HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting May 15, 2018
REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
MAY 15, 2018
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., May 15, 2018, the Hon.
Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. Jefferson, Guilfoyle, Sias, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, Fennoy, D.
Williams, Hasan and Smith, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ll call this meeting to order. Good afternoon, everybody. We
are here to do the people’s business and on this rainy day, it’s a great day to be in Augusta. The
Chair recognizes Madam Clerk:
The Clerk: Thank you, sir. I call your attention the invocation portion of our agenda which
will be delivered by The Reverend Billy J. Alford, Rector St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. Would
you please stand followed by our Pledge of Allegiance.
The invocation was given by The Very Reverend Billy J. Alford, Rector St. Alban’s
Episcopal Church.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
Mr. Mayor: Pastor, we want to thank ---
The Clerk: The Office of Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. By these present be it known that The
Very Reverend Billy J. Alford, Rector St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is Chaplain of the Day. His
spiritual guidance and civic leadership serves as an example for all citizens of Augusta. Given
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under my hand this 15 Day of May 2018, Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: --- would you join us in congratulating him? (APPLAUSE) Madam Clerk,
what I’d like to do is have everybody’s attention. Ms. Bonner just handed out some Finance
Committee corrections if you’ll draw your attention to the addendum agenda. And I’d like to get
unanimous consent to one, adopt the addendum agenda to include the addition of the Ordinance
for the Pension.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Jefferson: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, it’s unanimous consent, all right without objection. Thank you.
The Clerk: Top to bottom sir, okay.
PRESENTATIONS
A. Depot Development Project Update. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis)
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Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, the Item A is deleted. We’re deleting Item A.
DELEGATIONS
B. Mr. Moses Todd regarding Storm Water.
The Clerk: Okay. I call your attention to our Delegation portion of our agenda.
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Todd, you have five minutes, sir.
Mr. Todd: Yes, my name is Moses Todd. I reside at 2344 Naples Drive, Augusta GA and
we want to talk about Storm Water. I don’t need five minutes, Mr. Mayor. You have the material
of the Ordinance in front of you. And I understand it’s been some concern that finally we got your
attention you know. If you look at the black handout, it talks about the unfairness of forcing a fee
on a taxpayer or citizen. If you look at the red one, it talks about the fact that No Vote No Fee
when we were talking about putting it on the ballot for a vote. I don’t know what got your attention,
Mr. Mayor. It might’ve been the election that we’re getting ready to have but nevertheless we’ve
got it. And you have a copy of your Ordinance that you passed on Storm Water and actually I
brought, it’s the petition. We done the whole ordinance with the petition and you’ll feel free to
just go on back to the back page and sign the petition, Mr. Mayor and Commission. It’s not time
to amend Storm Water, it’s time to end Storm Water. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and if you have any
questions I’ll answer them.
Mr. Mayor: I don’t have any questions, thank you.
Mr. Todd: All right, I have a bill here from a business that stays open 80-hours a month.
They get constant threats from Water Utilities, Mr. Wiedmeier, which is a toothless tiger on paying
the Storm Water bill. He’s on a payment plan on the Storm Water so he pays $500.00 a month.
This is a West Augusta. If you’d like to see it I’ll be glad to share it to you. The information’s
been redacted but it’s your bill. And this business is about to be able to put out to be put out of
business and there’s only two like it in Augusta, one in South Augusta, one in West Augusta. And
there’s folks that are crying out for help out there, Mr. Mayor, and you know basically what I want
to tell them on Storm Water help is on the way.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you for your time.
The Clerk: I call your attention to the consent portion of our agenda which consists of
Items 1-33, Items 1-33. For the benefit of any objectors to any of our Planning petitions once
those petitions are read would you please signify your objections by raising your hand. I call your
attention to:
Item 1: Is a request with conditions for a Special Exception affecting property at 4792 and
4798 McCombs Road.
Item 2: Is a request for a change of zoning from a Zone R-1C (One-family Residential) to
a Zone P-1 (Professional) affecting property at 410 Eve Street.
Item 3: Is a request with conditions a change of zoning from a Zone A (Agriculture) to a
Zone R-3B (Multiple-family Residential) affecting property at 3312 Helena Spring Court.
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Item 4: Is a request for a change of zoning from a Zone A (Agriculture) to a Zone HI
(Heavy Industry) affecting property known as 4206 Mike Padgett Highway.
Item 5: Is a request with conditions amending with amending conditions an R-3B
(Multiple-family Residential) zone affecting property known as 1923 Baron Chapel Road.
Item 6: Is a request for a change of zoning from a Zone R-1C (One-family Residential) to
a Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) affecting property at 1301 Conklin Avenue.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to any of our Planning petitions?
Mr. Mayor: Okay the Chair will entertain any request to add or remove from the consent
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agenda. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to pull a couple of items. I don’t have a
problem with it, I just need to get some clarification on a couple of them. I’d like to pull Item 1,
Item 9, 10, 11 ---
The Clerk: Just a moment 9 ---
Mr. Mayor: 9, 10, 11 ---
The Clerk: --- 10, 11 ---
Mr. M. Williams: --- 17 and 23, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk: --- 17 and 23.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to add agenda item number 34. I’m satisfied
and I hope my colleagues are satisfied with it as well.
Mr. Fennoy: Item what?
Ms. Davis: Thirty-four.
Mr. Sias: And thirty-five, add thirty-five.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Add 35, thank you, sir.
Mr. Frantom: Motion to approve.
Mr. Mayor: I’d like to add 37.
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The Clerk: Thirty-seven?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
Ms. Davis: We need a motion, second to Mr. Frantom’s.
The Clerk: Right, okay.
Mr. Sias: What about 39? Did we do 39? Add 39.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, that’s good. All right let me have everybody just suspend for a moment.
While we’re here since we’ve already added it to the agenda, we want to make sure we read it in.
So since we’re waiving the second reading, Ms. Bonner, let’s just take it up after this ---
The Clerk: Oh, okay then ---
Mr. Mayor: --- let’s just take it up after this.
The Clerk: --- all right.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so we’ll go ahead and adopt the consent agenda per your
recommendation, Ms. Bonner. All right, I’ll yield to you.
Mr. Frantom: Vote?
Mr. Mayor: Are we ready? We’re ready ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right voting.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
2. Z-18-20 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by Megan Alig, on behalf of Creative
Cuisine LLC, requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1C (One-family Residential) to
Zone P-1 (Professional) affecting property containing 0.07 acres and known as 410 Eve
Street. Tax Map 035-2-331-00-0 DISTRICT 1 1. Customer visitations must be appointment-
based, and meals shall not be available for on-premise consumption. 2. No classes, other than
those for children, are permitted on the premises. 3. Off-street loading shall be conducted
within the site, and is prohibited in any adjoining ROW. 4. Outdoor storage shall be
prohibited with exception given to waste-handling containers, which shall be county-issued,
and limited to a maximum of 4 containers.
3. Z-18-21 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by Helena Springs LLC requesting a
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change of zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) and Zone R-3B (Multiple-family Residential) to
Zone R-3B affecting property containing approximately 14.0 acres and known as 3312
Helena Springs Court. Tax Map 030-0-019-02-0 DISTRICT 3 1. Issuance of development
permits shall be contingent upon submission of plans meeting all applicable development
regulations. 2. Provide a recreational space that is consistent with features illustrated in the
plan received on April 6, 2018. 3. Provide emergency access lane from parking lot of the
proposed development to Arabian Horse Road.
4. Z-18-22 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission t
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by West Fraser requesting a change of
zoning from Zone A (Agriculture) to Zone HI (Heavy Industry) to expand an existing saw
mill affecting property containing approximately 37.2 acres and known as 4206 Mike Padgett
Highway. Tax Map 200-0-012-00-0 DISTRICT 1 1. Issuance of development permits shall
be contingent upon submission development plans meeting all applicable development
regulations. 2. The use shall be conducted in accordance with all state and local
environmental regulations, including, but not limited to, pertaining to air and water quality.
5. Z-18-23 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by Johnson Laschober and Associates,
on behalf of CDM Southeast Inc., requesting to amend the conditions in an R-3B (Multiple-
family Residential) Zone (Z-17-37) affecting property containing 9.5 acres and known as
1923 Barton Chapel Road. Tax Map 068-0-003-00-0 DISTRICT 3 1. This Concept Plan is
for the purposes of rezoning the property from R-3B - Multiple Family Residential to R-3B
– Multiple Family Residential and does not take the place of the final Site Plan review and
approval, required before construction can begin. However, approval of this rezoning will:
a) limit the proposed number of units to a maximum of 100 units, b) limit the proposed
number of buildings to a maximum of 4 buildings, c) limit the building height to 3 stories,
and d) limit the parking to a minimum of 191 parking spaces pursuant to the Concept Plan
presented with the zoning application. 2. The final Site Plan cannot have any buildings
located in the 100-year or 1% annual chance floodplain, as delineated on the current Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), nor can the dumpster or any portion of the detention facilities
to be located in the 100-year or 1% annual chance floodplain. 3. All proposed buildings must
have their finished floor elevated to 3 feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) as found on
the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). If fill is brought into the site to elevate the
buildings, a No Rise Certification will need to be performed for the entire site. 4. The final
Site Plan cannot have any buildings located in the wetlands or the 25’ wetlands buffer, as
delineated on the Concept Plan, so as to avoid any negative impacts to this environmentally
sensitive land. 5. The sole access drive to the site will need to be moved as close as possible
south of the existing wetlands and no impact of the existing wetlands shall occur. 6. The sole
access drive to the site shall be designed so as to be elevated above the Base Flood Elevation
(BFE) at all points and if fill is brought into the site to elevate the drive, a No Rise
Certification will need to be performed for the entire site. 7. A 175 ft. deceleration lane will
be required for ingress from southbound Barton Chapel Road. 8. The new access drive and
deceleration lane shall require the approval of the Georgia Department of Transportation
(GDOT), due to its proximity to Gordon Highway and future GDOT project(s). 9. A sidewalk
will be required along the entire length of the Barton Chapel Road frontage featuring a two-
foot wide grass strip and a five-foot wide sidewalk meeting ADA standards and a street yard
along Barton Chapel Road must be provided in areas not currently wooded or containing
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wetlands. 10. Requirements of all ordinances and regulations in place at the time of
development will need to be met.
6. Z-18-24 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by Tony Heath, on behalf of Tony Heath
Sr., requesting a change of zoning from Zoned R-1C (One-family Residential) to Zone B-1
(Neighborhood Business) affecting property containing 0.09 acres and known as 1301
Conklin Avenue. Tax Map 059-1-305-00-0 DISTRICT 2 1. The applicant shall establish and
maintain a shared parking agreement to ensure that the intended use meets the minimum
off-street parking requirement as expressed in the Ordinance. 2. The applicant shall operate
the establishment from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 3. The applicant
shall not be permitted to seek an alcohol license or serve alcoholic beverages. 4. The applicant
shall maintain a 6-foot privacy fence or wall separation from the adjacent residential
properties. 5. If the use ceases to exist the zoning reverts to the current R-1C (One-family
Residential) zoning.
PUBLIC SERVICES
7. Motion to approve award of Bid Item 18-166, Augusta Aquatic Center Timing,
Scoreboard and Display System to Colorado Time System for $109,000. (Approved by Public
Services Committee May 8, 2018)
8. Motion to adopt the Daniel Field Airport General Aviation Commission’s (DML GAC)
recommendation to terminate the agreement between Augusta, Georgia, acting through the
DNL GAC, and WK Dickson, and to authorize the Mayor to execute the appropriate
documents to effectuate the termination. (Approved by Public Services Committee May 8,
2018)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
12. Motion to approve a request from the Planning and Development Department – Code
Enforcement Division for five vehicles. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee
May 8, 2018)
13. Motion to approve the request from the Engineering Department for the purchase of two
new trucks, replace 2 Ford Rangers and replace one SUV from Capital Outlay. (Approved
by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
14. Motion to approve a request from the Augusta Fire Department to purchase one 2018
Ford F150 from Allan Vigil Ford for $25,835.00. Bid Item 18-184. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
15. Motion to approve the request from the Recreation & Parks Department to replace one
Pickup truck. Allan Vigil Ford $26,345.00. Bid Item 18-184. (Approved by Administrative
Services Committee May 8, 2018)
16. Motion to approve the request from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for the
purchase of one Training Range truck and the replacement of one Community Services SUV.
Allan Vigil Ford – Pickup Truck - $29,320.00 Bid Item 18-184 and SUV - $22,007.00. Bid
Item 18-183. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
18. Motion to approve the request for the Risk Management Department for the replacement
of one vehicle from Allan Vigil Ford for $28,005.00. Bid Item 18-184. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
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19. Motion to approve the request for the Tax Assessors Office to purchase a 2018 Ford
Escape from Allan Vigil Ford for $21,414.00. Bid Item 18-183. (Approved by Administrative
Services Committee May 8, 2018)
20. Motion to approve the execution of the amended ADP Master Services Agreement for
one year. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
21. Motion to approve request to accept a CHIP Grant Award (612,000) and allow contract
execution by the Mayor. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
22. Motion to award contract to construct a new ADA accessible Restroom addition to
Building A at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RSCO) Special Operations Campus to
Blount’s Complete Home of Hephzibah in the amount of $68,000. Bid Item 18-180 (Approved
by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
PUBLIC SAFETY
24. Motion to approve allowing staff to work on an amendment to Title 3, Chapter 3, Article
3 of the Augusta, Georgia Code dealing with Fire Prevention Codes to update the same.
(Approved by Public Safety Committee May 8, 2018)
FINANCE
25. Motion to approve to amend the 2018 Budget (Planning 220-01-6309) by transferring
existing funds from Salary/Wages to Other Professional Services to provide for the Augusta
Regional Transportation Study project known as Congestion Management Process Update
(CMP). (Approved by Finance Committee May 8, 2018)
26. Motion to award contract for professional consulting planning and engineering services
for RFP 18-159 Congestion Management Process Update for the Augusta Regional
Transportation Study MPO. All procurement procedures were followed in accordance with
city, state and federal requirements. This contract shall not to exceed $200,000. (Approved
by Finance Committee May 8, 2018)
27. Motion to approve a Resolution to support approval of the Fiscal Year 2018 Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) Metropolitan Planning Program (PL) Funds for Project
#0015914 for $175,000 ($140,000 federal and $35,000 local match). (Approved by Finance
Committee May 8, 2018)
28. Motion to approve the refund of delinquent taxes once they are paid to support cleanup
and redevelopment of this long time contaminated eyesore in the community regarding
properties located at 1409 Steiner Avenue, 1312 Steiner Avenue, 1314 Steiner Avenue, 1408
Steiner Avenue, and 1733 Mill Street, Augusta, GA 30901. (Approved by Finance Committee
May 8, 2018)
29. Motion to approve the FY 2018 PL Contract – PI #0015459 Supplemental Agreement
contract between Augusta, Georgia and the Georgia Department of Transportation for
federal funds totaling $282,245.00 ($225,796.00 as 80% federal and $56,449.00 as 20% local).
(Approved by Finance Committee May 8, 2018)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
30. Motion to deny request that Richmond Lane, as shown on the attach map has ceased to
be used by the public to the extent that no substantial public purpose is served by it or that
its removal from the county road system is otherwise in the best public interest, and to receive
as information the results of the public hearing held regarding the issue of abandonment
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pursuant to O.C.G.A. §32-7-2, with the abandoned property to be quit-claimed to the
appropriate party(ies), as provided by law and an easement to be retained over the entire
abandoned portion for existing or future utilities as directed by Augusta Engineering
Department and Augusta Utilities Department and adopt the attached Resolution.
(Approved by Engineering Services Committee May 8, 2018)
31. Motion to approve exercising the first option to renew with Georgia-Carolina Paving to
provide on-call asphalt and concrete repairs for Bid 16-224. (Approved by Engineering
Services Committee May 8, 2018)
32. Motion to approve award of Construction Contract to Beam’s Contracting, Inc. subject
to Value Engineering and not to exceed in the amount of $5,978,691.24 for Wrightsboro Road
Widening Improvements Project (Marks Church Rd to Augusta West Pkwy) as requested
by AED. Award is contingent upon receipt of signed contracts and proper bonds. Bid Item
18-127, (Approved by Engineering Services Committee May 8, 2018)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
33. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Augusta Commission held
May 1, 2018 and Special Called Meeting held May 8, 2018.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
34. Motion to approve an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Janice
Welch Osei to assist in the Office of the Administrator. (No recommendation from
Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
FINANCE
35. Approve funding of operating, capital, encumbrance carryover. (No recommendation
from Finance Committee May 8, 2018)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
37. Motion to approve the Residential Parking Resolution. (Commission Bill Fennoy)
ADDENDUM
39. Approve adoption of an Ordinance to revised Adoption Agreements, General Addendum,
and Service Credit Purchase Agreement for the GMEBS Plan I plan. (Approved by Pension
Committee May 15, 2018)
Motion Passes 10-0. \[Items 2-8, 12-16, 18-22, 24-33, 34, 35, 37, 39\]
Mr. Mayor: We’re going to go to the Addendum item.
The Clerk:
ADDENDUM
39. Approve adoption of an Ordinance to revised Adoption Agreements, General Addendum,
and Service Credit Purchase Agreement for the GMEBS I plan. (Approved by Pension
Committee May 15, 2018)
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Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Jefferson: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, we’ve got a motion and a second. We’re ready to vote, voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: To the general public that’s wondering what we’re doing. We’ve voted on a
matter that we effectively agreed upon in March and that was how we’ve changed our pension for
all of our employees. We have adopted a document today and waived the second reading. What
would’ve normally happened is that we would’ve had a second reading at our next meeting but we
waived that and now that document will move forward and we will effectuate this July 1, 2018
where all of our employees will now have a pension with 2.0% multiplier, better take home pay
after they retire. Another opportunity for the City of Augusta to invest in it’s greatest asset and
that is the people that make up this government, another good day. Okay the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Just one question, Mr. Mayor, for clarity if we can get is Ms. Smitherman in?
Mr. Mayor: She is.
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Mr. Sias: If she could answer this question just for clarity after the 1 of July is there a 30-
day waiting period?
Ms. Smitherman: No, sir. The reason why it was so important to get this effectuated today
was once this happens employees can now start getting estimates of their retirement effective July
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1 with that 2% multiplier.
Mr. Sias: And no 30-day wait for anything.
Ms. Smitherman: No, sir.
Mr. Sias: Thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, can I ask Jody something?
Mr. Mayor: You may.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Jody, as far as I already had asked the Mayor and he gave me clarification
I just want to hear it from you as far as we’ve got some of the people that’s in the GMEBS I that
is not they’re still at the 1.65 multiplier. How do we address that ---
Ms. Smitherman: Yes, sir ---
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Mr. Guilfoyle: --- in the future?
Ms. Smitherman: --- when the GMEBS I plan the current plan was rolled out all the
employees who were currently in a plan whether that was the 1977 Plan, the Defined ---
Mr. Mayor: Contribution.
Ms. Smitherman: --- Contribution Plan or the old city GMEBS Plan were given a one-time
irrevocable election to either stay in the plan they were in at that time or move to the GMEBS I
plan which is the plan we’re amending today. And as a result this multiplier is only applying to
the GMEBS I plan, not to those individuals who made that one time irrevocable election at that
time to stay in the plan they were in.
Mr. Guilfoyle: So as far as being to increase their contribution to get the same 2%
multiplier it can’t work because they’ve been in the program too long, is that correct?
Ms. Smitherman: I don’t know that it’s length of time. It was just the plan we’re amending
is the GMEBS I plan and it’s only those individuals in that plan.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Jody, and thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank ya’ll. Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Yes, sir, pulled items, okay.
Mr. Mayor: Pulled top to bottom.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
1. Z-18-19 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with the conditions stated below a petition by Jeb Boggus, on behalf of Three Wells
Ranch, LLC, requesting a Special Exception to establish a private non-profit club per Section
26-1(i) of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County affecting
property containing approximately 51 acres and known as part of 4792 and 4798 McCombs
Road. Part of Tax Maps 354-0-008-01-0 and 368-0-001-00-0 DISTRICT 8 1. Issuance of
development permits shall be contingent upon submission of plans meeting all applicable
development regulations. Development plans shall conform substantially to the conceptual
site plan submitted and approved during the zoning action. 2. Outdoor activities related to
this request shall cease by 11:00 p.m. 3. The applicant shall provide a minimum of five (5)
off-street parking spaces within 300’ of the proposed development. While hunting, fishing
and other sporting activities are permitted uses, such activities must be carried out in
accordance with all applicable state and local regulations regarding safety and licensure.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. Sherman.
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Mr. Sherman: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Rob, I sat in on this, I’m not opposed to it.
From my understanding this private non-profit will be a facility to help young people hunt, fish
and type of thing. Two question I have. If it’s private then how can we kind of police that? The
other thing is where there any high-power or assault type weapons going to be allowed, and I know
it’s a hunting area, I understand that fishing and hunting. But I did have those two questions come
up and I wanted to get some clarity on that. I’m not opposed to it but I just wanted to know those
two things how can you police a private non-profit facility?
Mr. Sherman: Well, this is Mr. Boggus and I’m going to let him answer the questions as
far as the activities that will go on out at his property, as far as if there high-powered rifles or if
there’s any nuisances then we would still be able to enforce the codes but he’s got a good project
and I’m going to ask him if he’ll explain that.
Mr. Boggus: How are you doing?
Mr. M. Williams: All right.
Mr. Boggus: Your first question was how do we police it? It’s going to be a private place
and it’s you know it’s fenced and all and I’m not sure what as far as what policing needs to be
done on it. You know it’s a, a lot of the folks went out and looked at the property and you know
it’s something, we’re not trying to turn it into a commercial facility by any means.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, let me explain when I said police it may have been a wrong choice
of words, I do that a lot so don’t take that too personally. When we approve something and
something changes or something happens once we approve it is it out of our hands or does this
body whether it be this elected body or another one have any authority after we approve this out
there because like I said it’s a hunting facility. I sit in on Planning and Zoning. I heard the
explanation and I agree with it and I thought it was good but the thought came to my mind once
we approve it and if it didn’t need approval when it came through us, it wouldn’t have came here.
Mr. Boggus: Right.
Mr. M. Williams: By coming through this body, I just wanted to know.
Mr. Boggus: I think I can answer that. So on it we did a site plan and on the site plan we
had specific sizes and mount units. We’re only going to build three of the small low cabins and
then the dinner hall. And you know they’ve got it they’re all drawn out on the site plan and it’s
only approved those and it says in the ordinance or in the Special Exception that any changes of
that would have to come back to you guys and so if I changed anything. So my son when he was
five years old he had cancer and he’s 24 years old now. Him and I about 15 years ago formed a,
actually 10 years ago formed a non-profit 501 called Hunt for Life and we bring these children in
who are who have life threatening illnesses we have, we bring their families in with them and we
found out during that time he was going through this, you know, I had a place to take him to and
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it was a fabulous thing to get away. You know and when he was in there and so when we started
taking these families it turned out to be the highlight of their four or five-year ordeal that they’re
going through, we’ll get them down and they just they get out and they get into nature we take
them hunting, we take them fishing, they can ride horses, we cook really, really well for them and
just kind of take care of them. We also take children whose parents are deployed. You know
they’re, a lot of those kids don’t have a whole lot to do here in the day and they’re home and
they’re playing Nintendo and stuff and we unplug it and we get them out there and sometimes we
just do that for the weekend. But these facilities are going to be mainly for taking these children.
And so you asked the question about the high-powered rifles so this is part of about 900 acres total
along with another 175 next to me that the quys agree to let us use sometimes. So you know as
far as a high-powered rifles for deer hunting that’s a necessity, that’s actually a state law you’ve
got to have a centerfire to hunt the deer. We don’t kill many deer as far as hunting on the front
side around these houses we’re not going to be doing any of that. That’s just not the nature of
what we’re trying to accomplish.
Mr. M. Williams: And I appreciate that, Rob. Like I said I wasn’t against it. I just had to
ask those questions to be clear, Mr. Mayor. I have no problem with approving that and I make a
motion to approve it.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ve got a motion and a second to approve it, I know I’m coming. Mr.
Boggus, is this adjacent to Spirit Creek right off McCombs?
Mr. Boggus: No, it’s actually backs up to McBean Creek ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay, okay.
Mr. Boggus: --- Spirit Creek is north of there.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, very good. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, McBean Creek borders Richmond County and the Burke
County line.
Mr. Boggus: Yes, sir.
Mr. Guilfoyle: This is a question for Rob Sherman. Rob, I know that there’s going to be
shooting. All right, you and I have been going over the past year and a quarter on the issue over
there on Highway 56 with Mr. Maddox. And with this on Broome Road and the other road there’s
residential. How are we going to be reassured? Is it zoned to allow shooting, number one, because
I believe you have to have a Special Exception for that. I don’t want to take the wind out of Jeb’s
sales at all but what he’s going to have to understand if there’s in the future the neighbors complain
it gets the undivided attention and we don’t want to have to bring it back up. I’m trying to prevent
a problem before it accelerates.
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Mr. Sherman: So as far as hunting on the property it is zoned Agriculture and a Special
Exception will allow the non-profit use that he wants to do. In the way that I understand it they
will be hunting at the other location we’re talking about.
Mr. Guilfoyle: There would just be rapid-fire shooting.
Mr. Sherman: They had a shooting range and yeah, just rapid-fire. I don’t think that’s
what he’s intending and again if we do have any complaints then we’ll address those but that’s not
what he’s intending.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Okay, Jeb, good luck and I appreciate you doing this for all the children.
Mr. Boggus: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we have a motion and a second. Voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Boggus: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
The Clerk: Item number 9, sir?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, ma’am.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
9. Motion to approve a One-Hour Waiver of the Noise Ordinance at the Augusta Common
June 22, 2018/Beats on Broad/Augusta Pride 2018. (Approved by Public Services Committee
May 8, 2018)
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on, hold on. All right, this is the Commissioner from the 9
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the Commissioner from the 9 pulled this for a very good reason. All right, the Chair recognizes
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the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This has been something that’s been coming
back and forth with every group to the like and I want to make a substitute motion that we approve
this for good so we don’t have to keep coming back with this for this hour waiver. So that was my
intention in pulling this event.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, everybody just suspend, suspend.
Mr. M. Williams: I wish everybody had the same conversation but okay, Mr. Mayor, that’s
my ---
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to recognize Attorney MacKenzie. All right, just to bring
everybody up to speed to where we are.
Mr. MacKenzie: Sure, there was already a previous item that was approved by the
Commission to bring forth an ordinance to amend the code to make it more permanent so it would
be redundant to do that again and I anticipate that will be on the next committee cycle which will
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be the 29.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, so we’ll entertain a motion to approve.
The Clerk: We have one.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, very good. We’ve got a motion and a second to approve to
underlined agenda item. All right, voting. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from
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the 4.
Mr. Sias: We’re just approving this as a one-time issue (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct.
Mr. Sias: All right, thank you.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
10. Motion to approve playground equipment purchase as designated in SPLOST VII as part
of RFP Item #17-275 for $1,279,041.24. (Warren Rd. Park, Henry Brigham Park, McDuffie
Wood Park, Gracewood Park, Hickman Park, Dyess Park, Minnick Park, Wood Park, and
Hillside Park). (Approved by Public Services Committee May 9, 2018)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like to address Mr. Parker or someone who’s
got some information about this. Mr. Parker, thank you for being here but I’d like to get some
information I guess about first of all when this SPLOST was passed, were these individual parks
named for getting a certain amount of dollars or a certain amount of monies?
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Mr. Parker: When the SPLOST was passed, I think the answer would be no to that. When
you approved the CIP at that point particular parks were approved, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and that brings me to my next question then because we just had
some conversation about the difference between Warren Road and Bernie Ward and when we went
and later I view on that the park was totally different. Now Warren Road didn’t need any
equipment in my opinion when I went there and looked at it a few months back. But the total
difference was where like Bernie Ward’s so I’m trying to figure out how does the ones that need
the money or need the facility to be done is not on the list but the ones that’s seem to be and several
other Commissioners was asked, well, they saw it. What kind of equipment are we going to make
it get some of those and the ones that we didn’t?
Mr. Parker: On the next, based on today’s vote we will be able to save some SPLOST
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money. We’re going to take that combine it with some of our capital money and on the 29
committee cycle you will see a playground for Bernie Ward Park. We had to wait until today to
make sure that was approved and then we’ll have that to you, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: But that don’t help me much because the equipment we’ve got at Bernie
Ward, I’m mean at Bernie Ward the equipment that we have there the park, the fencing, the
basketball goals, the grounds and all of that has been well maintained and it looks really well but
so we’re going to buy some more equipment now and change that out and then do what?
Mr. Parker: I think you said Bernie Ward. I think you meant Warren Road ---
Mr. M. Williams: I meant Warren Road ---
Mr. Parker: --- when you said that, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: --- right, right.
Mr. Parker: Yes, sir, we did ---
Mr. M. Williams: Wait now hold it, this whole city needs them now but I’m just going by
what we physically seen. You was there. We took a tour, we looked at the facilities inside and
out and there was a night and day difference. There was a big conversation about that. So I’m
wondering how can we, are we going to move that equipment and put some additional equipment
in there. So what are we doing, Mr. Parker?
Mr. Parker: This would be a new unit at Warren Road specifically. I think a couple of
these we will be replacing. Brigham we’ll be replacing, I think Gracewood replaces, Hickman
replaces, Dyess replaces but Warren Road would be an additional unit and it would be in the
wooded area directly by the road near the, across directly across from the school. It is a different
looking playground that we’re recommending going in there.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and my last question, Mr. Mayor if I can, Mr. Parker, when we
approve this and it’s going to be approved today then I can expect to see Bernie Ward completely
15
changed from the old Bernie Ward setup that we have to something that’s feasible for that
community.
Mr. Parker: That playground, yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Right.
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Mr. Parker: It’ll be on the 29 agenda.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, all right so moved, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. M. Williams: They’re there for the kids, I mean that’s all I’m fighting for. I don’t play
on the playground. I don’t play period sometimes.
Mr. Frantom: You’re missing out.
Mr. M. Williams: Sometimes I said, I didn’t say I never play.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second, voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
11. Motion to approve a request from the Central Services Department-Facilities
Maintenance Division for the purchase of two new vehicles for the Central Services
Department from Allan Vigil Ford for a total purchase of $56,614.00. Bid Item 18-184.
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9. Mr. Crowden
and Ms. Douse, if ya’ll will approach.
Mr. M. Williams: Miss Douse, I may need you. I know I need Mr. Crowden right now but
first I may need both of ya’ll. Who writes the specs for these vehicles when we need those?
Mr. Crowden: Specs are published by Fleet Management, forwarded to Procurement who
reviews the specs to make sure they’re in compliance.
Mr. M. Williams: Fleet Management’s is the ones who do the maintenance on our cars is
that who you’re talking about when you say Fleet Management that’s who do the specs on our
cars?
Mr. Crowden: Yes, sir.
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Mr. M. Williams: Okay, they determine what we need as far as the capacity of the car,
how many people are going to be using it that kind of thing?
Mr. Crowden: That’s what we go back to the department and request. We have certain
questions we ask them before we spec it out, you know, how many passengers just like you said.
Why do you need it, you know, a 4X4? We challenge them every time that we get a request.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, Ms. Douse, can you help me out and understand how we’re
getting two new vehicles, what’s the capacity of the crews that’s going to need this, how many in
these crews are you talking about?
Ms. Douse: We have a five-person crew that handles all of our grounds ---
Mr. Crowden: And Mr. Crowden got to tell you five now I don’t know that you know, Ms.
Douse, I was asking you a question and he told you five so I mean I’m a little bit confused with
that now.
Ms. Douse: --- I don’t know why he told me five.
Mr. M. Williams: I don’t know why he told you five but I just ---
Mr. Crowden: The capacity of the truck is five.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I understand what the seating capacity is. I asked Ms. Douse a
question.
Ms. Douse: I have five persons that will be traveling in this vehicle rotating from our
grounds that we service throughout (inaudible).
Mr. M. Williams: You really have ten because you’ve got two trucks and in each truck
there’s five so that’s, is that right?
Ms. Douse: No, sir. One of those vehicles should be the extended cab ---
Mr. Crowden: No, the supervisor’s vehicle.
Ms. Douse: --- okay but that one’s, that one’s not going to carry five. That one on a regular
basis will carry anywhere between one to two.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, no other questions, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, he yields. All right, I’ll entertain a motion.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
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Mr. Frantom: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second, voting. The Commissioner from the 4
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motioned the 3 seconded.
Mr. M. Williams abstains.
Motion Passes 9-0-1.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor I have a question, Mr. Mayor?
The Clerk: Item number 17 ---
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Bonner ---
The Clerk: --- sir?
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
17. Motion to approve a request from the Animal Services Department to purchase two new
Animal Transport Trucks for the Animals Services Department. Allan Vigil Ford
$44,345.00. Bid Item 18-174. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
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Mr. Mayor: --- the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6, state your inquiry.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, when these items are on the agenda at the
committee level we inquired about this particular company here getting all the business. When we
were revisiting it, we asked I think our Procurement Department to revisit or either or Finance
Department or someone to revisit it and talk about the 10% difference that we give different for
local and I’m just wondering exactly what did we and I forget exactly what we motioned but when
we bring something back can we move that threshold from 10% or should we move that threshold.
It’s been in place for quite some time and we’re looking at now with the vehicles that’s here we
put them in there we’re talking what thirty some odd vehicles going to the same vendor which is
on the other side of Atlanta or something to that degree. We should try to look at what we can do
to try to bring some of this business giving the opportunity to local in some form or fashion. So
we had that conversation and so I think our Procurement or someone was supposed to have been
looking into that process, do we need to move that threshold that 10%.
Mr. Mayor: Well, I think that certainly is a very valid concern. We want to grow Augusta
and buy local. And I don’t see my Procurement Director here.
The Clerk: She sent it out, I think we’re at five, she sent the information out to you all on
Thursday I believe.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
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Mr. Mayor: There’s a lot of chatter today. Let’s hold on, hold on. All right, I’m coming
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back to the Commissioner from the 9. I don’t remember seeing that information, Ms. Bonner,
but if we can ---
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Ms. Jackson: (inaudible) on May 10 4:57 p.m.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay.
Mr. Hasan: Wait, excuse me Mr. Mayor, can I say something?
Mr. Mayor: Hold on okay, Ms. Bonner ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir ---
Mr. Mayor: --- you forwarded that information out to us?
The Clerk: --- yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right okay ---
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: --- hold on, hold on. All right, I’m going to come back to the Commissioner
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from the 6 and will give me an inquiry that I’m hoping comes to a question.
Mr. Hasan: --- and it is.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you.
Mr. Hasan: At this point go ahead?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. Hasan: --- but my point is, Mr. Mayor, and I probably possibly do in my mind’s eye
remember receiving it but I think ---
The Clerk: (unintelligible) for you.
Mr. Hasan: --- Ma’am?
The Clerk: You can go ahead ---
Mr. Hasan: And if you did I still would’ve liked for her to speak to exactly what that is --
-
The Clerk: --- okay.
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Mr. Hasan: --- you know to give us a document and not necessarily understand the verbiage
of it doesn’t necessarily do us any good. I mean that’s what I want to see is looking at changing
that threshold potentially so to send it to us is one thing and not be here to elaborate on another is
another. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: I think Ms. Bonner read the agenda item in 17, is that right? Is that right?
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about this the Animal
Transport truck that we have, Ron, is this the replacement for the one we just lost? Is this the
replacement for the animal shelter truck that we had the accident with a while back?
Mr. Crowden: That’s correct, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay and we’re only getting one, is that correct?
Mr. Crowden: Actually there’s two, one under SPLOST and one under contingency funds
which was approved last year in 2017 with the increase in manpower to Animal Services. There’s
an agenda, there’s an attachment to your agenda that gives you the information concerning that
meeting and what was approved and all I did was execute the approval on it. I couldn’t execute it
in 2017 because we had price cut-offs so I had to wait until this year before I could execute the
additional truck.
Mr. M. Williams: And we hadn’t had an additional truck since the accident, right?
Mr. Crowden: That’s correct.
Mr. M. Williams: So moved, Mr. Mayor.
Ms. Davis: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second. I’m going to go back and address the
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Commissioner from the 6. The analysis at least concerning Item 17 is the local vendor was
noncompliant.
Mr. Hasan: Well it, can I respond? Well, it wasn’t so much about whether this vendor was
in compliance or noncompliance here is I think in our ordinance we have in our code we have
where we from a local vendor perspective use 10% above and an outside vendor out of county
vendor then the local preference is preferred. My concern was can we move that threshold because
every time we look at this this is right at about 30-vehicles that’s here that this vendor’s got which
is not here and giving an opportunity to participate more local vendors to participate in the process
20
so that was my real concern. Not so much about compliance or noncompliance on this potential
about moving that threshold if need be.
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Mr. Mayor: I understand. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I believe my colleague is going down
the wrong road. Number one, our local vendors they got the 10% edge on outside vendors, number
two, they could match any local or any vendor if possible. But if you raise that threshold up to
20% so if something costs $100,000 dollars the county’s willing to pay $120,000 dollars for the
same product so you actually gifting somebody just to do business local so it’s going to cost us
10% more. The 10% is what is in other municipalities. It’s a guideline that most use but think
about that before, it sounded good but in reality, it costs the taxpayer’s more money and we have
to be conscious about that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve this. The Chair recognizes
okay again we’ve got a motion and a second. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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6, state your inquiry.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think my colleague’s comments I think it has merit
to what he’s saying, I think both our positions has merit. My position is that when we got taxpayer
companies in this vicinity I think we know we’re going to benefit from that tax base locally as
opposed to going across to the other side of the state I’d have thought it was something we would
consider. I do understand his concerns at the end of the day and I respect those concerns but that
is what I’m looking at constantly when you’re looking at within this agenda here when you factor
in the last agenda, we’re talking abut 30 to 40 vehicles on the other side of the state where you lose
all of the tax base there to potentially do business here. Sometimes you do pay more to do business
local but I do understand his concerns and they are valid. I think mine are valid as well. Thank
you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’re going to vote on this matter, voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
23. Motion to approve soliciting an RFP for fleet maintenance services. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee May 8, 2018)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Like you say a lot of passion in the room, a lot
of passion but history has proven and showing us that we have spent a lot of money with our fleet
maintenance service. I go back so far, Ms. Bonner, until I remember when we sent a car to the
Fleet Management shop to get a tail light put in and it came back with a new engine in it. And the
Administrator at that time we asked for the report. He brought me a stack of papers probably as
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high as the top of this laptop computer here and I needed was but one piece of paper which showed
that the vehicle had been there for so long they ended up putting an engine in the car. We talked
about in compliance and we let our fleet management tell us what’s compliance what they think
we ought to have and then they service those same cars and when they get a certain age they say
they’re out of compliance. I don’t understand we have to pay more because the car is ten years
old versus a car that’s two years old. It’s still the same oil we use the same filter but the car is just
aging and they charge us more to change the oil in those cars. We had a subcommittee who was
put together from Administrative Services who went down to Savannah to tour their shop to see
how they were doing it and we gave them a year contract because the subcommittee didn’t react
or didn’t enact anything or bring anything to Administrative Services in time so we went ahead
and gave them another contract. Now we’re at that same junction again giving another contract
because we done, the time done went by. We hadn’t talked about it, nobody brought it to the table.
When they bring it to the table just like we do now we say well time had done run out. The Fire
Department changed from that same maintenance service and went in-house and saved a bunch of
money but we’re still acting as if we can’t do it. Now they use our shop, our equipment. We pay
the utility bills, they’re using the same mechanic that we use and we’re paying $3 to $4-million
I’ll say five at one point so I’m going to drop it. We’re paying $3 to $4-million dollars a year to
change oil and tires and maintain our equipment. They don’t build engines, they don’t build
transmission, they don’t even put in rings. All they’re doing is servicing the vehicles and now
we’ve got it on the agenda to go out for bids again? I have no problem if that’s what we want to
do but we ought to at least come together and at least set the guidelines as to what we want. We
shouldn’t let them set the guidelines of what we’ve got to pay them for. If we’re going to go out
for bids, I’ve got no problem but before we do that we ought to at least Public Safety, the Mayor,
the Administrator, the Clerk, the lawyers, somebody at least ought to set some guidelines up so
when we go out for bids they’ll be able to go for what we need and what we want versus what the
maintenance contract wants to put in place, Mr. Mayor. Now I’ve got some issues with going out
anyway but if we’re going to do that we ought to at least set the criteria, the guidelines. We done
let them set the guidelines for what we’ve got the pay them for. So if we’re going to do anything
if we’re going to go out for bid we ought to at least set the guidelines up so when we go out for
bids whoever bids on it will know what we, a car shouldn’t go out of compliance because it’s ten
years old. If you’re been maintaining, if you were rebuilding it and we don’t do any of that we
don’t rebuild, we don’t install. What we do is maintain, so my motion, I make a substitute motion
that we go out to get some guidelines and bring them back so we can go out for bids on maintenance
service.
Mr. Mayor: Commissioner, would you restate your substitute motion?
Mr. M. Williams: Substitute motion is we put the guidelines in place to go out for a
procurement or go out for an RFP for fleet management but put guidelines in place, not let them
set the guidelines then go out and bid on it.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I’m willing to second that but I would like to discuss it first.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, so we’ve got a second from the Commissioner from the 8.
All right, let’s go in this order. All right I’m going to recognize Madam Administrator first then
I’ll come to you.
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Ms. Jackson: Thank you, sir. It is our responsibility to write the specifications for whatever
services we want a contract vendor to provide. We’ll write those specifications based upon what
we believe the deeds are. Any competitors who are bidding for that will have to give us their
pricing to provide the services that we lay out in our RFP.
Mr. M. Williams: Question, Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: Absolutely, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Ms. Jackson, would that come back to this body so we’ll know have
some idea because I mean most of us we go out for an RFP if it’s sent out Mr. Crowden had to tell
Ms. Douse how many people his crew had, her crew had on the truck. My point is I have no
problem doing that but we ought to at least know before it goes out what we’re looking at.
Ms. Jackson: We can certainly provide you with a copy of our draft so you all can review
the draft that we put together.
Mr. M. Williams: Before it goes out?
Ms. Jackson: Before it goes out, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: I have no problem with that, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, now traditionally that’s not process or protocol. I mean we
historically have RFP’s done. I mean it’s public information and you certainly can look at them
but and I’m not saying what you’re requesting is wrong but I’m just commenting for the record
that I don’t know of a time at least in my short 3 ½ years that I’ve been here. Have we done this
before, Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, well the Dean knows of what he speaks then. All right, you
have it, you’re going to get that, absolutely. All right, so Ms. Jackson we’ll do that through
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Administrative Services, okay fantastic. All right, I’m going to the Commissioner from the 8 and
then I’m going to come back this way.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I understand what Commissioner Williams is concerned about.
When we did take the travel down to Savannah as well as here our local vendor that once a
vehicle’s out of service I mean out of warranty I think it’s 48 months or something like that then
the expenses goes up, additional costs. I feel that Commissioner Williams wanted to make sure
there’s controls in there to keep the costs at bay and the hard costs from the contract will
substantiate anything that we’ve incurred with the fleet. So I appreciate Madam Administrator
willing to do that, willing to listen to him and think Ms. Douse realizes she’s learned a lot about
automotive over this past year and so she knows where the ins and outs, loopholes and if we can
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tie the knots in the loopholes that’ll be good. And I’ll second Commissioner Marion Williams’
motion.
Mr. Mayor: We have a substitute motion and a proper second. All right, for clarification
I think what Madam Administrator has offered is that before we move forward with any RFP being
put out on the street it will come back before the Administrative Services committee for review
and the Chairman will have a chance to look at that which is effectively what he’s saying.
Ms. Jackson: That’s correct.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, okay all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Just for clarity’s sake we’re not going to go back and reapprove this or anything
are we?
Mr. Mayor: All right, so we don’t have anything to approve today. What you’re doing is
approve soliciting, you’re approving a solicitation for fleet maintenance services. What the
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Commissioner from the 9 has indicated is that he’s like to see what the requirements are in the
document before it’s put out on the street to make sure that it’s consistent with what this body is
wanting to see. We know that last year we took a number of vehicles out of fleet service. We saw
a reduction in our costs last year and all of those things put us at a place of where there’s a parody
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there. And what the Commissioner from the 9 has indicated at least in my estimation is that
there’s been a great deal of interest on his part and several of the others who are here to bring it in-
house but to a degree that we’re not doing that let’s make sure we put those things in there,
Commissioner, I think that’s what you’re saying as well.
Mr. Sias: Yeah, I get that. I’m just saying we’re approving an authorization to solicit an
RFP that will be brought back for review.
Mr. Mayor: That’s is correct ---
Mr. Sias: All right.
Mr. Mayor: --- that’s the substitute.
Mr. Sias: Call for the question.
Mr. Hasan: I have a question, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’m going to take one more. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner
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from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, to my colleague’s point Commissioner
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from the 9 and that is what happens with this is that out of contract, you know we ended up
spending about a million dollars in that. I don’t know what kind of one that we have when it
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becomes an eight, eight years old, six years old. Can I ask Mr. Crowden, at what point how many
years before a vehicle comes out of contract?
Mr. Crowden: The life expectancy of each vehicle or piece of equipment is based on how
it’s used.
Mr. Hasan: Okay.
Mr. Crowden: So a truck let’s say an F-150 that’s eight years or 125,000 miles. Our life
expectancy follows the model that was put out by the American Public Works Association which
really is the subject matter expert of public service vehicles. So we have followed their guidance
in putting out our life expectancy for pickup trucks, for construction equipment, for small
equipment.
Mr. Hasan: So are we obligated to adopt what they recommend?
Mr. Crowden: No, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Okay so in other words if it’s eight years could we put a ten-year threshold on
it before it becomes out of contract?
Mr. Crowden: Yes, you can.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, I think that’s more of what Commissioner Williams is asking raise that
threshold.
Mr. Crowden: That’s certainly your choice. This was approved in 2004 the life expectancy
that we’re working on by the Commission, okay? If you want to expand that I can present other
models to you for consideration on life expectancy.
Mr. Hasan: Right because that’s what happens we look at that the contract just jumps
extensively by a million dollars just because of an out of contract and an out of contract could be
something simple as just changing the oil and that’s causes that contract to increase when it goes
beyond eight years so those are the kinds of things that can save us some money. Now those two-
year additional windows of taking advantage of that through RFP process, thank you very much
thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, we’ve got substitute motion with a proper second. Ms. Jackson,
I think what I’ve heard just recently to include in bringing back to this body is that criteria that
was adopted in 2004 from APW American Public Works Association so that they can see that and
again look at that as well as they’re making their decisions. Okay, voting.
Mr. Fennoy votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
The Clerk: I think that brings us to Items 36 and 38, sir.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
36. Motion to exempt Storm water Fee in Non-Serviced Area (unincorporated area).
(Requested by Commissioner Marion Williams)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. There’s been a lot of discussion about this
Stormwater Fee. Commissioner Guilfoyle came last committee and talked about the people he
represented in District 8 which is a part of the city as well. The (unintelligible) outside this city
don’t benefit I’ll say from the Stormwater Fee as maybe some of the other ones and I’d like to see
that we address that and try to look at the Stormwater Fee to see how we can relieve those, not just
those but others as well. We’re really not benefiting and I think it’s a necessary evil. I think we’ve
got some people in the audience there that came in today that don’t get any water from the city.
They’ve got a well, they’ve got their own water system there but they’re still being billed for the
Stormwater Fee. So, I wanted to bring this to the Commission again to see what kind of
conversation we can have, what kind of dialogue we can come to to relieve some of that.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
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Mr. Guilfoyle: The 8?
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Mr. Mayor: I mean the Commissioner from the 9 are you, do you have questions you
want to pose?
Mr. M. Williams: Commissioner Guilfoyle have some comments he wanted to make.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: You know, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’d like for my colleagues to have a
clear understanding. I’m not trying to do away with the storm program whatsoever. You know if
I did my house, I live in the city limits we don’t get charged stormwater, the City of Blythe don’t,
but I do live in a rural area and I do represent the people. My challenge is and I don’t think anybody
can answer this including you, Mr. Mayor, when somebody came up to you last week what are
they paying stormwater for out there. I believe your answer was the same as mine, I don’t know.
But Dr. Malik had sent us some information as far as the projects that’s going on, as far as what
projects has been completed in 2016/2017. You know I’ve always been, I’ve always said that it’s
not the same level of service and I’m going to show that to you hopefully. I looked at the list, the
89 items that Dr. Malik had gave me and you know a lot is done in the area where there’s pipes in
the ground which I do not want to exempt. The neighborhood has pipes in the ground, charge
them. I’ve always said that since day one since we were discussing the stormwater before it was
implemented. I’m talking about the rural areas Highway 1, Highway 56, Highway 25 and Highway
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88 where the people who lives on the highway the Richmond County Engineering Department
cannot maintain or do anything with. Now my colleague last week said at 3166 Highway 88 they
clean trash and they cut trees. Well to me cleaning trees and cutting trees is not part of stormwater.
You know we look at Waterloo Country where they maintain 1,531 miles of ditches at the tune of
$35 to $55,000 dollars a year. We’ve got 731 miles of ditches here in Richmond County. But I
was looking at your 2017 Annual Stormwater Summary Report and it looked, the ditch drainage
ditch regraded was put in linear feet so the total for 2017 was 21,968 feet. Sounds like a big
number but when you divide it what it equals in miles is only 4.16 miles and if we have 731 miles
in Augusta it’s going to take forever to accomplish maintaining and grading all these ditches and
the rural area does have the ditches. We looked at the 2017 Stormwater Summary Report as far
as small, medium Capital Projects and Expenditures. There’s 89 items listed, different projects.
This goes from Project District 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Out of that 89 items there’s ten items that falls
under District 8. Under six of them items falls in the neighborhood that has pipes in the ground so
in essence we only had per se four items. Underneath the four items if you added the whole ten of
the, I’m being fair about this, it’s $221,589.15 the total projected cost in these 89 items is
$5,472,038.50. So, the rural areas are getting a fair shake. They’re getting their fair shake of
getting their money in other places for other needs. The total percentage of this work to be done
in District 8 is 4%. That’s 4% out of 100 but they actually paid $926,856.42 per Dr. Malik showing
that the yearly income is based off 7% what District 8 pays. I’m asking you for your help. I’ve
tried to express it every which way I could to make it fair and equitable. We got a different level
of service; we don’t have pipes in the ground. I’m not saying to exempt the people with pipes in
the ground. I’m talking about the people that’s on the highways, people in the rural area, people
that lives 15/1800 feet off the road that they maintain even though in our property taxes we pay
for the road and maintenance. The road and maintenance easement belongs to the City of Augusta;
it doesn’t belong to the homeowner. So they’re already paying through the property taxes and now
they’re having to pay it through the stormwater fee which they are not rendering any service. I’m
not knocking the Engineering Department. We’ve got one of the best engineering departments but
they’re overwhelmed. Every district in the beginning the project that was sold to us it was going
to say you’ll see a lot of changes first year or second year, third year you’re going to be amazed.
Well, here we are 2 ½ years in I’m not amazed, the people’s not amazed out there. I rode by and
looked at the items that was on that list what concerns me at 1894 McDade Road it was an apron
put in and apron per the tune at $18,786.40, I don’t know how we’re doing our bid process. I
called an asphalt guy, a friend of mine, runs a company I said what’s the average? He said Wayne,
by the time you buy $300.00 dollars’ worth of pipe, $300.00 dollars’ worth of gravel you might
have to pay $500.00 dollars for the police officer to control the traffic and then put your labor
you’re looking on the high side of $3,500.00 dollars. I cannot figure out how we’re paying over
$18,000 dollars for an apron that’s on this list. It might encompass another job, I don’t know, but
the other jobs that we have done Hephzibah McBean Road, Old Waynesboro Road, we got to get
control of our expenditures but I don’t know how an apron is considered stormwater when this has
been a common practice since day one of this government. But I would like my colleagues who
say that district, the rural area gets the same thing, no they don’t, not based at 4% of what’s being
paid into the stormwater and all I’m asking is for the rural area to be exempt. And if we start off
on the south side which abuts Burke County, Wrens, Louisville area move to the north side because
I don’t even know if we know where all the pipes are in the ground but by time you move north
you’ll figure that out pretty simple. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir and I want to ask my colleague a question if that’s permissible.
And I’m not trying to be funny I just want to ask a question.
Mr. Mayor: Well, if you direct your questions to the Chair that would be good.
Mr. Sias: All right, through the Chair I just wondered then who should pay for Patterson
Bridge Road bridge when it collapsed since that was stormwater proceeds for use to repair that
bridge. It was the very first project that the Engineering Department did under the Stormwater
Program. I guess my question would be should those folks pay the money back? That was the
bridge repair that allowed them to come out of that area. So I just wondered about that. That’s
the first thing I have. The second thing that I want to ask is I didn’t see anywhere in the stormwater
or any stormwater proceedings or in the Clean Water Act that a stormwater program was supposed
to directly benefit each individual homeowner or property owner around their property. It was my
understanding that the Stormwater Program was to benefit all citizens through work in the city and
I’ll give you an example. If I wanted to visit someone out in the Patterson Bridge Road area then
I would need to go across that bridge because that’s the only way you get there. I have a lot of
ditches in my neighborhood. My neighborhood is about 1/3 District 8 so I guess should everybody
have to poke through my neighborhood to be exempt from the stormwater program? We got
ditches, we got pipes. If you go out in the rural area you’ll find some pipes, you’re going to find
a lot of ditches and what is the rural area? If you ask the post office the post office says all of us
are rural so again I guess then that would, I don’t see anything here that defines what a rural area
is or un-serviced area because I haven’t heard of any areas being exempt from service. So my
question would be then we could go back to what we’ve had which is basically nothing. And I
love the article that the Augusta Chronicle printed in 1996. It says the city has spent millions on
stormwater and that was true. They spent millions fixing things every time it flood but there was
no process to maintain it and so SPLOST after SPLOST they spent more money, spent more
money. Our stormwater system is aging. It is aging and as a matter of fact it is very, very old.
We have as I think the engineers called it CMP, corrugated metal pipe through all parts of this city.
We have it out in the county in the rural areas whatever that’s supposed to be but it’s all over this
city so the question is how do you find service? If you’re going downtown to enjoy an event and
the road is washed out or there’s a problem and you might live way out at the county line are you
not being serviced? As we clean up our city and I’m not an expert on the law and I’m not an expert
on the stormwater program but I do believe vegetation control and maintenance is part of the
stormwater program, I really believe it is. And I think if you look in the Clean Water Act that’s
exactly what it is. Trash, vegetation is what contaminates, is some of the contaminants that the
Clean Water Acts says to deal with and you have to take care of it as a body. Now I sure have
seen some of our contractors and folks working on state roads. We have quite a bit of trash going
out on particularly on Deans Bridge Road heading to our landfill. I don’t know if that’s a rural
road or a city road but I know one thing. It’s a road full of trash and I know that trash don’t stay
there, that trash migrates. And so when city forces clean that up or city resources clean that up I
didn’t see where there was a rule that said they couldn’t clean up. I don’t believe any state
programs or city or county can’t go out and clean a road. I just haven’t heard of that yet. I don’t
have an issue as we look at our program but when we start saying folks ain’t benefiting, we got
un-serviced areas, I just kind of have to go and disagree with that. We have folks who because we
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didn’t adopt what they said or they come out later and say whoa, we shouldn’t have a stormwater
program because they wasn’t allowed to micromanage it. That is a problem we’ve always had in
this City of Augusta, why we are so behind on things because we don’t do what we need to do to
improve our infrastructure and you sort of get what you pay for. We talk about what the other
areas have, what Savannah has, what Atlanta has, what Charleston has. They didn’t get it for free
and they didn’t get it from saying we all shouldn’t contribute, we shouldn’t contribute, and I guess
if you live out in a certain area that some of my colleagues want to define, I guess then we should
also petition the Governor and say these folks need to stop paying certain taxes, certain amount of
income taxes and all these other kinds of things. I guess it’s just so difficult for a city to make
progress when folks don’t want to be progressive. I’m just really concerned that we have a program
that’s doing great things for this city. And I guess that Doug Barnard Parkway I’m not sure if
that’s rural or if that’s city or if that’s un-serviced but I know one thing, there’s some flooded
businesses there. I’m not sure about these things about flooding but I know at Barton Village
there’s a grand canyon that’s about to swallow some houses. It’s all runoff water that’s causing
the problem. I know down on Skyview Lane if you are expecting Southern Roofing to deliver you
some goods and they’re flooded out I think you were affected. So we have hundreds and hundreds
of areas in this city where we have stormwater problems, we have these ditches, we have these
whole areas that are being flooded sometimes it doesn’t even take a major rain. So I guess it’s
time for everybody to get out there and get on the ground and see what we have in the City of
Augusta from one county line to another county line to another county line to another county line.
We have some serious issues that need to be addressed and we can stop this little petty stuff about
well charge me .15 cents or don’t charge me a dime. You might live on a hill and all the stormwater
runs down well guess what, when the road washes out I don’t think you’re going to call the city
and say hey, leave me alone just let me stay up here. You don’t need to worry about that road, I
really don’t think so. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: I think the gentleman yields the balance of his time. All right, the Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Guilfoyle: Mr. Mayor, I’m going to try to respond. I thought there might have one or
two questions. What is the difference? Stormwater management is applicable and needed
throughout the un-incorporated areas of the county but it would be appropriate to provide different
levels of service in the urban and suburban areas in contrast to the rural areas. Urban and suburban
area development in some portions of the county have altered natural hydrology of such areas with
some natural elements having been replaced or augmented by manmade facilities. Other areas of
the county remain less densely developed in rural in character, that is the difference. Now the
stormwater system plan that we have in place, I don’t know if we have one, BP Best Practice
Management I believe it is where my colleague was talking about an aging CMP, corrugated metal
pipe. Well, the rural areas do not have corrugated metal pipe unless you go across somebody’s
driveway and then if you get the apron put on we see how much that would entail. Patterson
Bridge, Patterson Bridge has been neglected for years. We also had SPLOST money in the past.
We had I would say the Engineering Department was getting money from the government on the
general fund side but I know that’s not true, they have not been. I’m not going to make anything
up but they did have SPLOST money but if it was originally taken care of in the beginning years
ago it would not have got to the point where it is now. We talk about the Stormwater/Clean Water
Act benefits. We look at that, the only two creeks that we’ve got is Spirit Creek and Little Spirit
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Creek that runs behind Goshen, they both follow into one creek. We have not done nothing. Had
we been proactive in putting in new infrastructure in the grounds in the rural area, no we have not.
What are we paying for? I know in the city by looking at the mileage I think it might’ve been if I
had my paperwork on how many miles of the grass roadsides been cut where we get the prisoners
out there or we get the Bush Hog out there. That’s the difference between the rural and the urban
and suburban. You know in the beginning I said give us a reduced cost because, yes, we know
there’s going to be costs associated in the future but the ditches which I could name off a hundred
of them where people that lives on flagpole lots where you don’t even see where the people live
because they have well water too. A ditch ain’t got to be dug out but once every 20/25-years,
that’s it. So if you look at 20/25-years of paying $6.80 that’s quite a considerable amount of money
but if we’re only doing 4.18 miles in a year and we’ve got 731 we’ve got a long ways to go. So
again I think I tried to prove my point every which way and I would appreciate my colleagues
making an, exempting the stormwater. So I’d like to make a motion to exempt the Stormwater
Fee in the rural area.
Mr. G. Smith: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ve got a motion and a second, second from the Commissioner from
thst
the 10. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1 Engineering Services
Chairman.
Mr. Fennoy: (Inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: Would you speak into the microphone please, sir?
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, sir, I’m sorry about that. Mr. Mayor, I think prior to the implementation
of the Stormwater Program our stormwater system was rated at D+. Now it’s up to a B+. My
district the district that I represent is a very diverse district. It goes all the way from Laney Walker
and Sand Bar Ferry Road all the way out to Highway 56 and Goshen Plantation Road. The
difficulty that I have is telling people that I represent that, you know because you live here you
should pay something different than folks that live someplace else. I think that everybody that
lives in Augusta at some point in time they may not be directly impacted by the Stormwater Fee
but all of us are indirectly impacted by the Stormwater Fee. I think that if we are and we’re going
to always hopefully always continue to have SPLOST programs but I think that we need something
that will give us the money for maintenance of the projects that we put up. I am very pleased with
the Stormwater Program. I am very pleased with the implementation of the program and I’d like
to make a substitute motion that we deny the exemption of the storm water fee, deny the
exemption of the storm water fee in any area of the city.
Mr. D. Williams: And I’ll second it.
Mr. Mayor: All right okay, so we’ve got a substitute motion, Madam Clerk, with a second.
Did you capture that?
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay all right the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 7 and then
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the 9.
Mr. Frantom: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’m hoping that we’re going to hear from Dr.
Hameed because one of the things I’d like to hear is you know the properties that don’t have pipes
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as District 8 Commissioner mentioned as well as the cost to input those properties. I’m assuming
that we have some form of plan for the county when we implement a Stormwater Program. And
then the understanding of why Columbia County exempts what they exempt and 72% exempt
across the state as the documentation that Commissioner Guilfoyle gave to us last week. I feel like
I’m on the fence right now. I think we need to take holistic approach to this and I don’t think we
ought to wait five years. And I know you have another agenda item to talk about as well but when
you think of cost control measures of how we’re doing things and how we’re holding these
companies accountable and some of the costs that I’ve heard on some of these projects and again
Commissioner Guilfoyle brought up a few of those. I just think that approving this or denying it
today is not, shouldn’t be the end all be all and that we should look at this more holistically, so
thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: The Commissioner from the 7 indicated that he’s at a place of wanting to
have a deeper understanding about this and that he recognizes that more work needs to be done.
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All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I heard all of my colleagues and their comments
and some I agree with and some I don’t. If the Stormwater Fee was implemented to everybody
paying this $6.50 or $6.75 or whatever that is one thing but you’ve got businesses that’s paying
three times maybe four times as much as their water bill is for the stormwater. I heard Patterson
Bridge Road and it was fixed with the stormwater fee. That road belongs to the city and whether
we had stormwater we should have fixed it from somewhere I don’t care where that money came
from. That’s the responsibility of this Commission to fix the roads. But when you’ve got
businesses and non-profit and churches and everybody else paying all kinds of fees because of the
size of their building not a flat rate for everybody but just the businesses end up charging their
customer a little bit more. They pay their home then you go to church if you pay your tithes if you
do tithe you pay it again. I think something needs to be done. We talked about looking at it, we
talked about coming back looking at the system. I hear we need money in this city but what is this
city doing that’s going attract people into the city. Most cities run off of the economic development
or economic impact that their city brings in. We put it on the backs of the taxpayers versus having
those type things that happen in this city that attract people to our city so they can bring money in.
We are charging ourselves for things that other cities use their economics to do. I can’t tell you
one thing everything we come up with we find a reason not to do it so I do think it needs to be
looked at. I do think we need to look at this like Commissioner Frantom said holistically and figure
out what way are we going. If we’re going to charge everybody a flat rate is one thing but when
businesses and non-profits have to pay that type of money that we’re asking them to pay they end
up they don’t pay it. Well, Donna, I hadn’t called on you much but I voted for the Stormwater Fee
and the reason I voted for it was because there wasn’t no tax, there wasn’t anything that could be
done if you didn’t pay it. It’s in your bill but if there wasn’t no taxes they could attach it to your
property, can’t cut your water off but you’ve got businesses that’s really complaining, really are
suffering because of the amount being billed to them. Now my creditors are already in line. They
31
know who they’re supposed to be behind. They get the $2.00 when I give it to them so I say to
the City of Augusta just get in line behind the rest of those. But it’s amazing how we don’t do
anything to bring money into the city but we want to figure out ways to tax the people in the city.
So if we’re going to get smart we ought to be trying to get resources to come in from the outside
to bring us money so we’ll be able to fund those things like most cities do. If you look around I
mean we done own the city and we’re the only ones having problems. We don’t want to have
stormwater. Commissioner Guilfoyle talked about the rural area don’t have any sidewalks or any
pipes in the ground. I live in the middle of the city and I ain’t got no sidewalks and I ain’t got no
pipes in the ground. The water runs from one yard to another yard to another yard until it goes
wherever it’s going and that’s not outside the city. I’m in the center of the city but those are areas
we had not taken care of. They don’t have no sidewalks, no curbing, no draining. I used to get
upset when I see children walking in the middle of the street but when you see them walking in
the middle of the street, you look to the right or left there’s no sidewalk. They’re not going to
walk in the ditches so they get in the middle of the street and the more they do that the more they
think they’re supposed to do that. So we’ve got a lot of work to be done but the economics have
not been flowing and have not flowed in this city. We’re not doing those things that we need to
be doing to attract people in to bring monies in so we can do those things. We’d rather outsource
everything, we rather charge stuff that we probably shouldn’t be charging. So I’ll say again it
needs to be looked. Now is the time to look at it. We shouldn’t wait two more years. If we don’t
change it today we really ought to be looking at what can we do, how can we get it to be a viable
situation. If other counties are not charging the rural area because they’re not getting the service,
I use the analogy all the time it’s like paying for a taxicab ride that you ain’t took yet. You ain’t
going to pay for no ride you ain’t took once you get out of the cab. You might pay for it but you
ain’t paying in case you ride you want to be took a trip in the cab. So, I just think that we need to
be mindful about what we’re doing. We tried something but it ain’t working so we need to look at
it and need to go back and look at it and fix it. I don’t think we ought to just continue just to let
people think that’s it’s going to work itself out because it has not worked itself out. There’s a
couple of sidebars going Mr. Johnson so I guess I need to keep talking. They got a couple of
sidebars going.
Mr. Frantom: Words of wisdom, words of wisdom.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, we just need to do some things differently and it don’t take a
whole lot.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, here’s our posture we’ve got ---
Mr. M. Williams: You’ve got the rest of my time. I’ll yield the rest of my time.
Mr. Mayor: --- he’s taking us to Washington, yield the balance of his time to the
rd
Commissioner from the 3.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Chairman ---
Mr. Mayor: All right.
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Ms. Davis: --- I mean Mr. Mayor and Commissioner Williams. We’ve had a lot of sidebars
up here just now and I think, Commissioner Guilfoyle, we’re hearing you we’re just not sure
exactly, I think we all feel we need to delve more into this details as far as what that would entail,
what areas specifically. And we also really want to hear from our Engineering in a lot more details
because I’ve had good conversation with them over the past two weeks. And so I think there’s
still information that we all don’t have to see exactly how to make the best decision. I know that
we have a substitute motion and I think a lot of us are just talking about we would like to have
some kind of workshop. I know we’re all busy and we have workshops that are sometimes hard
for all of us to attend but I think this one is very important to work towards that. So I was going
to ask I think Commissioner Fennoy if he would you know stick to his substitute motion but then
amend it to include a workshop in the near future with Dr. Malik and his staff. And you’ve heard
the concerns today so you can definitely you know come back with your preparations for this
specific concerns from Commissioner Guilfoyle, I think he wants to speak too, Mr. Mayor, could
we bring Dr. ---
Dr. Malik: Yeah, Honorable Mayor and members, I agree but I do want to make one thing
very clear. I think the reference has been made time and time again that’s to Item number 5 in that
72 is on your first of the rural area in exempt, I take exception to that as a professional. The
question I’ll ask do you exempt the non-developed area and in parenthesis it’s Agriculture. And
the second question do you exempt undeveloped area non-agriculture. There’s a great difference
between undeveloped and rural area, I just want to make that point clear.
Mr. Hasan: So what should ---
Mr. Mayor: Hold on, hold on, hold on, so the gentleman knows of what he speaks and
your concern is duly noted okay, duly noted. All right, we have before us a substitute motion with
nd
a second from the Commissioner from the 2. What the Mayor Pro Tem has asked is that he
amend his substitute motion to include a workshop in three weeks that will address this issue.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, does it make a difference if I amend it or alter it?
Mr. Mayor: Well, we just want to get it right the first time.
Mr. Fennoy: Ms. Bonner, you know what we’re trying to do so we want to get it right the
first time. I’m going to go to Ms. Bonner to see how that should be read, how the substitute should
be read, Ms. Bonner.
The Clerk: Okay.
Mr. Fennoy: And, Dr. Malik, you’re okay with the workshop.
Dr. Malik: Yes, sir, that would be very helpful ---
Mr. Fennoy: Okay.
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Dr. Malik: --- discuss the plan and the program. It’s not really about the (inaudible) and
the pipe. It’s a lot more than that.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay that’s it. Do you want to read the motion for me the substitute motion
for me, Ms. Bonner? I want to make sure you earn your dollars today.
The Clerk: Substitute motion is to deny any exempt area of the city and to schedule a work
session within the next three weeks to address the storm water matters.
Mr. D. Williams: Second.
The Clerk: Well, that was he amended it Mr. Williams ---
Mr. Hasan: Already seconded it.
The Clerk: --- yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
Mr. Guilfoyle votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
38. Motion to approve Stormwater Ordinance review and amendment to address delinquent
accounts and require quarterly reporting on revenue and expenditures. (Requested by
Mayor Hardie Davis)
(It was the consensus that this item be included in the work shop to be held to discuss storm water
matters).
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, we’re going to take Item 35 and we’re going to lump that up
into the previous motion in other words ---
The Clerk: You mean 38 ---
Mr. Mayor: --- yes, 38 we’re going to take, we’re going to include that in our workshop
action.
The Clerk: Okay, all right, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, so I know everybody wants to go home but we’ve got more
business.
Mr. Sias: (Inaudible) all said we could go.
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Mr. Mayor: No sir, I’m sorry, Ms. Bonner didn’t tell you you could go. We actually have
a couple of items that we did not address on last week at the Legal meeting in our Executive
Session that are necessary for us to address this afternoon. It should take if we move expeditiously
20 minutes. It should take 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker: (Inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: I know you have. It should take us 20 minutes, I promise you. All right so
Attorney MacKenzie, the Chair recognizes Attorney MacKenzie.
ADDENDUM
40. Motion to approve going into a Legal Meeting.
Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to go into an Executive Session to discuss
litigation.
Mr. Fennoy: So moved.
Ms. Davis: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, a motion and a second, voting.
Mr. D. Williams out.
Mr. M. Williams votes No.
Motion Passes 8-1.
\[LEGAL MEETING\]
Mr. MacKenzie: I would entertain a motion to execute the Closed Meeting Affidavit.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Ms. Davis: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
Mr. Frantom, Mr. Smith and Mr. M. Williams out.
Motion Passes 7-0.
Mr. Mayor: Attorney MacKenzie, any further business before us?
Mr. MacKenzie: No, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk?
The Clerk: No, sir, that’s it.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, we’re adjourned.
\[MEETING ADJOURNED\]
Lena Bonner
Clerk of Commission
CERTIFICATION:
I, Lena J. Bonner, Clerk of Commission, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy
of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of The Augusta Richmond County Commission held on
May 15, 2018.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
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