Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting October 13, 2015 CALLED MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER October 13, 2015 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 12:00 Noon, Tuesday, October 13, 2015, the Honorable Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Lockett, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan, Davis and Smith, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Mr. Mayor: All right. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll call this meeting to order. The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. 2.LEGAL MEETING A.Pending and potential litigation B.Real estate C.Personnel Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to go into an executive session to discuss pending and potential litigation, real estate and personnel. Mr. Smith: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m in agreement to going into legal but do we have a agenda we asked for for going into legal for what we’ll be discussing? Mr. MacKenzie: I do have an agenda available for distribution as soon as we get in legal. Mr. Mayor: All right, very good. Voting. Mr. Fennoy, Ms. Davis, Mr. Lockett and Mr. Frantom out. Motion carries 6-0. [LEGAL MEETING] Mr. Smith: Andrew, you ready to get started? Mr. MacKenzie: Yes, sir. 3.Motion to authorize execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. Mr. MacKenzie: I’ll entertain a motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit. 1 Mr. M. Williams: So move. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Smith: All right. We have a motion and second. Call for the vote. Mr. Fennoy out. Motion carries 9-0. Mr. MacKenzie: The next item would be a motion to approve a resolution authorizing the settlement of all claims by Steven Wallace as Chapter 7 Trustee for ADMI, Inc. and/or the Menk Company in the amount of $42,500 and authorizing the Administrator to disburse this amount. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Guilfoyle votes No. Mr. Fennoy out. Motion carries 8-1. Mr. MacKenzie: And the last item would be a motion to authorize a resolution settling all claims by Chris Shaw d/b/a Southern Arbor Tree Care for the amount of $250,000 and authorizing the Mayor to execute settlement documents and for the Finance Department and Administrator to disburse this amount. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Guilfoyle votes No. Motion carries 9-1. Mr. MacKenzie: That’s all I have, sir. Mr. Smith: Anything else, Andrew? Mr. MacKenzie: No, sir. Mr. M. Williams: You’ve got one more, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. The Clerk: Item #1. Mr. Smith: Okay. 2 1.A Resolution supporting the Initiatives and Operations of De’Jour Innovative Solutions, Inc. (Requested by Commissioner Fennoy) Mr. Hasan: I make a motion to deny. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. M. Williams: I make a substitute motion to approve. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Smith: Okay, Wayne. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Can we hear from Mr. Fennoy on this issue since he put it on? Mr. Smith: Yeah, go ahead, Bill. Mr. Fennoy: Mr., Elder Ferguson is a active member of this community. He works actively with the youth. He has letters of endorsement from the Governor of the State of Georgia. He has letters from judges in support of his involvement with the incarcerated population and he is actively trying to acquire some property from the Board of Education. The resolution does not address the property he’s trying to acquire from the Board of Education. The resolution addresses the work that he does in this community. Mr. Smith: Okay, Wayne. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. I would like to know how by supporting this resolution, how it benefits us as a city or this gentleman Al Ferguson as an individual. I mean I don’t see any, I don’t understand why we’re supporting his initiative and operation, what benefit is it for him or for the city just to have the signatures on a sheet of paper? Mr. Fennoy: Can I address that, Mayor Pro Tem? I think the benefit from the city is that it decreases the pipeline to prison. What he does, the work that he does helps keep people from going back to prison. What he does is teaches skills that would enable people to get out and get a job, to be responsible and I think anytime we could keep citizens from being involved with the law, that has an impact on our community. Anytime we could decrease the number of people that reoffend and go back to the prison that has an impact on our community. Mr. Smith: Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Smith: I mean, excuse me, Commissioner Hasan then Commissioner Sias. I made a mistake. 3 Mr. Hasan: I’m hoping this adds something to Commissioner Guilfoyle’s question. It was a great question. I’ve had an opportunity to talk to Commissioner Fennoy and Al Ferguson about this. In terms of this government here we don’t question his good work, but we can’t attest to something that we don’t know anything about. I don’t question the validity of the letters in there as well. But I think for the purpose for which the resolution will be used for I think is not good for us because it’s going to be used as leverage to support him in the eyes before the Board of Education in terms of a piece of property that’s in question. There are several other entities that are also interested in that piece of property. When we open up ourselves up in favor of one of the other, what if the other entities that are interested in this piece of property come before us and ask for a resolution as well so where do we end up at the end of the day? Also I think we have an outstanding issue that we’re working with the School Board on and I know we as a governing body, I think we can attest that sometime we get very testy when another governmental entity when we’re asking their consent about something to get into what seems to be their business, people take it personal. So we have some outstanding issues as well that I think will do us more of a disservice than a service than getting involved in something for a piece of property whether the value of the program is not and we’ve not been asked for that other than the entity that has a vested interest. Like I say once again there are several other entities that are interested in this piece of property and I think we do ourselves a disservice and it really doesn’t add any value to us to get involved with that because I think all those other entities do admirable work as well so I think it’s best that we just remain neutral on this. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Smith: Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. I completely support what Commissioner Fennoy said about keeping folks out of prison and these kinds of issues. However, for this body to give a resolution of support to someone who is trying to purchase property from our School Board to me strikes of interference and that is the reason why, I know Mr. Ferguson personally, I absolutely support what he’s doing, what his initiatives and objectives are, but I personally cannot support this body giving him a resolution which will be used as my other colleague said, as leverage in this particular property acquisition or attempt to acquire this property. So that is my objection to that because we’re actually interfering in what another elected body is attempting to do and sell that property. Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Temp. Mr. Smith: Commissioner Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. I’m really confused and that’s not a hard issue to do but how can you be in support of somebody and what they’re doing, and they’re not asking for any monies. They’re asking for a letter to just say we’re in support of his efforts. Now the School Board’s going to make their own decision. If they decide they want to sell that property to a, b or c, that’s up to them. But it just don’t make good sense to me for us to say we can’t give a letter of support. If he was doing some illegal businesses or something like that, we wouldn’t support that for any reason but if he’s doing a good job in trying to rehabilitate people to get them back in the work force, what’s more valuable? The money if that’s what we’re saying. It ain’t our money. Ya’ll are talking about another government so I don’t understand. If we’re going to take from that part, but we are going to give a letter of support that we gave out 4 many, many, many letters of support and that’s all we’re doing. I know Mr. Ferguson. I don’t know his program as well. I heard about it, but anybody who’s trying to help people, we ought to be about. This government ought to be about helping people. So I don’t have a problem about giving a letter of support. Now if you want $2, that might be an issue with me. But if you want my signature, I can do that on something that is good. So, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, I call for the question. We’ve had enough dialogue about it unless my friend want to do continue to talk. We can do that too because I don’t want to cut nobody short. Love to cut me but I ain’t going to cut them. Mr. Smith: Mr. Fennoy had his hand up. Let me let him speak. Mr. Fennoy: And just as information the resolution states that De’Jour is an organization that offered advocacy, consulting and training and support to implement sustainable programs for every individual to receive marketable skills for employment, be (inaudible) and create safe communities. Focus is on maintaining programs to provide services to support the Georgia Prison Reentry Initiative, Augusta Judicial Circuit Drug Court, Circuit Public Defender, Augusta Judicial Circuit such as vocational training, education assessment, GED programs to real planning, mentoring, cosmetology, culinary arts and group and individual counseling. Nowhere in this resolution does it talk about property being purchased by the Board of Education. Whenever we issue a resolution, we don’t issue resolutions with strings attached. We’ve never, since I’ve been up here, issued a resolution with strings attached. If the other organizations that are competing for this property, if they bring a resolution before the commission and they could justify the work that they’re doing, I have no problem issuing a resolution in support of the work that they’re doing. But to deny this resolution because you think that he may take it to the Board of Education or you think that the Board of Education would be pissed off at us because we’re interfering in its business is totally inappropriate and there is no justification to substantiate whatever your rationale. Mr. Hasan: I’ve talked to my colleagues. I’ve talked to Mr. Al Ferguson personally so I know that’s what the letter will be used for. I think in being open and honest, Commissioner Fennoy, you know as well that’s what the letter is going to be used for. You asked to modify the letter at some point in time so that it would just modify the language and read just what you want and I said to you ultimately would not the letter end up on the Board of Education desk you concurred with that. So I think it’s a little misleading to say that you don’t think that’s where it’s going to end up at. For sure if you don’t know it you assumed the same thing that’s where it’s going to end up at. And so like I said with an outstanding issue that we have as a governing body with the Board of Education, I commend those programs that you’re (inaudible). I don’t know anything about them in terms of being implemented. I know nothing about them. But I also know that there are several other entities that are probably doing the exact same, not the same service but about a valuable service to this community. So my thing is that at the point in time that we are, that we ought to consider very strongly that we don’t want to get into other folks’ business from a governing body perspective and we know how that goes. We are elected officials ourselves and we are very territorial and so I’m asking us now as a body not to support this and I stand by that. I’ve talked to Mr. Ferguson and at the end of the day and I shared that with him. 5 Mr. Smith: Ms. Bonner, would you clarify that substitute motion before we vote on it? The Clerk: Yes, sir, the substitute motion was to approve the resolution. The main motion was to deny. Mr. Smith: Okay, we’ll call for the vote for the substitute motion. Ms. Davis, Mr. Sias, Mr. Hasan, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Guilfoyle and Mr. Smith vote No. Mr. D. Williams abstains. Motion fails 3-6-1. Mr. Smith: Okay. We’ll now call for the vote on the original motion. The Clerk: Original motion was to deny the resolution. Mr. Fennoy and Mr. M. Williams vote No. Mr. D. Williams abstains. Motion carries 7-2-1. Mr. Smith: Okay, any more business before us? We’ll switch over and get on to the committees. Public Services is first. [MEETING ADJOURNED] Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission CERTIFICATION: I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Called Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on October 13, 2015. ________________________ Clerk of Commission 6