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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting June 29, 2017 REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER JUNE 29, 2017 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., June 29, 2017, the Hon. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Jefferson, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan and Smith, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Absent: Hon. Guilfoyle, member of Augusta Richmond County Commission. Mr. Mayor: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome back to Augusta, welcome back to your local government and without question in the words of the imitable John Clark we are happy to be here to do the people’s business. All right, Madam Clerk. The Clerk: Yes, sir --- Mr. Mayor: Good afternoon. The Clerk: --- good afternoon to you, sir --- Mr. Mayor: All right --- The Clerk: --- all is well. Mr. Mayor: --- I call this meeting to order. The Clerk: I call your attention to our invocation which will be delivered by Dr. Michael Mitchell, Senior Pastor, Restoration Ministries International Christian Fellowship, would you please stand. After which we’ll ask our Administrator to please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The invocation was given by Dr. Michael Mitchell, Senior Pastor, Restoration Ministries International Christian Fellowship. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited. Mr. Mayor: Dr. Mitchell, again on behalf of the Augusta Commission and all of our city residents we want to thank you for your civic leadership, your spiritual guidance. To many who may not know Dr. Mitchell as a fine Pastor of Restoration Ministries, he is a dear friend of this city. He is a friend of the Mayor, he is a friend of Hardie Davis, Ms. Bonner, but he is a leader among leaders, not just in the church world but I think Retired SGT MAJ Sias knows him well. And he has served our country faithfully and he serves our city well and her residents. Let us thank him for coming to share with us on today. (APPLAUSE) Mr. Sias: Yes, sir, we served together. 1 Mr. Mayor: Fantastic, he did. A distinguished leader, we’re happy to have him here in the community. Ms. Bonner, I think the first order of business is that I want to try and get everything from an agenda perspective done first. We have brought before us a matter to be discussed for an addition to the agenda and deletions. Let’s take this up first and we’d like to get unanimous consent th to add to the agenda a discussion topic presented by the Commissioner from the 7. Is there objection? DELEGATIONS B. Ms. Shannon Rogers, Augusta Animal Services Citizens Advisory Board regarding report from the Animal Services Board. C. Ms. Aliegha Brigham, Richmond County Tax Commissioner’s Office regarding their partnership with Fort Gordon. Mr. Speaker: Yes. Mr. Mayor: There is objection, okay, all right, any way I could twist your finger not your arm? Mr. Hasan: (Unintelligible). Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, very good, all right with objection. All right, it’s going to be on the next committee cycle. All right, do we have unanimous consent to delete these two items from the delegation agenda? All right, very good. All right, is there objection? Mr. Speaker: (Unintelligible). Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, okay all right, Madam Clerk, I think we’re good. We’re ready to go. The Clerk: I call your attention to the delegation portion of our agenda where we will be honored with the introduction of Paine College’s new President by Commissioner Bill Fennoy. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS A. Introduction: Dr. Jerry L. Hardee, President of Paine College. (Requested by Commissioner Bill Fennoy) Mr. Mayor: All right, if Dr. Jerry L. Hardee will approach. Do you want to go down with him, okay all right, very good. Dr. Hardee, if you’ll take this stand to my left and your right. All right Commissioner Fennoy is going to join him. As Commissioner Fennoy is joining you, I don’t want to steal his thunder. I don’t know what he’s going to say but to the President of Paine College our new President, Dr. Hardee, my family members send their warm wishes and well regards the Bridges, the Polks and the Copelands who are residents of Valdosta, Georgia. Dr. Hardee: They’re spying on me. 2 Mr. Mayor: They are, they are, my wife is from Valdosta. All right, the Chair recognizes st the Commissioner from the 1, Commissioner Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, fellow Commissioners, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Paine College’s newest President, Dr. Jerry Hardee. Before coming into the Commission meeting this afternoon I was asked by the news media whether Dr. Hardee’s here to ask for money. Earlier he said he’s not too proud to beg and I’m not either but I just want to remind my colleagues, remind the people in the Commission chambers and the citizens of Richmond County that within the next hour Augusta Richmond County Commissioners are going to approve a parking deck that costs $12 million-dollars for the Cyberines and Augusta University. This will probably get unanimous consent. I know it will get my vote because this will be an asset to Augusta, the State of Georgia and this country. But what I would like to remind the citizens of Richmond County and my colleagues that Paine College is also an asset to Augusta, Georgia and that when we look at giving Paine College money, we not look at the fact that Paine is a private school because dollars are green. I can’t tell the difference between a public dollar and a private dollar, they all look the same to me. That the people that work at Paine College pay taxes like everybody else, that the students that attend Paine College even though they are attending a private institution don’t get any kind of tax breaks or incentives because they are attending a private institution. So I don’t know what Dr. Hardee is prepared to say today but I would like to take this time to welcome him to Augusta and within the next couple of months I want to get with Ms. Bonner and some friends of Paine College and have a reception that will give you all the employees of Richmond County an opportunity to meet and greet with them one on one. So is my five minutes up, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor: Well, I believe the gentleman knows of what he speaks. Mr. Fennoy: Okay at this time I’d like to present to you all Dr. Hardee. (APPLAUSE) Dr. Hardee: Thank you, Mayor Davis, other Commissioners, good afternoon. Thank you so much for this opportunity to share a few words with you today regarding Paine College. I do want to thank a proud alumnus of Paine College, Mr. Fennoy, for allowing and getting permission for Jerry Hardee to say a few words to you this afternoon. I’ve been asked a number of times why is it that you chose to come to Paine College since you’ve retired six times. This is my sixth time out of retirement. And I’m going to tell you a little bit about a prayer that my wife prayed in our church Bethel CME Church in Valdosta. And, Mr. Mayor, it is true that Mr. Bridges and his wife and your wife they’re all good friends and they check on me often. And I was just told night before last that we will keep you in our prayers as you go before the Commission in Augusta. But my wife prayed, I hope they find someone better than you to lead Paine College and that was a sincere prayer because it would’ve been good for all those who are interested in Paine College if they had found someone better than Jerry Hardee but low and behold the next day I found out that the Board said you are the best candidate we have and we’re sending you forth as the new President of Paine th College so I’m honored. I am so honored to be the 16 President of Paine College. Now I didn’t come into this situation with my eyes closed. I know exactly what I was getting into but I know having graduated from two historical black institutions and one majority institution I know how important institutions such as Paine are to the cultural, educational, and economic development of 3 all communities but especially the African-American community. And Mr. Fennoy very succinctly described how important it is for everyone to understand the economic impact that Paine College has on this community, and I found out all ready and I’ve only been here in fact tomorrow I will have been here four weeks so I know how important it is to do three things and these three things I promise you my Board of Trustees. Number one, I’m going to take care of all the issues that are on the table concerning our accreditation process. I want everyone to know that Paine College right now is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and we have another year to take a look at a number of things associated with making sure that all issues related to that accreditation are lifted and we’re on our way to being stabilized in that regard. We are also applying for an additional accreditation through the Transactional Association of Christian Colleges and Schools which parallels SACS in many ways and we feel certain we’re going to get that but I’ve also promised that we’re going to have both and we’ll have them without any issues associated with them. Number two, I’m going to double the enrollment at Paine. Now that’s a bold statement. I want to go from about 500 students to a 1,000 and all you have to do is multiply 1,000 times about 20,000 per student and you understand what impact on an annual basis that Paine College would have or is having and will have even more on the Richmond County Augusta Community. And Mr. Fennoy said he didn’t know whether I came here today to beg and I don’t mind begging because they said that the President is the guy that lives in the big house and begs and so what I’m going to say is that the third thing I said I was going to do when I told the Board of Trustees that I would come here is that we want to enhance our ability to be successful in our comprehensive campaign and that is the only thing that’s causing the problems or issues that are associated with our accreditation, nothing about the academic program, all about the stability of the financial situation. And so my portion of that I’ve said that I’m going to find a 1,000 people who might be willing to give Paine College a $1,000 dollars each and 100 people who might be willing to give, invest in Paine College $10,000 dollars each and four or five people who might be willing to have the resources to give Paine a million-dollars each. These are investments in the Richmond County Augusta community. So, if those kinds of resources come into Paine they have some way of spreading themselves in reverberating across the Augusta Richmond County area. So I say to you today that’s where we are. Those are my three or four main targets for doing what it is I said I would do and I just need your prayers first of all and then I need your support because together we can get things done when we work in competition with each other or combating each other nothing much happens but Paine College is a viable entity that supports this community and it should be supported too. So get on board with me. I’m ready to go and whatever I might do to assist you in any way please let me know and I’ll handle any questions you may ask at this time. th Mr. Mayor: Dr. Hardee, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: Welcome to Augusta, Dr. Hardee. Dr. Hardee: Thank you. Mr. Hasan: A quick question, I like everything that I heard you say but I would like to know about those numbers you asked. Are those annual or one time? Dr. Hardee: Right now I’m saying one time. If you want to do those annual I’m not going to stop you. 4 Mr. Hasan: I just asked the question. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner Fennoy, thank you for introducing the President. Dr. Hardee, welcome to the City of Augusta. Dr. Hardee: Thank you, thank you very much. Mr. Mayor: We look forward to making this your city and not only welcoming you but looking for opportunity on occasion that in the words of the great gospel writers may I suggest that the days of begging are over. That is an opportunity to ask --- Dr. Hardee: Yes. Mr. Mayor: --- it’s a simple principal to ask and it shall be given --- Dr. Hardee: And if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Mr. Mayor: --- seek and you shall find knock on the door and it will be open. Dr. Hardee: Thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Mr. Hasan: Are you going to finish it out? Mr. Mayor: I’m working on that now. All right, Madam Clerk, before we move on I want to share a few things with the Commission. One, I know that there is some business before us many of you traveled on last week to the Georgia Municipal Association and hopefully we’ll hear the findings from your workshops, your sessions and will help us collectively come together to advance our community. And I am looking forward to those discussions with great anticipation but I do want to make mention of a number of things that are going on in the community that are important to this body and certainly to all of our citizens. These last two weeks have certainly been stellar weeks for us as a city with the ground breaking for the Hyatt House Hotel and days later the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. We celebrate with our good friends over in North Augusta. The baseball team is going to move across the river but might I submit to you that the hits keep on coming in Augusta. On tomorrow we will join Doctor’s Hospital as they break ground and the Commission is invited. They break ground in launching their $19.8 million- th, dollar emergency room expansion. This will take place Friday June the 30 that’s tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and this a 14-month project that will create a larger more efficient department with more treatment rooms etc., etc. Doctor’s Hospital is a fine corporate partner with us and the City of Augusta is excited. As many of you know my former Chief of Staff Lynthia Owens is now the Director of Community Communications and Public Relations. She is inviting all of the Commission to be a part of that ground breaking tomorrow at 8:30. Again, John, the hits keep on coming in Augusta even without a baseball team. We also are happy, Ms. Bonner, to inform everyone that the, and this I believe is in District maybe District 5 possibly District 3 Sprint Foods 5 Gordon Highway they had their grand opening today and they’re going to be further celebrating that many of you are friends with our friend Andy Jones. Also the Metro Market that’s here they are having their official grand opening. The ribbon cutting was earlier but the official grand opening and I probably shouldn’t say this but I’m going to say it will be from four to six, gas prices filled at four to six will be a $1.51. The Clerk: Gordon Highway and Barton Chapel. Mr. Mayor: You’ve got time. Mr. Sias: You know I won’t say Point of Personal Privilege I’ll just make that, in fact that’s District 4. Mr. Mayor: Okay --- Mr. Sias: That’s District 4, thank you. Mr. Mayor: --- well, that’s District 4 absolutely Barton Chapel and Gordon Highway but again the official grand opening will be this afternoon from four to six. Not only are the gas prices great but it is a full-service gas station, quite frankly, a facility where they’re serving food, yeah, a truck stop they’ve got it all there, great milkshakes peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate whatever you want, they’ve got it all. And then I want to mention this one as well because I think it’s extremely important for us as a community. And in October which many of you are aware ACCG will be hosting their Legislative Leadership Conference in Augusta, Georgia the week of October th the 12 but we have received notice that many of you are aware of already. And this again is kudos to the Commission, the Administrator and our entire team, our staff One Augusta and the community at large but Augusta Richmond County has received the 2017 County of Distinction Award. We’re one of six counties for the on-going efforts to become the states Cyber Security Epicenter. This was also featured in the most recent Georgia Trend Magazine. I’ll say it again the hits keep on coming, Mayor Pro Tem. Then we want to acknowledge the good work that our Convention and Visitors Bureau is doing. Today they celebrated a positive tourism study findings. Augusta has seen a 7% increase in travelers to the city since 2013. This represents 9.1 million visitors including 4.2 million in overnight visitors and 4.9 million day trippers. Dr. Pringle, people are choosing Augusta Georgia. Overnight travelers alone spent over $478 million dollars in our city. That’s good news. At 51% the amount of travelers visiting family and friends in Augusta was higher than the national average. Would everybody say choose Augusta, that’s my one church (unintelligible) amen. And then my final one we are an Age City, Age Friendly City. Kudos again Team Augusta, Commissioner Bill Lockett who is our liaison that you all chose, kudos to the work that they’re doing. In partnership with the Augusta Library they are hosting a senior prom at the th. library headquarters on Friday August the 4 It will be a Roaring Twenties themed dinner, Commissioner Williams, for all of us folks who are at least 50 years young. I don’t qualify yet but I’m looking forward to that day, Dr. Mitchell. Full details are on their website and this is an awesome opportunity for us to further put our arms around, Ms. Jackson, the senior citizens of our city letting people know that we support them in every way possible. And that’s a tremendous way for our library to further extend its borders and open its doors to people in the community we st call Augusta Georgia. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. 6 Mr. Fennoy: Also, Mr. Mayor, yesterday the Diamond Lakes was, the center was named after Robert Howard, a 30-year outstanding employee of Richmond County. The Facilities Department, Ms. Douse and her staff, Mr. Parker and his staff, did an outstanding job in making that a very eventful event. A lot of my colleagues were there, a lot of the retired Recreation and Parks Department was there and lot of Robert Howard’s friends and colleagues were there to represent them along with the Administrator. So, I think it’s good when we recognize employees that have done an outstanding job for Richmond County. And you know a lot of times we can’t give them the money that they deserve but we should at all times give them the recognition that they deserve. st Mr. Mayor: Thank you, to the Commissioner from the 1 I couldn’t agree with you more, fantastic. Then again, congratulations on that yesterday thank you all. All right, Ms. Bonner --- The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- the Chair recognizes Madam Clerk. The Clerk: I call your attention to the consent portion of our agenda which consists of Items 1-5, Items 1-5. Mr. Mayor: All right, I’d like to entertain any motions to add or remove from the consent agenda. We can add Item 9 to the consent agenda. Mr. Fennoy: I’m okay with that. Mr. Mayor: Thank you. Mr. Hasan: Motion to add number nine, Item number 9. Mr. Mayor: Yes. Mr. Speaker: So moved. The Clerk: We just need unanimous consent. Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Mayor: All right, Item number 6. The Clerk: Item number 6? Mr. Mayor: Yes. Mr. Sias: Motion to approve. 7 Mr. Fennoy: Second. CONSENT AGENDA ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 1. Motion to approve revised Rocky Creek Enterprise Zone Ordinance. (Approved by Commission June 20, 2017 – second reading) ENGINEERING SERVICES 2. Motion to approve an Ordinance to amend the Augusta, Georgia Code, Title 8, Chapter One, Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, in its entirety. (Approved by the Commission June 20, 2017 – second reading) PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS 3. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular and Executive Session meetings of the Commission held June 20, 2017. APPOINTMENTS 4. Motion to approve the appointment of Ms. LaQuita W. Logan to the Augusta Transit Citizens Advisory Board representing District 8. 5. Motion to approve the appointment of Ms. Tamlar Walton to the Augusta Transit Citizens Advisory Board representing District 5. PUBLIC SERVICES 6. Approve amendments to the Augusta, Georgia Code, Title 6, Chapter 6, Article 3, Regulated Businesses, to add a new Section 6-6-48 to provide regulations for Special Entertainment Permits, and to Title 2, Chapter 1, Article 1, Business Tax Certificate, Section 2-1-3 Administrative and Regulatory Fee Structure, to establish the Special Entertainment Permit regulatory fee. ADMINISTRATOR 9. Motion to adopt an Authorizing Resolution in connection with the Cyber Initiative Redevelopment Plan to authorize Augusta to enter into an Agreement of Sale with the Urban Redevelopment Agency of Augusta and to execute such other ancillary documents necessary in support of the issuance of bonds by the Urban Redevelopment Agency of Augusta for the acquisition and construction of the Cyber Initiative Parking Garage as approved by the General Counsel. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. Sias: And one (unintelligible) Item 8? Mr. Mayor: I thought about it. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ll come back. Mr. Fennoy: Okay come back to eight. 8 Mr. Mayor: Yeah, we will. Okay we’ll give you an opportunity to talk about it. All right we’ve got Item 6 and 9 that have been added to the consent agenda. Madam Clerk? The Clerk: Yes, sir, we have a motion, we have a motion and a second. Are you ready? Mr. Mayor: Ready to vote. The Clerk: Mr. Grady? Mr. Smith: Does my vote count? The Clerk: It does today --- Mr. Smith: Just checking. The Clerk: --- it does today. Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion Passes 9-0. \[Items 1-5, 6, 9\] Mr. Mayor: I want to take a moment, Ms. Bonner --- The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- I do want to recognize Ms. Annie Rogers who’s in the audience as well a distinguished Paine Alum and I believe on the National Board for Paine College as well. So, Paine has been represented well here today, and Ms. Douse. Okay all right fantastic, excellent. We, all right we’re excited to have Dr. Pringle here with us our Superintendent of Schools and I see Phil Wahl who’s representing the Chamber of Commerce I believe and so we’re going to take up number 8 first, Ms. Bonner. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 8. Discuss/approve scheduling a joint meeting with the Augusta Commission, Board of Education and Chamber of Commerce Business Education Advisory Council to discuss how local government can aid in improving education in our community. (Requested by Commissioner Dennis Williams) Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to ask Dr. Pringle and Mr. Wahl if they’ll come on up but nd the Chair’s going to recognize the Commissioner from the 2, Commissioner D. Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As the agenda item states the purpose of getting these entities together is to come together and discuss a variety of different ways that we can work as a team in improving the education in our community, not that it’s all that bad, mind you. But 9 we need to come together as a joint community and work on these areas to improve the areas because the Chamber can’t do it alone and also the Board of Education can’t do it. So if we all would work together as a team we will come out on the better end. So I’ll give them an opportunity to say something about the meetings that we’ve had already. Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes Phil Wahl. Mr. Wahl: Thank you Mr. Mayor, Commissioners. It’s a pleasure being here and I want to especially point out and thank you to Dennis Williams for his involvement and leadership and great representation from the Commission on our Business Education Advisory Council. We have about 25 people that now serve on that council from the Commission, from the Board of Education and certainly Dr. Pringle’s a part of that as well as the Administrator of the board and also we have leaders from the business community, social services like United Way, different support folks from communities and schools and you can go down a long list. But we really have the right people to address our educational opportunities in Augusta and I will thank Dr. Pringle because this has been a great process of getting to know her. She reached out and through conversations that the Sue Parr and Eddie Bussey who’s our Chair and I was brought in as well had a dialogue around how we can create a vision for our community when it takes the K-12 Education needs. And so one of the missions we have for the Business Education Advisory Council is to really find that place where we can be a community that has a vision for our school system and our youth and workplace learning and education that involves the entire community, the entire family and results in a product that can be an investment for businesses here to grow. We’re seeing so many as the Mayor stated so many great hits recently and having the opportunity to enhance our educational success is going to continue that forward. So I think that having a step forward where the Commission and the Board of Education, the Chamber representation comes together and has dialogue and works towards that vision is a great step in the right direction. And I’m going to let Dr. Pringle also say a few remarks as well. Dr. Pringle: Thank you so much and thank you Commissioner Williams, Mayor Davis and the full Commission. We have been working together for a couple of years now all of us on the advancement of education. The business advisory board which is actually led by Phil Wahl, he’s our President of the board, brings together a cross section of individuals to talk about education because we know a school district and a school does not live apart from the community, and this is just an opportunity for us to gather around the challenges we face, capitalize certainly on the assets and the positive things that are going on. But certainly gather around some of the challenges and work together toward a common goal and that begins by looking at what we ultimately want to have as a prepared workforce for the community. And so again we feel that this collaboration in an official capacity is important for us to move forward as a community. nd Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to go back to the Commissioner from the 2. Mr. D. Williams: I’ll yield. st Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. If you’ll stay there, if you’ll stay there, you have some comments and questions from the Commission. If you’ll st both come back. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. 10 Mr. Fennoy: Just a comment, Mr. Mayor. During our journey to Savannah one of the work sessions that Commissioner Dennis Williams and Commissioner Ben Hasan and Commissioner Sean Frantom and I sat in on it talked about the partnership that exists between the county commissioners, the Board of Education and local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. And even cities that have a low average income per family were able to have a very high graduation rate some as high as 93 and 94% because of this partnership. And what one of the things they also talked about is that who really benefits when your community has a good education. It decreases the incarceration rate and it’s more attractive to businesses and industries coming to your town. So I would like to, I don’t know whether Commissioner Dennis Williams had anything to do with making that a part of the agenda down at GMA but it was but I mean it just worked out like that. But I do appreciate what you all are doing and one of the things that I mentioned is the partnership that we have in Augusta with the Board of Education and the program that they have with the E- Z-GO (unintelligible) right, right and they were just excited about that. And other companies that I have talked to, Dr. Pringle know that they don’t won’t be able to hire the number of people that E-Z-GO may be able to hire but they would like to sort of partner so that they could get a piece of the action so that they would be manufacture trained in order to go into the workforce. And I’ll get that information to you and your staff so we could you know start up soon with something like that. And thanks for the good job and great job that ya’ll are doing. Mr. Wahl: If I may make a comment. So Commissioner Williams called me on his way back from Savannah and I can only picture what his deamenor looked like at that class when they were talking about all those things that we’re already doing. And he had a big smile, I’m sure, thinking that this is great confirmation that we’re doing the right thing because we shared that together when he was coming back from Savannah that he said Phil I just came back from this class at GMA and he says we’re doing everything and more than they were talking about in that class so we’re excited about that I think that we are a step ahead. So, we have some opportunities and some challenges certainly but I think we are going in the right direction. Mr. Mayor: All right, you’ve still got more comments. All right, the Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 9 and then I’m going to come back to the Mayor Pro Tem and he’ll close us. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Phil and to Dr. Pringle I’m very much in support a little bit different thinking when you talk about improving education in our communities. We know the School Board has been stressed out doing everything they can and, Phil, we know that your agency’s been trying to work together. My question would be in these conversations hopefully we can address the issue of how can I frame this, discipline which is a very, very important part of education. The mother and the father who may or may not be at home are the first teachers and when they get to school by that time they get to school, we’ve got to find a way so I’m in support but we’ve got to find a way to get the parents to understand you’ve got to get th your child ready to be educated and to be able to learn. After we get past 5 grade, it’s hard to get a young girl or boy I think to understand that in the early years so I think it’d be good to have the conversation. I talked to Dennis about it before the meeting started and I just think that as long as we talk honest about some situations that everybody don’t have the same opportunity. We have missed a couple of generations that we got to get back to. Now I’m old school, Phil, I’m strictly 11 old school, Sean Frantom tells me all the time, but I realize that but if it’s still working there’s no sense in trying to change that. So, hopefully when we come together and have this meeting this dialogue that we can talk about how to get hands back on to get young children to be ready to be educated. I thank you for the work what you’re all doing. rd Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 3. Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I agree with Commissioner Williams I’m in full support of all of us getting together and meeting and not just on a one-time meeting but on a regular basis maybe two or three times a year. I just I think probably a lot of ya’ll’s struggles are a lot of our struggles as well just in a different fashion but it all you know we’re all here to do the same thing. And so the more we know what ya’ll are doing and your objectives are and that you know what ours are it can only better Augusta. I guess my main question is do you see this as a, from the work that ya’ll have been doing together, would we be able to leave with action items as far as a Commission and what we can really try to work on you know in our capacity or do see it more as a discussion just so we all are on the same page. What do you feel we can really gain from this? Mr. Wahl: Well, certainly we have action items already that would include assistance from the city and government and you know the discussions I think we’ll have is to create a common vision. Just as you know One Augusta that has a goal that says hey, this is a family issue, this is you know we’re family here. We don’t need somebody from the state to come in and tell us how to make this better. We can do that ourselves and I think there are action items tied to the full issue here. You know again I think all good of the Mayor’s comment about a little church time but this is a matter of mind, body, and soul, I mean it goes all the way around. So we engage churches we have an engagement committee that has that as part of the mission and the social services part of the community. We have we’re looking to also provide the right talking points in the community about our school system. You know we talk, it’s easy to say bad things about things and you know you get those headlines that are just are shockers. Well, I mean if you really look at it as I think somebody said earlier you know we don’t have that bad of a situation we just have some challenges in certain areas that we really need to focus in on. And if we can take that for example we’d like to go and use the Harrisburg area as a launching point. That’s what the United Way is doing and we partner with their initiatives and the you know the education side of it as well as the business side of it to try to get this going in the right direction. But no doubt we have an action item coming out. Ms. Davis: Right, thank you I’ll look forward to it and I hope we can set it up soon. Thank you all for what you’re doing. Mr. Mayor: All right, you can’t anywhere yet. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner th from the 5. Mr. Jefferson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Dr. Pringle, Mr. Wahl this has been a long time coming. I’ve been involved with education for many years and I think this is a great day for Augusta when the total community can come together. I coin a phrase from the late Kingsley Riley who I had the honor of serving with on the School Board. In our community we have to reach the children before we can teach the children. And with that being said the Move On When 12 st Ready the RPM in the 21 century education has changed and you have to be innovative because the minds of young people don’t work the same way they did many years ago. They are much more aggressive in some of the things they do. If you don’t believe that buy a new electronic device and your toddler could almost show you how to use it. But I want to commend the two of you and also this Commission for stepping up to the plate because we have a Cyber Innovation Center that’s coming but that’s up here. But on the ground floor if we could catch the children Pre-K and guide them in the right direction, mold them in the direction and probably, I’m not trying to tell you how to do your business but if we could get someone from the Technical College in Augusta to do some of the collaborations with the Move On When Ready, once your students finish the RPM to further those skills because technology is the key and it’s not just about conventional education but the K-12 is the key or the foundation for the future for some of the children. With that being said, I applaud each and every one of you. Thank you. Mr. Mayor: All right. Mr. Wahl: We do have representation from Augusta Technical College. We also have representation from some of the private educational enterprises like Virginia College and others in town too. Mr. Mayor: Well, that is outstanding I want to thank Commissioner Dennis Williams for one inviting them. Madam Clerk, I’m going to go off script again, yep, I’m going to go off script again. The scriptures say can anything good come of Nazareth --- The Clerk: Yes. Mr. Mayor: --- that’s right. I’m a product of the Richmond County School system and I think I’ve turned out okay. I didn’t do everything right but again I think I turned out okay. And you know if the Lord can do it for me and Hephzibah High School I’m sure he could do it for the rest of our students. One of the great challenges, Mr. Welcher, that we have in our schools is not that our schools are bad, that there are some challenges we have to be honest about that but the problem we’ve got, Mr. McDowell, is that we’ve let folks tell our story too long and the story needs to be told that our schools rock. And so if we were at the Prince concert it would say everybody get your phones, turn your flashlight on and I’m not going to ask you to do that today. What I’m going to ask you to do is go to social media whether it’s Twitter, Instagram or Face Book and I want you to Tweet Our Schools Rock at RCCSSGA!!!!, let’s start there. The Chair nd recognizes the Commissioner from the 2. Mr. D. Williams: I’d like to make a motion to approve Item number 8. Ms. Davis: Second. Mr. Mayor: With this caveat, Ms. Bonner, would you work closely with the School Board in setting that up for maybe August --- The Clerk: Yes, sir, August. 13 Mr. Mayor: --- August. So, everybody’s got an opportunity to do that. Don’t be shy about it. John Clark, would you join me in doing that, absolutely I knew he would, I know Lindsay will. All right --- The Clerk: Mr. Grady, is that a yes for you, sir? Mr. Hasan: We need your vote, Grady. Mr. G. Smith: Oh, ya’ll better send me back to school. The Clerk: You third the motion so I just assume you were for it. Mr. G. Smith: All right, I’m a little slow learner you know. Maybe today I’d be a little better off. Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: That leaves us with Item number 7, sir? Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 7. Discuss staff’s misrepresentation of a request with willful inaction. (Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams) th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7, I’m sorry from th the 9 I’m sorry. Mr. M. Williams: Grady’s not the only slow learner. Well, Mr. Mayor, thank you. Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: I wanted to address this issue but, Ms. Jackson, I think you said Mr. Parker’s not here today. Ms. Jackson: He’s on vacation this week, that’s correct. Mr. M. Williams: I needed to speak with him and I know he’s got representation here but I need to speak with him. Mr. Mayor, to share just a little bit. We had a three-way conversation with the Administrator, Mr. Parker, and myself about the incident at the Commons. He just said we don’t sell ourselves as much as we need to and in those words we don’t promote Augusta like we ought to be. But the long story short is we had asked for an additional speaker down the side of the wall so the people in the middle and the rear of the Commons could hear effectively and not 14 just post to that. And I stressed then how important it was to make sure that happened before Sunday and nothing happened and I’m very disappointed about it but Mr. Parker’s not here. I’d like to put this back on the agenda, Ms. Bonner, for the next meeting to have Mr. Parker who can address it probably better than staff can. I think he’s got his assistant here. Ms. Jackson: Yes, Ms. Smith is here, excuse me Ms. Adams is here. Mr. M. Williams: Okay Ms. Adams is here. I wanted to address it with Mr. Parker because we had a conversation with the three-way with Ms. Jackson and Mr. Parker and myself and had the Clerk email him to that effect to make sure that this didn’t happen and this did not happen at all. So, I’d to just if I cannot postpone it but move it to the next agenda to have Mr. Parker present so he can address the issue --- Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: --- to help me understand why it didn’t happen. Mr. Mayor: So your question is that it be put on the next --- th Mr. Hasan: July 11. th Mr. Mayor: --- committee meeting which will be July the 11, is that correct? th Mr. M. Williams: Yes, that will be fine July 11 our next Commission meeting will be when? th The Clerk: The 18. th Mr. Mayor: The 18, right. th The Clerk: July 18. th Mr. Hasan: We don’t meet no more until the 11. Mr. M. Williams: Okay, we’ll send it back to committee hopefully by then we’ll have a meeting of the minds to talk with Ms. Jackson about trying to sit down and talk to her about some th, issues anyway but we’ll do that to the 11 Ms. Bonner. The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: All right. Mr. Frantom: I’d still like to speak on that. Mr. Mayor: I’m going to give you an opportunity. All right so --- 15 Mr. M. Williams: Are we going to speak on it, Mr. Mayor, I mean because I --- Mr. Mayor: Well, that’s what you’re doing now but you said you didn’t have a representative here that you wanted to say something so I do think it’s within the Commissioner’s right to at least you know speak on the matter. And if you decide after he speaks you want to have a full-fledged debate about it well than we’ll entertain that as well. All right, so you’ve made a th request to move to the next committee meeting which is July the 11. The Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 7. Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So I went down there on Sunday to The Jazz and there was one speaker there, not two. For us to add these additional speakers is $250.00 dollars. We haven’t asked the sound guy to fly the speakers or angle the speakers which wouldn’t be an additional, any additional money. And while I was there the concerning part was there was 42 people, I left at 8:00 o’clock, 42 people next to the James Brown statue that did not pay to get in. Now because we added the speaker the sound was coming off the back building and it was terrible back there anyway but you know I have a concern if one Commissioner can just make a decision without this body being a part of the decision on something where it’s costing us money and we’re losing money. So, I just want to tell what I saw and the facts of the situation regardless if we’re going to talk about it again in two weeks because I think we need to defend our department heads and I think this situation everybody needs to understand the entire situation. And Yolanda and her staff do an incredible job. This event averages over 500 people, each event this would mean this holiday they expect a really big crowd. And you know I would like to hear on in two weeks how many complaints have they gotten because the people I talked to there has been no complaints about the sound. And before the one speaker was set up Sunday, it was plenty loud at the front gate I was at so it’s just a little concerning that we’re going to make a decision or try to tell a department head what to do on something that costs us money and makes us lose money. So, thank you, Mr. Mayor. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I thank my colleague for opening this door so I can truly explain what I need to about this situation. First of all, I had the constituents come to me about the level of hearing. I spoke to Mr. Parker and he said it was 20 people across the street on the other side and around James Brown’s statue. Like he said we have three or four or five-hundred people coming down and I asked the Administrator and I asked Mr. Parker if this was a Commission decision to be made. If I needed six votes then I would bring it to the body and get the six votes. Prior to talking to anybody I had made a call to Yolanda to get with her and I think she was out sick at that point to talk, to discuss what people had shared with me and wasn’t able to get with her. But on the Thursday when I called and talked with the Administrator who in turn put us on a three-way to talk to Mr. Parker who shared with me that he had spoke with the sound man and the sound man said he could add two speakers. Well, if people are paying the funds, paying money to come in and not getting the same level of service, if you notice if you’ve down there like you said you’d been, Sean, everybody was at the front and the reason you go to the front is because you want to hear. You go to the front because you want to be not just the music but you want to hear the conversation when people are talking people in the rear are the ones that come late or later and sit back there. So I agree if there was a Commission decision to do I had no 16 problem the Administrator or the Director had said it was a Commission decision. So, Mr. Mayor, it could have been something very simple as this to add the speakers. I asked the Rec Director did we have the right sound person and he assured me that we did. He emailed Ms. Bonner back in my request to say that he had conveyed the information to the sound man but it didn’t get done. Now it wasn’t from me. I came down the next week after that as well let me back up the night of that particular event and I stood in the middle of the Commons at the other statue not James Brown’s statue but at the middle of the Commons and stood there the entire time. So, this wasn’t a Marion Williams’ request. I didn’t need to hear. I could’ve walked up front and sat there on the stage I guess unless an officer come and throw me off but I just thought it would’ve been polite and when people pay their funds to come into an event that we are hosting that everybody has the same opportunity to hear and not have to get there before somebody else gets there in order to hear. So that’s how we got to this point but either way it didn’t take place, Mr. Mayor, for whatever reason. That’s the concern that I have about why it did not take place. If it was a Commission decision, I had no problem. I’d try for six votes if I didn’t get any it wouldn’t happen. (Unanimous consent is given to refer this item to the Public Services Committee meeting on July 11. Mr. Mayor: Absolutely all right, we’re going to have an opportunity to fully discuss this th on July the 11 okay? All right I think there’s some matters that are before us that will require us to go into Executive Session. The Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie. LEGAL MEETING A. Pending and Potential Litigation. B. Real Estate. C. Personnel. ADDENDUM 10. Motion to approve going into an Executive Session. Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to go into an Executive Session to discuss pending and potential litigation and personnel. Mr. Fennoy: So moved. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis, Mr. Sias and Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion Passes 7-0. \[EXECUTIVE SESSION\] 12. Motion to approve execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. 17 Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to execute the Closed Meeting Affidavit. Mr. Hasan: So moved. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. Guilfoyle and Mr. M. Williams out. Motion Passes 8-0. nd Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 2. ADDENDUM 11. Motion to approve payment of nine (9) additional straight time hours to Fire Department th Suppression Personnel, to be paid on the August 4 paycheck, as compensation for the rd granting of the July 3 holiday to all other Augusta, Georgia employees. Mr. D. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to make a motion to approve payment of nine (9) additional straight time hours to Fire Department Suppression Personnel, to be paid on thrd the August 4 paycheck, as compensation for the granting of the July 3 holiday to all other Augusta, Georgia employees. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. All those in favor will vote yea, those opposed will vote likewise. Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion Passes 9-0. th Mr. Mayor: I think that now again I want to wish everyone a very safe and prosperous 4 of July. I want to remind everyone that we’re celebrating at The Boat House as the Mayor Pro Tem has indicated. I don’t remember what time that starts, 7:00 o’clock, Ms. Jackson? Ms. Jackson: I’m checking my calendar to see if it’s on there. Ms. Davis: (inaudible). Mr. Mayor: I didn’t get a package, I just get left out. I feel so left out. Ms. Jackson: You do need a parking pass, sir, so I want to make sure. Mr. Mayor: Okay so everybody’s got the package everybody knows everybody knows what time. All right Tweet that as well let’s make sure we’ve got everybody. 18 The Clerk: It’s probably on your desk, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Oh, it’s on my desk okay. All right I’ve been gone I’ve been gone I don’t --- Mr. Sias: We didn’t get the packet with the speaking engagement. Mr. Mayor: --- I don’t know anything about that. Mr. Sias: (Inaudible). Mr. Mayor: Oh okay is that what it is? There was some hostilities over here, Natasha, get st them off of me, get them off of me. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, one of my other observations out of Savannah for GMA that a lot of the smaller cities had their Mayor there and hopefully in 2018 there will be monies in the budget to allow our Mayor to be there also. Mr. Mayor: I couldn’t agree with you more. Mr. Fennoy: Most of them had a car there, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Oh I couldn’t I know I couldn’t agree with you more. I mean the Mayor of Waynesboro got a car. Mr. Fennoy: Yeah, he was there. Mr. Hasan: So Waynesboro, I mean so Savannah is further than Florida, I just thought I’d ask. Mr. Mayor: This meeting is adjourned. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] Lena 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 Regular Meeting of The Augusta Richmond County Commission held on June 29, 2017. ______________________________ Clerk of Commission 19