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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting March 20, 2018 REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER MARCH 20, 2018 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., March 20, 2018, the Hon. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. Jefferson, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Fennoy, D. Williams, Hasan and Smith, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Davis, Mayor Pro Tem. Mr. Mayor: Well, good afternoon, everybody. We are happy to be here in this springtime season in advance of Easter and all of the other things we celebrate and it’s just a good day to be in the City of Augusta. The Clerk: Amen. Mr. Mayor: We’ll call this meeting to order that we might do the people’s business. The Chair recognizes Madam Clerk. The Clerk: Yes, sir, thank you. I call your attention to the Invocation Pastor Larry Hall for the Victory Assembly of God after which we will ask Chief Chris James to please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Would you please stand? Thank you. The invocation was given by Pastor Larry Hall, Victory Assembly of God. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited. The Clerk: Office of Mayor Hardy Davis, Jr. By these present be it known that Pastor Larry Hall, Victory Assembly of God is Chaplain of the Day. His spiritual guidance and civic th leadership serves as an example for the citizens of Augusta. Given under my hand this 20 Day of March 2018. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor. (APPLAUSE) RECOGNITIONS(S) Employee of the Month A. Congratulations! Ms. Kaycee Braswell, Central Services Department as Augusta’s March 2018 Employee of the Month. The Clerk: At this time, Ms. Jackson, would you please join the Mayor? I call your attention to the Recognition portion of our agenda. We offer our congratulation to Ms. Kaycee Braswell, would you please come forward Ms. Douse if you would like to join her, Crowden okay sure, Ron, come on down. Kaycee Braswell has been serving in the capacity of Fleet Administrative Coordinator since August of 2015. She has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic by effectively and efficiently focusing of the myriad of tasks that are presented to her. She displays a positive and enthusiastic attitude in her daily activities while supporting many department employees of Augusta. In October 2017 she identified a potential problem with the 1 expiration of all 1,515 fuel cards used by employees. She then coordinated with the card provider and within 20 working days of receiving the card she had distributed the cards to the 53 organizations that needed them. Upon the retirement of the Fleet Operations Officer Ms. Braswell in addition to her regular duties took it upon herself to learn the requirements for obtaining tags, titles and registrations for the fleet vehicles. She also took the impressive initiative of shouldering the responsibility for the acquisition of small equipment. Also she recently began writing specifications for light vehicles, public safety vehicles and drafting agendas for Commission approval. Kaycee was instrumental in the sale of over 390 auction lots in 2017 which resulted in the appropriate fund distribution of revenues in the amount of $531,378.07. This required that she research various items, inventory and documented each item and list the items on the GOVDEAL auction site. She then completed the sale once payment was made; her accountability was flawless. Kaycee is a highly valued employee. Her performance brings a great deal of credit to the Augusta Commission’s Central Services Department and Fleet Management. Congratulations, Kaycee. (APPLAUSE) Ms. Braswell: I just want to say thank you for this honor and a special thanks to Mr. Crowden and Ms. Douse and all Central Services people for being here for me and I appreciate it. And my old boss Lori Vanetta back there I appreciate it. Oh, and my Mom’s been here for 43 years so I’m just following in her footsteps so thank ya’ll. Mr. Mayor: Congratulations, Kaycee. (APPLAUSE) Ms. Douse: I’m sure all of us who drive county vehicles knows the importance of having a fleet card especially one that works and so when it came to my attention that our cards were due to expire in an immediate fashion I began to get a little thickness in my throat and I could just envision nightmare stories all over the news so thank you so much to Kaycee for tackling this problem. As big as it could have become she definitely jumped right in to ensure that everyone’s fleet cards continue to work without flaw. So thank you again for all you do for the department. Mr. Crowden: Kaycee has brought an energy to Fleet Management that I haven’t seen in a long, long time. I joined in 2001 and she has just been totally outstanding. But she couldn’t have done it without the help of one other individual Melanie Oglesby, would you stand? Melanie has worked here for over 43 years Tax Assessor’s Office. Melanie is her Mom; you did a good job, Mom. (APPLAUSE) Mr. Mayor: Would the Central Services team please stand and Ms. Oglesby, please stand who came in support of. All right, let’s give them a hand as well. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. That’s what makes Augusta a great place. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS B. Marks Demolitions and Environmental Group regarding using prisoners. (Requested by Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle) Mr. John Partridge: Good afternoon, Commissioners. 2 Mr. Mayor: If you’ll just state for the record your name and if you’ll give us an address, sir. Mr. Partridge: Yes, my name is John Partridge. I’m at 4669 Fulcher Road in Hephzibah. Mr. Mayor: Okay, you have five minutes. Mr. Partridge: Yes, sir, like I said good afternoon. I appreciate ya’ll letting me be here and in light of the Pastor’s prayer I just want to let you all know my intentions are well this afternoon. I want to speak a little bit on using inmate labor to do demolitions in Augusta and like I say I want to let you know first and foremost my intentions are good. I want to bring you all some things that you might want to take with you to subcommittee to talk about further so I’ll jump right into it. One big thing first a big capital outlay you’re going to have to have equipment to do these demolition projects. You’ll have to have big excavators, stuff to haul those excavators, trucks to haul the trash off, big capital outlay, extreme capital outlay. Next you’re going to need somebody that’s really up to date on the regulations. You have OSHA, you have the EPA, you really need somebody who understands those regulations and are able to oversee those workers in the fashion that they’re going to be safe in what they’re doing. Next and really is a big deal for any demolition contractor asbestos abatement. You know the State of Georgia requires that anybody that does asbestos abatement is state certified and has a license to do so. Us personally as a company it took us a year to get certified to do that and to receive our license, that’s another capital outlay. On top of that all your guys, the inmates that you’ll be using to do the asbestos abatement still have to have proper training and they’ll have to have protective equipment, again this is capital outlay. Office staff for permits. I would expect that Augusta Richmond County they would hold anybody who does demolition whether it’s done in-house or by private contractor I’d expect that there will still be permits bought and permits to do these demolitions. Along with that there’s paperwork that gets filed to the state. Every time we tear down a house we file paperwork with the state and that takes somebody who’s knowledgeable with that paperwork. Let’s see lastly in kind of wrapping up liability issues. You know anytime you know you’re working in downtown or wherever you’re at there’s liability issues, there’s personal property that can be damaged in the course of these demolition activities and so that’s something that we have to take into account and also want you all to take into account also. As far as you know the prices of what you’re getting for demolition in Augusta. You know we’re really you’re in a good market for demolition. There’s a lot of competition here and so you’re probably getting the best bang for your buck that you possibly can right now. I was looking up you know if you look at Savannah, you look at Columbia, SC, Atlanta, they’re paying $11,000 dollars plus per demolition you know per structure that they’re tearing down. And so I think you know I’ve heard some numbers given by the Commission. I think that there probably needs to be a little bit more investigation into that. I think those numbers are much lower of what ya’ll are paying on average for a residential home to be torn down. And then on a personal side you know if we proceed with this and using inmate labor to do demolition where does you know where does that stop at? You know we can take this farther and say we could use inmates to drive our garbage trucks. We could save a ton of money. We buy our own garbage trucks and let inmates pick up garbage we can let them oversee them and let them do construction. And so it’s kind of you know from a personal side it’s kind of where do you draw the line with that and that’s something that’s important you know to us as a whole. And so lastly 3 and I’m done think about this. Think about ways that we can increase our budget. You know I’ve heard it said we have about 200 houses that are on the docket that you all want torn down and we applaud that. You know ya’ll are doing a great job at cleaning up Augusta. I know you just want it done faster. Maybe we can look at grants. You know there are grants out there that are available to help clean up blighted areas. Let’s look at increasing our budget; I think that’s going to be much more effective. You have some great people in Augusta that are capable of doing these and I told Mr. Eskola yesterday you know if there’s 200 homes in Augusta that are slated to be torn down you’d be surprised I’m pretty sure if there was the funding there those could be gone within a year. So if it’s something that’s that important to us and it is to me and I know it is to ya’ll let’s look for more funding and get these things out of here. Thank you. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Partridge --- Mr. Partridge: Sir. Mr. Mayor: If you’ll come back, we’ve got a few questions for you, okay? Thank you. Mr. Guilfoyle: --- you hit on a couple of different issues as far as capital outlay as far as required equipment is that something your company has in-house as far as the dumpsters, the excavators, the Bobcats? Mr. Partridge: Sure, yes, sir that’s one thing you know as a demolition contractor we’ve already outlaid that capital and it’s an ongoing basis but we have all that in house and that’s something that allows us to be competitive. Mr. Guilfoyle: All right, you said on the asbestos abatement it takes one year to get your license? Mr. Partridge: That’s not necessarily, it doesn’t take one year. In our circumstance it took us a year. Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay as far as the OSHA, the asbestos, and the paperwork for the state, is that done here locally or do we got to go out of town to be trained? Mr. Partridge: No, it would take somebody learning how to do that. They would need to be trained in that paperwork. We have someone in-house that does ours. Mr. Guilfoyle: What about on the asbestos side, sir? Mr. Partridge: Oh as far as asbestos, there can be. You know if you have a lot of people that need to be trained at one time that can be done here locally. We prefer to go out of town; we’ve sent guys out of town to do that. 4 Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay and as far as liability as far as your Workman’s Comp I think I spoke with your father for the clearing side of the property not the demolition the clearing once the building is demoed, your Workman’s Comp rate is right at 20% but when it comes to demolition your Workman’s Comp rate is 31%, 30/31% exposure? Mr. Partridge: Yes, sir, that’s what is has been in the past, yes, sir. Mr. Guilfoyle: All right thank you so much for coming before us. Mr. Partridge: Yes sir, thank you. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank this young man for coming in and enlightening us on a couple of things. And he touched on something that where you going to draw the line at and that’s what bothers me about where the line gets drawn. I remember a few years ago, Donna, where’s Donna at? The Clerk: She’s out today. Mr. M. Williams: She’s out today but I remember a few years ago we went to Atlanta and met with the Commissioner of Corrections and they had people who was incarcerated for a long period of time that were professionals that could build courthouses, that could build fire stations, build any kind of public building we wanted. In fact, we had them to come down and even talked about building an animal shelter but this government at that time chose not to do that. We paid about $3 million dollars I think three and a half million dollars to build an animal shelter when we could’ve got it for half price maybe less they did everything but HVC. But I’m like you, you brought up a good point young man about where you’re going to draw the line at as far as these burned down structures that don’t need no abatement. We’ve got stuff that we leave up in the neighborhood and I think our inmate crews could do that kind of stuff as far as tearing down a building and getting the equipment you’re talking about and being certified. I don’t see how the inmate population is going to do that. One thing because the inmate population changed you know you get another job stay 20 years and some people are incarcerated for 20 years. But most of the time our inmate situation changes from one to another one. We got a bunch of young folks young as yourself maybe younger that’s incarcerated. Years ago the average man that was is jail was probably 45 to 55 now it’s 25 to 30. So that brings about another issue to me when you’re talking about bringing in young folks to do that kind of demolition. Mr. Mayor, on the whole we’ll be talking about on the light side of this the burned down structures that’s really just need cleaned up maybe you need a shovel and a backhoe at the most to get that kind of stuff up because it’s already been burned down. I don’t think we can afford to have anybody come in doing a building demolition on the property. It’s a good thought but we hadn’t done that so far but I don’t know where the line would stop at because if you open that door we’re going to have people driving the buses, we’re going to have them driving our trash truck, we’re going to have because you can’t stop it; that’s the difference between public and private. Being private you go in business but we need to generate some more money to come into this city so we have economic growth we can 5 afford to do the things we keep saying we can’t afford. But I thank you for your time I hope I didn’t --- Mr. Partridge: No sir, thank you. Mr. M. Williams: --- get you off track but you brought some good points out, thank you. Mr. Partridge: Yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: Any more questions or comments? All right thank you, sir. Mr. Partridge: Yes sir, thank you. The Clerk: DELEGATIONS C. Ms. Shelia Gibbs regarding Neighborhood Parking Pass Program. Mr. Fennoy: State your name please and address. Ms. Gibbs: My name is Mrs. Shelia Gibbs. I live 1218 Holley Street in Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Fennoy: Okay, Ms. Gibbs, you have five minutes. Ms. Gibbs: Good afternoon. First I would like to thank God in the name of Jesus for giving me the courage and the strength to be here this afternoon. Thank you, God. Next, I would like to thank each and every one of you for allowing me to be here. Thank you very much. I’m here today th because I went to a meeting at Antioch Baptist Church on February the 20 about a program that is being put into place to pass. This program would allow each homeowner’s to receive two personal passes per household and charge $5.00 dollars a yearly added to your yearly taxes. This program is called the Neighborhood Pass Permit Program. My neighborhood and I and the majority of our community say no. Why, I’m glad you asked. First we would have to decide which one of our kids to give the passes to. It’s only going to be one pass in my household to give to someone because my husband always parks his truck in front of our house. I park in our driveway. We have more than two kids along with our grandchildren, brothers, sisters, et cetera. Also our grandchildren will be licensed drivers in the near future; one already has her driver’s permit. It would affect our mortgage by adding any dollar amount to my taxes it’ll make my mortgage go up. We pay mortgage, house insurance and taxes in one payment. Insurance and taxes goes into escrow. I was paying $131.00 dollars less for my mortgage being $1,000 dollars a month for a year and a half because I did not receive that 10-year tax break when I bought our house into, when my husband bought the house in 2014. Now that’s when I realized that the more added to your taxes for homeowner insurance the higher my mortgage payments will be. Why are Perry, Augusta, Blount Avenue, Marks Street, Florence Street, half of Holley Street is targeted for this program? State law requires on all streets cars can be parked legal without fear of being towed. All citizens of the State of Georgia should be treated fairly and the same when it comes to parking on a public street or in front of one’s home. I live on Holley Street for over 22 years, live in 6 Augusta, Georgia for 38 years. I love Augusta, Georgia. We’ve never had to go through nothing like this even when it was called the Medical College of Georgia. This started happening when Georgia Regents or Georgia University started building and needed parking spots for the students or the students did not want to pay to park. Now that’s when someone told the students that the state law said that anyone can park anywhere on the side of the street. That’s when the problems started. They got carried away, they were so disrespectful to us. At first we allowed them to park as long as they were parking legal. They started disrespecting the homeowners, refusing to move their cars when they were blocking our driveways. They were parking on curves, yellow line, parking on both sides of the street. It was hard to get through the street, blocking the fire hydrants, disrespecting the homeowners, refusing to move their cars even though they were illegally parked. We had to start calling the police; they was trying to torture us. They were so disrespectful interfering with trash pickup. Sometimes we had to wait another week for our trash to be picked up because they had blocked the trash can. That was unsanitizing especially if you’re a crab eater like me. All of this was illegal. What they was doing should have been stopped then and we would not even be here today. Our streets have been back to normal for the last month or more because they knew what they was doing was wrong. Now they are parking in a legal parking spot. We do not need anyone to impose a two-pass per household permit in our community. Think about our children. They need us. They do not need to think about if they come to see grandma or grandpa without a pass on their car. Their car will be towed, that shouldn’t even be put into their minds. We have Sunday dinners, holidays and get togethers. Our community is in mourning. We have missing children missing from our community. We found Janell. Now we need closure from the other especially the Melbourne twin sisters. They have been missing for so many years and still is missing. Also on Sunday another one had been reported missing but thank God she was found. Our children need us. Thank God we found Janell. Now we have closure for her; we know she is in heaven and not being tortured every day. We are hurting; our community do not need to be divided. God says anything divided will not stand. We need to stop this spirit of division in our schools, in our homes, in our Commissioners, in our churches and in our community because anything divided will not stand. United we stand, divided we fall. Thank you. I’ve got a petition here with 58 signatures on it saying we do not want that pass. Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. Gibbs, thank you. Are there any questions? All right, the Chair st recognizes the Commissioner from the 1, Engineering Services Chair. Mr. Fennoy: I have a couple of questions --- Mr. Mayor: Take your time. Mr. Fennoy: --- for Mr. Ussery. Mr. Mayor: Okay, Mr. Ussery. All right, Ms. Jackson, all right Commissioner? Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Ussery, are you aware of the program Ms. Gibbs is talking about? Mr. Usery: Yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and do you know why a program like this was implemented? 7 Mr. Ussery: Yes, sir. The middle of last year the neighborhoods of the same, the residents of the same neighborhood came to us with an issue that the students from Augusta University were parking and blocking their street, blocking the driveways. There was no way for the residents that actually lived in these neighborhoods to park. Like she mentioned they’re rude, they, you know, block their driveways, they’ll block the entrances to their homes, they won’t move if they’re asked. And so we worked closely with the people that came forward from that community to craft the ordinance that this board eventually passed and what she’s referring to is that if the parking pass program goes through several steps and it’s approved which we’re working through those steps now. We haven’t got to the point, the last step is obviously to bring it back to this board for your final approval, we haven’t got to that point yet. We’ve gotten through the part where we did the study to see if there was an issue with nuisance parking. There was. We had the community meeting which was referred to where we answered as many questions as we could and tried to educate the patrons about what the program meant and what the limits of it were and we’ve done that part. And then we also gave the community people, the community spokesman, petition forms to go up and down the streets to see if the community actually wanted this program installed. As we told them several times during the meeting this is up to the community, you know. We’ll be happy to implement it. We’ll be happy to walk away. It’s whatever the will of the community is. And the ordinance that was passed says that 50% plus one of the property owners in this area need to sign the petition forms that we provided at that community meeting. And so I’ve got those back. I haven’t been through them yet but I did expect to get through them shortly after the Master’s Tournament is completed. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and Mr. Ussery, what would you say the biggest problem as far as parking exists in this area? The biggest, I mean there are certain streets in this area where parking is not a big a problem as it is on other streets. Mr. Ussery: Correct. Holley actually doesn’t seem to have a big issue at the moment with student parking but Augusta Avenue, Mauge Street, Blount Street, Florence, Perry all of those streets are greatly impacted by the students that are choosing to park in this neighborhood other than park on campus. We have had discussions with Augusta University and they did say that they have the capacity to take these students if this area does approve this program. You know obviously the students will have to pay the fee to park on campus but they do have the capacity to absorb that. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and if this program is implemented and Holley Street and Brown Street where there presently doesn’t seem to be a problem, if this program is implemented and students can no longer park on Augusta Avenue and Mauge Street where do you think the students will end up parking at? Mr. Ussery: It’s been my experience in the past, I’ve worked in other municipalities that have had very similar programs to this and if we only put this program in place on a few of these streets in this neighborhood the students, I mean they’re college students, they’re not dumb. And so what they’re going to do is they’re just going to move to somewhere it’s legal for them to park. That’s why we tried to include Holley Street and Brown Street from the beginning because if we 8 only put it on a couple of streets those students eventually will make their way over to those other streets and then the people that don’t have a problem now will eventually have a problem. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and the cost of implementation of this program is how much a year? Mr. Ussery: It’s five-dollars annually and there was a lot of misunderstanding of that at the meeting and I think we did a fairly good job of clearing it up. But the five-dollars is not a fee to pay to park in front of your house. The five-dollar fee is for the administration of the program. If you look at any similar program across the country they start at $40.00 dollars annually and go up to you know hundreds depending on where you are. And so five-dollars we felt was an acceptable but very small fee that we could charge to help administer the program. Mr. Fennoy: And there’s ample parking for the students to park over at the old Kroger’s and even up around Fat Man’s but do we have does the city have any way or Augusta University as far as you know have any way of making the students park over there as opposed to where they’re parked at now? Mr. Ussery: Currently these streets are public rights-of-way and the public has the right to use it. There is no times parking on these streets; we typically don’t install timed parking in residential neighborhoods for the very reason that you know have people come over kind of whenever and they stay as, you want them to stay as long as they want to stay. And so we don’t have a mechanism at this point to limit the parking to only neighborhood residents without using this program that we’ve crafted. Mr. Fennoy: And each household is given a minimum of two passes. If a household needs more than two passes would they be available and if so would it be an additional cost? Mr. Ussery: We did discuss that at the meeting and we have no problem giving people more than two passes and we decided it should not cost anything. And also too one of the points that was made, the residents requested that this program only be enforced Monday through Friday and so the weekends there would be no enforcement of this so that way you can have birthday parties and you know holidays and those types of things where people can come over and they won’t have to worry about getting towed or ticketed. Mr. Fennoy: Okay, I don’t have anymore questions, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Okay, Mr. Ussery, folks are looking with bewilderment that you’ve got residents who live there having to negotiate when they bring their cousins and kinfolks over there to park in their own neighborhood so I’m sure there are going to be a whole lot more questions st than the Commissioner from the 1 because these are the challenges of a growing city where you have a university that’s moving deeper into the inner city and the urban core but you’ve got residents who have been there for a long time and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing a better job of making sure that that core existence is mutually beneficial and agreeable. So, I’m going to th recognize the Commissioner from the 8 and then I’m going to come back this way. And Ms. Gibbs --- 9 Ms. Gibbs: Sir. Mr. Mayor: --- I’m not sure we’re going to answer all of your questions today --- Ms. Gibbs: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- but my interest in this has been peaked even more now based on what I just heard Mr. Ussery just say. Ms. Gibbs: Yes, sir. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Ussery, as far as with the students parking along the side of the road, is it a habitual problem when we’ve got fire trucks, ambulances, et cetera trying to get through the thoroughfare? Mr. Ussery: Yes, that is a big issue as these streets are older so they’re narrow and you have students parking on both sides in both directions. And I have a typical city vehicle, it’s a Ford Explorer, and some of them depending how big their cars are and how they park them I have a hard time getting through there. Mr. Guilfoyle: All right, did we know this is the beginning before we proceeded with this parking? Mr. Ussery: Yes, the safety component was a big issue in the discussions that we had with the neighborhood residents. They brought this to our attention. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I’m going to turn in a different direction. About six months ago Michael Thurman had a couple pieces of property down on Laney Walker and actually he turned it into parking lots to alleviate people from parking on the side of the road. Now we’ve got a Land Bank full of properties. If Madam Administrator could look into that, let’s see if we can’t put that as priority. If we’ve got houses in that area in the Land Bank, let’s go ahead and tear them down let’s utilize that for parking because safety is probably the first and foremost issue we need to look at because when it comes to the residents in that area if we can’t get a fire truck down there how are we going to protect somebody’s property? It’s going to take both parties in order to come up with the Land Bank what properties they do have because I probably do have access but if we could look at two houses side by side that makes a great parking lot. We could put gravel in it, not asphalt, cost effective. Madam Administrator, what do you think about that? Ms. Jackson: We certainly can explore that idea but I believe the Commission already took a vote to approve the Parking Pass Program. I know we discussed it several times. Mr. Ussery: The ordinance was passed. Mr. Guilfoyle: Right, the ordinance could be rescinded also. 10 Mr. Ussery: Yeah, I’ll modify it whatever --- Mr. Guilfoyle: Right --- Mr. Ussery: --- this body desires. Mr. Guilfoyle: --- so if we could look alternative parking places if we’ve got any houses in the Land Bank let’s see if we can’t do something there, just a suggestion. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think in terms of what my colleague just said at the end there about tearing down a couple of houses, I think the neighborhood was also concerned about turning their neighborhood into a parking lot. They didn’t want that either. That was one of the challenges Michael Thurman had in terms of purchasing his properties and they didn’t want that either. I think what I did hear that does peak my interest, Mr. Ussery, was the fact that you said the university had the capacity to take on the students and the students refused to do something different. So what does the university itself recommend if they are trying to avoid prices I guess that’s what it is would they consider putting it into their tuition or what have you, did they suggest anything to take those students on since they seem to have the space? Mr. Ussery: That’s up to the university we really, that’s out of our jurisdiction so I really couldn’t answer that question. Mr. Hasan: Okay because that’s I mean they have the space they ought to consider that because like you said there’s a couple of things there when you’re talking about the emergency vehicles but also when you think about the narrow street. And as Ms. --- Ms. Gibbs: Gibbs. Mr. Hasan: --- Ms. Gibbs mentioned you can see as she said I can see it in my mind’s eye the challenge it presents for when you have the sanitation come through there trying to get over to the trash cans and things of that nature that person’s got to get out of the vehicle the truck and roll it out into the street pretty much in an attempt to pick it up with that arm and things like that. So it may very well might not be a good program especially on Augusta Avenue in particular because of the narrowness of the street. Mr. Ussery: Augusta Avenue already has a lot of No-Parking along it. It has a yellow curb all up and down one side of it for that very reason so it would be the other side of the street --- Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Ussery: --- you would have this enforced. And also we wouldn’t install it in front of the church that’s there so they wouldn’t have to worry about it. 11 Mr. Hasan: So along that same lines so do we ask the residents to potentially put their trash can on the opposite side of the street if there’s no parking on that side? Mr. Ussery: They make it work now. I’m not sure how that works. Mr. Hasan: (Unintelligible) got challenges. Okay, Mr. Mayor, I’m fine but that’s one thing I was saying, one of the first challenges we heard early on that they did not want the neighborhood to become a parking lot so that would not be an option. Thank you. Mr. Mayor: I think we’ve already trespassed that based on what we know. Mr. Hasan: Yeah, but I’m talking about the continue to expand. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think that with the university continuing to grow with the work that’s being done on the Cancer Center you’re going to see more people and this may be a prudent time for us to take a stop by the side of the road and revisit this. I have been there on multiple occasions at the church there where there’s Florence Street or Augusta Avenue and you have the Jaguar bus that’s coming through there at multiple times during the course of the day with what effectively is really a single lane street that’s now half a lane street when you do that. And so I think your th concerns have been heard today and I’m going to recognizes the Commissioner from the 9 and then we’re going to revisit this issue, okay? Ms. Gibbs: Thank you so much. Mr. Mayor: All right, you’ll hear back from us. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I hate to say I told you so but I told you so when this came through committee we talked about this very issue. My question is though is the parking area that we put money at the stadium there along with the college is that being filled is that on hand is that being filled up? Then the simple thing is then to have the students to park where the area designated to park at. We put government money into that facility to assist with the stadium when there wasn’t being used by for a game for people for them to park in. That’s a no brainer to me. You can’t park there, if you’ve got a student tag on your car you ought to have a tag to identify it was a student. Now they didn’t have that problem before that came along so I don’t think they’ll have that problem when it goes away but if there is official parking and they’re not using it then the simple thing is to have them to use it. But when we talked about putting a sticker out in committee you know we said it wasn’t going to work but then we see that so. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, okay so all right, Ms. Jackson, we’ll get together and we need to revisit this one, okay? All right, Madam Clerk? The Clerk: I call your attention to the consent portion of our agenda which consists of Items 1-36. For the benefit of any objectors to our Planning petition would you signify your objection once the petition is read. I call your attention to: 12 Item 2: Is a request for a Special Exception to establish a Solar Farm on property located at 4050 Gracewood Drive with conditions. The Clerk: Are there any objectors to this zoning petition? I call your attention to our Public Services portion. Item 6: Is a request for an on-premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with the location at 879 Broad Street. Item 7: Is for an Alcohol Special Events License affecting property at 2834 Washington Road. Item 8: Is for an Alcohol Special Events License affecting property 3035 Washington Road. Item 9: Is for an Alcohol Special Events License affecting property at 2821 Washington Road. The Clerk: Are there any objectors to any of those alcohol petitions? Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission, our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1-36 with no objectors to our zoning petition of alcohol petitions. Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Madam Clerk. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the th 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to pull Item 27 please. th Mr. Mayor: Okay, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Items number 32 and 35 I need some clarity of those two and Item number 30 I need some clarity on that one as well. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: Is Mr. Wiedmeier here? Mr. Mayor: Yeah, he’s here. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the th 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to pull Item number 31 please. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Madam Clerk, add Item number 11 to that and Item number 12. All st right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to pull Item number 13 --- Mr. Mayor: Okay. 13 Mr. Fennoy: --- number 14, number 15, number 16, number 17, number 18, number 19, number 20, number 21, number 22, number 23, number 24 --- Mr. Mayor: Already been pulled. Mr. Fennoy: --- okay. Number 25 --- The Clerk: 24 hadn’t been pulled. Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’m sorry. Mr. Fennoy: --- number 26 and 27 has been pulled already, number 28, number 29 --- The Clerk: 30 and 31’s been pulled along with 32. Mr. Fennoy: --- and number 32. The Clerk: No, 32 has, you want 33? Mr. Fennoy: Yeah, 33. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Fennoy: --- and number 34. Mr. Guilfoyle: What about number 36, sir? Mr. Mayor: All right, all I need now is some wings, this ought to be good. Mr. Hasan: Ms. Bonner, order some lunch please. Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk? The Clerk: We just need a motion for the Consent Agenda Item number 36. Mr. Frantom: So moved. The Clerk: Thank you, need a second, Mr. Sias? Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on. All right, we’ve got Items 1, 2, we’ve got Items 1 through 10 and Item 36 that are on the Consent Agenda. Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve. The Clerk: We have it. 14 Mr. Sias: Second. CONSENT AGENDA PLANNING 1. SA-54 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve a petition to amend the Land Subdivision Regulations for Augusta Georgia by amending Section 106 – Definitions – Subdivisions. 2. Z-18-14 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve, with the conditions below, a petition by SolAmerica Energy, on behalf of Eloise J. Hayes, requesting a Special Exception to establish a Solar Farm per Section 26-1 © of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting property containing approximately 13.6 acres that is part of 4050 Gracewood Drive. Part of Tax Map 169-0-001-00-0 DISTRICT 6 1. The Conceptual site plan is considered for illustrative purposes of the present zoning action only. 2. Issuance of development permits shall be contingent upon submission of plans meeting engineering, environmental and all other pertinent development regulations in effect at time of development. 3. Placement of all curb cuts shall be approved by Augusta Traffic Engineering. 4. The proposed development is subject to all applicable provisions of the Tree Ordinance. 5. A wall, fence or vegetative buffer at least 6 feet in height shall be maintained around the periphery of the leased area indicated on the conceptual site plan. 3. ZA-R-251 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to approve a petition to amend the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta Georgia by amending Section 2 (Definitions) – Subdivisions. PUBLIC SERVICES 4. Motion to approve the 2018 Georgia Recreation and Parks Association New Initiative Grant for the First Tee DRIVE program to be implemented during Summer Camps and the Loud Crowd afterschool programs. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 5. Motion to approve 2018 Thanks Mom and Dad Innovative Program Grants for new senior programs at Carrie J. Mays Center, McDuffie Woods Center and McBean Center in the amount of $2000 for each site for a total of $6,000.00. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 6. Motion to approve a request by Mark Guillory for an on premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Taste Wine Room located at 879 Broad Street. District 1. Super District 9. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 7. Motion to approve a request by Tracy Trotter for Hooters of Augusta located at 2834 Washington Road for an Alcohol Special Event License, April 1-8, 2018 (8 days). (Masters Week in the Parking Lot) There will be Sunday Sales. District 7. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 8. Motion to approve a request by Jan Scholer for Wild Wings Café located at 3035 Washington Road for an Alcohol Special Event License April 2-8, 2018 (7 days). (Masters Week in the Parking Lot) There will be Sunday Sales. District 7. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 9. Motion to approve a request by Michele Stumpe for Tin Lizzy’s Cantina located at 2821 Washington Road for an Alcohol Special Event License for April 2-8, 2018 (7 days) (Masters 15 Week in the Parking Lot) There will be Sunday Sales. District 7. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 10. Motion to approve second option with Alpine Creek Enterprises. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS 36. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Augusta Commission held March 6, 2018, Special Called meeting held March 13, 2018 and corrected Special Called January 9, 2018. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second Items 1 through 10 and Item 36 for the Consent Agenda. All those in favor will vote yea and all those opposed will vote no. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. \[Items 1-10, 36\] The Clerk: It’s unanimous, Commissioner Hasan, we have Pizza Hut on speed dial. Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, we’re going to go to 22 first and then we’ll come back and go from top to bottom. The Clerk: PUBLIC SAFETY 22. Motion to approve pursuing a financial plan to start a process to demolish the tower at the former Joint Law Enforcement Center (JLEC); to completely renovate Building A and; to outfit the courtrooms for use by Juvenile Court. (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) st Mr. Mayor: All right, I think the Commissioner from the 1 pulled it. Mr. Fennoy: I think --- Mr. Mayor: No, you pulled --- Mr. Fennoy: --- I pulled it. Mr. Mayor: --- you did. Judge, would you approach? The Chair recognizes the st Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Judge Brown, what is your plans for the old 401 jail? Judge Brown: Simply to provide (unintelligible) for our youth to provide a Justice Center for juveniles to meet the many challenges that we’re faced with today with our youth. Mr. Fennoy: Okay in 2018, do you feel there’s a need for something like this? 16 Judge Brown: Yes, sir, all we have to do is just be aware of and pay attention to all that’s going on with the families with the children to know and to understand that. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and when would you like for this process to begin? Judge Brown: Yesterday, as soon as possible. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, if there are no other questions I’d like to make a motion to approve. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second. The Chair recognizes nd the Commissioner from the 2. Mr. D. Williams: Go right ahead. I was going to make the same motion. Mr. Mayor: All right, he waives. All right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second. All right the motion is captioned on your screen is what we’re voting on, is what we’re voting on. Voting. The Clerk: No, he had his hand up down there. th Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Can I get the Administrator to approach? I need to see the information she has. Mr. Mayor: All right, so instead of you seeing it why don’t we put it on the display over there so everybody can see it. Mr. Sias: I may need to make a substitute motion. Mr. Mayor: All right, the motion as captioned is to approve pursuing a financial process that would include demolition of the tower, that was the motion that was the underlined motion that’s before us, okay? All right, what’s your question. Mr. Sias: I make a substitute motion in reference to the first bullets you see on the, that’s on the screen. Mr. Mayor: Hold on a minute, Commissioner, hold on. Let’s go back to the original motion, the underlined motion that we can put it on the screen. I want to make sure everybody sees it. All right, this is the underlined motion to approve pursuing a financial plan, a process. You can read it, I don’t need to read it. 17 Mr. Sias: Yes, sir the issue there is it doesn’t include what supposed to be the demolition of those other buildings. We don’t want to do that, the idea was to demolish them. The Clerk: It’s in our book. What he’s got up there it’s in our book, yeah this was the recommendation from the Public Safety Committee to do this but it’s in your book Item number 22 the last page the options. Mr. Mayor: A common set of facts that’s what I’m talking about. All right and the common set of facts, Madam Clerk, is how we arrived at this main motion, is that correct? The Clerk: Yes, sir, it’s a recommendation from the Public Safety Committee. Mr. Mayor: That is correct. Mr. Sias: And that can be adjusted that’s why I want to make the substitute motion but -- Mr. Mayor: All right, so hold on a minute, hold on. I want to make sure everybody’s tracking this is what you’re going to be voting on unless there is a substitute. You have a motion with a proper second okay and this is currently going to be voting on. All right, now several folks started voting okay and so we’re going to suspend voting. All right, let’s clear the vote. Okay, th thank you. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. I want to make a substitute motion that we follow the recommendation of the Administrator which was to demolish Buildings B, C and D, repair Building A for the Juvenile Justice Center and also demolish the tower. Is that fit what you want, Ms. Jackson? Ms. Jackson: The tower is actually Building B. Mr. Sias: The tower is Building B? Ms. Jackson: Yes, the specific thing I wanted to call out there is that Building C and D, the two ancillary buildings, they would be going down as well. Right now the mechanical systems are in there. We would have to construct new mechanical systems for Building A anyway. And Building E was something we had discussed wanting to keep because the Judge had expressed an interest in having additional space for future use. I just wanted to make sure that everybody understands the Building E would stay. Judge Brown: That’s correct. Mr. Sias: Mr. Mayor, I’d just like to make sure the Clerk has the substitute. Mr. Mayor: Madam, well I’m going to allow the Attorney to do that, our Parliamentarian, he’s going to come up with a complete motion. Is there a picture of the campus so that everyone can visually see what’s being demolished? 18 Ms. Jackson: In the presentation --- Mr. Hasan: That’s fine. Mr. Mayor: All right very good, okay, all right. Ms. Jackson: Yeah, it’s the first bullet under Option having the Juvenile Justice Campus there. If you look at that Building A is the building that the offices and courtrooms would be housed in. Building B is the tower that would be demolished. Building C and D mechanical and connector would those would come down. Building E would remain so A and E would be the ones to remain. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I want to make sure everyone’s tracking, I want to make sure everyone’s tracking. All right, do we visually see what’s being proposed? In your books under Tab 22, under Tab 22 the last page of ‘Options’ it is the first option that says develop a Juvenile Justice Campus at this location. And in this is what is being proposed in the substitute motion, okay, that’s what’s being proposed in the substitute motion, last page, Tab 22. All right, it is the first option okay the substitute motion fails without a proper second. Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor --- Mr. Mayor: Hold on. Mr. Frantom: Was his motion this one right here or was it within the motion? th Mr. Mayor: No, the Commissioner from the 4 his substitute motion is our first option of what you have in your books under Tab 22. All right, Ms. Jackson, if you’ll go to your last slide and let’s put it on the screen. All right okay I’m going to give them a chance to make it again, I’m th going to give you a chance to come back. All right, this is what the Commissioner from the 4 is proposing that first option, okay, this is what he’s proposing, all right if you’ll make a substitute motion with that, thank you, sir. Mr. Sias: Just want to make that clear. Ms. Jackson we were talking about if you don’t mind Mr. Mayor we’re talking about the first bullet under that one that says develop a Juvenile Campus at this location. And we’re talking about finding doing a for the Administrator to go out and find a financial plan to do those items in the first bullet, am I correct? Ms. Jackson: That is correct, sir. Mr. Sias: All right, thank you that is the substitute motion, Mr. Mayor. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. M. Williams: Isn’t that the same motion we had though? The Clerk: No, sir. 19 Mr. M. Williams: What was the difference? The Clerk: Hum? Mr. M. Williams: What was the difference I thought it was what Judge Brown wanted. The Clerk: What the original recommended motion from Public Safety? Mr. M. Williams: We’ve got --- The Clerk: That was to demolish the tower --- Mr. Mayor: Right. The Clerk: --- and to completely renovate A and --- Mr. Mayor: A and E. The Clerk: --- and to outfit the courtrooms. It didn’t address Building C and D. Ms. Jackson: Or E, the demolition of C and D leaving E remaining. The Clerk: Right. Mr. M. Williams: My question is, Mr. Mayor, to Judge Brown. th Mr. Mayor: Yes, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Are you satisfied with what we’re about to vote on because I’m certainly confused myself but are you satisfied? Judge Brown: I am as long as we’re not talking about SPLOST. Mr. Mayor: That was not included in the motion. Mr. M. Williams: I’m just trying to make sure. Judge Brown: I’m satisfied with that. The Clerk: Do you want me to read it for the record? Mr. Mayor: I do, I do. All right, the Chair recognizes Madam Clerk. 20 The Clerk: Okay, the motion to develop a Juvenile Justice Campus at the former 401 Walton Way Joint Law Enforcement Center is to demolish Buildings B, C, and D, repair Building A for office and courtroom use, keep Building E for undetermined future use. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. With that motion the substitute motion my colleague just made and the Judge has accepted we’re talking about the financial aspect of it but does that, I’m asking the question and this is the part that’s not being said but it very well may be inquired of being inferred here. And that is the part about going out for an RFP to try to see what that number’s going to look like in terms of what you’re going to need for finances. So that is a part of this process as well right, Mr. Mayor? Mr. Mayor: Well, I believe the gentleman knows of what he speaks and the way the motion has been articulated says a financial plan. I mean the basic construct of it is go out and identify a funding source for this that you all are going to commit to paying for. And that will require getting cost estimates of what it will take to renovate it beyond the work that the team has done already to tell you what it would effectively cost. So I think that’s your baseline and then you’ve got to go and now get hard costs but I mean this is what you do all the time in terms of putting an RFP together and getting you know bids and having somebody go and do that. So I would anticipate, Judge, that you know again you sound like a good Baptist preacher the children are crying --- Judge Brown: (Inaudible). Mr. Mayor: --- and I submit to you that again we’re going to put our arms around them and do the work that has been suggested in the substitute motion but it won’t happen overnight. Okay, as long as you understand it won’t happen overnight. It’ll take time to put these documents together and come back with real firm costs if you’re talking about doing what has been proposed. Mr. Hasan: Call for the question, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Okay and so we’ve got a substitute with a proper second. All those in favor will vote yea and those opposed will vote no. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Judge Brown: May I say thank you. The Clerk: PUBLIC SERVICES 11. Motion to approve the 2018 Budget Amendment in the amount of $114,416, Augusta Regional Airport. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) 21 Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I believe we’ve got somebody from the airport to approach. And while we’re addressing this one I’m going to have you address the Number 12 also okay? All right and so if you’ll tell us who you are and then you’ll tell us what’s happening in Item number 11. Ms. Bingham: So, good afternoon, my name is Risa Bingham. I’m a Finance Director and DBE and Liaison Officer. I’m here to speak on behalf of Mr. Judon who is out of town until Wednesday. So on this one we request a total of $114,416 dollar transfer but increase of the 2018 fund for the 2018. And that comprises of a full employee’s salary reclassification and one new position and lastly the stipend for the airport firefighters. So I’d like to go into detail about each breakdown. So two of the reclassification of the new (unintelligible) position was included in the original airport 2018 budget so as a protocol we are going to do the action the personnel action item to be up on for the 2018 hearing but we have to follow the H.R. policy that in order to approach the city H.R. only the airport designated agent person has to have a dealing with H.R. and at this time our H.R. liaison of the airport has been in and out sick and no one else has been dedicated to process H.R. (unintelligible). Mr. Mayor: Okay so, Ms. Bingham, the effect of this budget amendment is to provide a stipend for four firefighters. Ms. Bingham: Oh, no, stipend is something else and I’m talking about two salary reclass and one new position. Mr. Mayor: Okay, the caption says that these funds will support four employee reclassifications and it says firefighters one new ascension and a stipend for airport firefighters. Ms. Bingham: Right, two for employee salary reclass one new position and four the stipend. Mr. Mayor: Okay my question, Ms. Bingham, is that last year the airport director came over and asked us to effectively reclassify almost everybody over there and we made a decision to support that effort, all of the salaries were raised fairly significantly and is this an addition to that? Ms. Bingham: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: Was this included in that, it was an addition to. Ms. Bingham: This is an addition to that. Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right. Mr. M. Williams: Make a motion to approve, Mr. Mayor, are we going to take them – make a motion to approve. Mr. Sias: Take them one at a time. 22 Mr. Mayor: We’re going to take them one at a time. Mr. Sias: If I may, move to approve. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Ms. Bingham: May I go for the next one? Mr. Mayor: Okay, Madam Clerk, Item 12. The Clerk: PUBLIC SERVICES 12. Motion to approve the Third Amendment to Republic Parking Contract. (Approved by Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) th Mr. Mayor: All right, so I’ll recognize the Commissioner from the 4 and then I’ll ask a question. Mr. Sias: Okay, this is an extension of the present contract they have out there, Mr. Mayor, and I’m going to move to approve. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor: Okay and my question again is that this is a three-year self-renewing contract that all we’re doing is just extending it? Ms. Bingham: Actually, a three-year contract was two one-year renewal just for renewal. And this is called a Third Amendment and the reason is the airport is going to install the gate system for greater access control for the ground transportation so Republic Parking will be managing those installing and maintaining the equipment. So right now we are paying a management fee but by installing this equipment we are going to pay additional management fee for this contractor. Mr. Mayor: I guess my caution is that it’s one thing to extend an existing contract but it’s another thing to amend the contract with additional terms of service in there which is effectively what you’re saying you’re doing because they’re now doing something for ground transportation i.e. taxi cabs and so forth and I’m not sure that’s how we want to be procuring services. Ms. Bingham: Okay, the services remain the same but the, so they have to have extra work to keep this contract because we are going to install that gate arm. 23 Mr. Mayor: Right, so you’ve just indicated that there’s additional work that’s now being included in what was a previous agreement that was a three-year contract and we’re not even rebidding that. Mr. Bingham: It’s within the two one-year extension so we exercised last year the second renewal for the option so the expiration date will remain the same. Mr. Mayor: I understand that, Ms. Bingham, but what you’ve articulated is that the terms of the agreement have effectively changed because there’s additional work that they’re doing unless I read this wrong or unless you said something wrong that’s what’s happening and we’re not even effectively offering it to be rebid or given others (unintelligible) compete for it. We’re just saying oh we’re going to renew it and by the way we’re going to have you do additional work. th The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I believe what the young lady’s trying to say is yes the extension of the one-year contract that’s already in black and white documentation. Ms. Bingham: That’s right. Mr. Guilfoyle: What they are doing is doing additional work, buying additional equipment instead of putting this out for bid where they’re already in agreement have the one-year extension. They are expanding their duties which costs more as far as the airport I believe is what the young lady’s trying to say. Mr. Mayor: It’s probably a good thing I’m not a procurement professional. Mr. Guilfoyle: No, sir, we’ve got one sitting back there in the back and she’s the best. Mr. Mayor: I mean it sounds like we’re sole sourcing. Mr. Guilfoyle: I wouldn’t consider that when it’s only you’re talking minor total cost of $5,000 dollars, sir. Mr. M. Williams: Do we have a motion and a second? Mr. Speaker: Yeah. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Bingham: And thank you for clarifying the matter I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. 24 The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 13. Motion to approve the purchase of one Chevrolet Tahoe Pursuit using a subgrant funded by the Federal Homeland Security Grant Program through the State of Georgia for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Awarded via State Contract #SWV 40199-409. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) The Clerk: Are you going to take them individually or you have any companions? Mr. Fennoy: No, no companions. The Clerk: No companions, okay, it’s like a good try. st Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: What is this all about, sir? Mr. Crowden: It started out, this grant is for to support bomb operations within the Sheriff’s Department. It started out as an F-250. Colonel Partain contacted me saying we need to scrub the 250 and insert the Tahoe. The 250 was to be a bomb truck which would be the second of two bomb trucks that they have. The person to drive that truck that was to be assigned to that truck was reassigned so that changed the whole dynamics of the organization. Colonel Partain called and asked that we shift that to the Tahoe which we were able to do. We requested to use the State Contract because the timeline is very, very short so in order to accommodate that, that requirement for the Sheriff, we requested the State Contract. Mr. Fennoy: Okay, Commissioner Sias has a question. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just one question then I’ll be making a motion. This Tahoe Pursuit when we talk about pursuit is that vehicle modified for that particular reason? Mr. Crowden: Yes, sir. Mr. Sias: Okay, move to approve. Mr. Frantom: Second. Mr. Mayor: Motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis and Mr. Guilfoyle out. Motion Passes 8-0. The Clerk: 25 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 14. Motion to approve the purchase of 3 – F-150 Crew Cab Pickup Trucks for Richmond County Sheriff’s Department using forfeiture funds. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Fennoy: What is this item all about, sir? Mr. Crowden: Normally the Sheriff Office’s is afforded with SPLOST money, however, it’s extremely limited to the number of vehicles. Narcotics has a funding capability through forfeiture funds through confiscations if you will. They have not been supported by SPLOST in the last seven years so this is a mechanism in which they can keep their fleet a viable fleet. The Crew Cab is a change in the method by which their starting to work if they have an operation that requires several officers at the same locations at the same time the Crew Cab will support that. Currently they’re arriving in separate vehicles so this is a more efficient operation for them. They requested three of these type vehicles and in fact Georgia law allows the Sheriff to be the, to be the approving authority if you will. The Georgia law gives him discretionary authority over the expenditure of those funds with the exception that he can’t use them for payroll so he can use them for any operational need. And so he’s requesting as a matter of procedure to come through the Commission to request approval for these three trucks. Mr. Fennoy: So we’re really not replacing three vehicles, we’re just adding three vehicles to the fleet. Mr. Crowden: No, sir, because what’s going to happen is what, the three vehicles we purchased for Narcotics will not be replaced. They will remove some of the confiscated vehicles they’ve used in the past for undercover operations. Mr. Sias: Move to approve. Mr. Hasan: Second. th Mr. Mayor: Okay, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ron, what happens to the vehicles though once we purchase it with these forfeited funds does it become the city’s property as it comes back in, does it stay in a separate category where it still belongs to the Sheriff or whoever or does it, I mean what happens after we --- Mr. Crowden: These will be given an asset number which means they are now government property. At the end of its useful life or whenever they’re disposed of if you will the money that’s gained in the sale of the vehicles goes back to the forfeiture fund. That’s by government accounting standards. Mr. M. Williams: And does Donna or do you know how much money is left in that fund? 26 Mr. Crowden: I only know what they had at the end of last year is $121,000 dollars. I got an email from Donna that said they have in excess of over $800,000 dollars in forfeiture. The Clerk: She sent that information to you, sir. Mr. M. Williams: I got it. I just wanted to make sure it was accurate. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Sias: A motion and second, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: I understand. I wanted the Commissioner to be finished. Mr. M. Williams: Finished, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 15. Motion to approve a request from the Augusta Regional Airport Marshal’s Office Division for one new 2018 Ford Pursuit Utility Explorer for K-9 transport. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) st Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Crowden: The Marshal’s Department and the Airport Commission determined a need for a K-9 Vehicle at Augusta Regional Airport that would be the Explorer if you will with a cage insert for the dog. The need was there to support airport operations, security around the airport perimeter as well as particularly around for the Masters Tournament. We have located a vehicle, police vehicle, on premises of a State Contract holder for this type vehicle. We requested the use of the State Contract from Procurement, that was approved and we’re recommending approval for the acquisition of this vehicle. Mr. Fennoy: Presently what are we using now for K-9 at the airport? Mr. Crowden: I believe they’re using just an automobile, a Marshal’s vehicle, the dog in the back seat which is not very appropriate. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and I don’t know if you even noticed or not but will the K-9 we have a K-9 that’s been assigned to the airport? Mr. Crowden: Yes, sir. 27 Mr. Fennoy: Okay, motion to approve. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a proper second. Mr. Sias: I’m good. Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes, he’s good, he waives. All right, voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 16. Motion to approve a request from Fleet Management for the replacement of five Marshal’s Office vehicles using SPLOST Phase VII – Public Safety Vehicles utilizing competitive Bid Item #18-123. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Crowden: As you know each year we review all public safety vehicles with the possibility of replacing them based on age and/or mileage or a mechanical condition or all three that I’ve spoken about. The Marshall has five vehicles that need to be replaced. SPLOST VII can support this request and we’re recommending replacing these vehicles. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and what are we replacing them with? Mr. Crowden: I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Fennoy: What kind of vehicles are we replacing them with? Mr. Crowden: They’re 6-cylinder Dodge Chargers. Mr. Fennoy: Okay. All right, motion to approve, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: Very good. I’ve got a motion and a proper second, voting. All right, we’re going to take Item 17 and 18 as companions. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: 28 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 17. Motion to approve the replacement of one Ford Pursuit Utility Vehicle using a sub-grant funded by the Federal Homeland Security Grant Program through the State of Georgia. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) 18. Motion to approve a request from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to replace 31 Road Patrol, 2 Traffic, 2 Civil, 1 K-9 and 7 Criminal Investigation vehicles using SPLOST VII – Public Safety Vehicles. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Crowden: Okay, the K-9 vehicle is specifically it’s another grant from federal grant through the State of Georgia for EOD purposes and they’re using it they’re requesting an EOD SUV Police vehicle for that grant. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office cars again SPLOST VII each year we review. This request actually the breakout was provided to us by Colonel Partain based on the needs of the department. SPLOST VII can support this request. It’s right at $1,178,000. We get $1.5 million every year with SPLOST VII. $1.2 million is for the Sheriff and $300,000 is the remaining for the remainder of public safety vehicles. Mr. Fennoy: And could you tell me what the Federal Homeland Security Grant Program is? Mr. Crowden: It is a funding mechanism through FEMA where Homeland Security is part of that organization. This grant is offered to those who apply for it; grants are given to various communities, states and counties and cities. It is a standard operation that the Sheriff’s Department go out and seek grants that are available to help them in other funding mechanisms for the purchase of materials, vehicles if you like. Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve 17 and 18, Mr. Mayor. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I have a question. Mr. Mayor: I know you do. All right, we’ve got a motion and a second to approve Items th 17 and 18. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6 for a question. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Crowden, for Item number 18 as well as some of it goes back to the Marshal’s as well as you purchase these new vehicles I noticed lately we haven’t been given an update in terms of properties that have been sold or what have you. But happens to the money once you put on GOV. Where do the funds go once you --- Mr. Crowden: GOV deals? Mr. Hasan: Sir? Mr. Crowden: Put it up for auction you mean. 29 Mr. Hasan: Yes, yes, go to GOV deals. What fund does the money return to? Mr. Crowden: In this case these vehicles would, the funds for this vehicle would be returned either to SPLOST or the General Fund. Mr. Hasan: Okay, okay all right, so who makes that determination? Mr. Crowden: Finance under government accounting standards. Mr. Hasan: All right, thank you. Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second, voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 19. Motion to approve appointing Commissioner Jefferson as chair of the PPPM Subcommittee with priority given to addressing the process to amend the Personnel Policy & Procedures Manual, Chapter III, Grievances, Discipline & Appeals Section; and review the other policies and procedure letters that were considered in 2017 referencing the PPPM. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Guilfoyle: So moved. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second. Mr. Fennoy: Did I pull this? Mr. Mayor: You did, you did. Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second, voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 20. A motion to approve and execute the final revision of the Healthstat contract. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) 30 Mr. Guilfoyle: So moved. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk --- The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- we’re going to take Items 21, 23, 24, 25 and 26 and we’re going to adopt them engross we’re going to vote on all of those at the same time, okay, we’re going to vote all of them at the same time. The Clerk: So that’s 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 okay. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 21. Motion to approve proposal from Total Systems Commissioning, Inc. in the amount of $39,680.00 to assess the condition of the plumbing and electrical systems at Richmond County Correctional Institution (RCCI) and recommend a strategy to implement improvements. (RFP 17-294) (Approved by Administrative Services Committee March 13, 2018) PUBLIC SAFETY 23. Motion to accept grant in the amount of $22,000 to Augusta Animal Services by Josh Wiesner of Fix Georgia for the spaying and neutering of community Pit Bull, Pit Bull Mixes and Bully breed dogs. (Donation accepted by Public Safety Committee on January 30, 2018) 24. Motion to approve the replacement of obsolete computer equipment (laptops, computers, servers, printers, scanners, switches, router, VOIP phones, other telecommunication devices, radios and MDTs) as well as the purchase of any required computer software upgrades to implement Microsoft Office 365. (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) 25. Motion to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the United States Army Garrison and Richmond County Emergency Management Agency for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Communications and authorize the Mayor to execute the appropriate documents. (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) 26. Motion to award RFP #17-155 Outdoor Warning Sirens to Federal Signal Corporation and to authorize the Mayor to execute the contract. (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Guilfoyle: So moved. Mr. Frantom: Second. 31 st Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1 to make a comment. Mr. Fennoy: You threw a ringer in there, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: I know they’re similar in nature. Mr. Fennoy: 21, 23, 24 --- Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: --- 25 --- Mr. Mayor: Absolutely and 26. Mr. Fennoy: All right, I can live with that. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: PUBLIC SAFETY 27. Motion to approve the purchase of two (2) Emergency Medical Care Vehicles in the amount of $455,216.00 for two units and authorize the Mayor to execute the contract for the purchase of two (2) Emergency Medical Care Vehicles in the amount of $455,216.00 for two units. (RFP 17-292) (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve. Mr. D. Williams: Second. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4 who asked that this item be pulled. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I know there’s a lot of work been put into this item and a lot of discussion so, Mr. Mayor, with your consent I’d like to ask that we have a presentation from the Fire Chief. Mr. Mayor: All right, we have a motion and a second. All right, we’re going to suspend. There are a lot of questions up here, the board is lit and we have a lot of questions. All right, the Chair recognizes the Fire Chief. If there’s a presentation let’s make sure we’ve got copies of it available for everybody. 32 Mr. M. Williams: We ain’t got confirmation of the fax, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: That’s what I’m saying I want (inaudible). Mr. M. Williams: If we ain’t had them before now, now we ain’t going to pull this game today like we did the last time. We ain’t got them in our hands now. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. Sias: Can we put it on the screen? Mr. Mayor: Well, we can, right is there. Do you have it? Is there a presentation that you have for everybody? You have a copy? Chief James: Oh, I have it where it can be loaded. The Clerk: It’s loaded on the, it’s already loaded on the presentation? Chief James: Yes, ma’am. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, can I have a Point of Personal Privilege please, sir. Mr. Mayor: Hold on, just hold on, hold on. All right, so we have a presentation to talk about this item, is that correct? Chief James: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: Okay, do we have a copy of this that can be transmitted, a hard copy that can be transmitted to be given to everybody? The Clerk: Do you have hard copies? Chief James: Yes, I mean it can be handed out. Mr. Mayor: Okay, okay. Chief James: It can be printed and handed out. Mr. Mayor: I understand, I understand. All right, has this been sent to everybody? Chief James: No. Mr. Mayor: All right, okay all right, all right. All right, I’m going to go, just hold on, the th Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. 33 Mr. M. Williams: Okay first of all, Mr. Mayor, this is not supposed to be as a presentation. It’s an agenda item and we talk about an agenda item, now we‘re talking about a presentation. We had all week in fact ever since committee to discuss. I asked for some information that I asked for a hardcopy to be sent to my Clerk which I in turn got. Mr. Mayor: You have got it? Mr. M. Williams: That’s right not this presentation that you’re talking about --- Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: --- I’m going back to the common set of facts that you reminded us that we needed to have beforehand. So I’m trying to see now are we going to change the rules today since the sun’s shining and it was raining yesterday what are we going to do? Are we going to play the same game we played last week or are we going to do what we said we’re going to do a common set of facts should’ve been given to everybody prior to coming in here --- Mr. Mayor: Yeah --- Mr. M. Williams: --- but we pick and choose now how we want to do it so. Mr. Mayor: --- all right, so you’re going to give me a chance to respond? Mr. M. Williams: Oh yeah, you’ve got plenty of chances to respond. Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, I’m going to be consistent and that is I’ve asked everybody that if we’re going to have conversations about issues like this that we have a th common set of facts. Now the Commissioner from the 4 says that we have a presentation, all right? Last week, last week actually two weeks ago now we had the Attorney and yourself who both had competing pieces of information which none of us had but we should’ve had and we did not. And so again two weeks ago what we did is we took the attorney’s information and we put it up on the screen, is that not true? Mr. M. Williams: It’s not true. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we put it up on the screen two weeks ago unless I lost my mind we took the attorney’s document that we didn’t have and he got from the other folks’ attorney and we put it on the screen. Okay now we pass it out okay and then we took your information which we did not have and we put it on the screen, is that not true? Mr. M. Williams: No, sir, that’s not true, Mr. Mayor. I don’t know what meeting you was at. The meeting I was at here when we changed everything and said I have some information --- Mr. Mayor: (Inaudible). 34 Mr. M. Williams: --- I’m elected. I’m not a paid attorney who’s not elected to bring whatever it is. I brought an elected official in here a document that my Clerk had that I asked to share you said we ought to have a common set of facts where everybody needs to have that information. Mr. Mayor: I did. Mr. M. Williams: I had this information today. I followed your rules. I told my Clerk to send this information to everybody --- Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: --- whether it was electronically or they wanted hardcopies --- Mr. Mayor: All right so --- Mr. D. Williams: --- so everybody would be on the same page. Mr. Mayor: --- all right, hold on, hold on. All right, Madam Clerk, everybody has a copy of his information? The Clerk: Those that requested it. Mr. Mayor: Oh, okay, all right, so the Mayor’s going to be consistent as a general expectation that if we’re going to debate a matter that everybody be talking from the same sheet th, of music. All right, you have a set of information, once again Commissioner from the 9 that you have made available to those who wanted it, all right? We have a presentation from the Fire Chief that was not distributed. All right, so I’m going to smack you on the hand too just like we did the Attorney in that if we’re going to have a conversation we need to do it with a common set of facts and that we’ve had this conversation. I’m going to be consistent where we have the same set of information. Now I’m going to do the same thing that we did two weeks ago. I’m going to let you put it up on the screen and we’ll look at it from there. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor --- th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: --- Mr. Mayor, I know that the Chief is fixing to do a presentation but on Friday I had sent out a list of questions --- Mr. Mayor: Okay --- Mr. Guilfoyle: --- I was hoping about every one of our colleagues --- Mr. M. Williams: Now you can’t make people, give them what they don’t want. 35 Mr. Guilfoyle: --- received it --- Mr. Mayor: --- yeah. Mr. Guilfoyle: Well, that intel generated another set of questions which I sent out yesterday again to everybody including Chief James and here we are without no answers to these questions and Commissioner Sias tried to shut it down per the email. And my response was you know it doesn’t stop to do, he called it a program. It’s not a program, it’s going buying ambulances and it’s going to have an incurred cost. I have yet to receive my finished answers to my questions and I think that’s very important for us to make a uniformed decision, a decision that’s based on cost, not on feelings or whatever you want to call it. So before we watch this presentation and take action I believe what we need to do is table this item until we could get answers for all of us to look at, sir. Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right --- Mr. Guilfoyle: I don’t believe that’s asking too much as a per se a compromise, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- there’s a lot of passion in the room. Mr. M. Williams: I make a motion, Mr. Mayor, we table this until our committee meeting and talk about this in committee. Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on. I’m going to give you a chance to rethink what you just said. There’s already a motion that’s been made with a proper second and that is to approve the purchase two Emergency Medical Care Vehicles. Mr. M. Williams: Then my substitute motion is to --- Mr. Mayor: Hold on. I’m going to recognize you and give you a chance to do that but I th want to take everybody to the underlined motion. All right, the Commissioner from the 8 indicated that he wanted cost information et cetera. What I have in front of me is that the cost of two vehicles is $455,000 dollars for two units. That’s the cost that I have in front of me. $455,000 dollars. And that is to purchase two Emergency Medical Care Vehicles, okay? All right, is that the cost for both of them, Chief? Chief James: Yes, sir. Mr. Guilfoyle: Outfitted? Mr. Mayor: And we have a motion and a proper second. That’s the matter that is before th us. All right to the Commissioner from the 8 I think I’ve been copied on the list of questions that have come out as well and the underlined matter that we have before us today is just about two vehicles, is that not true? Chief James: Yes, sir. 36 Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, we’ve got a motion and a proper second --- Mr. M. Williams: I’m going to call for a roll call vote. Mr. Mayor: --- hold on, hold on, I told you I was going to come back to you --- Mr. M. Williams: I’ve got a substitute motion and he’s going on like (inaudible). th Mr. Mayor: --- all right, the Chair is going to recognize the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I just made a substitute motion to table this thing and send it back to committee to bring it back. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a substitute motion to table this item with a proper second. All right, voting. We’re going to vote on the substitute. I’m trying to take the difficulty out of this, trying. Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Frantom, Mr. Guilfoyle, Mr. M. Williams and Mr. G. Smith vote Yes. Mr. Fennoy, Mr. D. Williams, Mr. Sias and Mr. Hasan vote No. Ms. Davis out. Motion Fails 5-4. st Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I can remember in committee meeting the question being asked of Chief James why do we need two Emergency Medical Vehicles and he responded by saying that and correct me, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, Chief James, but I can remember you saying that whenever there’s a structure fire you send an ambulance when possible because you don’t want any of your people to have an emergency to come up at the scene of a fire and have to wait to be transported in order to save their lives. You know with everything that we have going on in this country we need to do everything we possibly can to make sure that there’s adequate protection for the people that we entrust to provide safety for us. So I think that we need to go ahead and move forward with this item and to make sure that our firefighters aren’t in any danger in case they have to be transported. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor --- Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. M. Williams: --- I asked the Fire Chief for some information about how much the medical vehicles responded and carry someone to the hospital. I was told it was 297 times then I found out it was just 47 times but if we send them out every time we get a fire call you only mean as many fires as we got we only responded 297 calls because if every time he sent a truck and 37 that’s what Commissioner Fennoy just said sent go out on a fire call to a fire he send his medical equipment. So that means every time our units respond then a truck, ambulance service or ambulance should have responded as well. That’s not what I’ve got here; that’s not what it’s saying. So that can’t be true. If it is then we only responded 297 times. We only carried 47 to a facility and that’s just any, the Chief couldn’t give me no dates but I told him it didn’t really matter in any 30-day period but if he carried 47 in 30 days I think that’s really good. But I’m wondering why if there’s no urgency to this we’ve got two units that’s not manned. We’re going to buy two more units and take those two units, the other two units out of service, are we going to spend that type of money on two ambulances that’s not equipped with all of the necessary equipment. Mr. Mayor: Okay, Commissioner, do you mind suspending for just a moment? Mr. M. Williams: Okay. Madam Clerk, can we just put this on the screen what he’s talking about. Okay all right, Chief, roll the presentation. Mr. M. Williams: So we’re changing the common set of facts again. Mr. Mayor: Yeah. Mr. M. Williams: Okay, that’s all right, it ain’t a problem. I can play that game as long as we play the same game every time. Chief James: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, Augusta Fire EMA Ambulance. Three reasons why to increase Augusta’s ambulance fleet. Number one is all structure fires. Starting early in 2017 Augusta dispatches at least one ambulance to every structure fire to be prepared for any citizen or First Responder who may be injured or require immediate transport. Any time we put our employees in a physical, strenuous situation we have always made sure, we change the policy so that we assure that we have some way to quickly transport them. It’s just not Fire Department personnel that’s also our Sheriff’s Office personnel. So when the Sheriff’s Department is doing their physical agility tests and whatever we send an ambulance out there to stay out there in case a Sheriff’s deputy goes down. If we’re doing physical training, we have an ambulance there but with the limited number of ambulances we have if we have other events that come up or something to happen, I don’t have anything available to send to those other events so if I have a training going on, this is stressful training that we may want a deputy or firefighter or any First Responder to be transported and at the same time we get a structure fire somewhere else, I don’t have another ambulance or whatever to send. In our society today we have ambulances at middle school, high school, college football but we don’t have an ambulance to protect the First Responders who’s doing the strenuous job in case they go down. Mass Casualty Incidents. Any event of a mass casualty incident i.e. large sporting event, assembly, shooting, chemical spill, there are currently not enough ambulances currently staffed ambulance on a day to day basis in Augusta to support a quick response and transport injured citizens that are affected. The Augusta Fire Department ambulances will be used to supplement the zone and provide other EMS providers in a mass casualty incident. So, things that happen all over the world can happen here so if we get 15 or 20 people that get in a club shooting, a wreck or a school bus full of kids and we need to transport 15 to 20 patients we will need all ambulances available, all the zone provider’s ambulances, any ambulances that we have we’re just trying to enhance that system. And third 38 reason the Augusta Fire Department ambulance response to EMS calls provides supplemental services when needed and required. We have mutual aid agreements with all the counties around us so our ambulance can be used to assist any agency or department that we have a mutual aid agreement with that includes Fort Gordon, Columbia County and anyone that we have contact with. Also the agencies that we work with within our county. A good example of that would be last year we had a deputy that got shot on Meadowbrook Drive. That call came in to 911. It went to the zone provider a couple of minutes later the zone provider’s ambulances were all used. They said send the Fire Department. The Fire Department was able to respond to Meadowbrook Drive, pick up the deputy and handle that call all the way in so these are three reasons why we would want the ambulance. And next I want to give you a little data on the amount of costs that we’ve done. So in 2013 we did 1,049 calls and transported 667 times. In 2013 though we were co-zone providers. 2014 it dropped to 640 calls and transported 405 times. Midway through 2014 we were no longer the zone provider though. 2016 the calls dropped to 295 and we transport 211 times. 2017 we responded 297 times and we actually transported patients 47 times and so far this year in 2018 in the 2 ½ months we have responded 170 times and transported 8 times. And mind you the ambulance can only roll other than us sending it to a structure fire or to our own events that’s the total response that they can only respond when the zone provider calls us and tells us we can go. They don’t call us, we can’t go. That was just the brief information that I wanted to update the Commission on. Some of it was information that we did last week as well. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor I asked for this information to be sent to me in committee last week. I’ve got this one document here saying there was 297 responses to find out it was only 47 he said he transported. And I asked how many was transported in any 30-day period and the answer I got was 297 which turned out to be only 47 and they can only be called when the provider calls them and asks them to do the call. I’m a little bit disappointed when I asked, I talked to the Fire Chief he told me he sent the information to the Clerk. He asked me did I want a hardcopy. I told him just don’t worry about if he sent it to the Clerk and she will give me the hardcopy. He wanted to make sure I had one that I had everything that I needed and I thank him for that but evidently I didn’t have everything I needed because this information never got to me. So I’m trying to figure out where is the urgency when we’ve got two units and we want to buy two other units which nobody said whether they’re going to be equipped with stretchers and everything else that goes with it or are we just buying the ambulances. Then what about the manpower to maintain or to operate that equipment. None of this has been talked about, nothing’s been said. So my question is what is the urgency and nobody’s ever stated ambulances never said this ain’t an emergency vehicle I’m thinking it could be a fire truck, it could be a CD truck, it could be a pickup truck but nobody said ambulances but now we know that’s what it relates to ambulances. I’m not going to put this city in jeopardy by trying to spend that kind of money on equipment that’s going to be sitting around somewhere that we ain’t using what we already got. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, I’m going to leave that up to each and every one to determine th for themselves in just a moment. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Call for the question. 39 Mr. Mayor: All right, he is wanting to try to cut off debate at this time. Mr. M. Williams: I’d like to have a roll call vote. st Mr. Mayor: Well hold on, all right, I’m going to recognize the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor and colleagues, you know I kind of look at ambulance services the same way I do fire stations. You know we have fire stations all over Augusta and because a particular area doesn’t have a fire or may have a low number of fires do we want to close that station to save money or do want to have that station in place and up and running just in case there is a fire. I think that our First Responders do an outstanding job in providing excellent services for people when they’re needed and I think that it’s only fair for this government to provide adequate services for our First Responders in case they are responding to and if they have to be transported. So I support this 100% and I appreciate not only the great job that Chief James does but all of our First Responders for the City of Augusta. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7. Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As stated earlier one of my colleagues sent two different emails, probably asked almost over 20 questions; the second set of questions were not answered. My question is to Chief James what type of impact would it be if we pushed this back to committee two weeks? I mean what’s the urge I guess to approve this today? Chief James: I mean I would like to, my recommendation is to move as soon as we can to provide that service. If the Commission choses to wait then that’s what we will do to move this process forward but we’ll follow the direction given by the Commission. Mr. Frantom: Okay as a Commission I think any time that you make a decision before you have all the information and facts I just, that’s where I am with this. I mean I want to support it but there’s a lot of questions that are unanswered and I just can’t get there to support this today so thank you, Mr. Mayor. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Chief James, if this table was turned and the 1,049 was in 2018 I would understand why we need ambulances. I would understand that we need more based on your, what you had prepared for us but for the first quarter 8 transports, last year 47 so this year we based at 32 transports based off of the numbers for 2018. Now the three reasons why you have on your presentation starting in 2017 you’re requiring an ambulance to be at every structure fire. That was a decision based off Chief James I assume. But why are we calling Gold Cross to be on a standby within visibility where they actually are the zone provider, they are the ones that’s first called through 911 and I’m going to continue on. Mass Casualty Incident --- Mr. Mayor: Commissioner --- Mr. Guilfoyle: --- yes, sir. 40 Mr. Mayor: --- suspend for a moment. Again everybody’s going to determine where they are in just a moment but let’s clarify one thing. What the Fire Chief just presented was from 2013 to 2018 their responses to calls that the zone minus 2013 when they were co-zone provider but success for 2014 to 2018 their responses were only because the zone provider said we need your help. Mr. Guilfoyle: I understand that. Mr. Mayor: The only reason they showed up and when they showed up, these were the number of transports that they provided in lieu of being called to respond as the zone provider indicated they needed them to. Mr. Guilfoyle: I understand that, sir. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right (inaudible). Mr. Guilfoyle: And since we quit the subsidy the calls to Augusta, Georgia for mutual aid actually had reduced considerably, sir. Can I continue with the presentation from Chief James or you want me to stand down again, sir? Mr. Mayor: Well, I was on, I wanted to clarify that. Mr. Guilfoyle: Yes, sir, I understand that. Mass Casualty. I don’t think with two ambulances, the two that you have, one in operation, one is set aside from what your email to me clearly stated that four ambulances is not going to carry 15 to 20 people. Now we did have somebody that other ambulance providers that had substantial ambulances that was 2015 up to 2018 ambulances. We had a good system in place but some deemed that it was not. I’ll give you an example, Chief James, you received an email two weeks or Madam Administrator there did. Piney Grove Road. Early in the wee hours of the morning a lady, disabled, fell out of the bed. We have a fire station two miles away. True, if we had a subsidy in place that was requirement structure for Gold Cross to respond within a certain amount of time. With that no longer in effect it took 30 minutes for Gold Cross but what’s crazy is we had a fire station two miles away and nobody responded. Chief James: And the Augusta Fire Department was not called. Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay. Chief James: The Augusta Fire Department was not called. Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay. Chief James: If they had would’ve reached out to us and said this particular situation and we would’ve sent that fire truck down the street. 41 Mr. Guilfoyle: I believe that we put a policy in place to where Augusta Fire Department would not go to any calls if it needs somebody being helped to get off the floor, is that right --- Chief James: No, sir --- Mr. Guilfoyle: --- overweight or anything like that? Chief James: --- no, sir. The letter that we put out addressed the ambulance services and not any one but three different ambulance services. And the transport companies that had citizens that had pre-appointments that were calling the Fire Department to come and help them lift. So the Fire Department would go. They were called, being put out of service to go to a house that morning to help load a patient onto the ambulance service. They would go to the hospital. They would call the Fire Department back and the Fire Department would go to that house and be sitting there out of service, can’t respond to any other call until that patient got back. And this was not a fall out of bed or an emergency call. These were prescheduled doctor’s appointments which the private provider was being paid for to transport those citizens. Mr. Mayor: And not only that that was their responsibility and certainly well within their jurisdiction to do. And the letter that we sent was a prudent letter for us to send and it was one we fully supported. Mr. Guilfoyle: All right, final question, sir. Chief James, the email that I sent yesterday - Chief James: Yes, sir --- Mr. Guilfoyle: --- why did I not get a reply and Commissioner Sias replied? Chief James: --- I don’t know why Commissioner Sias replied. I may have assumed because he was emailed to him. Mr. Guilfoyle: Why didn’t you reply? Mr. Guilfoyle: I didn’t get to read the email in detail until yesterday evening. I didn’t get a chance to get on it this morning because we were at E-Z-Go from 3:00 o’clock this morning all the way to 7:30 and so I had not had the chance. I only got those questions yesterday evening and I didn’t get the email, I looked back at the date it was like 1:40 or 1:50 or so when it was emailed and I didn’t get the opportunity to go through them in detail. Mr. Guilfoyle: Chief James, I respect that answer, sir. I think it’d be best if we could push this off until next committee meeting so we could get them questions satisfied. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we’ve had a substitute motion and a second that failed. We now have the main motion that is before us with a proper second, that is what we’re voting on if you’ll --- Mr. Guilfoyle: What’s the motion? 42 Mr. Mayor: --- just hold on a minute. Madam Clerk, if you’ll give us a moment to put that back on the screen. All right, this is your main motion. This is what we’re voting on. It is simply to approve the purchase of two Emergency Medical Care Vehicles. Mr. Guilfoyle: Roll call. Mr. Mayor: I don’t have a problem with that. Madam Clerk? The Clerk: With Ms. Davis being absent, Mr. Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Frantom. Mr. Frantom: No. The Clerk: Mr. Guilfoyle. Mr. Guilfoyle: No, ma’am. The Clerk: Mr. Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Sias. Mr. Sias: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. D. Williams. Mr. D. Williams: Yes. The Clerk: Mr. M. Williams. Mr. M. Williams: No. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 6-3. 43 Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you. The Clerk: PUBLIC SAFETY 28. Motion to approve adopting a Resolution of Support to send to Governor Deal regarding the need for control gun laws to keep and better protect our children from gun violence. (Approved by Public Safety Committee March 13, 2018) st Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Yes, Mr. Mayor, as you and all of my colleagues are well aware we have serious gun issue in this country. And right now kids are being victims of assault weapons and I would like to send a Resolution, this Commission to send a Resolution to the Governor to let him know that we want to see something about the high incidents of gun violence that’s taking place in this country over the years. And I would also encourage all citizens of Richmond County to notify their Governor, their State Representatives and their State Senators to let them know that the laws that we have presently does not do enough to protect the children and the innocent people of this country. Mr. Mayor: All right, if everyone will turn to Tab 28 a copy of the Resolution it is before you. All right, the proposed Resolution is before you, okay? The Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 4. Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Last, the last time we talked about this I want to be careful saying last week it might have been before then. We asked the Attorney and our Madam Clerk to kind of collaborate on this issue. And my question with your consent, Mr. Mayor, is to them to say this is the result of that collaboration? The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Sias: Mr. Mayor, I move to approve. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Mayor: All right, we have a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Mr. Guilfoyle votes Present. Motion Passes 8-0-1. The Clerk: FINANCE 44 29. Motion to approve Excess Workers’ Compensation Insurance with Safety National With Statutory limits and a $750,000 Self Insured Retention (SIR-otherwise known as the deductible) to cover all positions for a premium of $369,658. (Approved by Finance Committee March 3, 2018) Mr. Sias: Move to approve. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner st. from the 1 I think he’s headed for the support of this. Mr. Fennoy: I am but is this who we have had Workman’s Compensation with before? Mr. Crozier: Yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: Okay and they provide good service for the city? Mr. Crozier: Yes, they have. Mr. Fennoy: Thank you, sir. Mr. Crozier: Thank you. Mr. Mayor: I’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, as we are allowing them to finish their voting Items 32, 33, 34 st if it please the Commissioner from the 1 to roll them up and vote on them --- Mr. Guilfoyle: Item 32 is pulled by Marion Williams, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- okay was it, okay, I do apologize. All right, if it pleases the Commission th from the 9 as well 32, 33 and 34. The Clerk: They’re proposing a consent. Mr. M. Williams: No, I ain’t going to consent. I pulled it; that’s why I pulled it (unintelligible). The Clerk: All right. Mr. Mayor: Items 33 and 34. 45 The Clerk: 33 and 34, yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: That’s a great idea, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Thank you. ENGINEERING SERVICES 33. Motion to approve a Deed of Dedication for the water and sanitary sewer systems from TCA, LLC, for Longpoint Townhomes, Phase III-B. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018) 34. Motion to approve recommendation of Award for Bid Item #17-295 Fiber Optic Blower. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018) The Clerk: Need a motion? Mr. Mayor: Yes. Mr. Fennoy: Motion to approve Item number --- The Clerk: 33 and 34. Mr. Fennoy: --- 33 and 34. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: All right, Item number 32. The Clerk: ENGINEERING SERVICES 32. Motion to approve change order #2 for construction of the Goodrich Raw Water Pumping Station (RWPS) in the amount of $479,099.17. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018) th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Tom, can you help me out with Goodrich Street we’ve been working on that for how long now? Mr. Wiedmeier: It’s been probably two plus years, probably three years. 46 Mr. M. Williams: A little bit more than that, Tom, but you’re talking about the recent work we done did some work up there. My question is this is the second change order. If the second change order was $479, what was the first initial price? Mr. Wiedmeier: The initial contract was $9.6 million dollars. The first change order was for $1.2 million dollars. Mr. M. Williams: And this is the second one at for four something, right? Mr. Wiedmeier: Right. Mr. M. Williams: And this is going to end this? Mr. Wiedmeier: This is, we’re at the end of the project. Mr. M. Williams: I remember the old what was up there the old landfill up there on Goodrich Street, is that where that was? Mr. Wiedemeir: Sure was. Mr. M. Williams: And old jail out there on Goodrich Street we’ve been working too long out there, Tom. I make a motion to approve. Mr. G. Smith: Second. Mr. Mayor: Voting. Mr. Guilfoyle: Can we go ahead and do Item 30 while Tom’s up there? Mr. Mayor: No. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk --- The Clerk: Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: --- go to Item number 35. The Clerk: ENGINEERING SERVICES 35. Motion to approve the amount of $7,360.20 to have 15 Streetlights added to Ken Miles Dr. and Ted Tidwell Ln. in the Manchester subdivision at a cost of $225.00 per month thereafter. This is also to approve a new lighting tax district for the 63 lots associated with 47 above roads. Funding is available in the Street Lighting budget account #2760416105312310. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018). th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I pulled this one I think but I was confused with another one. But this is a streetlight situation that’s going to be put in Manchester. Are the residents going to have to inquire and do any additional funds out of their pockets? Can somebody explain that? Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes Director Ussery. Mr. Ussery: Yeah, this is going through our standard procedure. The citizens of these streets called us; they currently have no streetlights. So we went through our normal process of talking to all the people who live on these streets to see if they wanted to install the streetlights at the cost that you see included in the motion. Mr. M. Williams: One other question, Mr. Mayor, to the Director what about the other areas before you get down to Manchester, is that already been updated with streetlights or we just went down there because they were crying out louder than anybody else? Mr. Usery: I’m not real familiar with this one. This was prepared by staff but I believe it is just the areas that are being mentioned in this. Mr. M. Williams: I know but I’m saying have the other areas been I guess equipped with streetlights? Mr. Usery: I don’t know, I’d have to go look. Mr. M. Williams: Okay thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor: Do you want to make a motion? Mr. M. Williams: So moved. Mr. Sias: Second, I just want to clear up something with my colleague if you don’t mind real quick. Mr. Mayor: I will. I’ll recognize you. We’ve got a motion and the Commissioner from th the 4 has gone and recognized he’ll second it. Mr. Sias: This is part of an ongoing problem that we have. We have a subcommittee that’s working to make this change but this is an additional development in the subdivision. All the other streets have lights and this is just as they go through these additional buildouts then you have these new areas and we end up creating more streetlight districts and hopefully we’ll be to the point that we can have one city streetlight district. So that is just a process to get them lights because we don’t require them to put them in but that is part of the change. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. 48 Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, if I can respond that’ll open up another can or worms. I thought the Director said there was no streetlights so I’m hearing from the Commissioner that we’re adding more streetlights for the development coming back in there. Is that what we’re doing? Are we putting streetlights for those? Mr. Ussery: Currently when there’s an area that’s been developed that does not have streetlights they call us and we create a new district for this area if it’s approved by the residents of the neighborhood. That’s how it works now. Mr. M. Williams: So the additional stuff that comes in has to be approved as well or is this going to be a continuation? Mr. Ussery: I’m sorry --- Mr. M. Williams: Additional buildup in that neighborhood in that area for construction and growth they’ll automatically be a part of this or would the --- Mr. Ussery: --- no, it would not automatically be a part of this. If there’s additional subdivisions approved in this area from this point forward with the modified language in the Engineering Road Manual they, streetlights will be required but if it’s an existing part of the subdivision that has no streetlights they need to call us to for us to create the district, give them the costs and then they can vote on it. Mr. M. Williams: Motion to approve, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion to approve and a second. The Clerk: Commissioner Sias, that was you seconding it, did I hear you? Mr. Sias: Yes, ma’am. Second. Mr. Mayor: I’m going to be real slow in recognizing him the next time. Mr. Sias: That’s my district; that’s my area. Thank you, I appreciate your recognition. Mr. Mayor: All right. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: All right, Item 30. The Clerk: 49 ENGINEERING SERVICES 30. Motion to approve Amendment No. 7 to Agreement with ESG Operations, Inc. to establish the final budget amount for 2018. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018) Mr. Fennoy: One of mine, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: I think so the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the no, the th Commissioner from the 9 pulled that one. Mr. Guilfoyle: Marion Williams. th Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Tom, I just need, I mean there’s been a lot of buzz about this. I need to know is this contract, everything going though Procurement like it would any other way except the specs are being written up by a different department? Mr. Wiedemeir: Yes, sir. All the capital work will be bid and the process will go through the Procurement Department. Mr. M. Williams: And that’s been my biggest concern but if that’s the case, I’m going to make a motion to approve. Mr. D. Williams: Okay, we’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. Mr. Mayor: Okay Item number 38, Madam Clerk. The Clerk: 38? Mr. Mayor: 38. The Clerk: PUBLIC SERVICES 38. Approve the use of GO Augusta Marketing Campaign and color scheme. (No recommendation from the Public Services Committee March 13, 2018) th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7. Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to make a motion to approve. It’s a green color scheme logo --- 50 Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Frantom: --- without the circle. Mr. Mayor: Okay, we’ve got a motion and a second. All right, the Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I need a couple of things answered. First of all, how much did we pay for that logo I guess I mean because the Augusta logo is still there the only thing I see is the G. O. So how much did we pay for it and what other services I guess is going to be added to that to help promote GO? I mean I really got some issues. The color really don’t matter to me, green, blue, black or brown would have been fine with me but I just don’t understand how I thought we would’ve got something really different, really unique. I mean that’s the first thing I learned in school was stop and go I mean but --- Mr. Frantom: Do you want to go pink then? Mr. M. Williams: --- well, pink would be fine, color don’t matter to me. Mr. Frantom: Logo GO Augusta. Mr. M. Williams: I mean I’m just trying to figure out from the Director what all did we get for this package? Mr. Parker: The logo is just one small bit of what we’re getting. They’re working with us to create at least three new events this year. We met with some folks yesterday to talk about a June event that’s coming forward. They’re helping --- Mr. M. Williams: Hold it right there. When you say events, explain events. What do you mean? Mr. Parker: Events at The Common and other places like that. The one we met yesterday to talk about some Barbeque Cooking Contest and Festival where we would try to attract people from throughout the Southeast really to come to Georgia. They would be cooking, you’ve probably seen them on TV where they cook and then there’s an award presentation at the end. We met with the Georgia Barbeque Association yesterday. Mr. M. Williams: You could’ve got with Tom Wiedmeier. He’s got a team that’s been winning in that I mean already. They’ve been going all over. Mr. Parker: We’re trying to set it up for him to win but --- Mr. M. Williams: Well, no, I’m just saying I mean I’m looking for something different that we’re spending this kind of money on and I’m in support. I’ve been telling you we’ve been talking about events and doing things but I want something that’s going to attract people in a large 51 number not just the local. We do local stuff now and what Tom’s been doing with his crew going to Savannah and different places cooking. So I’m in favor of that. I just hope we’re doing it on a scale where it’s really going to make a difference in this city and not just something that we, you know, we had at The Commons and that’s it. I’m looking for something that’s going to get some national attention that’s going to attract people to our city every year at the same time. So, the cookoff is one thing but, go ahead, you mentioned about cooking anything else? Mr. Parker: Well, yes, sir, there’s other events we’ve mentioned to you before. There’s I guess on a smaller scale there’s a Halloween event that we’re looking at and a Youth Event there in the summer. They’re also looking at all the current events we do and they’re sort of looking at it on the backside how can we make those events better, how can we grow those existing events. And then we’re talking I think the CVB has mentioned a couple of times about a large event that they think we can pull off in either 2019 or 2020 and we’re talking with them about that event. And I meeting with Jennifer Bowen I think it’s either Thursday or one day next week we’re talking about those kinds of events. So we’re keeping it on the radar. We are talking about those things and how we can grow those events. They do take, an event the size that you’re hoping for and talking about is a huge undertaking. One of the things we’ve talked about I think we mentioned is the possibility of establishing a separate 501C3 type group to run an event of that magnitude. Mr. M. Williams: Glenn, I’m in support. I just, I’ve been just talking about this for so long as to go back to what I learned in school. Mr. Welcher, I learned about Smokey the Bear in school long years ago and saying one match can start a forest fire. And we’ve been talking and talking and talking about doing stuff in Augusta and I don’t think you can do an event and it automatically takes off. You have to build on an event. But we this city here I talked to the Mayor many times about it about how we have not come together and try to try something. In Salley, South Carolina they do the Chittlin’ Strut first Saturday after Thanksgiving, so many people you can’t stir them with a stick, I mean it’s unbelievable. That little old small town like Salley, South Carolina can start off with something that’s in the belly of a hog I’m sure we could come up with something here but we hadn’t started anything. Now we’re paying now for this service that we got somebody and I don’t think they’re going to be able to bring us nothing huge overnight but I’m just glad to know that I guess we are going to try something. And that’s what it takes. If that don’t work I mean with all the stuff we’ve got going on in Augusta we just don’t seem to be, Tom, I’ve got more time behind me than I got in front of me, man, I want to see something now. Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I’ve got a quick question. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6 for a question. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Parker, anytime the marketing company is mentioned we always also mentioned three events so is three events going to be the only thing they’re involved in by contract at this point and if you were to come up with say three more events which would make a total of six are we talking about additional money for that? Mr. Parker: Well, we actually, they’re being reimbursed on an hourly basis so we have a bank account if you will of $75,000 dollars. There are certain things that they work with us on with creating these events, creating this logo, those kinds of things. I’ll start getting invoices, we 52 get the quarterly invoice from them. I’ll get an invoice and see where we are. We’re very careful with them about when we utilize their time and when we don’t. Like Ms. Gretchen that was at the meeting last couple of times she comes from Jacksonville so we didn’t feel the need to have her here today so she’s not here so we’re biding our money throughout the year to make that work. Kim Kelly’s here if she wants to address, I think that’s correct that’s the way we’re doing that so yeah there’s --- Mr. Hasan: What is that hourly wage? Mr. Parker: --- I’m not sure the per hour rate right now; I don’t have that with me. Mr. Hasan: Okay, so it could easily go into additional events become additional monies. Mr. Parker: Sure --- Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Parker: --- yes, sir. Mr. Mayor: All right, we have a motion and a second. Voting. Okay all right, the Chair recognizes Mr. Parker. Mr. Parker: I just have one question about Mr. Frantom’s comment, Commissioner Frantom’s comment on the not liking the circle. Same logo just with a different background put to it depending on where we might utilize that logo. That’s the reason it’s shown and like that. It’s not the intent to change the logo they just I guess you’d say reverse the colors there to be able to show it. That’s my concern when you sort of limit it to the one --- Mr. Frantom: I just think when you look at that circle Augusta gets lost in the circle. That was my thoughts about it. But I mean I think the green is by far the best logo so I mean. Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 9-0. The Clerk: ENGINEERING SERVICES 31. Motion to approve establishing a subcommittee consisting of Commissioner Hasan, Administrator’s Office, Code Enforcement, the Warden and Environmental Services to develop a strategy using a Demolition Inmate Work Crew to assist/augment the current demolition activities of unsafe and uninhabitable houses throughout the city. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee March 13, 2018) th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, it’s my district. 53 Mr. Mayor: You didn’t pull it. The Clerk: Mr. Guilfoyle pulled it. Mr. Mayor: Okay, I thought it was nine. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner th from the 8. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, thank you. I don’t know what changed from six months ago when basically the same thing had came up. The liability and the exposure has not changed but the gentleman that came up before us on the Delegation portion where he spoke about the capital OSHA rules and regulations, asbestos training, training paperwork for the state, the liability and exposure rate under the Workman’s Comp. I had spoken with one of the demolition companies, he’s a minority, back in late 90’s early 2000’s he told me he was on a clean, safe job. All his workers was experienced. It just so happened one of his experienced people lost their leg. That was late 90’s early 2000. To this day he’s still receiving a paycheck until he passes away so that’s the liability that we face. I know that in the previous years in 2000 when the government tried to get into the same program, I think the Warden actually said that it got political, too many people got involved as far as the Commissioners. People can’t do their work because it get’s interfered and on that Dover Street where the demolition happened it was actually one of the prisoners hit a telephone pole. Again, liability has not changed for this body or to the citizens or this city of ours. I’m not going to make a motion I’m going to let you all decide because it’s already been predetermined. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. 99% of these properties we’re talking about is in the Super District for sure but I’m trying to figure out how do we arrive at this collection of agencies and the Commissioner to handle it to even look at this. First of all I said earlier that some of this stuff is burnt to the point of not even being a structure. I think we can use some inmate services on that kind of cleanup but to do demolition work and for the same reason the young man came and spoke earlier about the equipment and the rotation out or the rotation in giving people getting people in those equipment gives me a little heartburn. But who decided to put Commissioner Hasan I guess, the Administrator, Code Enforcement Agency. I mean this is an inner city problem, it’s a city problem but mostly and inner city problem because 99% is in inner city. So, I mean it sounds like there was a meeting that everybody knew about, Tasha, so I’m trying to figure out why we weren’t together in committee and say look let’s decide on who, when and what. I mean I’ve just got a problem when we’re trying to create something that’s, everybody don’t know about. Now we’re talking about a common set of facts and they ain’t common no more, Ms. Bonner. Don’t want to hear that no more. It ain’t no such thing as a common set of facts. People bring you what they want to bring you when they want to bring it if they want to bring it and I ain’t got no problem with that because that’s what I’m going to do from now on. So, I didn’t have this common set of facts. I didn’t know about this meeting. I think we ought to look at the structures that’s really been burnt down that don’t need no abatement, no equipment. It needs some manpower to come in there and get some people to do some stuff. I noticed today, Mr. Mayor, switching gears just a little bit but on the same line we have a lot of evictions, people 54 tearing out stuff and it’s all over the ground. It’s all over the yards and people ride by because it ain’t in a garbage can. We don’t have that kind of garbage pickup to come by but stuff is all over. I’m going to go back with my camera and take some pictures and bring them back and give them to somebody and let them look at them for a while because I’ve been looking at them for a long time, but those are the kinds of things inmates need to be doing and picking up versus trying demolition and tearing down a building. If there’s some stuff that’s a pile of rubbish, I ain’t got no problem with inmates doing it the and the Warden’s got enough people to do that but we can’t get into the demolition business. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think those are all very good points. The Chair recognizes the st Commissioner from the 1, I’m coming to you. Mr. Hasan: Okay. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I think a lot of these structures that are unsafe and uninhabitable are in Districts 1 and 2. I’m concerned about the liability issues but I’m also concerned about the issues we may have with a child plays in one of these structures and is injured. Mr. Mayor: Suspend. There has been a lot of chatter all day. We need to recognize our fellow colleagues when they’re speaking and give them the floor and an opportunity to be heard. st I’ll ask everybody if you’ll do that. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Continue. Mr. Fennoy: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. Fennoy: So that’s an issue of mine. You know we have a lot of structures that need to come down in the city, most of them being downtown but we just don’t have the money to take them down with. Now I don’t have a problem with a subcommittee consisting of whoever to meet with the Warden, to meet with Environmental Services, to meet with Code Enforcement and bring back a recommendation. I’m quite sure that when they meet they will not come back with anything that’s going to put this city at risk. But we have got to do something better than what we’re doing now in order to get some of these structures down. th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6. Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I’d like to start by kind of answering a couple of questions that were posed, you know, to all of us. What’s the first thing Commissioner Guilfoyle what is different about this the last time you saw this this was talking about taking over all the demolition. This is not talking about that. That’s the major difference that’s the last time you saw it. Mr. Mayor: Direct your questions to the Chair. 55 Mr. Hasan: I’m sorry, Mr. Mayor, you’re right that was that. Also I appreciate all the compliments and the concerns or the issues that the young man addressed that you brought in here today as well. Commissioner Williams, to your, Mr. Mayor --- Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir. Mr. Hasan: --- to the question about what that committee or subcommittee should look like that was part of Option 3 that was chosen in 2000 other than a Commissioner being there. I just don’t believe and I could be wrong but I mean I feel the way I feel that if you have something on your heart you should be a part of the process of what you’re trying to get done. And all I’m trying to do at this point is just information, get it back to the Commission. And then also to Commissioner Williams’ point he may be exactly right that’s all you can do is take up those old structures that’s laying around. So here’s something that was done in 2000 and so when you say the politics that got in there, I spoke to Warden Leverett who was over the program there the politics of it is what the program actually worked. It’s just that what you saw something similar today they got too concerned about the vendors, about the persons that were in the demolition business. It is no way that what I’m suggesting here or asking here at the even at the end to not utilize the $400,000 dollars we’ve got to still do the commercial perspective to contract with those vendors to get those houses down. I’m trying to get something to supplement that. We made a presentation the other day. We showed burned out, dilapidated, trailers in District 6. We came to the inner city showing some things on Mill Street and other streets in the inner city, homes and things of that nature. And at the end we showed also a presentation, all of this is in the agenda at the end it showed where we had also a community garden on Mills Street. Mr. Mayor, also and all that’s in the book so everything here’s in the book. Just Sunday now this won’t meet the common set of facts things here but just Sunday here I took Mr. Mayor from Wrightsboro Road going down Mills Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard, Martin Luther King Boulevard coming back down Chestnut Street back to Wrightsboro Road, from Wrightsboro Road down Forest Street th down to Martin Luther King from Martin Luther King to 12 Street and came back to Wrightsboro Road. There’s only four, over forty dilapidated structures in that area right there, in a four by four radius or four by six however you want to look at it. We don’t have the resources. All I’m trying to get is something to supplement it. It can be just what Commissioner Williams said but we need to do something different because if it was not for Environmental Services, we’d still be talking about all we’ve got is $35,000 dollars. So now we’ve got other money we can utilize. I’m sure we can get some other money to set this program up for sure. I think HCD should be a part of it but us having an open conversation coming back and show the Commission what we’ve got and what angle they want. That’s all I mean, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have a conversation, Mr. Mayor. I think that is ludicrous because it can boil down to just what Commissioner said that we have plenty of those structures that exist that really you need to go up because it’s been burned down. I’ve got some pictures of something like that. So it’s plenty of those that can come down and we can have that conversation. I’m not asking to move forward. I’m asking to allow that committee to be formed that committee pretty much consists of what was formed here in 2000 Public Works, License and Inspection, the Warden, those kind of things there. When you’re talking about the gentleman mentioning about equipment, Mr. Mayor, I think you have led the conversation about all this equipment belongs to Augusta Richmond County. Why do you have to buy more equipment if you’ve already got it? So I think sometimes we create these kingdoms for everybody else and not think about what we can best do to improve our city. That’s where we are and I think 56 in all honesty and I appreciate Commissioner Fennoy’s comments but if we’re not even going to just look at things of this nature then you know, Mr. Mayor, we should just make a vote that we vote this down to also vote don’t ever put anything on this agenda that deals with dilapidated properties because we don’t even want to look into the issue. We’re not talking about taking action. We don’t even want to look at it. So thank you, Mr. Mayor, I’ll be (unintelligible). Mr. Mayor: Well, I am going to comment briefly on this. This is an extremely important issue in our city. Not only is it an important issue in our city but we’ve had a number of conversations about this issue and the magnitude of it. We’ve talked last year about the need to get Housing and Community Development involved in this conversation. We’ve talked about the use of Community Development and Block Grant Dollars to help augment and address this issue. We have again provided documentation to the Commission about best practices across the country in terms of addressing this issue holistically and I too agree and share with the Commissioner from th the 6 that we need to move beyond the conversational phase to actually putting something together. My caution and/or frustration with this is that most recently this same body adopted and funded this Keep Augusta Beautiful process. We not only funded and adopted that process which quite frankly you cannot have this conversation without including that component into it. And last th year the Commissioner from the 9 was involved in a clean effort along Wrightsboro Road with House of Prayer and the other churches, Mount Calvary and other pastors in that area, which was focused around making sure that they clean up a series of lots, there’s been a host of conversations. My frustration which sounds like it will continue is that we won’t stop long enough to sit around the table and decide how to address this issue holistically. That’s my frustration. And we take these notable bites that quite frankly are more like nibbles at a very large issue and I think that to address this issue it has to also be complemented with an infield strategy, what are we going to do once we tear it down and it’s vacant and it’s grass and you need an infield redevelopment strategy that has to be included in this conversation as well which transcends the component of just getting those who are incarcerated to tear them down, making sure that they’ve got all of the training’s etc., etc. and so that’s my frustration and my caution with agreeing with the Commissioner. Something needs to happen, but it doesn’t need to be incomplete. All of our efforts thus far have been incomplete, and they continue to be incomplete because all we’re doing is just nibbling at it and it becomes a caricature of something that could be better to truly transform our city if you add several components to it. And so again and my second frustration to the Commissioner from the th 6 who again I believe it is right for him to bring this forward and to say we need to talk about it is that we once again are subcommitteeing the heck out of something as opposed to taking the committee process and letting the committees do the good work that this body has chartered them to do but what we do is we go and get different little subgroups that we’re comfortable with as opposed to working in the committee and lifting these issues, spending the hard time and the work necessary to get these types of things done, and it won’t happen overnight. But you can at least bring the people together, put the best practices in place and say this is how we’re going to address this holistically and to include identifying the funding sources and then you can get credit for it and we’ll all shout and say this is a good thing is how we solve our city’s problems. All right, the th Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 5. Mr. Jefferson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I was approached by Commissioner Hasan and he asked me to support the subcommittee and we had probably a 30-minute conversation on reasons why I was opposed to doing it just like the gentleman said earlier from the Marks Wrecking. But 57 he asked me to do one thing. He said well I’m not trying to change your mind but if we take it to a subcommittee and just look at it, would you be objective and frankly at this point in time you know my mind hadn’t changed on how I feel about the inmate labor. But I wouldn’t be opposed to allowing the facts to take care of themselves, so I would be in support of a committee to look at it to bring back evidence why it would or wouldn’t work. But like I said what really stands out is the liability, the level of training and so forth so and the equipment issue. So just like I told Commissioner Hasan earlier I would consider supporting the committee. Thank you. Mr. Fennoy: Thank you. Commissioner Marion Williams is next and then you Commissioner Guilfoyle. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Guilfoyle is next (inaudible). Mr. Fennoy: All right, Commissioner Guilfoyle. Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Chairman --- Mr. Fennoy: Just wait we’ve got our colleagues (unintelligible). Mr. Guilfoyle: --- you know I listened to the words Commissioner Hasan had used as far as back in 2000. You know it consisted of Administrative, Code Enforcement, Warden, Environmental Service to come up with a use strategy. I believe that’s where it needs to be. If we’ve got Administrator backup before this three and a half years ago my first four years we actually delegated stuff to the Administrator and they formed their own committee and they came back with unbiased real answers. So my motion would be to approve establishing a subcommittee based on the Administrator, Code Enforcement, Warden, and Environmental Services to come up with a solution. Mr. Fennoy: Second. Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right I want ya’ll to hold one minute. The Chair recognizes the th Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, just a couple of things. You know we’ve been talking about this issue for a number of years and I was going to ask Ms. Bonner how many times have we had it on the agenda talking about the National Guard coming in doing some demolition work or doing some work for this city that they do, we never took action. We talked about cleaning up property with the National Guard has equipment. They tore down houses in Waynesboro and I saw it on the news and brought it back here and try to get this body to do something. Now we act like and we sound like we are really interested in changing this thing but when we did the cleanup someone else didn’t come down and didn’t even send somebody else down to see how it was going and what we were doing so we really don’t want to change this problem that we’ve got. Mr. Mayor, I heard you say that we know we’ve got all these structures that we tear we got to rebuild back. When we tear down a structure and leave the vegetation there, it grows up. If you’re going to 58 clean up a structure it ought to be cleaned off there. Ought not to be no young trees that’s coming up there. Well, that’s a fence they say. Well, it really ain’t a fence. It’s just some trees done grown up in the fence line. But when we clean it off, we don’t clean it off so anybody can have a vision even to want to put a structure on it. You look like you’ve got another lot and you’ve got another abandoned house and you’ve got another lot and another abandoned house so whether it be inmate, whether it be holistically and can somebody some funds to do it, we need to do it right if we’re going to do it versus just saying we want to do it. Saying we want to take inmate labor and clean up something, inmate labor cannot do this. Mr. Mayor: Okay. Mr. M. Williams: They can assist on the small stuff but if you’re going to clean it all we’ve got to have equipment that the city already owns, got to have an operator, got to have the landfill. We say well we can clean it off but we got to pay for the landfill. Why do we have to pay our own landfill for the stuff we’re taking out to them? I mean that’s been our biggest problem; we can’t pay the tipping fees. People say I’ll help you but the tipping fees is going to cost me so much so I really ain’t going to do nothing. We’ve got, we’re building another cell out there now we’re digging out space now we’ve got plenty of space out there but we don’t want to take the stuff. So we need to get aggressive and go ahead and do what we need to do and clean the city up versus just talking about it. Now we walked the street like you said, Mr. Mayor, some of the people volunteered, some didn’t do it. The Marshal, the Sheriff, a lot of folks come out. We had equipment out there and I thought we’re fixing to start. We done started sweeping, we going to sweep from the front to the back. We didn’t even get to the center of the room. We just stopped, we cleaned a little spot there. People standing around talking about what a good job they did. Some folks walking around toting a bag I said hey, get to picking up some trash. We ain’t just walking around here just to be walking. That’s when we saw the garden out there on Mills Street because the man out there beautified and grew fruit, vegetables and stuff like that. So, we need to stop acting and act like we’re going to do something. If we’re going to do it, it costs money. We’ve got the National Guard I mentioned earlier. If they’ve got equipment and can come in and do this stuff we ought to just waive the tipping fees. There’s more money in the landfill, Lori, out there than I can count. And I know ya’ll aren’t rocket scientists but account for it now, Ms. Bonner, we’re still paying to take trash to the landfill that we don’t want and we ain’t got the money to pay it but it’s our landfill. That don’t make good sense to me but those are the things this government is doing. So, Mr. Mayor, if we’re going to do something we to make a real conscious effort to clean it up so people can say I can do something with this spot of land right here. When you clean off just an old raggedy house and leave the vegetation growing, it’s still like somebody stay there because the bushes get so thick you’ve got to come back and trim them and you ain’t got no way to trim them. I’d rather mow the grass down than try to take out a chain saw to go in and cut stuff down. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I agree. All right, so we’re going to go back here, Ms. Videtto, can you approach? This is a long meeting. Have mercy. Mr. M. Williams: Those that run for office need to know that, Mr. Mayor, when you run for office. It’s a long meeting. 59 Mr. Mayor: I know, I’m coming to you. Mr. M. Williams: Yes, sir, it’s a long meeting. That’s what you run for office for. Mr. Mayor: Thank you. I appreciate that, Commissioner. I think in about 2016 there was a list, an Excel Spreadsheet sent out to us it had some 333 properties vacant and abandoned. Has that list grown or has that list decreased? Ms. Videtto: That list is currently at over 200 so it has shrunk a little bit. Mr. Mayor: Okay and would you, would you, is it reasonable to believe that that list that th has shrunk includes many of the properties that the Commissioner from the 6 referenced along Wrightsboro Road, Mill. I was over on Cedar Street the other day Sunday in fact right across the street from the church, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, there are a host of these same. Are they included on this list as well? Ms. Videtto: The majority of the houses that are on that list are in Districts 1 and 2. Specifically in that neighborhood I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head. Mr. Mayor: All right, very good. And if we did nothing with this item today, what would happen with regards to the list and 300 properties tomorrow? Ms. Videtto: We would continue tearing down what we have allocated in our budget as many as we possibly could based on the money we have budgeted. Unfortunately as Code Enforcement continues to go to court it balances out and sometimes it tips the other direction depending on how many get through the court process in a quarter, a year, whatever. So at our current pace we’re not going to be able to keep up based on the funding that we have allocated to the program. Mr. Mayor: And when you say keep up are you saying we’re not going to be able to keep up with the additional properties that are being added on the list? Okay you are saying that. Okay so the list may be 250 today but that list may grow to 270 tomorrow. Ms. Videtto: Correct. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, so funding will never be sufficient enough to keep up with or at pace with that based on what we know. Ms. Videtto: Based on the current demolition program as it sits in Environmental Services, we won’t be able to keep pace. If there’s other funding sources available then of course we can make a big dent in the process but today I can only do what I can do. Mr. Mayor: Okay, of the properties that have been addressed what are you doing now after the demolitions of those properties? 60 Ms. Videtto: We prepare the property and we leave it so that it is clean and available for redevelopment. However, it is required to stabilize the property, plant some sort of vegetation so the grass will continue to grow. And if nobody takes care of it, it falls into the vacant lot program to then be cut by also Environmental Services and it is a vicious cycle. Mr. Mayor: And again it continues to perpetuate itself cyclically where you’ve gone in, you’ve demoed the property, you’ve put grass down and then you come back six months later and you’ve got to go back and cut it. And again that’s a budget hit that comes back to you again as well. Ms. Videtto: Correct. th. Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right. All right, I’m going to go to the Commissioner from the 6 All right, what you are wanting to do I fully support. I think everybody here fully supports. Can I make a suggestion? I want to make a suggestion --- Mr. Hasan: Please do. Mr. Mayor: --- that we take this and again I would suggest that we handle this through the Engineering Services Committee and you put in addition to that group a project team to identify a complete approach to addressing the issues of vacant, abandoned and vacant properties and that you all lead that and then come back to this body with what that looks like to include best practices because right now you’re just addressing what we’ve just heard is a singular piece of that where you’ll demo it and then you’ll come back and you’ll do some of that same type of work again. And again we’ll lend our support to help with that in any way possible but if you would consider that and then we put the time in. I think we need to put the time into this issue and we’ll put all the resources at least from our office to help support that in any way you want to to get that done. Mr. Hasan: Well, thank you, Mr. Mayor, I appreciate that but I’d like pretty much your first initial comments about building it out to cover all aspects because it was Keep Augusta Beautiful Department all of that and take me. As long as it gets done I’m fine let those entities there I think it’s crucial though they go in mind with one thing that Commissioner Williams said a few minutes ago and that is simply don’t approach just talking about we’re going to pay tipping fees. That becomes sticky. But you let those entities get together and come back with a comprehensive program because we know I think we pay tipping fees for people who tear down stuff for us so that becomes something. So you know you’ve got with Hawthorne’s office, I’m sorry, the Housing and Community Development, you’ve got Keep Augusta Beautiful. Let those entities work together, I’m fine with that. You don’t have to bring it back to the committee just let us know when they are meeting so we could potentially be there and stuff of that nature but I’m fine with that. Mr. Mayor: Yeah but I think but I think, Commissioner, you, there has to be leadership provided for that and I think --- Mr. Hasan: Well, obviously you don’t want me to lead it so I’m fine with that. You want to get it done, Mr. Mayor, you want to get it done --- 61 Mr. Mayor: Yeah --- Mr. Hasan: --- you want to get it done. Mr. Mayor: --- (unintelligible) withdrawing the motion. I think that needs to happen though where we sit down long enough and say this is what we’re going to do. So again if we can st take that from an Engineering Services standpoint, I’m sure the Commissioner from the 1 doesn’t have any problem with you leading that component of it to say this is how we need to get this done and we bring all of those pieces together because I will tell you not only need Keep Augusta Beautiful, you need the Marshal’s Office, you need Code Enforcement, you need Environmental Services to talk about how we’re going to address this holistically. If we can do that and put that in the form of a motion. Mr. Fennoy: So moved. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Voting. Mr. Frantom and Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 8-0. Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a couple more if ya’ll will just bear with us for a minute. All right, we’re going to move quickly. PUBLIC SERVICES 37. Discuss the process used by Augusta Regional Airport for replacement furniture at the Airport. (Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams) ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 39. Discuss “common set of facts”. (Requested by Commissioner Marion William) The Clerk: Did we do 34? Mr. Mayor: We did, we did. The Clerk: That was for consent 33, 34, okay. Mr. Mayor: Right, we completed that page. The Clerk: Okay and 36. Mr. Mayor: All right, Commissioner we’re going to move 39 to the next meeting? Mr. M. Williams: I have no problem with that, Mr. Mayor --- 62 Mr. Mayor: I mean --- Mr. M. Williams: --- according to the facts you’re going to be there but we’ll move it. Mr. Mayor: --- okay 37, move to the next meeting? All right --- The Clerk: Okay, we’re saying next meeting, committee or --- Mr. Mayor: --- full Commission --- The Clerk: --- full Commission. Mr. Mayor: --- you’re good with that. Mr. M. Williams: (unintelligible) back to committee is that right, Ms. Bonner? The Clerk: It could go back to committee. Mr. M. Williams: I thought it had to go back to committee if we put it on --- The Clerk: No, sir, you haven’t taken any action on it. Mr. M. Williams: You can put it on the next full Commission. The Clerk: Okay. Mr. Mayor: Okay all right so 37, 38 as well --- Ms. Jackson: No, we discussed 38 already. Mr. Mayor: --- okay, that’s what I thought. The Clerk: You need 39 and 40. Mr. Mayor: All right, so 37, 39 they go back to the next Commission meeting, okay? And we’ll close the day with 40. Are you all right with that? Mr. M. Williams: I’m good with that. Mr. Mayor: Okay. The Clerk: I need a motion to send those over. Mr. Sias: So moved. Mr. D. Williams: Second. 63 Mr. Mayor: All right, are ya’ll voting? Voting. Mr. Frantom, Mr. Guilfoyle and Ms. Davis out. Motion Passes 7-0. The Clerk: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 40. Consider Sheriff Roundtree’s communication to the commission dated 3/7/18 regarding the commission’s prerogative to speak to public concerns. (Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams) th Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for recognizing me. I had this put back on the agenda because I thought, I was really disappointed when a citizen or taxpayer comes to this body and we’re an elected body to address issues. We didn’t single out the Sheriff or his department or anything else. There was some complaints that was made about what was happening in a certain area. We switched from one area to another area and I remember the area being Apple Valley. I personally know I lived, I’ve been in this city all my life. I know the order of protection and the Sheriff’s job varies. I shared with the news media today I remember when I personally worked for the Augusta Fire Department. They were going to some areas and cut the water on before they walked through the door. Knocked the pictures off the wall and everything else and said they left it better than they found it so I know everybody don’t get the same treatment. I know it’s 2018 now but still there’s some people who don’t feel that they get the same treatment and I still take my position as when a taxpayer comes in here whether it be a slum landlord a good landlord or bad landlord or no landlord at all if he comes and have an issue, I’m going to address it. Now I really took issue when I got the email from the Sheriff as if we had no right to say what we’re elected to say. Now we don’t have no control over the Sheriff’s Department. I don’t need none, don’t want none but not just this Sheriff all of the Sheriff’s had the same authority. I remember too when the previous Sheriff said to me you’re the only commissioner don’t call me when you’ve got a problem. I said I don’t want my problems solved; I want my people’s problems solved. I want the people who I support problems solved. And this young man that came in here was a taxpayer a citizen of Richmond County and I think we did right to address his issue. Mr. Mayor: Yeah, --- Mr. M. Williams: Everybody’s got rights. Even the crook got rights. That’s why they’ve got court. Mr. Mayor: --- I think that you’re absolutely correct that again as a governing authority for the city. It is well within our jurisdiction to hear the concerns of our citizens. You did that and we will continue to do that and the Sheriff certainly understands that. All right, thank you. All right --- 64 Mr. Fennoy: That’s it? Mr. Mayor: --- I’ve got again I know that there’s no other official business before us at this time. I want to remind everyone that we are engaged in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk Campaign Closeout Challenge and we’re going to begin so that we need to reach our goal. We’ve been we as a government has been very successful in reaching our goals over the last two years and we’re just shy of meeting that goal for the Heart Association. We need everybody Sheriff Richard Roundtree, Marshal Lamkin and Judge Brown, you and the judiciary need to be fully engaged in this conversation and I’m sure you’re listening to me, if not I know your staff is. And I need ya’ll to step up to the plate and make sure that we meet our goals. Sheriff Roundtree, I need you to step up to the plate and again come through big for your city the same way we’ve come through for you and our troops over there and we’re just shy of our goal. We have just a few days left. To the members of the commission I’m going to ask each one of us to contribute $100.00 dollars towards this, this is the American Heart Association. All right Vice-Mayor, I’m looking at you, I know you’ve got it, I’m talking to the Vice-Mayor over there, Dennis Williams, he knows who I’m talking to, you’ve got $100.00 dollars. And as part of us meeting this challenge our illustrious esteemed Administrator is committing to the following, committing to the following. Mr. Hasan: She’s contributing $500.00? Mr. Mayor: Oh, it’s going to get better than that --- Ms. Administrator: Oh, she’s contributing $500.00, sure. Mr. Mayor: --- yeah, it’s better than that. She is not only contributing $500.00 but she’s contributing 5-mile Heart Walk and 5-dunks in the Dunking Booth, five, five. I did ten, she’s doing five. Ms. Jackson: Don’t pay attention to everything you hear, guys. Mr. Mayor: And I told her they have the skull caps that you can put on so the hair won’t st get wet, it won’t even get wet. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, before we leave just want to let everybody know that at 6:00 p.m. this evening down in the Linda Beasley Room our Housing and Urban Development Director is going to have a presentation and entertain questions about Laney Walker/Bethlehem and where we are and where do we go from here. Mr. Mayor: That is absolutely correct. He will be doing that. Okay, we wanted to share that with you. There be no further business again before us we are adjourned. All right, thank you everybody. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] Lena Bonner Clerk of Commission 65 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 March 20, 2018. ______________________________ Clerk of Commission 66