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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting October 27, 2015 CALLED MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER October 27, 2015 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 12:00 Noon, Tuesday, October 27, 2015, the Honorable Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Lockett, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan, and Davis, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Smith, member of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’re going to 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 executive session to discuss pending and potential litigation, real estate and personnel. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Fennoy, Ms. Davis, and Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion carries 6-0. The Clerk: Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, Mayor Pro Tem Grady Smith will be absent from today’s meeting. [LEGAL MEETING] Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ll reconvene. The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. 3.Motion to approve execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. Lockett: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. 1 Mr. Fennoy and Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion carries 7-0. Mr. Mayor: Attorney MacKenzie. Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to extend the agreement of Carmen Alexander to perform EEO duties for Augusta, Georgia until a start date for the Director of Compliance and to authorize a transfer of funds from the EEO salary line item to pay for her services. Mr. Sias: So move. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion carries 8-0. Mr. MacKenzie: The next item would be a motion to authorize a Resolution in settlement of all claims of Charles Bragg and Kim Bragg in the aggregate amount of $30,000 for a sewer backup claim. Mr. Lockett: So move. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Guilfoyle votes No. Motion carries 8-1. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Mr. MacKenzie and Madam Clerk, I want to take an opportunity to recognize a great employee who has been with us for 41 years, had the great pleasure of meeting Ms. Pam Costabile back in 1996 when I cut my teeth serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals. She’s been with us for 41 years and as I understand it her last day with us in the City of Augusta is on Friday and so I hope that the august body of elected officials will join me in congratulating Ms. Pam Costabile if you’d stand. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, if I may. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the distinguished Engineering Services Chairman, Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: I stopped by Planning and Zoning one day last week and I smelled some chicken wings and some fried rice and I went back to investigate and at that time I found out that Ms. Costabile’s going to be leaving us. Everybody that complains in my district knows Pam and I have met Pam on some of the complaints and I think she goes where no other person would go. She will walk in grass up to your waist, go in houses where the roof is about to cave in on you 2 and I just want to let her know that I really do appreciate the work you have done over the past 41 years. A lot of the people in my district is going to miss you and they really do appreciate the work you’ve done and they know you by name and I just want to say congratulations and hope that the next 41 years will be as great as the past 41 years have been and thank you. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Chairman of Finance from the south side. Mr. Guilfoyle: Pam, it has been a pleasure working with you over these past five years. I wish you luck on your retirement but I’ve also got to say that your staff has been doing an outstanding job, follow up, follow through, make sure that the issues are handled. But you can rest assured when you retired that you still have good people that you had put in place, trained and they will carry the job for you. Mr. Mayor: All right. Mr. Lockett: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I wasn’t going to say anything because I didn’t want to be redundant, but anyway, Pam, now that you are joining the retirement ranks I have a job waiting for you. We need you at our age-friendly initiative and your former director and I will bring you up to date on what the duties are. Thank you for volunteering. I really appreciate that. Mr. Mayor: All right, is there anybody else? The Chair recognizes the Commissioner th from the 4, Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: I met Miss Pam Costabile about 25 years ago running through our neighborhood areas with her doing the same thing what Commissioner Fennoy mentioned. So I just want to say again thanks for all the great work you helped us with. We really appreciate you and we’ll miss you. Thank you and be safe and have good luck to you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: I absolutely want to hear from her, come on. Please approach, Ms. Costabile. You’re bringing Bob Austin up front too? Ms. Costabile: I want to thank you for the many years of service that you have given to Augusta. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with you and it’s been an honor to work for the citizens of Augusta, Georgia for the past 41 years. It’s been challenging and mostly rewarding. I would like to thank our director, Melanie Wilson, and for director Mark Johnson with Environmental Services for coming together and thinking outside the box and finding funding for the demolition of these unsafe buildings and that’s what takes Augusta forward is for those directors that come together and work and find a solution. So I can retire in peace to know that those buildings will be demolished but if it wasn’t for the hard work and the dedication of my staff it would have never happened. Thank you. Mr. Mayor: Fantastic. I want to draw everybody’s attention to one more item that we have before us and that’s on our agenda. Special called meeting. The Chair recognizes the th commissioner from the 6, Commissioner Hasan. 3 1.Motion to approve the rescheduling of the Tuesday, November 3, 2015 regular meeting to Wednesday, November 4, 2015. (Requested by Commissioner Ben Hasan) Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I’d like to have this item removed from the agenda. I had the Clerk place it on the agenda. I know we was all moving pretty fast and we are concerned about next Tuesday and as a result of that, I didn’t think it would be a last minute decision to hey, we need to do something next Tuesday and come back Wednesday and I had it there just in case and so after thinking it through and talking to my colleagues, we’re going to be okay and so I’d like to have this removed from the agenda, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much for that. Mr. Hasan: I’d like to make a motion to have it removed from the agenda. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Lockett: Mr. Mayor. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the commissioner from the 5. Mr. Lockett: I wasn’t a part of that conversation. I guess I don’t count, but I do support removing this from the agenda. Mr. Mayor: Well, if it’s any consolation, the Mayor wasn’t either. Mr. Hasan: And I made that conscious decision, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: I know. We talked about it and I support you. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Motion carries 9-0. [MEETING ADJOURNED] Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission 4 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 27, 2015. ________________________ Clerk of Commission 5