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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting January 2, 2018 REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER JANUARY 2, 2018 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., January 2, 2018, the Hon. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Jefferson, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan and Smith, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. The invocation was given by Apostle Curtis L. James, Pastor United House of Prayer For All People, Nellieville Road. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited. Mr. Hasan: --- now who do we perceive will make it to the championship so, you’ve got 50% of the right so I think we both end up in a good place. But I was just more concerned about number, the first game --- Mr. Mayor: Yeah --- Mr. Hasan: --- the second one I kind of lost faith in it early on. Mr. Mayor: --- okay. Mr. Hasan: So my comment to you was, Mr. Mayor, I’m just saying. Mr. Mayor: I understand, I understand. Again, I’ll repeat it on multiple occasions Go Dogs. Mr. Hasan: But you did think Baker Mayfield was going to pull it out. Mr. Mayor: And he should have, poor coach. Mr. Hasan: Well, you know, coach only plays in marbles and horseshoes which you won’t play in either one of them. Mr. Mayor: All right, we do want to take an opportunity also to thank our Chaplain of the Day. We welcome him to the community Apostle Curtis L. James for United House of Prayer For All People. We’re excited to have him here serving in our community and look forward to his continued spiritual guidance and civic leadership. And on behalf of the entire Commission we do have a certificate for you, Pastor, if you’ll approach. His daughter is working for one, the Honorable Eric L. Holder, very excited about that so he’s got some folks doing some good work in this United States. Would you join me in congratulating him? DELEGATIONS 1 A. Reverend Melvin Ivey regarding a proposed Commission Bus Tour so that commissioners can make more informed decisions when it comes to moving the city forward. The Clerk: Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, Reverend Melvin Ivey called the office to ask that his request be rescheduled to our next meeting. He had a pipe to burst in his home and he said he had some immediate work that needed to be done so he asked that his item be rescheduled. CONSENT AGENDA PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS 1. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Augusta Commission held December 19, 2017. The Clerk: Our consent agenda consists of Item 1. Mr. G. Smith: Move to approve. Mr. Jefferson: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Motion Passes 10-0. \[Item 1\] Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, let me mention a few things while we’re at this juncture. On tomorrow we’re going to also have groundbreaking No. 2 for the Georgia Cyber and Innovation and Training Center Building 2, that’s going to take place at 2:00 p.m. everyone should have a copy of that. And again, that’s tomorrow groundbreaking and the Honorable Governor Nathan J. Deal will be in attendance and is inviting us to be a part of that, a wonderful event. Also on tomorrow there will be a Streetlight Subcommittee Meeting taking place at 11:00 a.m. in Room 291. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The Clerk: I call your attention to the Public Services portion of our agenda. Ms. Walton, will you be addressing the alcohol petitions today? PUBLIC SERVICES 2. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 17-42: request by Brian Brittingham for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Sky City located at 1157 Broad Street. District 1. Super District 9. Ms. Walton: Good afternoon, do we have any objectors to any of our alcohol petitions? The Clerk: Just come forward, sir. Ms. Walton: We have a motion to approve New Ownership Application: A request by Brian Brittingham for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Sky City located at 1157 Broad Street. 2 Mr. Brittingham: My name is Brian Patrick Brittingham. My address is 725 Hickman Road, Augusta 30904. Mr. Guilfoyle: Sheriff’s Department. Ms. Walton: The Planning and Development approves this application as well as the Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Guilfoyle: Motion to approve. Ms. Davis: Second. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second to approve. I have one question Brian and George. So as you open up this venue for more things I have one simple request that when you do that you invite Raphael Saadiq and Tony Toni Tone to be one of the first folks to play there and I’ll be there, okay very good. Voting. Motion Passes 10-0. Mr. Mayor: I think Sean knows what that means, excuse me the Commissioner from the th. 7 I think he knows who that is. Let’s see if he’s got some moves. PUBLIC SERVICES 3. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 17-43: request by Joseph A. Urban for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with E Z Q Food Mart located at 2160 ML King Blvd. District 2. Super District 9. Ms. Walton: Motion to approve New Ownership Application. It’s a request by Joseph A. Urban for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with E Z Q Food Mart located at 2160 ML Kind Blvd. Mr. Urban: Joseph Anthony Urban, 1866 Heathers Way, Augusta 30906. Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff’s Department as well as Planning and Development. th Mr. Mayor: Okay, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is the old 2160 Club that was converted into a convenience store. Ms. Walton: Yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: And this is just --- 3 Ms. Walton: It’s been in existence now for several years, it’s just changing ownership. Mr. M. Williams: --- okay. Now I remember when this came about. I’m trying to go back in history a little bit because I want to know how the Beer & Wine License got there in the beginning. Because in the initial stage when we disapproved the Beer & Wine License, shortly the business opened up with the Beer & Wine License that it has now. So, how did that take place? I guess is how that I mean it ain’t got nothing to do with this young man here but it was turned down. I specifically remember this location there’s been a lot of death occurred is probably the best way to put it in this old building when it was a club versus being a convenience store. So, you might not be able to answer that you weren’t in that position at that point but nobody every answered it yet because the reason it comes back to mind so easy, Donna, is because I ride by there every day. And when the business changed and started to do those items I wanted, now we just disapproved that but nobody ever told me how it got there. Mr. Walton: You’re right, Mr. Williams. I was not in this position at that time but I can look into it because I do remember what you’re talking about. Mr. M. Williams: I do remember the conversation distinctly because you know I was District 2 Commissioner at that point, I represent that area, the people I mean it’s a big history going a long ways back. I’m going to make a motion to approve. I mean this is nothing on this young man here. If the Sheriff is okay with it and hadn’t had any problems since then but I want to know how it got under the radar or over the top of the radar to get changed because we voted it down at that point but now it’s in existence and now it’s passing hands --- Mr. Guilfoyle: I’ll second the motion. Mr. M. Williams: --- that bothers me when stuff gets approved one way but it comes out the way somebody else decides anyway so, that’s my motion, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second, right we’ve got a motion and proper second. Voting. Motion Passes 10-0. PUBLIC SERVICES 4. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 17-45: request by Cody Finch for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Surrey Tavern located at 471 Highland Ave. District 7. Super District 10. Ms. Walton: We have a motion to approve New Ownership Application. It’s a request by Cody Finch for a consumption on premise Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Surry Tavern located at 471 Highland Avenue. Mr. Finch: Cody Wayne Finch, 192 Bellwood Drive, Harlem 30814. 4 Ms. Walton: The application has been approved by the Sheriff’s Department as well as Planning and Development. Mr. Guilfoyle: Motion to approve. Mr. Jefferson: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’m going to ask everybody to suspend for a moment. Ms. Walton, did the Sheriff know that he was a Buffalo Bills fan? Mr. Guilfoyle: Is there a dress code in this room, sir? My wife wouldn’t fit in this room then. Mr. Mayor: Mr. Finch, I’ve got to ask you one question --- Mr. Finch: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- are you excited about the Bills making the playoffs? Mr. Finch: I am it’s been, I had a whole military career since the last time the Bills made the (inaudible) ’99. I remember the Music City Miracles (inaudible). Mr. Mayor: I do. All right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second. Voting. Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, he went four years straight (unintelligible) and didn’t do nothing, went four years straight with Jim Kennedy and nothing happened. Mr. Mayor: Well, you know the wonderful thing about those four years straight. They ran into a team called America’s Team. I just love it. Motion Passes 10-0. PUBLIC SERVICES 5. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 17-46: request by Dae P. Kwak for an on-premise consumption Liquor & Beer License to be used in connection with Happy House located at 3008 Deans Bridge Road. There will be Sunday Sales. District 6. Super District 10. Ms. Walton: We have a motion to approve New Ownership Application. It’s a request by Dae P. Kwak for an on-premise consumption Liquor and Beer License to be used in connection with Happy House located at 3008 Deans Bridge Road. Mr. Kwak: Dae Kwak, 4021 Calypso Drive, Augusta, GA 30909. th Mr. Mayor: All right thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. 5 Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Walton, is this the old Harpo House Harpo Building? Ms. Walton: No --- Mr. Sias: Which one is it? Ms. Walton: --- it’s a little Happy House. It’s a little gray building. It looks like a little trailer on Deans Bridge Road across from the old Shell Gas Station. Mr. Guilfoyle: L. Realty next to Willis Road. Ms. Walton: Right, it’s the car lot on the corner of Tubman. Mr. Jefferson: The old Subway? Ms. Walton: It’s across the street from the old Subway. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you this is actually, the new owners I was not aware that actually I went there just before Christmas and they told me they were selling. But for true authentic Korean food that Happy House is a good restaurant. Ms. Walton: The application has been approved by the Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Guilfoyle: Motion to approve. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: I’m hearing this is, the Happy House is a restaurant it’s not just --- Ms. Walton: It’s a restaurant. Mr. M. Williams: --- well no I mean I don’t do football and I don’t do Happy Houses so I don’t know either one of those. I’m just trying to figure it out. I mean I want to support but I want to know what I’m supporting if it’s a restaurant it should’ve been labeled. You know that would save me a lot of --- Mr. Guilfoyle: It’s a restaurant, Korean, authentic Korean. Mr. M. Williams: Korean restaurant or whatever I mean when you say Happy Houses and I sit here and vote for it. I don’t know about the rest of you but I take this job seriously and I want to know what I’m voting on. And I’m in support. I mean I’m not I just wasn’t educated nobody sent me no text about the football game. Motion to approve if you ain’t got one. The Clerk: We have one. 6 Mr. Mayor: Voting. Motion Passes 10-0. PUBLIC SERVICES 6. Motion to approve New Application: A.N. 17-47: request by Margaret “Marty” Elliott for an on-premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with SMG/Miller Theater located at 708 Broad Street. There will be Sunday Sales. District 1. Super District 9. Ms. Walton: Motion to approve New Application. This is a request by Margaret “Marty” Elliott for an on-premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with SMG/Miller Theater located at 708 Broad Street. There will be Sunday Sales. This application has been approved by the Sheriff’s Department as well as Planning and Development. Mr. M. Williams: So moved. Mr. Jefferson: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we’ve got a motion and a second and I have a question. Ms. Walton: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: When I read this I thought I had seen Missy Elliott. Ms. Elliott: Wouldn’t that be something. Working on it. Mr. Mayor: You’re working on it? Ms. Elliott: I’m working on it. Mr. Mayor: All right, I encourage everybody to vote for this. Voting. Ms. Elliott: I saw her with Beyonce in the same show, what a day. Mr. Mayor: That’s what I’m talking about. Motion Passes 10-0. Mr. Fennoy: (Unintelligible). Mr. Mayor: No, it’s going to be better than that at the entertainment center called the Miller Theater. PUBLIC SERVICES 7 7. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 17-44: request by Myong H. Lee for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Paul’s IGA Supermarket located at #2 Greene Street. District 1. Super District 9. Ms. Walton: Motion to approve New Ownership Application. It’s a request by Myong H. Lee for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Paul’s IGA Supermarket located #2 Greene Street. Ms. Lee: Myong H. Lee, 1019 Iris Glenn, Evans GA 30809. Ms. Walton: This application has been approved by the Sheriff’s Department and Planning and Development. Mr. Fennoy: So moved. Mr. Jefferson: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we’ve got a motion and a second. The Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. #2 Greene we just had a similar request made on Greene at the Maxwell House I think it was somewhere. How far is this from that one --- Ms. Walton: East Boundary. Mr. M. Williams: --- this is East Boundary. Ms. Walton: Corner of East Boundary and Greene Street. Mr. M. Williams: Okay, that’s all the questions I have, Mr. Mayor. I wanted to make sure we had someone to come with the same application on Greene, didn’t know the address. Motion Passes 10-0. Mr. Mayor: That’s an excellent question. All right, very good, we’ve got a motion and a proper second. Voting. I know that there’s one more item on the agenda that we see. I’m going to ask everyone if they’ll just give us a few minutes to consider going into Executive Session to talk about a matter of statewide importance that Augusta is considering, if you’ll just look at that for just a few minutes I’ll recognize the Attorney at the appropriate time. All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. All ready? Okay we’ve already voted okay. All right our final item, I’m sorry, Madam Clerk. The Clerk: APPOINTMENTS 8. Consider the reappointment of Mr. Rick Toole to SRS Community REUSE Organization. 8 Ms. Davis: So moved. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. M. Williams: I have a question, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: The first question that I’ve got, probably got a couple of questions, was there anybody else in the running or had we appointed someone or this reappointment came from where. The Clerk: The Commission appointed Mr. Rick Toole four years ago. The appointment st expired December 31. The REUSE Organization is asking that Mr. Toole who has agreed to serve an additional term be reappointed, however, it’s at the discretion of the Commission if you all decide you want to appoint someone else. Mr. M. Williams: Well, I mean you answered my second question already the four-year term has been there. Nothing personal nothing against Mr. Toole but I thought this body ought to at least have somebody else in the running in order to select. If there’s nobody else, I’ve got no problem with Mr. Toole going back but we’ve got a history of doing things the same way every time and I think that if it’s a Commission appointment then maybe somebody that somebody else wanted to nominate and let the vote go up or down one way or the other versus just putting somebody back in the same spot. The Clerk: Yes, sir, I understand I can agree with what you’re saying this also was a part of the information that was disseminated to the Commission regarding your consensus appointments. So, didn’t here any objection to it so they’ve requested that so it’s just here as a matter of request, sir. It’s up to the Commission what you decide you want to do. Mr. Fennoy: Do we have a motion (inaudible). th Mr. Mayor: Well, the Commissioner from the 9 still has the floor. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’m going to relinquish the floor. I just wanted to ask that question because I didn’t know how we just let somebody else make a decision for us. And we don’t have anybody else and that’s fine I don’t have anybody I (unintelligible) didn’t work on this committee but I just it ought to be, I mean, you know, we just can’t do it the same way every time. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: I believe we already have a motion and a second, Mr. Mayor. I was just going to move to approve. Mr. Mayor: Yes, we do have a motion and a second. All right, voting. 9 Mr. M. Williams votes No. Motion Passes 9-1. Mr. Mayor: All right, Attorney MacKenzie, do you think we could probably handle this in not less than not more than 15 minutes I would think. ADDENDUM 9. Motion to approve going into an executive session to discuss potential litigation. Mr. MacKenzie: Yes, sir, I concur with that. I would entertain a motion to go into and Executive Session to discuss potential litigation. Ms. Davis: So moved. Mr. Sias: Substitute? Mr. Mayor: Okay well, all right, so we’ve got a motion. We hadn’t even got a full second yet so I don’t think you need to put your hand up for a substitute at this point. Mr. Sias: I’m waiting for the second. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I’ve got a motion and a second. All right, the Chair recognizes th the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: I want to make a substitute motion that we could into executive session no longer than ten minutes. Mr. G. Smith: Second, five minutes, did you say? Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a substitute motion and a second. Voting. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, hold it now (unintelligible) time to go into a legal session. I mean I’ve heard some crazy stuff up here but I ain’t never heard you put a time on a legal session. How can you put a time? Mr. Mayor: Okay well --- Mr. M. Williams: I mean if we can do that, is that legal, is that? Mr. G. Smith: Got another football game coming. Mr. Mayor: --- all right, voting. You can be in there as long as you need to be in there. Again, I don’t even think it’s going to take ten minutes but if you need to take 50 minutes it don’t 10 th matter. Voting. I think what’s happening here today Commissioner from the 9 everybody’s feeling pretty good because the Bulldogs won. I think that’s all it is, they don’t mean no harm. Mr. M. Williams not voting. Mr. Fennoy, Mr. Guilfoyle, Mr. Hasan and Mr. D. Williams vote No. Motion Fails 5-4. (Vote on the original motion) Mr. Sias and Mr. Guilfoyle vote No. Mr. Frantom out. Motion Passes 7-2. \[LEGAL MEETING\] 10. 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. Ms. Davis: So moved. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. Smith out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Attorney MacKenzie, anything else? Mr. MacKenzie: That’s all I have. Mr. Mayor: All right, 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 January 2, 2018. ________________________ Clerk of Commission 11