. We have a motion and a second. Commissioner
Holland.
Mr. Holland: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. I just wanted to mention to Mr. Sprouse that, I know
there was a lot of complaining about the racetrack and talking about the noise in reference to the
families and all that live out there in that area and I would hope that during your research with
bringing another company in that I would hope that your committee would really take under
consideration the environmental situation for those families that live out there because we
definitely could not, would not want to live with all the noise out there. We definitely don’t want
them to live with pollution out there. So we want you to take that under consideration, you know
also. Last week when we met Dr. Rahn from MCG came here and talked to us about a property
that they needed to expand and hopefully you might, your committee would get with Dr. Rahn
27
and talk with MCG about expanding and maybe placing a medical building out there for persons
with AIDS or a person with mental debilities that so we would have an area for these persons to
be placed rather than placing them right here in the city. Since we have 1700 acres out there
that’s not being used and hopefully you would take all of this under consideration when your
committee meets and make sure that the people that live in that area understand that what you’re
trying to do is for the benefit of the city and it’s environmental protection for them. Because we
don’t want any noise to disturb them and we don’t want any pollution to disturb them so please
take this all under consideration when you start making decisions in reference to the populace
that you’re bringing in.
Mr. Sprouse: Thank you, Commissioner Holland, and I will tell you this is that I meant
to bring along one of the questionnaires we get from many of the companies. We working right
now seventeen projects that on this particular project they gave us a set of questions not too long
ago and literally the question, the questions were on a stack of paper about that thick. By the
time we answered it all the answers were about like that. I do remember it cost us $93.00 to
FEDEX it out the next morning. But one of the things that we talked about on that was to
making sure that people know that Richmond County is an attainment county and an attainment
county, Atlanta is not, Macon is not, Columbus is not, Savannah is not as far as air quality and I
think that’s a testament to not only, and we were a non-attainment county which means we’re
very limited in the types of companies that we can bring in here. But what we’re doing is
working to recruit those kinds of companies to make sure that they meet the maximum standards.
In other words the industries in this county already have worked very, very hard to get all their
emissions down so that we will have good clean air and we want to keep it that way. It’s an
excellent point.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Walter, I appreciate your presentation. I think we really need to on to
the meeting. So we have a motion and a second. If there’s not further discussion commissioners
will now vote by the usual sign.
Motion carries 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Ma’am, I’m sorry we’re running through the agenda right now so if you’re
not on the, if it contains a certain agenda item. But right now we need to continue on with our
agenda.
Ms. Speaker: Yeah, I just wanna get you to --- Hyde Park. (Unintelligible)
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am, and we have the Hyde Park meeting next week and I
understand that that is an issue and we as a commission have discussed it so I’m, but I appreciate
your making you remarks but we do have a meeting next. Let’s move on the pulled agenda
items, Madame Clerk.
The Clerk:
28
PLANNING
10. Z-07-09 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to APPROVE with the conditions listed below a petition by Don Mathis, on
behalf of Edwin and Margaret Lavendar, requesting a change of zoning from Zone A
(Agriculture) to Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property containing approximately
26 acres and is known under the present numbering system as 4267 Deans Bridge Road.
(Tax Map 162 Parcel 25 and Tax Map 163 Parcels 007, 008, 009 025 & 025-01) DISTRICT
8; 1) that not recreation vehicle be in excess of 10 years old and 2) that a three month
maximum time limit per stay be enforced 3) that the property owner will file with the deed
to the subject property a disclosure containing the following language; The owner of the
property, and his successors, in exchange for the benefits derived from the subject rezoning
acknowledge that the property is situated in an area that may be subjected to conditions
resulting from military training and forest management as Fort Gordon. The activities
ordinarily and necessarily produce noise, dust, smoke and other conditions that may
conflict with the Owners’ use of said property. Owner hereby waives all common law rights
to object to normal and necessary military training activities and forest management
activities legally conducted on adjacent Fort Gordon and hereby acknowledge the existence
of Fort Gordon’s activities. Nothing in this disclosure shall grant a right to Fort Gordon for
ingress or egress upon or across the described property, and nothing in this disclosure shall
prohibit or otherwise restrict the Owners from enforcing or seeking enforcement of
statutes and regulations of government agencies for activities conducted on adjacent
properties.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Williams.
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. This was a item that came through uh, Planning and
Zoning to create a facility that we can, that someone can park recreation type RV’s at. And uh, I
was in support, it’s not in my district but I had a couple of questions. We talked about people
that can stay there for a three-month period and maybe some extended period but beyond that.
But the question wasn’t answered. What about the garbage pickup, what about the time
constraints? Who’s gonna supervise that? Who’s gonna make sure that those things are in
place? If we go and allow and, and, I’m not opposed to it. But I just think if we gonna have this
type of facility out there, those things got to be mentioned. The water has gotta be done. No one
can stay there for three months without water. They’ve got to have garbage pickup. You can’t
stay there for three months and not have garbage. Who’s gonna maintain? Who’s gonna make
sure, what was that going under Planning and Zoning or Planning, uh, the uh, Rob Sherman,
License and Inspection? How can before we approve this, how will we know those things are
gonna be in place I guess is my question.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Patty.
Mr. Patty: Yes, sir. He’ll have to do a site plan just like any commercial development
that shows the water service and sewer service and that sort of thing. As far as the, you know the
trash pickup and that sort of thing, I don’t know the answer to that. But he will have to have that.
29
Mr. Williams: And, and, and I wanna ask that question, George, before we vote today to
see how those things we’ve been talking about because if we pass it and then we hadn’t bring
that up it’s almost too late. So do we need to, how do we need to handle this Mr. Russell, what
do we need to do in order to, I’m not trying to keep the project from coming in, but I want to
make sure that the project is addressed at every issue.
Mr. Patty: The next step will be for him to hire an engineer and do a site plan that shows
in detail all of these things are gonna be handled just like a shopping center or anything else. It’ll
all have to come through your staff and be approved at staff level showing that he has adequate
water service and I don’t believe there’s sewer service out there so he’ll have to have a septic
system that conforms to the Health Departments rules and our rules and EPD rules and um, you
know he’ll have to go through all the approval processes that any developer does.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, can I make a motion we approve this with the, with the
uh, caveat that the site plan will be brought to this commission, to committee so we can
approve. I heard that plan is on the meeting and I’m not opposed I just think those are
some issues that we hadn’t addressed and those things need to be.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We have a motion. Is there a second?
Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion?
Mr. Williams: Excuse me, Mr. Mayor. Let me clarify the motion that’s to approve with
the site plans coming to this commission or to the uh, ---
Mr. Mayor: To committee.
Mr. Williams: --- to committee before anything is done. All right? Okay?
Mr. Mayor: I didn’t make the motion.
Mr. Williams: No, no. I wanna make sure what we voting on. You all know me. You
all done taught me, --- I’m leaving.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We have a motion and a second. If there’s no further discussion
commissioners will now vote by the usual sign.
Motion carries 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Next agenda item.
The Clerk:
30
PUBLIC SERVICES
17. Motion to approve a request from the Heritage Academy regarding a waiver of the fees
for the permits for the renovation work at the Houghton School located at 333 Greene
Street. (Approved by Public Services Committee January 9, 2007)
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. My concern about this is this is going to be a school
that, although it is a 501 which so many other people in this city are who haven’t had their fees
waived. We’re setting a dangerous precedent by allowing this to occur which would make it
possible for every other 501 to file for this. I see that they’re going to have architects or
engineers actually performing the inspections and working with us. I don’t think that in light of
the fact that this is a school that we can present ourselves in the position of liability by waiving
any of the normal processes that we require everyone else to go through in order to become a
licensed building and facility. I think this is, it sets a dangerous legal precedent and I think that
this also sets a dangerous financial precedent and administrative precedent by allowing people in
house to inspect their own property although they said the doors will open to our inspectors if we
don’t have a regularly scheduled series of inspections of each architectural milestone or
construction milestone within the property then there’s no guarantee that we’re going to get the
inspection of the quality that we need to make sure that we maintain a level of safety for the kids
.
in that school, the teachers in the surrounding areas that would be influenced by that property
So I’m gonna make a motion that we deny item 17.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion.
Mr. Hatney: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor we uh, we discussed that particular part of the request in
regards to um, the waiver of the fees and we were waiving the fees but not the necessary permits.
The permit is really what regulates the building code of what actually has to take place in the
construction and reconstruction of these projects. And the permits would have to be maintained
as far as if you had paid for those, paid the fees for those permits. All the school is asking us to
do is to waive those fees allowing them to receive those permits and then they’re still regulated
based on the permits themselves. So that was the discussion we had in our Public Service
meeting and discussed that particularly making sure that our inspectors would go and make sure
that the permits and that the work was followed out based on the need for that particular school.
So I don’t, I don’t see the cause of rejecting something on this basis when we are talking about a
historical location. We are talking about serving the people of that community, a hundred plus
students in that particular school. I feel like we’d be doing a disservice to deny this request to
those people. I’d like to amend that, we’d like to give a substitute motion that we approve based
on the condition of what I indicated and what our committee came out of the meeting with last
week discussing this particular issue.
Mr. Williams: I can second that, Mr. Grantham ---
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Mr. Mayor: Mr. Williams.
Mr. Williams: --- Mr. Mayor, I can second that if Mr. Grantham can make a little
adjustment to that motion and that’s to waive the fees but have our inspectors still inspect the
building. I agree with Commissioner Cheek. I think the price, the fee process ain’t gonna be
that great Rob, but I think that we still need to have those inspectors to go through. We had a
situation here with my partners one time, they caught on fire, they said we inspected everything
and evidently we didn’t. So I don’t think we can let a firm come in and then do the work and
then inspect themselves as well. But I think that the fee price for them ought to be something we
ought to be able to work with and then uh, have, have the license inspection to perform those
inspections and those fees. Can you work with that, Rob?
Mr. Sherman: We can. If I could just make a couple comments.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Sherman.
Mr. Sherman: The other, I guess the committee meeting the other day uh, the lady
representing the Heritage Academy was asking if you would consider waiving the fees um, and
that’s, that’s up to you to decide. They would still have to get a permit but there would not be a
fee for the permit. Now the code, the state code as well as our local ordinances provide that
when someone takes out a permit, a building permit for building, electrical or mechanical the
project has to be inspected. But also the state code as well as our local code says that a project
can be inspected through and affidavit. And what that says is that the professional engineer or a
person who is an engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer or uh, and engineer in
plumbing I think it is, they can, they have to draw the plans, they provide us certification when
the plan in submitted saying that the plans comply with all the codes. While they’re also
responsible for having the project inspected that the end of the project giving us certifications
that it is in compliance with the codes um, which again reflected in the compliance locally
adopted codes so, it can be done and it’s up to you to decide which way you want to go.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: My concern is that, and I have no problem with it, working with individuals
but when you start waiving the fees and you’ve not done that before then you open us up for
some real ridicule down the road. You know, I realize everybody, that money’s tight everywhere
but you have to be very careful setting precedents of this nature particularly, particularly right
now. Waiving of the fees, I have some concerns.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to ask the Attorney if we can even waive these fees? I
know these fees have to go into certain funds that are spent in only the regulation of these
permits. I’m not so sure that we can even waive these fees in that relationship. I’d like to hear
whether or not we can do that.
32
Mr. Attorney: Uh Mr., Commissioner Brigham, I did not do any research on this myself
and Mr. Shepard did provide an agenda, a memo on this matter and it appears to me that we can
waive the fees according to his memo. He set out a step and a process there of how we could do
it.
Mr. Brigham: Also, Mr. Mayor, we had asked that uh, Heritage Academy in the process
where they wanted the inspection done that they provide us with a letter from the architect or the
engineers saying that they would certify the inspections and I have not to date seen that letter and
I don’t even know if that’s been done or not.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am.
Ms. Tucciarone: I’m the Executive Director of Heritage Academy. Thank you for
th
allowing me to speak. The um, a letter was sent on January 10 to Marshall Masters from Nick
Dickenson, the architect and uh, if I might read this here, I believe this in his possession, I can
have copies for everybody. It say, on behalf of the owner the following professionals have
provided affidavits at the 2000 International Building Code and 2000 Life Safety Code affidavit
will be provided by Nick Dickenson and Jeff Drake the civil engineer. The 2000 Standards of
Plumbing code affidavit will be provided by Mr. Joe Green. The mechanical engineer, 2000 gas
code affidavit provided by Mr. Joe Green also, and the 2002 National Electric Code affidavit
provided by Ashley Paul, the electrical engineer. So this has been sent to Mr. Masters and I have
a copy here.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Last time I looked we have budget issues. Our
inspectors are paid by fees. If we’re expecting them to inspect without fees than that is going to
be an impact on they’re time and passing the cost along to other people having the inspection.
This, the number one reason for requesting this exemption of this is a 501C entity. If we are not
going to pass on this waiving of fees to every 501 that comes in here we are setting ourselves up
as precedent through this to treat people differently and I am not for that. The bottom line on this
is the most important process of construction is the inspection and verification that is done to
certify the building and I am one that’s also in favor of checks and balances. I don’t the people
involved in the construction who are benefiting from the project through whatever fees they’re
acquiring from that work, that they should be providing letters attesting to the quality of their
work. That’s the fox watching the hen house. My concern though Mr. Mayor is the precedent we
set, the impact on our budget by stretching our people and asking them to go do inspections
without the revenue being generated to return to that department for it’s operational costs. Those
are the reasons why and thirdly that we give the benefit of this waiver which I support your
work, but I don’t think that we can get in the business of providing a waiver to this group and not
provide it to every 501 in this city.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: I’d just like to go on record to endorse Mr., or Commissioner Cheek’s
statement. In committee I spoke and said pretty much the same thing. I’d like to just have that
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noted that I think we’re setting a bad precedent. I think when you’re looking at inspections you
know we have some liability there that we need to be concerned about. While I understand the
format that you’re going into there is some liability there and the cost issues are there too and the
precedent we’re setting by continuing this. It’s a great project, we have lots of great projects and
I’ve just got concerns that we’re setting a bad precedent.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we a substitute motion and a second. Madame Clerk, could you read
back the substitute motion, please?
The Clerk: Yes, sir. The substitute motion was to approve waiver of the fees and that
License and Inspection will conduct the inspection.
The Mayor: Okay, if there’s no further discussion, the Commissioners will now vote on
the substitute motion by the substitute sign.
Mr. Brigham, Mr. Hatney, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Cheek vote No.
Mr. Harper not voting.
Motion fails 5-4.
Mr. Mayor: All righty.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Mayor Pro Tem.
Ms. Beard: --- I would like to say one thing. You ought to try to do what is in the best
interest of the city and that is a totally dilapidated building. That’s going to be that way if this
project doesn’t go forth. And the next thing it’s the children. All children no matter where you
come from will be a part of that and I understand the test scores are really looking exceptional.
And I do, I hate to see this.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We now, are you ---
The Clerk: Go ahead. He said he voted. It didn’t show. The motion passes now with
Mr. Harper voting yes. It ties?
Mr. Mayor: No, it passes 6-4.
Mr. Brigham, Mr. Hatney, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Cheek vote No.
Motion carries 6-4.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, point of information, please?
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Cheek.
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Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, point of information. Question for the Attorney. Does this set
up a precedent by which we are granting status to this, this group uh, that if we don’t grant the
same dispensation to the other groups that we’re setting up ourselves for a potential lawsuit?
Ms. Beard: No, it doesn’t.
Mr. Cheek: I asked the Attorney thank you very much
Mr. Attorney: I’m not going to say at this time it does not --- can’t be sued. I can’t
answer that question however I think that it does set up a process for people who tend to apply --
- to apply to the Commission ---
Mr. Cheek: So we could have a windfall of people applying for the waivers and if we
deny them then ---
Mr. Mayor: Alrighty, I would say we voted on this motion the agenda item has been
disposed on so let’s move on the next agenda item.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
39. Motion to approve the acquisition of one compact 4X4 pickup truck (lowest bid offer on
bid 06-177) for the Utilities Department-Administration/Engineering Division. (Approved
by Finance Committee January 9, 2007)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams, was this yours?
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. I’ve got no problem. It says
Administration/Engineering. I’m wondering why are we buying the 4X4 pickup trucks for folks
who ride around and carry a ladder to somebody who’s gonna work on it. I’m just, it hadn’t
stopped, eight years now we’ve been doing this. Why are we buying 4x4 trucks for
Administrative-Engineering people now? I know what a 4x4 does, I know what it needs, I know
how it works and hear people talk about the bad conditions. But we ain’t had no bad conditions
in Augusta. Maybe ya’ll bothered were by some of that snow, you might need some of that stuff
but we keep buying these vehicles. Every week it looks like we come back and back and back.
We get sold, I don’t know how many vehicles that we just sold through an auction that we still
have. You look at State facility. The states still using cars from 1989, 1970. They’re still
running those cars. But we keep buying cars because there’s money in water works and because
there’s money we’re spending it. We ain’t paying an employee but we’re spending money Mr.
Mayor. I got a problem with this and I’m not gonna support it. It may get passed but I’ve been
ringing this bell every time I see it about buying these 4x4’s so somebody needs to tell me why
are we buying the 4x4’s and I don’t need an explanation about what a 4x4 does. I wanna know
why we buying for Administrative people to haul ladders around.
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Speaker: Ron Crowden, Fleet Manager. This vehicle has been assigned or will be
assigned to the inspections group of the Engineering Division. Engineering and Administration
are one in the same division within utilities. This vehicle is specifically for an inspector or a GIS
mapping specialist, which is just recently hired. So it will be going off road tracking anywhere a
sewer line or water line may go which a lot of that is off road. It’s behind houses, in back yards
and that kind of thing. I mean that’s why we went with the 4x4. It’s rough terrain.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Don’t we have some reserve equipment sitting around somewhere up on
Broad Street behind the building that nobody’s doing anything with that we can use when there’s
necessary to go to these facilities. And there are some times when we have to do that. I
understand that much. But when we keep buying automobiles because it’s another year, we keep
buying automobiles because that’s the growing trend. We spend 3 million dollars a year on
preventive maintenance, Mr. Cheek. We pay Fleet Management 3 million dollars to keep these
trucks up and we’re still buying new trucks. Now if we’re paying 3 million to keep the trucks
up, why do we have to buy a new truck? We ought to have something sitting there that we can
.
use in case we need to use itMr. Mayor I’m gonna get a second but I’m gonna make a motion
anyway that we deny this and find something at the stables up there and pull it out and use it.
Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion.
Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second. Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, about seven years ago when we first started questioning vehicles
it was called crazy vehicle policy to half the people to park the vehicles taking them home that
we drove to work everyday. Mr. Mayor we, while I agree that there is some rough terrain out
there this vehicle at best is gonna get about 20 miles per gallon and something similar, a 2-wheel
drive would probably get at least 30% better. The thing that we have and all of us have seen is
many, many 4-wheel drive trucks in the county inventory that leave the road less than 10% of the
time. If they’re doing existing lines they’re either gonna have to dig up the fences and walk
through the people’s back yards to do their GIS mapping or inspection or they’ll have to go park
the truck in front of the house and walk in the back yard to pinpoint it on the GIS map or do the
visual inspections. The bottom line is Mr. Mayor we need to start moving. And I have to agree
with Marion and I agree in this point that we have to start moving towards more fuel efficient
vehicles, less costly vehicles and rotating 4x4 vehicles in on as needed basis and keep them in
supply, something called a vehicle pool which is a wild concept for the city of Augusta to where
they can pull them in and use those as needed and then remain, keep the remainder of the fleet
out that would be a more efficient and less costly vehicle. This is the direction we need to go in
and I hope that, as we’ve said, we’ve sent this message back several times that, I know that they
36
go through rough terrain but the probabilities of them doing rough terrain 100% of the time is
zero. The realistic times they spend off in rough terrain is probably more in the neighborhood of
25-30%. Does that justify spending the additional 5-7 thousand dollars on a 4x4 and getting
worse gas mileage or could we let them drive 70% of the time in a 2-wheel drive vehicle, get
better gas mileage and then allow them to use one of the many 4-wheel drive trucks that are
driving the highways of Augusta-Richmond county most of the time to do their rough terrain
work and rotate the 2-wheel drive high mileage vehicle back over to the other people.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Commissioner Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: Sir, do you have a vehicle these folks can use?
Mr. Crowden: Not at the uh, not at the --- no sir.
Mr. Hatney: (Unintelligible)
Mr. Crowden: The only vehicles, we don’t maintain vehicles. We have three pool cars
for out of town travel at Fleet Management. All other vehicles are assigned specifically to the
specific divisions or departments of Augusta.
Mr. Hatney: And these folks wouldn’t have a vehicle at all? Don’t have no way to
travel?
Mr. Crowden: Right now they are sharing within that division, they’re sharing the
Engineering Division, they’re sharing two trucks for many of the inspectors. They still have
three positions they have to hire against. The two trucks are not really supporting to a 100% the
requirements of those inspectors. So if we add more employees but no resources, and I
understand you got to match, to the mission you have to match the resources both personnel and
other, okay. What we’re talking they have the manpower and they don’t have the resources right
now to make the manpower as efficient as they can. So they’re not producing as well as they
can. The argument about a 4x4, the only 4x4’s we have in Augusta fleet, within the fleet belong
to Utilities and Public Services. That’s where those vehicles are. Can there be borrowing.
There could. What works against the pool concept right now is that Augusta’s departments and
divisions are spread all throughout 364 square yards. I have Fleet management five different
locations. Now if we went into the concept that was discussed two years ago about the campus
of Public Works and Utilities that would be an excellent opportunity to implement a pool
concept. But as long as you got utilities at Bay Street, Tobacco Road and over this county it
makes it very difficult to pool your resources and make them as efficiently, as efficient as you
can. So one thing that works against us is we’re spread all over God’s creation.
Mr. Hatney: Thank you but you could get along without a 4x4 couldn’t you?
Mr. Crowden: Sir, I’m not the person to ask that question.
Mr. Hatney: But you could.
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Mr. Crowden: They have been doing that but you know, you do with what, you do your
job with what you have.
Mr. Hatney: With what you have. Okay.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Ron or Max, Mr. Mayor, can I ask Ron or Max a question.
Mr. Mayor: Go ahead.
Mr. Brigham: What percentage of the administration drives 4x4’s?
Mr. Crowden: I believe one SUV in Administration technically speaking. Mr. Hicks
shares that with about three or four different people.
Mr. Brigham: Okay, what about the engineers?
Mr. Crowden: You have an SUV, an F150, I didn’t bring my count with me but with the
best of my recollection there’s maybe two.
Mr. Brigham: How many other vehicles are in Engineering?
Mr. Crowden: In the engineering?
Mr. Brigham: Yes, sir.
Mr. Crowden: I think there’s a total, uh, seven.
Mr. Brigham: Seven. So we’re running less than 30% of two vehicles out of seven? Is
that correct or is my math off? All the engineers ---
Mr. Hicks: It’s not that we have trucks sitting there not being used. You can go down
and look at the parking area on Bay Street and it’ll be empty during the day except for a couple
of vehicles that we have that we use in and out. The rest of them are out being used and so they
are at work. The reason we asked for the 4x4’s is that I worked for three years in another city as
Director of Public works and there was an older fella who was in charge of the water and sewer
and he prided himself on being able to take a 2-wheel drive vehicle anywhere that a four wheel
drive could go. I happened to be with him one day when we got stuck in such a situation. It’s
just better if you’ve got a 4x4. Then you can go wherever you need to go and you really have to
make a bad mistake to get stuck. We could use a 2-wheel drive. There’s no doubt about it. It’ll
get you over the road. But if want to with confidence, go where you need to go where the job
requires, then it’s just better to have a 4x4. And that’s why we asked for the 4x4’s, for our
inspectors and our GIS personnel.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
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Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, I’m going to do this in writing one of these days because it just
doesn’t sink in sometimes. The pool doesn’t mean Fleet Management manages the pool. The
pool means each department takes their vehicles and they get a clip board and they put a set of
keys on it just like we do for 84 people in two vehicles then they sign it out as needed. You
could rotate the 4-wheel drives with the 2-wheel drives. It’s a simple concept that could be
handled within the departments. And for that to be this high over the thinking here is amazing.
We have reduced, we’ve reduced probably about 33% or so over the last few years fuel
consumption vehicles and get the same number of miles or more. Now it could be done here and
for us to go out and, and I’d like to drive with confidence too but if I’ve got to go into the field I
go get a 4-wheel drive suburban. If I’m going to a place where there’s pavement and a parking
lot I go get the van or a 2-wheel drive truck, or a car a small car from the pool. Now that is not
rocket science. And it’s something we can do here to save significant dollars and reduce the
thth
overhead cost of the fleet. Something we must do. We could do that on the 8 floor, the 6
floor over at Bay Street, out at Highway 25 and everywhere else Mr. Mayor and it’s just such a
simple concept and if I need to I’ll write this down in procedural form on out to get a clip board
and hang keys on it in the departments. But it’s something we need to do.
Mr. Mayor: Well, okay. And I understand and I think that might be a good thing to put
that in writing form but, are we ready to vote on this truck yet? We got a motion on the floor to
deny and we got a motion and a second. Commissioner Smith.
Mr. Smith: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to make a substitute motion to approve this
item.
Mr. Grantham: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have substitute motion to approve and a second. Okay, ya’ll ready
to vote it up or down?
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I think ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: --- the initial motion was to deny the 4-wheel drive. We just got through
selling about 200 vehicles two months ago at the action we had so I think the motion was to
approve. I just think we’re spending money on 4-wheel drives causing this kind of additional
money that we don’t need to be spending. So we could approve the truck, 2-wheel drive Max
that if they need something, go to whatever location they can find one. If they go somebody
sitting out on the curb get that truck and go on out there and come back. Okay, we need to
approve the truck. I’m not trying to hold it up Mr. Mayor but I think we’re talking about a 4-
wheel drive that we don’t need.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, would you be, Mr. Smith willing to amend your motion to a 2-wheel
drive?
39
Mr. Smith: No, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. All righty. Well we have a substitute motion on the floor. I think
this item’s been adequately discussed and so commissioners will now vote by the substitute sign.
Mr. Williams, Mr. Brigham, Mr. Hatney, Mr. Bowles, Mr. Harper, Mr. Cheek and Mr. Holland
vote No.
Ms. Beard abstains.
Motion fails 2-7-1.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I want to amend my motion there be a 2-wheel drive
truck and implement a program that Mr. Cheek talked about as far as a pool resource
wherever they can use those trucks to come in and do that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, so the original motion we will now vote on is to approve a 2-wheel
drive truck and for Commissioner Cheek. Go ahead.
The Clerk: The implementation of Mr. Cheek’s recommendation regarding the pool.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, I’ll even supply the clipboards.
Mr. Mayor. Okay. I just wanna get past the truck. Commissioners will now vote by the
usual sign.
Mr. Brigham, Mr. Smith, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Grantham vote No.
Motion carries 6-4.
Mr. Hicks: We appreciate the truck.
Mr. Grantham: Don’t get stuck!
Mr. Mayor: Next item, please!
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
44. Motion to approve purchasing the software program and that the billing portion of the
system be implemented only for the landfill customers at this time and not for the solid
waste collection customers in an amount not to exceed $200,000. (Approved by Engineering
Services Committee January 8, 2007)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams, was this yours?
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. And I’m in support, we talked about it in committee
but what troubled me was not to exceed $200,000. Now if we gonna buy software IT or
somebody ought to know what it’s gonna cost. When we say not to exceed then you telling
40
people I got “X” amount of dollars to spend up to. We don’t have “X” amount of dollars to
spend up to. We, there ought to be a price that’s, that’s been quoted. But when you’re saying
not to exceed $200,000.00 to me says you can go up to that. I just think that we ought to know
what the price is before we vote and if we agree on it that we ought to be able to pass this item.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson: The initial contracts were set up at $153.00.00. That’s what initially came
to you. The challenge there is that was set up to be a stand alone package so we took and
educated guess at what it’s gonna take to talk to Visicraft and Wingap which are two tax
assessors office and tax commissioners office so that we could it back on to the tax billing
system. So we have the customer management database that will actually talk to the tax system.
We, between last week and this week we didn’t have a defined exact dollar because we have to
write a scope of work and figure out exactly what that’s going to entail. So we took and
educated assumption with a not to exceed amount.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I think that we are professionals here and I think we uh, we
got IT we got a smart unit out there we ought to be able to at least negotiate a price. But when
you say not to exceed that means, I think that leaves too much room from $153,000.00 to
$200,000.00. That’s a lot of difference. I think that we ought to be a little bit closer than that.
We ought to have every thing else go through a bid process and we bid it out, we come back and
say this is what the price is. Now I, I, I’m in support. We’ve been struggling to get to this point
Mark now we got to the door let’s don’t close it. Let’s keep going forward but I just think we
ought to know what we gonna be spending versus an up to amount. I got a problem with an up
to amount.
Mr. Johnson: The bid was for $153,000.00. We can gladly, if you’ll give us the go
ahead to get, we can come back with the dollar amount for the implementation piece to get it, to
talk to, both Visicraft and Wingap. If you can approve the $153,000.00 which was the initial bid
I can come back with the change order for the cost to get it to talk.
Mr. Mayor: Would you like to make a motion to that effect?
Mr. Williams: Yeah, Mr. Mayor, I’m gonna make a motion that we approve up to
$153,000.00 but before we do a change order, now you telling me you’re coming back because
you don’t know what the price is, I understand that. But before we do anything we need to
negotiate that other price too and bring it to the committee whether it be Finance committee or
whatever so we’ll know. I mean, and, but I think we’d be crazy to just vote up to an amount and
. So my motion is to approve the $153,000.00 that they asked
not know what the amount is
for.
Mr. Mayor: Is there a second?
Ms. Beard: Second.
41
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Harper.
Mr. Harper: Yes, my only concern was uh, you said the bid item was $153,000.00 and I
saw a figure of $175,000.00. I saw $175,000.00 and then you had, the language was not to
exceed $200,000.00. Now what was the $175,000.00 for? Do you remember that?
Mr. Johnson: I’m trying to remember what was changed. Yeah, the initial bid was for
$153,000.00 and that was because the bid actually went out about 14 months ago. So that gave
us enough money to cover any additional costs in that contract. The $200,000.00 was to get us
the additional, any additional costs plus. Because the prices were only good for 120 days and
we’ve been arguing back and forth. We can go and evaluate the $153,000.00, which was the
initial bid amount. That gave us contingency if you will to finalize and close the deal.
Mr. Harper: Yeah, but my question was where did the $175,000.00 come in at?
Mr. Johnson: That was the contingency amount from the day that the bid went out until
14 months later. That gave us a window to facilitate the deal.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second. Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, I believe Mr. Johnson is trying to tell us he can’t guarantee us
he can buy it for $153,000.00.
Mr. Johnson: Correct. It went out to bid 14 months ago but you know, we’ll go back and
do our best at $153,000.00 and if not I’m still bringing you back the difference.
Mr. Mayor: It still comes back to us. Okay we have a motion and second. If there’s no
further discussion commissioners will now vote by the usual sign.
Mr. Harper votes No.
Motion carries 9-1.
Mr. Mayor: Next agenda item, Madame Clerk.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
46. Motion to approve a request from Jimmy M. Clark, Jr. regarding the inclusion of
Youngblood Lane into the county’s road maintenance system. (Approved by Engineering
Services Committee January 8, 2007)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. My question was that when this came through
committee, but this is a private road, is that right?
42
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell is that ---
Mr. Russell: Yes, sir, it is.
Mr. Williams: And this road be brought, it’s a private road and any road we brought into
our system that we will take on as a city now because then the road adjacent next to that is a city
road but this road is a private road.
Mr. Russell: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, last time I looked we don’t have enough forces to maintain the
roads we have and patch all the holes that we have and take care of everything. Why are we
increasing our inventory and being uh, becoming accountable for additional paving and curb and
gutter and everything else?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Smith, do you want to this being your committee?
Mr. Smith: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Youngblood Drive has been maintenance, been
doing maintenance on it for many years and Youngblood Lane runs right off of it by a quarter of
a mile. And the road scrapers are out there monthly and most of the housing in that area is on
Youngblood Lane and you’ve got to have a right large tax bill out there as well and it would be
no problem in speaking to Mr. Mike Green from Public Works while they had the machine out
there to do that as well. And uh, I just really believe that uh, that they are taxpayers and with the
situation like it is we really ought to approve this.
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Looking at this out here and I think Mr. Cheek
is certainly right when we’re talking about bringing more roads into our maintenance program.
But, what our major concern has been over the years is when we have brought roads into our
control is it they have to meet the standards of our department as far as the construction of it, if
they’re paved and if they have curb and gutter and the certain thickness of asphalt and everything
else on it. This is a dirt road that we’re not taking over from the standpoint of maintaining or
even adding additional costs to our government other than the road scraper that’s already out
there to help maintain that for those people who are paying taxes. I would not be in favor of
taking it on if we had to pave this road in the future or if we even had to curb and gutter it.
Based on the condition that it’s in as far as a dirt road, I think we’d be doing the citizens out
there a service to scrape it for them and to let them have some type of safety on that road with
that particular process. So I feel like that’s what we’re talking about and for us to take on
projects such as development when the roads are not adequately taking care of than I got a
problem with it. But this we need to look at doing.
43
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Bowles: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The hesitation I have is taking a dirt road, which
it’s obviously a dirt road, then five or ten down the road when none of us are on the Commission
any longer, they’re gonna come back and want the city to pave that road since it’s a city road. I
think we’re just headed down a steep slope when the developer, when the developer developed
these properties he should have installed what was necessary for these homeowners. I think we
might be setting ourselves up like in many situations in the past, the city taking over ownership
and paving road and putting in curbing and gutters.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, I know that we have an unpaved road list in SPLOST funds. I
also assumed that if this is a dirt road since the deal with SPLOST was we we’re gonna try to
pave all the roads that we would pave this road also. The other thing that I have concerns about,
if I’m not mistaken we passed an all weather policy that a road to be accepted into the road
system had to be an all weather road a number of years ago. And I don’t believe a dirt road is an
all weather road. And I don’t that we can, unless we’re gonna suspend our policies I don’t think
we can accept it anyway.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek and then ---.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And talk about a blast from the past. The problem
we have in this city with having ad adequate staff to maintain the current existing inventory of
roads is the fact that commissioners continually have in past asked people, asked our staff to go
scrape private roads. There’s a private road that’s paved in my district from the past. And this is
why we can’t do the job with the existing staff we have as good as we need to is because we
continue to go out and do private land development for people who bought this land, a lot of
times these are flag pole lots who got a really good price on the property and build their homes
knowing that was a private road and then come back later expecting the county to pay for it just
because they pay taxes. They get fire protection, they get many other services, and nowhere is it
written that just because you pay your taxes, as you should as a good citizen that you get your
road paved when you knew it was that way when you bought it. This is private land. We have
so many other priorities in this city I hate to see us continue along the path that where we’re
scraping private property which we are still doing and maintaining private property because it
was traditionally done in the past. This city needs to take care of its own property. Folks buy
these homes. We’ve got hundreds of flag pole lots with 8 or 10 houses along a privately owned
road they commonly share. They enjoyed the benefits of buying the property cheaply they ought
to enjoy the benefits of maintaining their property and until we get to a point in time where we
have a surplus of personnel and equipment and material to where we can start taking in these
virtually unimproved or lightly improved roads into the inventory and maintaining them like
we’re doing in Belair Hills. We took in paper roads and now it’s up to about $8 million worth of
drainage and paving which somebody in the past promised. That takes money away from other
projects in this city and there’s too many places that are lacking for us to go back and start taking
in private roads and caring for them which is something we should’ve never got in the business
44
of doing because it dilutes our man force and our ability to care for the people who live on public
roads that are paved and need to be taken care of.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Smith.
Mr. Smith: Mr. Mayor, we have recently gone out and dropped trash cans in front of all
these peoples homes and they can not get up and down the road to service this. And actually
grading the road is all that they’re asking. And how do they expect to be able to get garbage
service without the truck being able to come up and down.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, is anybody ready to make a motion either way on this one?
Mr. Cheek: Motion to deny Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Williams: Second.
Mr. Cheek: Or a substitute motion to deny.
Mr. Mayor: Madame Clerk we didn’t have an original motion did we. Okay,
Commissioner Smith.
Mr. Smith: I’m gonna make a substitute motion for approval.
Mr. Grantham: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay we have a substitute motion to approve. If there’s no further
discussion commissioners will now vote by the substitute sign.
Mr. Williams, Mr. Brigham, Mr. Bowles, Mr. Harper, Mr. Cheek vote No.
Mr. Holland abstains.
Motion fails 4-5-1.
Ms. Beard: I’d just like to say ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Beard.
Ms. Beard: --- I lived in Belair for many years with dirt roads and I know what it’s like
to be in a situation like this. That is why I voted the way I did.
The Clerk: The original motion is to deny the request.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have the original motion to deny. Commissioners will now vote
by the usual sign.
Dr. Hatney, Mr. Smith and Mr. Grantham vote No.
Ms. Beard and Mr. Holland abstain.
45
Motion fails 5-3-2.
Mr. Mayor: No action taken?
The Clerk: No action, Mr. Mayor.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
52. Z-06-113 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission to DENY a petition by Brenda Hammond Baxter, on behalf of Lawrence
Minor, requesting a Special Exception to establish a Family Personal Care Home per
Section 26-1 (H) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County
affecting property that contains .17 acres and is known under the present numbering
system as 2911 Wheeler Road. (Tax Map 025-4 Parcel 085) DISTRICT 7
Ms. Hammond: Good evening. I’m Brenda Hammond and this is my fourth time before
you. I’m sure you recognize me by now. I was denied several times once because they said I
didn’t have but one bathroom facility, which there is two full bathrooms there. And according to
the Atlanta’s law the application I received you can have five to one and only providing for six
residents. And also to let you know I’ve poured my heart into this place, all my money in this
place and for me to be denied several times is very heart breaking. I wish that my Commissioner
which I didn’t know he was, I think it’s the man on the end, would have come out and looked at
the facility and saw how I have fixed it up and have it ready. Then they said it had something to
do with my parking space, which is the yard. Which I’m not planning to have a yard facility for
children to play and the type of clients I’m trying to get will not have many visitors. They won’t
be driving cars and the engineering department came out and spray painted with pink paint
which I brought and gave copies to everyone to show you because they said you couldn’t back
out from the business on that busy road and the way he had it you pull in. To widen the parking
area you park and back towards the house and pull out forward and everything that was
requested I tried to do and I did. You know I’m here for the fourth time and if you deny me then
that’s fine but I just want you to know that it would be a very discredit to Augusta for you to
deny me. For 30 years I worked as a nurse and this is our, this is heart breaking to come back,
continue to come, because somebody’s opinion that they thought it was too small for parking. I
wish that the engineer man, he called me the other day as a matter of fact to say, why haven’t
you started your project? And I told him why. But the other, his supervisor came and said he
knew nothing about it. He denied knowing anything about it, which I have a letter here. That
was heartbreaking because you don’t come before a commission to pave a driveway. He knew
what it was about and I asked him and he sent the man out. They sent me a letter and I made
copies and gave to everybody.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Patty.
Mr. Patty: This uh, this uh plan was reviewed by the Planning Committee and looked at
the objective and subjective criteria and recommended denial and um, the uh tax records did
show that it had one bathroom. Now she’s added on to it obviously, it’s got more than two
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bathrooms. We simply presented information that we saw. The reason the Planning
Commission recommends denial, this is, it’s on Wheeler Road, it’s in a high traffic area and the
lot’s only 50 feet wide, there’s no way to get in the back yard with a vehicle because the width of
the structure and that leaves the front yard for parking. And there’s no way, if there’s one car
parked in this front there’s no way that the second car is not going to have to back into the street.
And that’s a dangerous situation and the Planning Commission looked at it, we went out there in
a van, looked at it, pulled the van into the front yard. Everybody on the van came to the same
conclusion that second car would have to back into the street and that was an unsafe situation.
That’s why the Planning Commission recommends that it be denied.
Ms. Hammond: I would like, before you do that, I would like to demonstrate to him that
it can be done because he’s just assuming. There were two cars this morning ---
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Yes Mr. Mayor. I think the young lady stated that someone from Traffic
and Engineering came out from some department? What department was that that came out?
Ms. Hammond: Engineering.
Mr. Williams: Engineering came out. Is there somebody here from Engineering?
Mr. Mayor: You don’t recall the name or ---
Ms. Hammond: The same man called me the other day. He just called me this week.
The Clerk: He was out of our Engineering Department. He did have a letter from our
city Engineering Department at the last meeting.
Ms. Hammond: He had it mapped out. He mapped out the ---
Mr. Williams: If that’s the only thing Mr. Mayor I think we ought to here from someone
form Engineering to see how they worked something out to do that. I understand her investing in
it ---.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Can we table this agenda item until we get that letter from
Engineering?
Mr. Williams: So moved.
Mr. Hatney: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioners will now vote by the usual
sign.
Mr. Grantham out.
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Motion carries 9-0.
The Clerk:
FINANCE
56. Motion to rescind the new Recreation Department’s Tennis Supervisor position in the
approved 2007 Budget. (Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams)
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams I believe ---
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, thank you, sir. Um, I asked for this to be put on the agenda
because um, the Administrator who brought the budget to us and we approved the budget and
we, we saw one side and not all of it. We had just terminated a contract with the tennis person
that we had and gave him an additional 60 days. And I want to know from the Administrator
um, the type advertising was done for this position cause I think it’s kind a strange that we
terminated a contract then we turn around and hire the person to go back in their job at a
different pay grade. I’d like to know from the Administrator how did the pay grade change, why
did the pay grade change, what happened where a brain surgeon come in and make somebody a
genius of something? How did we go from one, and I want to talk to the Administrator Mr.
Beck, thank you for --- I need the Administrator to answer that please sir.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: Mr. Williams and members of the, Commissioner Williams and members of
the Commission. As you we had a contract employee that had been with us for some 17 years.
It was running the tennis center basically. He directed us to go ahead and terminate those
contracts as we moved away from having contracts with anybody. That contract employee was
not to my knowledge a graded employee. We transferred that position to what was a regular
employee to continue the program. He was placed in a graded position at that particular point in
time. So there was a change between a contracted employee and one of our regular employees
but the initial contract was for a dollar amount, it did not it was not a graded position.
Mr. Williams: Okay, Mr. Russell. It wasn’t a graded position but back in August you
came with a grade on this position to say grade 49. And in December it was four months later,
we came back with a different grade of 51. I’d like to know how that changed. You said it
didn’t come with a grade but for whatever reason that, there’s a grade.
Mr. Russell: Initially we brought forth the initial grade when we were looking for,
looking at having a manager for Newman Tennis Center. When we acknowledged that position
we increased the responsibilities for citywide tennis responsibilities and that was the end result of
the increase in the pay grade.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Russell, if I can continue, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Russell, if you don’t
know the answer just say you don’t know the answer. If I wanted Mr. Beck to answer I’ll get
him to do it. I let you did that twice. I need you to answer the question. If you don’t know the
answer just say you don’t know that’s all I need to know cause this didn’t come from Mr. Beck
48
this came through the budget. We approved it, we had to go ahead and do something and we
thought we were doing what was best for this community. But I don’t like for stuff to be hid
under stuff and then come out like it came out here so. My other question Mr. Mayor is how was
this advertised uh, this position.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: According to our policy it’s a decision of the department head on how to do
advertisements. In this particular case it was advertised by posting it. It was advertised on our
website.
Mr. Williams: Okay and I’ve got a document here from Human Resources that says that
it was an open advertisement and general publication. That should include the newspaper and
the other general stuff. I assumed it that wasn’t in there. You say you advertised on the net.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Mr. Williams, your three minutes on that one’s up.
Mr. Williams: Okay, Mr. Mayor, I want to make a motion, I mean somebody else might
have a comment and I’m gonna make a motion that they can second and that we uh, deny this,
this position uh, and, and uh, make sure that uh, this doesn’t happen again uh, through the budget
process or anything else. We’ve been talking about this at length when we terminated the
contract and even gave the employee the additional time.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, but please, just make the motion.
Mr. Williams: My motion is to uh, rescind this.
Mr. Holland: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m gonna go back to the time when we received
the budget information from our Administrator and we were charged with reviewing the budget
and bringing back recommendations and going over our budget as closely as we knew how. And
I feel like that was we have done is give a disservice to our Administrator and to the people who
put our budget together. That being that uh, I know several people take the time and go very
diligently over the budget as much as possible. There was a recommendation by me personally
that we not take action on the budget the day that we did and that we review that budget further
and that we look into it uh, to the standpoint that we were not satisfied. I was not satisfied with
the budget being presented, I voted against that budget that day and I vote against it again today
if it were to come up. However, I think that once these items are voted in favor of and we’ve
given our Administrator the uh, responsibility of caring out our budget requests then it is up to us
to back him up in that regards. This is not a department head, it is not up to the commissioners
to have any ruling of that particular position and it is up to our department head and
Administrator to hire those people. They did it based on the idea that the budget was passed and
49
that this position was included in that budget. Therefore, I’m gonna make a substitute motion
that we approve the item requested here as far as the tennis center goes.
Mr. Smith: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a substitute motion and a second. Ms. Beard, did you? Ms.
Beard.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor I was, I was not here in August when an important vote was taken
I don’t believe. But I’d like to know something about what is going on at the tennis center. It
appears that this person has worked there for many years. Has it had any type impact what so
ever in the city of Augusta? Why would you still want this person? And I want to ask one other
thing. My daughter said, looking for a job on the Internet is not a novelty anymore. She said
that’s the way most people go about it now. Go ahead, please.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Beck.
Mr. Beck: Mr. Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem members of the Commission. To answer you
question regarding Newman Tennis Center, I gave a brief history the other day in committee
meeting. We’ve had Newman Tennis Center since 1997. Augusta State University operated
Newman for many years before that. They gave back and turned in their lease in ’97 over to the
city and was given to Recreation. At that time the manager of the tennis center was Richard
Hatfield, the same person we’re talking about here today. He had been the manager for several
years under Augusta State. Had experience there and for these ten years under us we have
managed to pay for approximately 75% of the operations at Newman Tennis Center. Public
tennis centers across the country do not make money. If we wanted to raise the fees to a point
that would exclude a lot of our clientele in Augusta then it might be able to make money as a
private club. But it’s an open club to the public, we’ve kept the fees low enough and the bottom
line is we’ve been able through this manager to bring in tennis tournaments that have brought in
millions of dollars into Augusta and the economic impact over these ten years. That’s a number
that you can’t measure back in our government but if you asked the hotel/motel industry and the
restaurant industry for the economy of Augusta it’s made a major impact um, you know in our
city.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Bowles: Thank you, Mr. Mayor: I’ve had numerous complaints from people saying
don’t get rid of the Newman Tennis Center and luckily today we did approve an RFP to go out
and see if somebody can come in and cut the loses there. The fact is that we’ve got 13 other
parks in the city that offer free tennis. I myself, I’ve spent many days at Hickman Road playing
free tennis so for somebody to say that raising the rates is gonna stop people from paying tennis I
strongly disagree. We’ve got in my district two. We’ve got M.M. Scott Park. We’ve got
Hickman Park. So I think you know, once we take a look at what the RFP’s say and I do have a
problem that this body could not raise the fees to remain constantly with the expenditures over
the last seven years so we have put the tennis center in a bad situation where there expenses are
increasing every year but the revenues weren’t because we weren’t authorizing the increases in
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fees. I’m not happy how this has turned out but um, we’ve got an employee now and according
to our policy we cannot fire this. And I think I’d like to ask to ask the Attorney her ruling on that
once we hire somebody as an employee we cannot rescind that contract.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Flournoy.
Ms. Flournoy: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. Um, once you hire an
employee there is no contract for employment and there is with any employment there’s a 12-
month probationary period per the policy that the person can be reviewed for performance.
There’s also a provision in the Augusta Employee Handbook that provides for layoffs if there is
not enough work for that person, so you would have to give him 60-days notice to lay the person
off if you’re basing it on lack of work provision. So there is a uh, it could either go under the
performance based on the probationary period or it could go on the layoff period if there is not
work to be performed. Or you could also abolish the position as well. So yes, the Commission
could take action on it.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I did review the budget like Mr. Grantham said.
The budget was presented to us but this was not in the budget cause I made sure that I looked at
it. Mr. Russell will I think will attest to the fact that what we saw and what the actual budget
was, was two different things. My proposal is that if we going to take an employee, which was a
contract employee, and then give him 60 days and then turn around hire him for the job and he
may be the best qualified person. But I don’t think we went out and did what we need do as a
government to let people know that this job was available. Now Mr. Hatfield was in this
position as a contract employee, came in with the same benefits, I got all the minutes right here, I
asked the Clerk to make sure these minutes were here, how everything was said and we
terminated that contract and gave him an additional 60-days cause we didn’t wanna just drop it
on him. And then turn around and bid uh, go up put it on the Internet and turn around and hire
that same person cause there was only one person that applied Mr. Mayor. I think, I don’t think
the taxpayers of Augusta are being fooled by, with that type. I think we need to mindful of what
we’re doing and make sure that there’s a fair process and that’s, you know we’re always talking
about Mr. Mayor about making it even, making it across the board. So everybody have an
opportunity to apply and that opportunity wasn’t afforded to every taxpayer in Augusta-
Richmond County who might have wanted that job.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a substitute motion and can you please, Madame Clerk, read
back the substitute motion.
The Clerk: The substitute motion was to approve the position.
Mr. Mayor: If there’s no further discussion commissioners will not vote by the substitute
sign.
Mr. Williams, Mr. Bowles, Mr. Harper and Mr. Holland vote No.
Motion carries 6-4.
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Mr. Mayor: Next agenda item
The Clerk:
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
57. Per Commission direction at the September 5, 2006 Commission Meeting and
subsequent September 22, 2006 workshop-the Trade Exhibit and Event (TEE) Center
Taskforce is submitting a site and renegotiated operating term agreement for Commission
approval.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I should have taken this particular item up
when we were talking about agenda items in the earlier part of the meeting. However, I feel like
that we have not received enough information to make a decision as serious as this particular
item is. And I feel like that we need to ask our committee and the people involved along with
our Administrator to revisit this particular subject to see if there are any other interested parties
that might be looking into managing or building and putting together the Trade and Exhibit
Center uh, that we’ve been talking about. Along those same lines I do feel like that the people
that have made their presentations and have give us a possible contract or promotional contract
to look at than I feel like that we owe it to them not only to let them know that, that we’re not
possibly happy with that particular part of the proposal uh, but we’d like to go further and see if
couldn’t do some negotiations that would enhance the location as well as the facility and uh, we
owe it to the community, to the citizens who pay the one-cent sales tax to do the job that we need
to see done and get it started and to get this project under way so we can start reaping the
So I’m gonna put in a motion we delay and ask
benefits of a Convention and Exhibit Center.
our Administrator to do just that.
Mr. Smith: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’m gonna make a substitute motion that uh, I agree with Mr.
Grantham, I agree with Mr. Grantham that uh, we hadn’t been privileged to all of the details and
what we’re doing here. We have had some discussion but it was brought to this, this commission
uh, without the knowledge of I guess most of this commission. I’m gonna speak for myself as to
what, just what was in the agenda book. We had not negotiated anything. I think that this is
something that’s been pushed to us for us to except. I think the conditions are not good for this
city, I think the length of time, we’re talking about 50 years, I think we’re talking about uh, not
only the management of a process like that. If we’re gonna do that we need to be inclusive. I’m
not, I don’t wanna eliminate any entity that could be a part of this and I think that’s what the
other entities want to do, make money. But it’s gonna be on the backs of the taxpayers what we
got here. So I think, my motion is to deny this and let’s start from scratch and start to look at a
facility that’s gonna be favorable for this community as a whole and not just uh, one uh, group of
people. Uh, so that’s my motion to deny.
52
Mr. Mayor: Substitute motion.
Mr. Williams: Substitute motion. That’s right.
Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek:
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, Mr. Mayor we have had this issue since the
passage of the sales tax and again promised it to the people as a fast track item. I agree that this
will be if we pass this, and I read the contract, it’ll be the fourth such contract of similar line
items as we’ve had with several of our other facilities, co-owned facilities. I find that troubling.
But I do also find the fact that every day we waste moving forward with a decision on new site
and a new agreement we lose two days to the other cities who are building convention centers
and attracting tourism and trade. So I would like to see the maker of the substitute motion or
other motion add that we put a closure date, a measure on us as commissioners to have a decision
and a down select made within 60-days on a site and a path forward on construction.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Bowles: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. To select a site is gonna much like the drag strip
study that we paid $25,000.00 for. We’ve done two studies on the TEE Center and it’s come
back both times telling us where to put it. Um, I think we as a Commission need to convene with
Mr. Tony Peterman who is the consultant on it within the next 10-days to see if we can hammer
something out that’s equitable for not only the management company but also all the citizens of
Augusta which this contract in my opinion was put before us to reject. Um, it’s not one that we
could all agree with without a doubt so I say we would hopefully get together with Mr. Peterman
considering we’ve already spent probably $100,000.00 in work on site selections and see if we
can hammer something out at this location that will be equitable for everybody involved.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I too follow up with that. That we have
selected pretty much the site based on information given to us as part of the downtown area goes
and we all agreed with that and felt like that we were headed in the right direction. I think what
we’re looking at now is not necessary starting from scratch but starting from the idea that we get
our Administrator to search out and see if other people might be interested as far even a location
or as a facility at that particular site. Now it’s gonna be difficult to do that but I think it would
put us in a better negotiating position, talking with the people who would be presenting us with a
one document now that we just, that’s the only choice we have and I don’t think that that’s what
we should be doing, is making our decision on the one choice that is presented to us today.
Mr. Mayor: And I agree and Mr. Russell, correct me if I’m wrong. We have had and
you and I have had discussions and we’ve had meetings. There are other interested parties in
helping facilitate the Trade and Exhibit Center. Mr. Russell.
53
Mr. Russell: Yes, sir, and if I may the frustration I have at the moment is that I was
tasked to go back and negotiate a management deal. And I am unable to come back to you with
one that I’m comfortable with at this particular point in time. And while it’s not a bad deal it’s
not what I would think we could garner six votes on at this particular point in time. And I don’t
disagree with anybody that would vote against it. The problem I have is that I’ve sort of reached
the end of my ability to negotiate and without some further direction from the Commission or
some um, additional um, infuses from the Commission we sort of battered our heads against the
wall for the last several months trying to come to something that we thought you’d be able to
agree with. While I think I agree with everybody including Commissioner Williams on this is
that while I’m not to sure we need to start over again, we’re dead in the water at the moment and
we need somebody or this group to re-breathe some life into this or we’re gonna be here six
months from now doing the same thing and I you know, I’ve done pretty much all I can do
without some additional support from ya’ll and I would, I need that.
Mr. Mayor: Well, and, Mr. Russell, I think Mr. Grantham’s motion covers that to, for the
Administrator to contact other interested parties with regards to their interests in putting together
proposals and have one more meeting with the original group to see if there’s any give in the ---
Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: Commissioner Williams has said on several occasions that when we
negotiate these things ya’ll need to be involved. And I agree that my job is to negotiate up to a
point but I’m passed that point at this particular point in time. And I would think that the group
of you need to be the ones setting the tone at this particular moment and uh, you know I’m just
the hired help at the moment and ya’ll need to, and I agree with Commissioner Williams I think
you all need to be intimately involved at this point to either make this thing happen or move to a
different direction.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Grantham.
Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor, that’s an excellent idea and I would like to amend my motion
and ask the Administrator to do that but also include that the you along with the Mayor Pro Tem
appoint a 3-member committee from this body to go and be in a negotiation state with our
Administrator.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Commissioner Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: My concern still is that um, with a project of this magnitude I just think it’s
critical that we have the ability to select and not be dictated to as to the best spot. The other
spots where condemned by the same folks who presented the uh, proposal and from my, I can’t
support this at all unless there is a chance to hear what other folk propose and be able to select
the one that I believe that is the best one.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner Williams.
54
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I agree with what’s been said but I think that Mr. Russell can
only go to a point. But when he got to the point as far as he can go it should’ve been brought to
us and said, hey this what we got. Now this was brought to this commission to vote on. But we
should’ve known. I don’t think he would’ve got the support to even have it put on the agenda
had we been privy to what, what’s been said and what’s been proposed to us. Now this was put
up here like Mr. Cheek said I think, Mr. Bowles one of them said that to fail. Ain’t no way we
can sit here and support what we got. So whether it’s gonna be a committee to do that but I think
we ought to be privileged to do what at least is being proposed and understand we carry the purse
strings. We gonna do the controlling. There’s something wrong when we’re jerked around by
somebody that we spent our money about, there ought to be, if there’s jerking around be done
they ought to be on the end of the string where the jerking’s being done Mr. Mayor. So I, I think
we need to be plain about that and if want us to work with you than try to work with us. I mean
that’s not directed to you Mr. Mayor that directed to any party that wants to be a part of this, this
TEE Center because we are the ones that got the money. That’s, that’s crazy to demand other
folks money to do what you want to be done.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Bowles.
Mr. Bowles: Yes, I don’t know if he wants to come and talk at this point but Tony
Peterman is here and I’d like to hear any thoughts he’s got on regarding a path forward.
Mr. Peterman: I would agree that I think that uh, a 3-person member panel to come in
and talk with Paul and or other groups would be the best way to go forward.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I think they ought to come talk with us. We haven’t been
going to talk to them. We ain’t going to them they all need to come over here and talk to us.
Mr. Mayor: We’ll figure it out.
Mr. Bowles: I’d like to nominate Marion and uh, Commissioner Beard and Reverend
Hatney for that 3-member board.
Mr. Hatney: Don’t put me on the board. I don’t want no part of it, trying to put that
thing where they want it to go.
Mr. Holland: Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Holland.
Mr. Holland: Since all of the commissioners are gonna have to vote on this why can’t all
of the commissioners sit down and discuss this? That would be the best way to do it because I
don’t think it’s fair just to chose somebody of this group and let them go and sit and negotiate
when all of us are gonna have to vote on this for the people of our different districts and for the
people of the city of Augusta.
Mr. Mayor: Ya’ll please, keep it down.
55
Mr. Grantham: Call the question, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. The question has been called for. We have a substitute motion.
Could you please, Madame Clerk, read back Commissioner Grantham’s substitute motion?
The Clerk: Mr. Grantham had the original motion.
The Mayor: Excuse me.
Mr. Grantham: I added my amendment.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, excuse me. We have a substitute motion by Commissioner Williams.
The Clerk: It was to deny.
The Mayor: Okay. If there’s no further discussion commissioner will now vote on the
substitute motion by the substitute sign.
Mr. Brigham, Mr. Smith and Mr. Grantham vote No.
Motion carries 7-3.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor before we leave this issue can I offer another motion?
Mr. Cheek: Is it germane to the issue?
Mr. Mayor: We had a substitute motion and I ---
Mr. Brigham: I cannot, I can’t make a motion when a substitute’s been offered and I
have a motion germane to this issue.
Mr. Mayor: But the, Ms. Flournoy I, I mean the agenda item has been disposed of.
Ms. Flornoy: Yes, sir, I believe the motion has passed.
Mr. Brigham: I question the rule of the Chair.
Mr. Grantham: You can ask to revisit it. Mr. Mayor the motion ---
Mr. Mayor: Hang on. We can put it back. I would say run it back through committee.
Commissioner Grantham.
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Mr. Grantham: Uh, Mr. Mayor, we can make a motion to revisit this particular item even
if an action has been taken. This has been done in the past. We have revisited several items and
brought them back up. The only way to revisit, is you have to have unanimous consent to revisit.
Mr. Mayor: And we didn’t have unanimous ---
Mr. Flornoy: Mr. Mayor and members of the commission. You can make a motion to
reconsider and it will require a majority vote on that.
Mr. Brigham: I make a motion to reconsider.
Mr. Cheek: Point of parliamentary procedure.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: Isn’t there another vote? (INAUDIBLE)
The Clerk: No, sir.
The Mayor: No, that disposes of the ---
Mr. Cheek: Point of procedure taken in that.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think we should all read on the Rules of Order. A
Point of Procedure takes precedent. Mr. Mayor I’d like to also say that reading the Rules of
Order I don’t think that it stipulates at any point that any one issue on the agenda dictates one
motion to be passed for it. It’s up to the Chair to rule if that item has been properly dispensed of
whether one, two or three motions are generated to deal with different aspects of that particular
issue on the agenda. Therefore I would say based on my knowledge of parliamentary procedure
that if it ruled by the Chair to be germane to the issue that an additional item can be brought to
the floor on that issue and dispensed of according to the Rules of Order and the proper
procedures of the chamber. Now that would be at the point where it’s properly dispensed of.
Mr. Mayor. Okay. Well the Chair would rule that a, that a motion that is germane to the
issue at hand would be proper. Mr. Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor I’d like to make a motion that we accept the original offer as a
point of starting negotiation and instruct Fred to set up a negotiation with the people involved.
Mr. Mayor: And this would be the original ---
Mr. Brigham: The original offer as proposed by this group and that it, that the entire
commission be involved in the negotiation.
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Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. And now just, just to clarify, Mr. Brigham,
the original offer that was, that was a different deal than has, that was brought back that we voted
on today.
Mr. Brigham: Yes, sir. I believe the original offer was to, I’d like for the Administrator,
correct me if I’m mistaken, to operate the Convention Center and that there was no additional
costs involved.
Mr. Russell: The original offer involved some costs but they were, it was not the costs
that was brought back the second time after he had reviewed the issue. And I’m sorry I can’t
speak to the initial costs. We can review that real quickly if you’d like.
Mr. Speaker: The original offer now, I can review it but I’m not the hotel group. I’m not
the one proposing it but the original offer which was just the opposite uh, they um, operated the
facility, the Trade Center, they offered the room block that we were talking about that offered
their rooms up as long as the group met certain parameters and the hotel group covered all the
operational funding. There was no out of pockets for the city and the hotel group also covered
all of the capital expenses. So it is the deal that you have in front of you only in reverse in
respect as to who pays what. That was the original deal, presented in May? Presented in May.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Just a minute, Mr. Mayor, I think this is too important for us to guess at
this up here now. If we do this we will really be, I think that this is serious, I don’t think it’s
dead in the water I think the motion that’s just been passed said we gonna start over. Since that’s
what Mr. Grantham wanted to do we need to put a committee together, everybody get together
but, we talking about going back now and accepting an offer that uh, the management run the
facility and what control they have and we don’t know those, I think we’re gonna be really
setting ourselves up.
Mr. Mayor: We do have a motion and a second on the floor but I would entertain a
substitute motion to refer it back to committee. Mr. Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: I wanted to ask the question because the young man said that was the
original offer but that’s not true. The original offer was uh, that this body would get 5% and that
the air-conditioning and the roof would be split 50/50. That was the original offer.
Mr. Williams: My motion is to send it back to committee, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: The substitute motion was --- is there a second? Do we have a second for
the substitute motion to send it back to committee?
Mr. Holland: I second the motion.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, didn’t we approve this to go back to commission, committee as a
whole to discuss this?
Mr. Mayor: No, we denied it.
Mr. Grantham: We didn’t do anything else.
Mr. Williams: All we did was deny except for this, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah. Okay, well, we have a substitute motion and a second.
Commissioner Harper, did you?
Mr. Harper: Yes, Mr. Mayor. Correct me if I’m wrong. That motion that was voted up
and down on to deny it, okay? That passed then, correct me if I’m wrong on the proper Rules of
Order, did we entertain any motion? It takes a super majority of this board.
Mr. Mayor: According to Commissioner Cheek ---
Mr. Holland: The Parliamentarian should make that ---
Mr. Cheek: It’s not entertaining it’s simply addressing an issue.
Mr. Holland: The lawyer’s department is the Parliamentarian.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a substitute motion on the floor and a second. If there’s no
further discussion commissioners will now vote by the substitute sign. Please, Madame Clerk,
read the motion back.
The Clerk: The substitute motion was to refer back to committee for further discussion.
Mr. Mayor: And the bottom line is I think we all know we need to make a decision that
the next time this comes up we either confirm or deny and go on.
Mr. Bowles, Mr. Brigham and Mr. Smith vote No.
Motion carries 7-3.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, next agenda item.
The Clerk:
APPOINTMENT(S)
59. Appoint and/or reappoint members of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Merit Board.
Mr. Holland: Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Holland.
Mr. Holland: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. I had an opportunity to talk to the two men who that
were already appointed to this board and they are very much concerned about it and they feel
like would to continue to be a part of the board. These are for Mr. Tappan and Mr. Hawes so I
spoke with them and they said they would like to continue to be a part of this board so I would
feel that we should uh, reappoint them to this board.
Mr. Williams: Second.
Mr. Holland: Do I need to put that in the form of a motion? Okay.
Mr. Mayor: You got a motion and a second. Commissioner Grantham will ---
Mr. Grantham: Yeah uh, Mr. Mayor, I have nothing against these individuals that have
served on this board and in talking with our Sheriff and with other people who have been on this
committee it’s my understanding the way this committee is formed is the Commissioners appoint
three members, the delegation appoints three members and then the delegation recommends
three name that the commission selects one person from those three. That constitutes your 7-
member board. That being the case I’m going to make a substitute motion that we elect Mr.
Steven Kendrick, Mr. Russell Malone and Mr. Daniel Cross as the three members appointed by
the Commission.
Mr. Smith: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, I don’t have a problem with that but I believe Mr. Kendrick
serves on the, doesn’t he serve on the Downtown Development Authority?
Mr. Mayor: I know he took a temporary leave of absence. I don’t know if he resigned
his position or not.
Mr. Cheek: That’s something, the law also stipulates you can’t serve on two boards.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Is there any further discussion? We have a substitute motion on the
floor with a second. Madame Clerk, if you could read back the substitute motion.
The Clerk: The substitute motion was to appoint Mr. Steven Kendrick, Mr. Russell
Malone and Mr. Cross. Original motion was to appoint Mr. Hawes and Mr. Tappan.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, is that, Mr. Cheek just brought a point out and I need to know
if that’s viable through the Attorney that Mr. Kendrick is on two boards?
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Ms. Flournoy: Uh, that is correct. It is, the law says that if you serve on one board you
cannot be appointed to another one. So if he did get appointed to another board he would have to
resign his position on the other board. I believe if, if you appointed one of those, we do have
some members on two boards. It’s the difference between appointment by the Commission and
appointment by Legislative Delegation and the law requires that it only be, only be appointed to
one board by the Commission.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: I hate to ask this but when was that law passed cause I don’t remember
this Commission ever passing that rule, about the limited number of appointments. I know I
tried for years to have that rule passed as an ordinance on this board but it was never passed to
the best of my knowledge.
Ms. Flournoy: (INAUDIBLE)
Mr. Brigham: When?
The Mayor: I’d like to --- Commissioner Hatney.
Mr. Hatney: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to offer a substitute motion that we table this until we
get this in perspective for right now we don’t have that.
Mr. Harper: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we actually have a substitute motion on the floor.
Mr. Grantham: You have a few nominations on the floor, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Holland: Are we gonna, gonna table the whole thing ---
Mr. Mayor: That’s what ---
Mr. Holland: --- we already have a motion and a second to vote on the two.
Mr. Mayor: But we also have a substitute motion and a second to vote on the three
but, Mr. Grantham, would you like to amend your substitute motion to table the matter?
Mr. Grantham: I’ll be glad to.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We have a substitute motion on the floor to table the matter while we
clarify the issue at hand and a second. If there’s no further discussion commissioners will now
vote by the usual sign. Mr. Cheek, are you voting?
Mr. Cheek: Voting to table.
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Mr. Harper and Mr. Holland vote No.
Motion carries 8-2.
Mr. Mayor: Alrighty, let’s see how we do on this next round of appointments.
The Clerk:
APPOINTMENT(S)
60. Consider nominations for appointment from the Richmond County Hospital Authority
for a four-year term on the Authority. Member at Large William Badger, Warren A.
Daniel, John S. Markwater. Member of Jewish faith Jeffery Foreman, Paul Graboff, Rabbi
David Sirull.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Smith.
Mr. Smith: Thank you, Mr. Mayor: I’d like to make a motion to nominate William
Badger and Jeffery Foreman.
Mr. Grantham: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I just needed some clarification on the binding of another
Commissioner. Now and we finished talking about uh, serving on those committees but if we
vote on a four-year term, Ms. Flournoy, for somebody, is that not binding the incoming
Commissioner that’s coming in?
Ms. Flournoy: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. Um, in the past the
appointments have been for, the code provides for appointment of a certain number of years so it
has been where a person is appointed it carries over into that. But it allows for um, if that new
Commissioner wants to make an appointment he can make that appointment at that time for that
new Commissioner comes in and it will effectively rescind the previous appointment.
Mr. Williams: And my question, Mr. Mayor, this is a Commission decision it’s not an
individual Commissioner so if we got a four-year term that we voting on and the incoming
Commissioners are gonna be four new Commissioners I think, if not more but, at least four new
Commissioners coming on, will we not be binding them to ---
Mr. Flournoy: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
Mr. Williams: Huh?
Ms. Flournoy: Yes, sir.
Mr. William: Okay, that’s what I thought.
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Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor, likewise if those people are elected a year from now won’t
they still be here within four years when these terms are reappointed? I don’t believe that we are
defining a future commission plus the state law says that we elect these people this way.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion?
Commissioners will now vote by the usual sign.
Mr. Williams abstains.
Motion carries 9-1.
The Clerk:
OTHER BUSINESS
62. Rescind the appointment of Mayor Pro Tem Betty Beard as Chairman of Finance
Committee and appoint Commissioner Jerry Brigham. (Requested by Mayor Pro Tem
Betty Beard.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Beard.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor, would you please add that um, I will remain a member, a voting
member.
Mr. Mayor: And legal council on this, Ms. Flournoy, you can help us with this and John
prior to him leaving said that affectively that, that we can vote to rescind Mayor Pro Tem Beard
as Chairman of the Finance Committee but the appointment would have to be made in
conjunction between myself and the Mayor Pro Tem. Is that ---?
Ms. Flournoy: The code provides that the appointments to committees are made um,
after the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem confer. So it would be my opinion that you would
follow up that process and that you would do the rescention and then make the appointment.
And it would also require the approval of the commission.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you Mr. Mayor: Ms. Flournoy, I read the appointment, it does
require the approval of the commission once you, you do that but I think there’s a year, there’s a
time span when the committees are appointed and uh, that was done, excuse me, that won’t be
done until next year uh, for the committees to be changed. And that process, the Mayor and the
Mayor Pro Tem would decide on those appointments. Now to change that in an off year, I’ve
got a little issue with that. I think that those are committee appointments that I think you and I
put together at one time and those appointments are still there. You don’t change them just when
you, you feel like changing them cause, what happens next month when somebody else wants to
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change. I think that’s the decision you and the Mayor Pro Tem makes, but I think it ultimately
falls among this body to confirm with six votes.
Mr. Mayor: And um, I agree completely. That, and I agree with Commissioner Beard
and will take her recommendations. So we’re in agreement and then the commission would have
to approve that position. Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, when we typically do this, I remember last year we had some
committee changes. We addressed all the committees at one time. Is this is gonna be just
Finance or are we gonna address all the committees?
Ms. Beard: Just Finance.
Mr. Mayor: It’s my understanding this is just Finance. Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Can I get a reason stated for the change, Mr. Mayor? I mean is there
some, some reason that we need to do this cause if we gonna address a change I think we ought
to address them all.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Beard:
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor, I’m recommending this. We had an excellent committee last
year and I firmly believe it’s in the best interest of the city to make this change. Now I think uh,
I suggested Mr. Brigham and he agreed that he would not mind doing this. But you do
understand we have a lot of important issues to take care of. As Mayor Pro Tem I will be a part
of all the committees and um, what we will do if we have a Chairman of the Finance Committee
he too will be in there. You want adequate representation when the insurance people come in,
when the pension people come in. You know, this is a business. Did you ever think that it’s a
business? And we want to do what is in the best interest of the employees. Now I think actually
for the first time the Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor have not been able to make the appointments
and if I had they would certainly be changing at this point. But there’s a law and in our charter,
which states that uh, they should uh, we should do it on even number years. But I’m sure
something happened when Bob Young left. Some appointments changed. I think this is such a
minor issue and I see all of you are probably up in arms because maybe you’ve listened to Ryan
B. (Oh no) Yes, yes I will say that.
Mr. Mayor: Wait, let’s ---
Ms. Beard: And uh, but I am here to tell you that this is in the best interests of the city
and I’m going to maintain my recommendations.
Mr. Mayor: And I would just like to say that basically this does not change the members
of the Finance Committee what so ever. So, it changes around the chairmanship but I agree. It’s
not a major issue. Commissioner Grantham.
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Mr. Grantham: Mr. Mayor you know I think we just, we’re whipping a wet dog is what
we’re doing. And the point I’m gonna make is this, that no matter what you doing, if you’re the
Chairman or if you are the Vice Chairman, Co-Chairman, you have the right and privilege to
resign that position anytime you want to. I think maybe the problem here is we’re being asked to
rescind that decision. When the Chairman can resign and at that point the Mayor Pro Tem and
the Mayor makes a new appointment. So I don’t see why we’ve got such a major problem trying
to make an in-house change based on that. Every Chairman on these committees can resign
tomorrow if they want to. You can either appoint new people from that point from that time on.
So this is a ridiculous situation we’re into right now.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I agree with Mr. Grantham. We can, you can
resign from any Chairmanship you want to at any time. Ms. Beard said we talked about wanting
good representation. She had been our Finance Chairman for over a year and I thought we was
getting good representation there. I asked the question because if there was a reason for her not
being able to perform as Chairman and we had to give it to somebody else. Now if she couldn’t
make the meetings if she couldn’t, for health problems, if there’s a reason. I mean as far as just
changing the Chairmanship she has accepted that Chairmanship and I thought had done a good
job. But my reason was to ask why was the change and was the change necessary.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Beard.
Ms. Beard: I would like to again state that in the important meetings in reference to
Finance and things of that nature two people instead of one will be in those meetings.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I would entertain a motion to ---
Mr. Holland: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner Holland.
Mr. Holland: In view of the fact that Ms. Beard is Mayor Pro Tem I would think that any
meeting that she would attend that she would be a neutral person. They would be able to
respond accordingly you know, with the different meetings that we will be having. And without
getting any personalities involved in this which we do so many times I would think that we
would just go ahead and let Mrs. Beard continue to remain as the Chairman so we won’t have
any conflict because she’s done a good job. So let her continue to stay there in that position and
do the job that she’s been doing and when it’s time to make a change let’s make that change.
Mr. Speaker: Mr. Mayor I’d to be recognized.
Mr. Holland: Excuse me?
Mr. Speaker: I’m sorry, go ahead. I wanna be recognized.
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Mr. Holland: Because at this particular time we’re creating personality conflicts and I
don’t think we need to do that.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Beard, are you okay with that, with continuing on in the position?
Ms. Beard: I must agree, I did a great job last year. (LAUGHTER)
Mr. Mayor: Amen!
Ms. Beard: And we can say anything we want but that’s an area that I am strong in and
we had a very strong committee.
Mr. Mayor: Can I get a ---
Ms. Beard: That’s and, and I’m going say but no, Mr. Mayor, I’m going to resign on that
position.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Speaker: Mr. Mayor, I’m gonna ask that I be recognized to speak.
Mr. Mayor: You are not speaking on anything that is germane to this issue at hand so no,
I’m sorry. You have not been recognized. No. Okay, Ms. Beard, you’re gonna resign your
appointment.
Ms. Beard: Mr. Mayor, I’m doing that because it’s in the best interest of the city.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Grantham: --- to appoint you --- I’d like to make a recommendation.
Mr. Mayor: Well, the Mayor Pro Tem and I have conferred and we’re both in agreement
upon Mr. Brigham as the new Finance Chair. Ms. Beard has effectively issued her resignation to
the Chair, is that correct, Ms. Beard?
Ms. Beard: That is correct.
Mr. Williams: Wouldn’t that take six votes, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: What’s that?
Mr. Williams: That would take six votes, though, wouldn’t it?
Mr. Grantham: That’s correct.
Mr. Mayor: To, for her to approve her resignation.
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Mr. Williams: Mr. Brigham, if she can resign ---
Mr. Mayor: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. So now the Mayor Pro Tem and I
conferred. We together nominate Commissioner Brigham for the position.
Mr. Mayor: And now the commission will have to approve the appointment of Mr.
Brigham as Finance Chair. Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, I have no doubts in my mind of the competence of
Commissioner Brigham, he’s served in that capacity, he is an excellent choice. I will comment
to this. My tenures on the commission, committee appointments have been inclusive in
discussions with members of the commission. This item here would generally have, if it had
come up in these other years, a call being made by the Mayor or the Commissioners putting
together the slate for the elections of the committees and discussion held with each commissioner
whether they agreed or not. I hope this is not a change of precedent in that regard because one
thing we’ve been able to do in the past is whether we agreed or not is to discuss these appoints to
the different committees and so forth. This looks like a quid pro quo whether it is or not. The
way this thing should’ve been handled is the way ya’ll handled it before it got to the floor and
you’re always big on bringing things to the floor for success and I agree. But the bottom line is I
hope we don’t get into a position where a few of us go off in the corner and talk about what
needs to be done without trying to be inclusive of all the members of this board. Now I pressed
at the inclusively that we’ve so often preached about on this board will be something we will
follow through on. On this particular situation, with this particular change it has not and I for
one am concerned about it.
Mr. Brigham: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Brigham.
Mr. Brigham: I won’t accept the nomination.
Mr. Mayor: You know we could sell the tapes of this as the best soap opera in town after
today’s meeting. Okay, now we have a Finance Chair who has resigned her position so we have
no Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Mr. Grantham: You have a Vice chair.
Mr. Mayor: We have a Vice chair.
Mr. Grantham: You let him serve until you get someone else.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, can I get a motion to table this agenda item?
Mr. Brigham: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, fine. Well, you said that you won’t accept the nomination.
Mr. Brigham: Then take a vote and move on.
Mr. Mayor: Okay. We have a nomination. If there’s no further discussion
commissioners will now vote by the usual sign for a nominee who will not accept the position.
(LAUGHTER)
The Clerk: I got Mr. Grantham’s motion. I didn’t get a second to approve the
recommendation of the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem. I got a motion. I didn’t get a second for
it. To approve the recommendation of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem appointing Mr. Brigham
as Chairman of Finance.
Mr. Cheek: Second.
Mr. Brigham, Mr. Harper and Mr. Holland vote No.
Mr. Williams abstains.
Motion carries 6-3-1.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I guess we’ll broach that one as the time goes on. Next agenda item.
OTHER BUSINESS
64. Update/report from the Administrator regarding the Race Track.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. I was asked to provide an update
on the status of the Race Track at this particular point in time. The conversation you had with
the Development Authority is very prudent to this particular situation because that was probably
the most available piece of land that we had that was um, publicly controlled. It might be able to
fit into this particular situation and provide what I feel to be a venue that would be appropriate
for the Race Track. Without that land the other three prongs of the direction you gave me to
negotiate the bonding issue um, to look at a public/private partnership and to look for
engineering becomes somewhat mute. There is no other public land that we control at this
particular point in time that um, would be appropriate and provide the amount of land that we
need. There is no private land at this time that is cost, not cost prohibitive to look at. What um,
it seems like I keep bringing back things I don’t know the answers to at the particular point in
time and this is one of them. I need some direction from you on whether we can continue with
the process, whether we look for private land, and understand the cost involved in that or
whether we reduce the size of the project which in my mind would defeat the purpose of having
the capability of having national events. It’s still my opinion that it’s a good project. It’s still
my opinion that it’s something that would be advantageous to our community. But until we can
find a location that is suitable we are sort of at the starting line with no place to go I guess at this
particular point in time.
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Mr. Mayor: And I would just like to comment that this is sort of. I feel the pain of the
Administrator. He’s at a point where you know, as with the TEE Center, it’s coming back and it
can only go so far. So I would say if this project is gonna move any further we take an active
effort by somebody from the Commission to out and, and look at property or do something to
help the Administrator. Commissioner Cheek.
Mr. Cheek: Mr. Mayor, I’ve just been, it’s been circulated among this Commission by
members of this Commission, that Mr. Lawrence or some other people may have some land that
they’d be interested in working up some type of an arrangement with us so you know, it’s been
circulated by people that opposed the drag strip out at the industrial park so uh, maybe you can
get with Super District Commissioner from District 10 and ask him about it. He has some
knowledge of that.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Russell.
Mr. Russell: That is one of the potentials that has been talked about and because of the
cost involved there, I don’t mind doing that but would like some additional direction to go ahead
and move forward with that. Once again it’s a good project.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Williams.
Mr. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Six votes has already voted to go ahead and
proceed with this um, the Development Authority Chairman just left here, I’m not satisfied with
the answer that he gave us. I’m thinking that with 1700 acres of land they said that some of the
land was not, maybe not useable but hadn’t went out to see what we’re using. We heard all these
smokes screens about why it wasn’t gonna work, why it wasn’t gonna be the money, what’s
gonna be noise, what’s gonna be trouble, what’s gonna be traffic. We hadn’t done anything
progressive to see this project come to the table which’s gonna bring millions of dollars
throughout the facility. Mr. Lawrence does have some land but he don’t have enough. If you
want to build just something to go out and play on or just go out and have a facility, we got
enough room to do that somewhere else. But if you’re gonna build an international type
situation that’s gonna attract people and cars from all over the world we had a proposal to do
something that was really great in this community. Something that the, the proposal came to us,
and the man said that most times they had look for a place. But we wanted to do it. And through
all the talk and all the communication all of the beating around uh, because there’s so much
division in this community they didn’t want to be a part. Now we, we’re straining our necks and
swallowing camels around here, that don’t make good sense. We ought to be trying to push an
agenda that’s gonna be able to create positive growth and family orientated uh, uh recreation for
this community. We have not done that. Not one time. All of the hype about what I done wrong
and ain’t done and I ain’t done --- Reverend, you’re all gonna say ---
Mr. Cheek: Shut yo’ mouth!! (LAUGHTER)
Mr. Williams: I’m saying to us that we have got an opportunity to do something but we
still uh, looking like the old days and I don’t know what it’s gonna take but we need to get on the
Development Authority, let them know that they got a prospect, they need to call this prospect
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and say how much land do you need. If they need 1700 acres of land okay, we got it. But just to
say we got a prospect out there, don’t know when, don’t know how much, it may not be no
bigger than this courthouse they’re talking about Mr. Mayor and we’re holding above the project.
I know they said well, if it’s not sanctioned. If you build a professional type track they’re gonna
sanction it. There’s nowhere else to go. That’s just one of the many things this city needs. We
need an amusement park. We need a zoo. We ought to have a museum, I don’t know whether
they buried James Brown yet or not uh, J.B. Martin, but wherever James Brown lands
somebody’s waiting to go visit the body. And we’re sitting around here looking like frogs in the
face but I’m saying Mr. Mayor we’ve got to get aggressive. Mr. Brown told you the day we did
unveiled the arena that we needed music. It was the universal language. He said Mr. Mayor we
need music. We need entertainment in this city in order to attract folks to this city.
Mr. Mayor: And I’m working on that and I’m respecting his wishes. Can I make an
observation? I think one of the difficult things for the Administrator and I’m glad we’ve got the
retreat coming up in February because everybody’s going in a bunch of different directions and
everybody says we want this and we need this but we don’t have a priority list and it makes it
tough for the Administrator because he gets dragged in a bunch of different directions. I would
submit that when we have that retreat let’s sit down and really talk about, okay, what do we
need, what are the priorities and let’s put the Administrator on it to make his job a whole easier
and a lot less frustrating.
Mr. Williams: My respond to that is that priority came when six votes voted to do it.
That’s priority. There’s no second choice. Six votes have voted to do it. He’s supposed to bring
us a process a prognosis as to how far he is advancing and what he’s doing. The Development
Authority is holding this government up who’s supposed to be doing something to help
economic growth who said they got a prospect and that we that we don’t know how big, how
small we need to bring them to the carpet and need to tell them that we got something that we
need to work on. But the Administrator is not down there. In fact this is the number one project.
Six votes already done voted. Now ya’ll might wanna bring it back a redo it but it’s already been
voted on. So the priority’s already been established. He’s got his marching orders but his hands
are tied now, and I agree cause we got a Development Authority out there talking about what
they looking like they’re gonna do and had it about 15 years and there’s not even a dog house on
it.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, but obviously we’re not going to come to any resolution on this issue
today. Is there any further discussion on the drag strip? Hearing none, we stand adjourned.
[MEETING ADJOURNED 5:35 P.M.]
Lena J. Bonner
Clerk of Commission
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CERTIFICATION:
I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy
of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on
January 16, 2007.
___________________________________
Clerk of Commission
71