HomeMy WebLinkAboutRegular Commission Meeting September 17, 2019
REGULAR MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 2:00 p.m., September 17, 2019, the
Hon. Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor, presiding.
PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Fennoy, Frantom, M. Williams, Davis, D.
Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission.
Mr. Mayor: All right, good afternoon, everybody. All right, we’ll try that again. Good
afternoon, everybody. We are here to do the people’s business and what a beautiful day outside.
All we need is a little bit of rain, just a little bit of rain. Madam Clerk, we’ll call this meeting to
order.
The Clerk: Yes, sir. I call your attention to the invocation portion of our agenda which will
be delivered by Reverend Sheldon Cooper, Pastor of the Galilee Baptist Church after which we
would like to ask the Honorable Richard Roundtree, our Sheriff, to please lead us in the Pledge of
Allegiance. Please stand.
The invocation was given by Reverend Sheldon Cooper, Pastor Galilee Baptist Church.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America was recited.
The Clerk: Office of Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. by these presence be it known that Reverend
Sheldon Cooper, Pastor of the Galilee Baptist Church is Chaplain of the Day. His civic guidance
and civic leadership serves as an example for all citizens of Augusta. Given under my hand this
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17 Day of September 2019, Hardie Davis Jr., Mayor thank you so much.
Mr. Mayor: Would you join me in thanking him for his service on today as our Chaplain
of the Day. (APPLAUSE) Madam Clerk, I might add that Pastor Cooper has provided the
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Commissioner from the 1 with a long list of items that’s been working on through the duration of
his time on this illustrious body ---
The Clerk: Wonderful.
Mr. Mayor: --- I’m well aware of that list.
Mr. Fennoy: May I add something, Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: I’d like to add that Galilee recently celebrated an anniversary and our
Honorable Mayor was the guest speaker. And the Mayor started off by saying that I promise you
that this, my presentation will not be longer than a Commission meeting and about half the
congregation got up and walked out.
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The Clerk: Your Dangerfield moment.
Mr. Fennoy: It was.
Mr. Mayor: Fantastic. I did want to take a few minutes to highlight a few things today,
Madam Clerk. I am extremely pleased to share with this body and the community today I am
celebrating a Silver Anniversary. I’ve got 25 years with the company called Ms. Yvette Davis
(APPLAUSE) 25 years.
The Clerk: Congratulations, well wishes.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you so much. They tell me it’s all uphill from here.
The Clerk: That’s right, that’s right.
Mr. Mayor: I’m excited about that so ---
The Clerk: Good reason to be ---
Mr. Mayor: --- absolutely.
The Clerk: --- good reason to be.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I will ask I want to ask this body do we have unanimous consent,
the Clerk has provided us with an addendum agenda of one material item and then just a pulling
of two items, do we have unanimous consent ---
Mr. Sias: Without objection.
Mr. Mayor: --- without objection, all right. The gentleman from the corner seat over there,
my friend Dave Barbee, thought we were in Australia where you can just blurt out in the audience.
All right, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Yes, sir with our delegation ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
The Clerk: --- okay.
The Clerk:
DELEGATION(S)
A. Presentation from Mr. Russell Brown regarding the Augusta Players upcoming
production entitled Ragtime the Musical.
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Mr. Seidl: Good afternoon, distinguished members of the Augusta Commission, the
Honorable Mayor and all of our guests in the room. I am not Russell Brown. My name is Scott
Seidl. I’m the Executive and Artistic Director of the Augusta Players. And I want to thank you for
giving us the time to share with you the excitement we have as in less than two weeks we begin
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our 75 Epic Diamond Anniversary Season, 75 years here in the City of Augusta. I’d like to take
this opportunity to thank the City of Augusta because that accomplishment would not be possible
without the support of this community. We literally exist for and because of the City of Augusta
and we’re so grateful for the support that we’ve had over these 75 years as we look forward to our
future that lies ahead. The year ahead of us in an immediate sense is filled with many events and
celebrations as we celebrate this anniversary. Our camps, our program for young people with
Autism, Spectrum Disorder and of course our shows. We have an incredible season of shows lined
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up and that first one that kicks off our season in just under two weeks on September 27 at the
Imperial Theater is the epic Tony Award winning show called Ragtime. I’ve been in this industry
for 43 years. I’ve been waiting for 20 years to be in the right place at the right time with the right
talent to make this production happen and it’s a joy to finally be in a place where that cannot only
happen but I now call home. I’ve been here for two years with the organization and as a resident
of Augusta. And it’s so thrilling we had 130 people audition for the show and we have 48
incredibly talented individuals that are all volunteer performers from this area to present this show
for you. The show itself concerns itself with three very dispirit groups of people: a Jewish
immigrant that’s just arrived from Latvia in New York City, a privileged as the father says very
well off Caucasian family from New Rochelle, New York and a successful musician from Harlem.
Their stories intertwine as they are all searching for their version of the American Dream in the
early 1900’s. And this fictional story is exciting not only because of the story that it’s telling but
it’s also framed by historic characters people like Booker T. Washington, Harry Houdini, Henry
Ford also appear in the show. It’s filled with things that are entertaining and sad and powerful.
The material itself can be so much fun but also has some very big ideas to share with our audiences
and I think it’s very appropriate at this time and place in our country. The score which is what we
want to share a little bit of with you today is best described by the original music director of the
production. He said, this score, this music is embarrassment of riches and what he meant by that
is as one song finishes you think it can’t possibly get better than that but yet somehow each and
every time it does. There are several emphatic songs that happen during the course of the
production. Possibly the most iconic is a song called Make Them Hear You as the title character
Coalhouse Walker is explaining to his constituents that there’s a better way to accomplish what
they want to accomplish and he explains it to them through this song called Make Them Hear You.
Our Coalhouse Walker is an Augusta native back in Augusta now. He started with the Augusta
Players as a young man, went off, has had an amazing career and is back to share that talent with
us, I’d like to introduce to you our Coalhouse Walker Mr. Russell Joel Brown. (APPLAUSE)
Mr. Brown: Our technology has been ready all morning until this moment. Don’t despair
with us, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: It must be an I Phone.
Mr. Brown: It is. (Presentation by Mr. Brown)
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Mr. Seidl: Thank you so much for the opportunity. We invite you to join us the 27, 28
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and 29 at the Imperial Theater to celebrate our 75 years and also the Arts. We’re making this
celebration of our entire arts community. You can get information on our website or stop over at
the Imperial. Thank you for the opportunity. It’s a pleasure to be here.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1,
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All right, he waives. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner form the 3.
Ms. Davis: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just have to point out that Russell is an Aquinas grad
and he sure does make the Irish Nation very proud. (APPLAUSE) I had to.
Mr. Mayor: Outstanding. None of us will be singing like that. Madam Clerk, all right top
to bottom.
The Clerk: Our Consent Agenda consists of Items 1 through 31 with the exception of Item
2 and Item ---
Mr. Mayor: Six, the addendum agenda, the revision is to pull Items 2 and 6. That is what
those are so they are no longer on consent for the audience. They’re not on consent, okay? All
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right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I’ve got a couple I’d like to pull. First I think
Item 19, 23, 29, I think that’s it, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Mayor: Okay that’s it, okay. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from
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the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. (inaudible).
Mr. Mayor: Would you speak into the microphone please, sir?
Mr. Sias: Excuse me, thank you, sir. Please pull Item 5.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I’d like to send to the committee cycle
Items 36 through 39.
Mr. Mayor: No, Item 36 no. Item 37,38 and 39, I don’t have a problem with.
Mr. Hasan: Just remember if we get to 39 (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: Say that again, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, I agree, I don’t have a problem with that. I’d still like to speak to 39 when
we get to that point.
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The Clerk: 38 and 39?
Mr. Mayor: Well, you said you wanted to send it back to committee.
The Clerk: You want to send it back to committee?
Mr. Sias: He can speak on it though.
Mr. Mayor: Right 37, 38 and 39 we’ll send to committee.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: All right, any other motions to add? All right, the Chair recognizes the Mayor
Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Motion to approve the agenda as stated.
Mr. Sias: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, you got that, Madam Clerk?
The Clerk: Yes, sir.
CONSENT AGENDA
PLANNING
1. Z-19-33 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with conditions below a petition by TCA, LLC, on behalf of Georgia Vitrified Brick
& Clay, requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-MH (Manufactured Home Residential)
and HI (Heavy Industry) to Zone R-3B (Multiple-family Residential) affecting property
containing approximately 21 acres and known as part of 2111 Powell Road. Part of Tax Map
064-0-004-01-0 CONTINUED from August 5, 2019 meeting. DISTRICT 3. 1. Require a
traffic study showing trips generated, new peak hour trips, right turn deceleration lane
calculations per GDOT, and mitigation measures (if necessary). 2. Require GDOT approval
for access to Gordon Hwy. 3. Require GDOT approval for improvements along property
frontage. 4. Developer must provide deceleration lane on Gordon Highway. 5. Due to the
number of units, a secondary access is required. 6. Proposed entrances and roadway
improvements shall meet the minimum standards of Georgia Department of Transportation,
Augusta Traffic Engineering and the Fire Department. 7. The development shall
substantially conform to the latest site plan submitted on date received 7/16/19. 8. The owner
must provide sanitary sewer by extending the sewer lines to the subject property following
the guidelines and specification of Augusta Utilities.
3. Z-19-36 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with conditions below a petition by Marion Ebron requesting a change of zoning
from Zone R-1C (One-family Residential) to Zone B-1 (Neighborhood Business) affecting
property containing 0.34 acres and known as 2047 Central Avenue. Tax Map 044-2-173-00-
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0 CONTINUED from August 5, 2019 meeting. DISTRICT 1 1. All State and local building
and fire condes must be met before a business license for an adult day care shall be issued.
2. If the second story is to be utilized as an expansion of this use of leased as a separate entity,
parking for the additional space/use must be addressed and a parking variance may be
required.
4. Z-19-37 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve a petition by Hull Barrett P.C. on behalf of Big Tree LLC et al, requesting a rezoning
from Zone R-1A (One-family Residential), R-3B (Multiple-family Residential), B-1
(Neighborhood Business) and B-2 (General Business) to Zone B-2 affecting five (5) tax
parcels containing approximately 38.3 acres and is known as 2505 Washington Road, 1016
Woodsedge Drive, 1000 Bluebird Road, 2425 Washington Road, and 1058 Woodsedge Drive.
Tax Map 019-2-166-03-0, 019-2-166-04-0, 019-4-088-00-0, 109-4-158-00-0; and 019-4-159-00-
0 DISTRICT 7
PUBLIC SERVICES
7. Motion to approve New Ownership: A.N. 19-31: request by Robert J. Kim for a retail
package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with OK Mart located at 2301
Lumpkin Road. District 6. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
8. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 19-32: request by Robert J. Kim
for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Lucky Trip located
at 2260 Lumpkin Rd. District 6. Super District 10. (Approved by Public Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
9. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 19-33: request by Muhammad A.
Ashraf for a retail Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with Chevron Food Mart
located at 202 East Boundary Suite B. District 1. Super District 9. (Approved by Public
Services Committee September 10, 2019)
10. Motion to approve New Ownership Application: A.N. 19-34: request by Shawntae N.
Toone for an on-premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be used in connection
with Sheehan’s Irish Pub located at 2571 Central Avenue. District 2. Super District 9.
(Approved by Public Services Committee September 10, 2019)
11. Motion to approve the Piedmont Mining, LLC contract for Bid Item 19-198 Southeast
Drainage Ditch Enclosure Project – Augusta Regional Airport - $1,352,835.21. (Approved
by Public Services Committee September 10, 2019)
12. Motion to approve amendments to the Augusta-Richmond County Code, Section 7-1-90
PERMIT FEES, so as to increase fees required in connection with the issuance of permits.
Waive Second Reading. (Approved by Public Services Committee September 10, 2019)
13. Motion to approve tasking the Attorney and Administrator with drafting a resolution in
support of establishing a State Veterans Cemetery in Augusta and designate Mr. Don Clark
of Forces United in connection with former Mayor Bob Young to take the lead in determining
what is needed from the Commission to begin the process to establish the cemetery and to
designate a member of the Commission to serve as a point of contact. (Approved by Public
Services Committee September 10, 2019)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
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14. Motion to approve Utilities Department-Facilities Maintenance Division requests the
purchase of one new crane truck at a cost of $135,197 using the GMA lease Program.
(Approved by Administrative Services Committee September 10, 2019)
15. Motion to authorize the submission of the 2019 Continuum of Care Exhibit I
Consolidated Application, Exhibit 2 Applications (both New and Renewal) and all
supporting documentation for the Continuum of Care Application to the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (Approved by Administrative Public Services
Committee September 10, 2019)
16. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development’s (HCD’s) 2019 request to
reallocate administrative expenses for CDBG, HOME, and CDBG Rehab. (Approved by
Administrative Services Committee September 10, 2019)
17. Motion to approve Housing and Community Development Department’s (HCD’s)
request to promote and provide financial assistance to all Richmond County Teachers,
Sheriff Deputies, Marshal Deputies and First Responders to purchase a new home in the
Laney Walker Bethlehem Area. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
FINANCE
20. Motion to approve Option 2 concerning the Guaranteed Minimum Interest Rate (GMIR)
for the fixed annuity investment option in the Nationwide Fixed Annuity offered in the 457(b)
Deferred Compensation Plan. (Approved by Finance Committee September 10, 2019)
ENGINEERING SERVICES
21. Motion to approve Professional Services Agreement for the Design of Sanitary Sewer for
the Belair Road East Area with Constantine Engineering in the Amount of $877630.
(Approved by Engineering Services Committee September 10, 2019)
22. Motion to approve Professional Services Agreement with W.K. Dickson in the Amount
of $951,200 for the Belair Road Area West Sanitary Sewer Design. (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee September 10, 2019).
24. Motion to approve Initial Phase funding for Drainage Study, Stormwater System
Assessment and Drainage Improvements Engineering Services Agreement to Cranston
Engineering (Cranston) in the amount of $112,355.00 for National Hills Drainage Basin as
requested by the AED. RFQ 19-148 (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
25. Motion to approve Initial Phase funding for Drainage Study, Stormwater System
Assessment and Drainage Improvements Engineering Services Agreement to Alfred Benesch
& Company (Benesch) in the amount of $114,340.00 for Forrest Hills Drainage Area as
requested by the AED. RFQ 19-148 (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
26. Motion to approve Initial Phase funding for Drainage Study, Stormwater System
Assessment and Drainage Improvements Engineering Services Agreement to Constantine
Engineering (Constantine) in the amount of $223,160.00 for Goshen and other Selected
Drainage Basins as requested by the AED. RFQ 19-148 (Approved by Engineering Services
Committee September 10, 2019)
27. Motion to approve Initial Phase funding for Drainage Study, Stormwater System
Assessment and Drainage Improvements Engineering Services Agreement to Goodwyn Mill
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Cawood (GMC) in the amount of $128,630.00 for Turpin Hills/Laney Walker Drainage Area
as requested by the AED. RFQ 19-148 (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
28. Motion to approve funds allocation revision in the amount of $49,000 for the
Memorandum of Understanding with Phinizy Center (Nonprofit Organization) to assist in
the activities that are designed for stream restoration in local waterbodies. Requested by the
Augusta Engineering Department. (Approved by Engineering Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
30. Motion to approve adoption of the revised Street Lighting Ordinance (Augusta, Georgia
Code Chapter 3 Street Lighting, Section 7-3) to incorporate current fee structure for the
streetlight system. Requested by AED. (Approved by Commission September 3, 2019-Second
reading)
PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
31. Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Augusta Commission held
on September 3, 2019 and Special Called Meeting held September 10, 2019a0
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
37. Update regarding the BH3 City Leadership Initiative and the benefits to the City of
Augusta. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
38. Discuss Homeless Initiatives for the City of Augusta currently being implemented and
what additional things can be done to positively impact the lives of the homeless community.
(Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
39. Discuss Smart City Augusta Initiatives. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: Okay, voting.
Motion Passes 10-0. \[Items 1, 3, 4, 6-18, 20-22, 24-28, 30, 31, 37-39\]
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, I’m going to go to item the Addendum Item Number One. The
Sheriff is here and I want to give him an opportunity to tell us what’s on his mind.
The Clerk:
ADDENDUM
41. Presentation from Sheriff Richard Roundtree, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office,
regarding a building expansion project.
Mr. Mayor: Sheriff?
Sheriff Roundtree: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Commissioners. Thank you for first adding
this item to your agenda. Also there was some question as to why we didn’t go through the normal
committee cycle and I just want to assure you that it was not an attempt to circumvent the process
but this matter has now become time-sensitive. And the person I spoke to the Finance and the
Public Safety Chair and advised them my intent to move forward to the full Commission. So, yes,
I’m here to ask you for some money. This little backdrop, when I took office in 2013 the Sheriff’s
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Operations Division was located in only two areas of Richmond County. One was the Southgate
Plaza and the other one was the Daniel Village Substation. Now with the construction of the South
Precinct still in process when I took office. Now we operate out of four precincts with the addition
of the new Special Operations precinct and the Riverwalk Precinct that this body unanimously and
gingerly added to the safety of the downtown element. It was the success of the Riverwalk Precinct
that brought us to this point. We always believe in great community partners and because of that
we were approached by one of our community partners about expanding our footprint into the
West Augusta area. To the point whereas a property location was presented to us located at 2816
Washington Road in the Publix, now Publix Shopping Center that we have an opportunity to utilize
approximately 2600 square foot acreage of two parcels that were combined to create an office
space for Zone 3 officers, approximately 30 to 40 officers working out of that space with a buildout
cost, of commercial buildout is approximately $400,000 dollars. Also with that property being a
combination of two that the commercial retail value price will be listed at $35,000 dollars annually
as fair market value. What this company has decided to do and volunteered to do is not only lease
the property to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for a $1.00 a year at a 5-year lease with a 5-
year renewal which gives you a savings of $175,000 dollars and $350,000 dollars over a ten-year
period. Also, this company was generous enough not only to provide and reallocate the space but
to conduct the buildout of this property which again the commercial buildout price was
approximately $400,000 dollars commercially. So right now you’re talking about a savings with
the 5-year lease of the $575,000 dollar investment to this government and the Richmond County
Sheriff’s Office. Our portion would only be to provide the fiber optics to the building, add
computers and monitors and also for furnishing of that building so we’re now requesting $100,000
dollars to operate that building to move in. And when I said it was a time-sensitive nature, this
particular partner moves at such an exceptional pace that within the next three weeks they said
they will be complete and ready to turn the project over with Commission approval for us to move
in as long as we can add the furnishings, utilities. We’ve already spoken to the IT Department
about what it would take to add the fiber optics and computer room. This facility again would be
2600 square foot and it has a Lieutenant’s Office, two Sargent Offices and cubicles, a common
space, a conference room and also a video monitoring room for an expansion of our cameras that
we’re going to plan to move again throughout the city and the West Augusta corridor. Again this
will give us another footprint in the city, the West Augusta, South Augusta, downtown and
evidentially decentralize some of our investigators so we will now have Zone Investigators and
move them out of the building at 400 into the precincts in which they will be working directly with
individuals so again what I’m asking for is approximately $100,000 dollars to move into the
property. Approximate yearly operating cost we don’t know yet. We estimate it around $20,000
which we will factor in next year’s budget once we move in but again that is a savings of over a
ten-year period for this county government that this entity is donating over $750,000 dollar
investment for $100,000 dollar investment here today over a ten-year period and that is what I’m
asking the Commission that we can be ready to try to move in as quickly as we possibly can.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we have a series of question as well. All right, I’m going to go to
this side first. Administrator Sims, if you’ll approach, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from
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the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Sheriff, how you doing, sir?
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Sheriff Roundtree: Well, sir, thank you.
Mr. Hasan: All right, sir, does the $100,000 dollars because that’s why you’re saying you
actually need from us $100,000 dollars ---
Sheriff Roundtree: That’s correct.
Mr. Hasan: --- does that include also the furnishings as well?
Sheriff Roundtree: That is correct.
Mr. Hasan: Okay and you say in three weeks’ time you would like to be in there or be
finished in three weeks?
Sherriff Roundtree: They plan to, if we move forward that they’ll be able to turn the key
over to us the first week in October.
Mr. Hasan: So do you have a timeframe when turning the key in that you would like to be
in the building beyond that timeframe?
Sheriff Roundtree: Well, we understand that with the furnishings the computers and all
probably go through IT and it’ll have to be bidded out so we would like to go ahead and start that
process as quickly as possible. So it’ll be as quick as we can get the procurement process to buy
the furnishings, to buy the computers. IT has already looked at the specs. They can run the fiber
optics to it so all that’ll be going on simultaneously so we know that we won’t be able to move in
in three weeks because we can’t just go to the furniture store and buy the furniture or buy the
computers but we would like to start the process as quickly as we possibly can.
Mr. Hasan: And so and last but not least and that is that you say beyond this $100,000
dollars do you think every year thereafter you’d be in the range and it’s just the maintenance and
upkeep, utilities and things of that nature that’s what you’d probably need from a budgetary ---
Sheriff Roundtree: About $20,000 dollars ---
Mr. Hasan: --- $20,000 dollars.
Sheriff Roundtree: --- with that square footage and we’re basing that on what we do at
Riverwalk, Riverwatch that was about $15,000 but that’s only 2,000 square feet where this is 2600
square feet so it’s an estimate. It can go up or down next year as we get into the building but that
is our approximate estimate yearly cost is $20,000 dollars to operate ---
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor ---
Sheriff Roundtree: --- $20,000 and one-dollar I guess.
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Mr. Hasan: --- I make a motion to approve but I would like the Administrator to give us
some idea where we’d get the $100,000 dollars from.
Mr. Frantom: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem for a series of questions.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Sheriff Roundtree, what does your 2020
budget look like from a standpoint of holistically the total and then when you said $20,000 dollars,
is that worked into whatever your budget is for 2020?
Sheriff Roundtree: It has not. We met with our budgetary meeting last week. We
submitted a budget and then it can come before the Commission but we turned it in a proposed
budget of a .3% savings from last year so we actually reduced our operating budget from last year.
Mr. Frantom: What dollar figure is that, do you know?
Sheriff Roundtree: .3% of $69 million. I couldn’t tell you.
Mr. Frantom: Okay, thank you, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. Sheriff, just I’m definitely going to support your request. I just
wanted to ask you to give us time as we move through this to work out any of the small nuances
and things that we will have to work out to facilitate your request, one of them being you know
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the location for the funding. My colleague from the 6 asked about a timeline. The thing, I’ve
got the same question but a little different. When do you need for a lack of a better term what day,
how many days do you need the money, today?
Sheriff Roundtree: Well, like I said we know that in three weeks we just wouldn’t be able,
they’re going to turn over ownership provided that you move forward and sign the lease agreement
of course. The challenge with this one as opposed to Riverwalk is we move furniture from a
location and move deputies. This is a brand new location so we do not have the furniture or the
computers or anything to move to it so it would be a quickly as we can streamline the procurement
process. Of course we’ll have to get with Ms. Sams and Finance about the quickest way like some
of the items can be sole sourced, if not they have to be bid out. Again we’re not going to try to
circumvent the procurement process but if we can sole source some of it we can start to move in
with the basics and hopefully we can gradually get everything in. Once we like I say IT runs the
fiber optics and that’s going to be the main thing and the computers. Then of course we don’t have
a conference table today. We don’t have to have the camera monitor on the wall today. These
items can be as the procurement process going to add it to. But we do need to get furnishings,
computers and fiber optics to actually move people into the building.
Mr. Sias: All right, just one final question. I know you said kind of maintenance now as
far as minor repairs or major repairs will the lessor do major repairs or would that be on the city?
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Sheriff Roundtree: That will be on the city but I will tell you that this community partner
completely redid the entire construction to include adding two large industrial air conditioning,
brand new air conditioning units so every item in there is practically new from a building
standpoint structurally sound so we don’t foresee any major repairs coming especially within the
first five years but of course we would be responsible if something major happened of course.
Mr. Sias: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Do you waive?
Mr. Fennoy: No.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Sheriff Roundtree ---
Sheriff Roundtree: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- what area would this location primarily serve?
Sheriff Roundtree: The National Hills and the Washington Road area.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay and I guess my question is when you look at the crime that’s being
committed throughout the Richmond County I know that anytime you have a presence, it’s an
asset but is this what we actually need another location as opposed to the Meadow Brook area or
East Boundary area?
Sheriff Roundtree: If you look at it from a residential standpoint you may have more
violent crimes within the area in which you talked about as far as burglaries, theft from businesses,
we have a lot of commercial theft from cars of that corridor in the National Hills area. So if you’re
talking about from a property crime standpoint there is a need there but I will answer you in this
way, Commissioner. If you give me $750,000 dollars that this company is giving, I’ll put one in
Meadowbrook for you.
Mr. Fennoy: Well, does it have to be $750,000? I mean we could find a house out there to
put you in.
Sheriff Roundtree: No, but we’re saying we’re and I said before when we’re diversifying
trying to get community partners if there is a location and that’s what I said when we did the
Riverwalk, if there’s a location or a partnership in Augusta that we can do a public/private
partnership with any entity to provide a better police presence in a particular neighborhood at
minimum cost to the city, we’ll be more than happy to entertain it. We’d had no problem with that
it’s just in this particular project this company came to us and said hey we would like to contribute
to the safety and wellbeing of this county and this is what we can provide you.
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Mr. Fennoy: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes Administrator Sims to speak to the finance.
Mr. Sims: Sure. Thank you, Mayor. We would have to identify some funding sources
potentially capital outlay recapture or SPLOST Recapture Funds. Also our Finance Director just
walked in the building as well so she might be able to elaborate a little bit more.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I thought you forgot about me with all the
exciting news going on. I didn’t think there was no courthouse secret but evidently there are,
Mary, this is one I didn’t have any idea about and I’m pleased but Mr. Sheriff I’ve got a couple of
questions I’d like to get some answers to. And I’m in support. Any time somebody comes bearing
gifts I want to be able to receive those gifts especially for this city and do all we can but I’m just a
little bit surprised that it did not come through the normal committee process so we can at least be
wowed about that and have some dialogue. Everybody I spoke to so far just heard it when you
spoke you know this afternoon so that kind of bothers me a little bit because if we deviate from
that with this one then that opens the door for someone else to do the house that Commissioner
Fennoy talked about in South Augusta out there to do the same thing. But like I say I’m in support
but I’m thinking about the maintenance not just the maintenance, additional officers that will be
established what else is this going to create I guess. And it’s a good problem to have so I’m not
complaining but I just as an elected official money’s a big thing and I just want to know what else
this is going to entail versus the stuff on the surface.
Sheriff Roundtree: Of course, Commissioner, I’ll address both of your concerns.
Originally our plan was to bring it through the committee cycle then again through the normal
cycle here but as I stated earlier we were under the impression that this particular company for a
lack of a better word was going to work like the government a little slower when the building out
but when we they contacted us to come and take a look at the plans which we thought we were
looking at site plans. When we arrived at the location they were almost finished so we were
surprised at the fact we were able to occupy the building as quick as we could so that was from
that standpoint. Again like I say from the maintenance and utilities part we’re looking at it from
the same standpoint of Riverwalk. It’s a, it was completely rebuilt. We haven’t had any
maintenance issues there. The building is sound, the location is sound. We don’t foresee any
major maintenance. Again I can’t predict any acts of God or natural disasters or anything of that
nature but based what we done in the past that’s what we’re basing this particular project on.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Sheriff, you had time to contact IT and get all of those things worked
out. I mean before you got to them this body still comes first. And I mean I’m in support like I
said but when you can go to IT and they can tell you about the fiber optics can be placed and you
can know how much furniture you’re going to need and everything else this body who you have
to come to to get this approval should have been. I mean I don’t want to put the wagon in front of
the horse because we ain’t going nowhere like that. I still say I’m in support, Mr. Mayor, but I
just think that this body should have been notified at least if we didn’t know all of the plans, the
potential plans as to what we were going to do. I mean that makes us look kind of awkward like
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we always do I guess but we don’t have to do it every time. It could’ve been one time we didn’t
look so awkward I just don’t agree with that. I still say again I’m in support. I’d like to see the
growth I mean I’d like to see to able to, you never have too many officers if we had one on every
corner we wouldn’t have too many. I get that but I just think my job is serious to me. Not just when
the Sheriff needs something but when the taxpayers, the public needs something. They are just as
important to me to make I meet their needs as well. Now we’re talking about finding money. I
hadn’t heard from my famous Finance Director who is here in the room but I’d like to know where
the funds are going to come from, Mr. Mayor, and make sure we’ve got enough to do everything
else we got to do. So I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth but I don’t want to ride him if
he’s going to put me down on the side of the road either.
Sheriff Roundtree: We thank you for your continued support, Commissioner.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Sheriff, has your General Counsel reviewed the lease and shared
that with our General Counsel at this time?
Sheriff Roundtree: No, the lease is being drawn up now. Again we can’t enter into it ---
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Sheriff Roundtree: --- again until this body says it wants to move forward but the lease
proposal is again a 5-year lease at $1.00 a year with a 5-year renewal. The moment we get that in
hand we will definitely forward it over to Legal.
Mr. Mayor: So generally and I think I shared this with you prior to us again and in this
public discourse just a moment ago, we normally would handle these matters where we’ve got
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those things in hand because ultimately as the Commissioner from the 9 has indicated this body
is responsible for the maintenance, operations and upkeep of that facility and we’ll have to budget
for that because it becomes part of our inventory at that point event though we’re leasing it ---
Sheriff Roundtree: That’s correct.
Mr. Mayor: --- we become responsible. And so I do know that there’s support for it. I
think it’s prudent for us to do that but I do want to caution this body that as we make this
commitment we do so without having again fully understood the mechanics of what a lease might
be and what our responsibilities will be with regards to that but we are in support of it. All right,
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the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. Well, just to make that clear I’ll provide a substitute motion
that we support this pending a review and approval of the lease and any other requirements
that the city has to be obligated to.
Mr. M. Williams: I need to hear from Finance, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Fennoy: I’ll second that.
14
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ve got a substitute with a proper second. All right, the Chair
recognizes Attorney Brown.
Mr. Brown: Commissioner, I would like to ask through the Chair, Commissioner Sias,
would it be appropriate if we could that done say by next week to have this matter considered on
the Special Called Committee so that the Commissioners, all Commissioners are fully informed
and we have a better opportunity to assess the true financial commitment involved with this
request?
Mr. Sias: May I? Certainly, Attorney Brown, we can, I can move my substitute motion
that we review and place on a Special Called Meeting for approval pending verification of all
financial obligations that the city will be required to.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, fantastic. I think that’s appropriate, excellent. All right, thank you,
Sheriff.
Sheriff Roundtree: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, if you’ll yield to Director Williams.
Mr. Sias: Absolutely.
Ms. Williams: Good afternoon. I was upstairs trying to find some money. So we do have
approximately $95,000 dollars for the remainder of the year in our Capital Outlay Fund. That
would be the logical place given five minutes notice for me to make a recommendation concerning
the location of funds that could be utilized on this project.
Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. All right, we’ve got a substitute ---
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I’ve got a couple of questions.
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Mr. Mayor: --- okay, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Donna, ordinarily what would that $95,000 be used for?
Ms. Williams: Well, unexpected expenditures.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay and this is unexpected?
Ms. Williams: Pretty much to me, yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: All right.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
15
Mr. Sias: (Unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a substitute motion with a proper second with the known
conditions, voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, we’re going to go to item --
The Clerk: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission, as a matter of record we would like
to acknowledge our Alcohol Petitions on our Public Services agenda to give anyone in the
Chamber an opportunity if they object to any of our Alcohol Petitions, would you please signify
your objections by raising your hand. I call your attention to:
Item 7: Is a request for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection
with the location at 2301 Lumpkin Road.
Item 8: Is a request for a retail package Beer & Wine License to be used in connection
with the Lucky Trip located at 2260 Lumpkin Road.
Item 9: Is a request for a retail Beer & Wine License to be used in connection with 202
East Boundary Suite B.
Item 10: Is a request for an on-premise consumption Liquor, Beer & Wine License to be
used in connection with Sheehan’s Irish Pub located at 2571 Central Avenue.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to any of those alcohol petitions? Likewise, we will
acknowledge our Planning Petitions and if there are any persons in the Chamber objecting to:
Item 1: Is a request to approve with condition a change of zoning from a Zone R-MH
(Manufactured Home Residential) and HI (Heavy Industry) to a Zone R-3B (Multiple-Family
Residential) regarding property at 2111 Powell Road.
Item 3: 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 known as 2047 Central Avenue.
The Clerk: Are there any objectors to any of those Planning Petitions? No objectors to
our Alcohol or Planning Petitions.
The Clerk: Okay, sir, where are we headed? Top to bottom?
Mr. Mayor: Yes.
PLANNING
2. Z-19-35 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with conditions below a petition by James Trotter, on behalf of Purko Builders, Inc.,
requesting a change of zoning from Zone R-1A (One-family Residential) to Zone R-3A
(Multiple-family Residential) affecting property containing approximately 4 acres and
known as 3055 and 3061 Dennis Road. Tax Map 007-1-006-00-0 & 006-0-039-00-0
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CONTINUED from August 5, 2019 meeting. DISTRICT 7 1. Require a traffic study showing
trips generated and existing & future level of service along Dennis Road. 2. Make all required
improvements along property frontage (sidewalk, ADA ramps, etc…) 3. Require all property
access meets county/state standards. 4. Internal driveways and radii for the proposed
development must meet all requirements of GDOT and the City of Augusta. 5. Provide a
second (emergency) access to the development as required by the Fire Department and that
meets all required specifications. 6. A Stormwater Management Plan is required at the time
of Site Plan submittal. 7. Review of any future Site Plan be jointly conducted with Columbia
County, since there is a high likelihood that water and sewer will have to come from
Columbia County and stormwater outfall flows into Columbia County.
Ms. Delaney: Good afternoon. My name is Carla Delaney with the Planning and
Development Department and I’m here to convey the recommendation of the Planning
Commission regarding the rezoning of four acres off of Dennis Road. So the Planning
Commission recommended approval with seven conditions for the rezoning of a parcel, two
parcels off of Dennis Road of the, in attendance at the meeting we had over 35 residents that had
concerns and they’re here today. In addition to that, the department is in receipt of signed petitions
opposing the proposed development. We would like to have your, have you entertain the
petitioners and the residents.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. Delaney, thank you for that. All right, the Chair recognizes the
Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So this issue typically when I get called
about Dennis Road, it’s about the road. It’s not about development going on because there’s ---
Mr. Mayor: Mayor Pro Tem, can you suspend for a moment?
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: --- yeah.
Mr. Mayor: Let’s do this. I’m going to recognize the objectors that we have and the
petitioner ---
The Clerk: The supporters.
Mr. Mayor: --- yes, petitioners and objectors, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk: Okay, would those in objection to this petition would you please raise your
hand? Do you want to count off for me, Mr. Administrator? 18, okay. Are there any supporters
of the petition in the Chamber? How many? Two supporters, three. 18 objectors and three
supporters.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right, Madam Clerk, our posture is to hear from the petitioner.
The Clerk: Mr. James Trotter on behalf of the petitioner.
17
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right this is the point where we hear from the petitioner who’s
speaking on behalf of the project. All right, we do have constituents who want to speak on ---
Ms. Delaney: The builder is here ---
Mr. Mayor: --- that’s the builder
Ms. Delaney: Yes ---
Mr. Mayor: --- okay, please bring him forward.
Ms. Delaney: --- sorry, owner of the property.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, if you’ll state for the record your name and your address.
Mr. Purko: My name’s Peter Purko. My address is 810 Rose Hill Lane, Evans, Georgia
30809.
Mr. Mayor: All right, you’re speaking on behalf of the project.
Mr. Purko: I am so we had a meeting, we had multiple meetings. We presented for a lack
of a term Happy Hour where we went before the necessary steps and guidelines that were
recommended to us. Obviously James Trotter is my Attorney but he couldn’t make this meeting
so I’m speaking, I’m not a legal representative so I’m going to do the best I can. But we went
through the necessary steps. I hired all the necessary people. I got an Attorney, I got an Engineer
involved. They’re all well known throughout the community. We went to all the meetings. We
did everything they told us to do. We even took all the recommendations based on traffic, sewer,
water, infrastructure challenges, everything like that. They gave us recommendations. We
constantly changed everything they did. Constantly of all what they wanted us to do as far as
ingress/egress, handicap all this and that, did all that, presented it. Verbally they said it was good
then I think we had another meeting. I wasn’t able to go to that one the first one where Mr. Trotter
went and it was tabled. And then the last one we had about a month ago and we presented
everything, everything that the county wanted us to do with the personnel and the proper
departments. And after everything we presented, everything we were told to do, everything we
were asked to do, we did. We’ve, I’ve given away free land to alleviate storm water, I’ve given
easements and buffers to people around or people who purchased a buffer, per neighbors requests
to move dumpsters and do other things, I’ve done all that. And per all that that was presented at
the last meeting the Planning Commission approved the rezoning plan based on those things and
the step up concepts that were in place because I believe Mayo Townhomes is yielding 17 units
per acre. Our project would yield 10 units per acre and then the neighborhood that is directly
adjoining this property on the other side of Alice steps down to 7 units per acre so it’s a perfect
philosophy of that step down zoning that Mr. Trotter was speaking about at the Planning
Commission meeting.
Mr. Mayor: All right, are there any questions? Okay, thank you, sir.
18
Mr. Purko: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Madam Clerk, we’re going to hear from the a representative ---
The Clerk: From the objectors.
Mr. Mayor: --- from the objectors. Okay, yes, sir, thank you.
Mr. Barbee: Good afternoon, Commissioners and thank you so much for the time. I come,
my name is David Barbee. I live at 807 Mayo Lane in the Mayo Townhome Subdivision. We have
29 townhomes represented in our subdivision. And I’d like for you to look at these videos and
these were presented. Now this, we’re coming up, this is Mayo Townhome Lane right here. This
is where I live, you go right past the front on my townhome. And this is in one of our Georgia
toadstrangler thunderstorms and you follow me as we go through the leading out of the
neighborhood and the water that we continually receive into our subdivision off of Dennis Road.
It's continual, it’s very heavy and it pools. We’re taking care the stormwater with our system
because there’s no drainage system at all on Dennis Road. As we proceed out the gate, we’re
heading, we’re heading when you go back to right we’re heading toward Stevens Creek Road then
you go back to the right the developments to our left, to our left shortly after (inaudible) Now
we’re proceeding down Dennis Road toward Stevens Creek and you can see the edge of the road
how well it’s washed out. And then is oncoming traffic. Again this is one automobile but if you
have to move off the road for us to even pass and this is two cars. This isn’t a school bus. You can
see where the water is puddling and how it’s washed out around the curve and flooding, not
necessarily flooding but it’s washing out and you run your tire over into that hole and you’ve got
a flat tire and you follow around the curve. This ‘s’ curve you can imagine now I’m in an
automobile. Let’s face a school bus or any other item or truck, wide truck or garbage truck or
anything else trying to make passage through that particular street. I’m here on behalf of the Mayo
Townhomes, the Riverstone Association, the Magnolia Ridge Association. And the thing that
bothers us, we’re not trying to deny him and the city’s not denying him his right to develop his
property. We just don’t want the apartments built there for that because you’re putting high-
density more traffic on Dennis Road. It's a safety issue; that is a responsibility of the Commission.
And when you take into consideration the zoning. This also a year ago it was updated that this
particular area along in West Augusta would be zoned for single-family dwellings. That’s fine.
We have no objection to that but not multi-family and especially not on Dennis Road with the
traffic volume that we have on this particular street. I hope that you will be with the community
in our stance on this, that you will deny this zoning change and I appreciate your time and if, but
it’s paramount about safety. This is what our job is. That’s what your job is, is our safety in our
community for what we’re asking. I hope that you will vote and deny this zoning request. Thank
you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, all right the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: (Inaudible)
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
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Mr. Sias: May I address Mr. Barbee, please?
Mr. Mayor: Yes. Please, Mr. Barbee, if you’ll come back to the podium we’ve got
questions for you.
Mr. Barbee: (Inaudible) Yes, Commissioner.
Mr. Sias: Yes, Mr. Barbee. My traditional role has always been to support the needs and
things of our community and our residents so as I heard you talk about Dennis Road, as we’re all
aware, Dennis Road needs some improvement. So my question to you is this as you say your main
issue was safety so if Dennis Road was improved, widened did whatever they have to there’s a
huge volume of traffic that uses Dennis Road as it is and that’s been on our radar. So my question
to you is if Dennis Road and it’s hypothetical but not entirely, if Dennis Road was improved and
changed to handle a greater volume of traffic would you and your homeowners still object to that
development?
Mr. Barbee: Of apartments, sir?
Mr. Sias: Yes.
Mr. Barbee: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: I mean the townhouses, whatever, I think it’s townhouses, correct?
Mr. Barbee: No, he’s talking about apartments.
Mr. Sias: Apartments, okay but you still object.
Mr. Barbee: To apartments, yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: And what would the objection be primarily based on then?
Mr. Barbee: Well, the placement is not conducive to what the neighborhoods already has.
It’s not, you know, apartments is not single-family dwelling and the Richmond County Planning
Commission a year ago stipulated that this area would be single-family development and that’s
where we are. I mean why would we want to go against the planning of the county itself and it’s
growth?
Mr. Sias: Okay, thank you on that, sir. Thank you, Mr. Barbee.
Mr. Barbee: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Represent this area. Dennis Road has
been a problem for many years, we’ve have had many discussions about it and we’ve got to get it
20
fixed and SPLOST 8 we’re going to make sure it’s on there, at least this Commissioner is. I’ve
had numerous calls about this and talking about the safety, talking about how it doesn’t fit in the
neighborhood, property values, things of that nature and I think as body sometimes we have to
realize that not all growth is good growth. And I think that for the many reasons that multiple
people have given today and me throughout the last month or so about this issue, I’d like to make
a motion to deny.
Mr. Garrett: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I’ve got a motion and a second.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to hear from the Engineering. I’d like to hear from
Engineering.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, hold on a second. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
st
1.
Mr. Fennoy: Yes, may I ask Ms. Delaney a question?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, Ms. Delaney.
Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: Ms. Delaney, were you aware of the concerns that the Mr. Barbee just
addressed?
Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay and in spite of his concerns, ya’ll approved it anyway?
Ms. Delaney: Actually, sir, the staff recommended denial. The Planning Commission
actually recommended approval with conditions.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay with the conditions that ya’ll added, would it address the issues that he
has?
Ms. Delaney: No ---
Mr. Fennoy: Okay.
Ms. Delaney: --- their main concern if I may rephrase or paraphrase is the compatible use.
Based on our comprehensive zoning ordinance, comprehensive zoning plan, we did not think that
that was a good use. That was our recommendation at the staff and we thought it should continue
to be single-family not multi-family apartments and so we wrote the planning report for the
Planning Commission and recommended denial based on that. And there are concerns about traffic
but that is outside of our purview and the Planning Commission recommended approval.
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Mr. Fennoy: So the staff denied it but the Commission approved it.
Ms. Delaney: That is correct, sir. They recommended approval with conditions.
Mr. Fennoy: All right, thank you.
Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, I’ve got a motion to deny with a proper second. Voting.
Mr. Fennoy and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Barbee: Thank you, Commission.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. All right, so unless you all would like to stay longer I’m going to
give you an opportunity to exit the Chamber and then we’ll resume as quickly as possible.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
6. Z-19-40 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with conditions below a petition by Johnny Latimore requesting a change of zoning
from Zone R-1A (One-family Residential) to Zone B-2 (General Business) affecting property
containing 0.38 acres and known as 2322 Tubman Home Road. Tax Map 087-3-088-00-0 and
087-3-087-00-0 DISTRICT 2 1. Access must meet local and state standards. 2. Driveway
width must meet local and state standards. 3. The applicant must meet all development
standards for the property including access, roadway improvements and landscaping and
buffering.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Ms. Burgess.
Ms. Burgess: Good afternoon, Commissioners. Mary Elizabeth Burgess, Development
Services Manager for the Planning Department. I just wanted to make sure as part of this this was
recommended for approval, however, this person bought a residential lot, built a building and a
fence without any permits so there were, he had to also get the rezoning to allow for this
commercial use for a warehouse in a residential district. That being said citations have been sent
out and we wanted to make sure as part of these conditions that he knows he has to pay those
citations and still file for building permits and everything else that goes along with that.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, so you’re, all right, I’m going to take questions and then I’ll
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come back. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Was that a part of the stipulation that was
placed on approving this because I think Planning, I missed the Planning and Zoning meeting that
22
day, Mr. Mayor, but I think they approved it but with those stipulations paying those fines or
whatever the fine was. And my understanding was that someone else built the building he owns.
He had the builder didn’t go through the process thinking the builder I guess was going to do it.
But the neighbors and I talked with some of those, had any problem with them if those stipulations
in there, Mr. Mayor, I’d like to make a motion to approve it as long as he knows he’s going to
have to pay whatever stipulations that have been placed on them from Planning and Zoning.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion ---
Mr. B. Williams: I’ll second it.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay, got a motion and a second.
Mr. Fennoy: And the questions.
Mr. Mayor: I’ve got the questions. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from
st
the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Have you talked to the neighbors about a business being located in their
neighborhood?
Ms. Burgess: We did not hear from any of the residents and no one showed up at the
hearing. The staff did recommend denial because it is a residential area and it’s always been a
residential area so that was our recommendation but again ---
Mr. Fennoy: No complaints so far.
Ms. Burgess: --- no complaints.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to ask Ms. Burgess a question.
Mr. Mayor: Sure.
Mr. Hasan: Ms. Burgess, if he didn’t have permission or what have you was there any
possibility to get a notification to the community because there was no permits so nothing so that
means there was no sign there to notify the community what was happening in terms of bringing
the business into the community, is that correct?
Ms. Burgess: So he did apply for a rezoning which gave the basically did everything
backwards. So by filing for the rezoning after everything was built they knew there was going to
be a rezoning hearing by the sign that’s in front that we put but it had already been built. The
23
residential home had been demolished and then this new prefab 1400-square foot warehouse
commercial building was built up.
Mr. Hasan: What is the total when you’re talking about permits and everything that this
individual or entity needs to pay before they’re given the final approval one way or the other ---
Ms. Burgess: Well, the first ---
Mr. Hasan: --- because it looks like for the record, Mr. Mayor, I would think they’d have
to pay that whether they approve or deny it truth be told ---
Mr. Mayor: Correct.
Mr. Hasan: --- so I’m just asking what does the number look like?
Ms. Burgess: --- it’s just $500 dollars ---
Mr. Hasan: That’s all?
Ms. Burgess: --- this is something that has happened in the past.
Mr. Hasan: Is it $500 dollars for the license and everything the permits ---
Ms. Burgess: No, the $500 is the violation and then he still has to go through a site plan
review and also the building permit procedure.
Mr. Hasan: --- then we’ll just send this back without a recommendation then to look at
this. I make a substitute motion to send it back and let everything be looked at the site plan and
everything else because the site plan is off then we approved under the condition that he paid the
fine he’s good to go.
Ms. Burgess: Well, there are other conditions still there but I agree.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so everybody just hold. So I think your question is certainly germane
th.
to the Commissioner from the 6 I think what we have before us is a repeat violator who has done
this before and that is certainly a concern but I’m going to yield to Counsel to speak to this matter.
I think the posture that we’re in is that we should move forward with it and allow the process as
articulated with the conditions that have been noted and the associated fines and then we’re
effectively going backwards in this process, I think that’s what I’m hearing. All right, the Chair
recognizes the Attorney.
Mr. Brown: I just got clarification from the Planning Department. There’s really no issue
to which to go back for.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right ---
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Mr. Brown: The matter’s before you at this time. It has been fully processed through this
point and Planning Commission recommended approval and now it’s before you for your decision.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, can I do a follow up on that then? I thought I just heard her say
Ms. Burgess I’m sorry to say a site plan has to be viewed.
Mr. Mayor: --- well, she did state that it had to be reviewed. I mean effectively what’s
happening right now is that someone built a building without all of the processes, paperwork in
violation of our code and you know absent of us telling him to tear it down to start over which is
certainly prudent, which certainly could be done and that’s well within your right to do that that is
the posture we’re in right now.
Mr. M. Williams: May I speak, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor: I’m coming I’m just trying to ---
Mr. Hasan: Yeah, I just I mean I’m just asking about the site plan since I thought it had to
be viewed, has one been submitted at this point?
Ms. Burgess: No, without approval of the rezoning it would not be an allowed use so he
would not be able to apply for a site plan review until it would be an allowed use.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, okay, all right.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes ---
Mr. Hasan: I withdraw my motion, my substitute motion.
Mr. Mayor: All right, very well, the Chair recognizes again our posture is that we have a
motion to approve and a second but there’s still more questions. The Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: I think you answered my question earlier about this isn’t the first time this
landowner has done this so what’s to prevent anything like this happening in the future?
Ms. Burgess: Exactly. I mean it’s one thing to bring it forward and it’s another thing to
have people comply with our regulations. It is just it’s happened and it’s going to keep happening
to people if they get the rezoning and you know I just want the citation the person to know that he
needs to pay those citations because something has to happen.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir ---
Mr. M. Williams: (Unintelligible).
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Mr. Mayor: I’ve got you.
Mr. Sias: --- thank you. One thing I want to say trying to make sure I get his name right -
--
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Latimore.
Mr. Sias: --- Mr. Latimore, yeah. Mr. Latimore’s a local small business guy who’s been
operating in Augusta quite a while. Now I don’t necessarily condone his actions of going forward
with a, I’m going to assume it’s based on a warehouse for his heating and air business. Now at
one point he was on Richmond Hill Road where he thought he was in compliance with a privacy
fence and he got for lack of a better word I think ran off of there so it was, he needed to go
somewhere with his basic business. So in a fact of him having to pay a fine for lack of a better
word putting the cart before the horse and that Tubman Home Road which kind of splits off from
Mike Padgett Highway there are other businesses directly there. Directly across the street is a
large construction company that has been for 50 years or more. And there’s some other businesses
along that commercial businesses as well so I mean I say that because of the statement about it’s
a residential area. It’s a mixed area. And I’m not, that’s not all. I’m just saying if you look across
the street you have a real, I mean these are heavy duty construction equipment so this is almost
like an industrial site across the street. As a matter of fact it has to be one of them something like
that. But anyway so what I’m saying is this. I think we should applicably punish Mr. Latimore but
I don’t think we need to have him tear down his, tear down his facility and not be able to operate.
We’ve given breaks to other folks or they manufactured their breaks and this a local small business
guy that’s been working hard. I know he’s attempted some city projects, does a lot of other projects
in the city. I would just think let’s give him a second chance. So if he deserves some punishment
do his punishment but the thing about it is let’s allow small business to operate and it’s not in an
area where it’s, he moved into what do they call that in California Macy’s Drive or something one
of those streets here? So he didn’t go to that area and put up his business warehouse. He put up a
warehouse and when you walk out the street and go across the street you can get hit by a crane.
So the bottom line is I asked that we show some kind of concern for a local small business guy
who’s been working here and you know and meeting the requirements of the state as a licensed
contractor and meeting the local business requirements for the city and whatever he owes for make
him pay it, thank you.
Mr. Mayor: Thank you. I believe as the caption reads conditions have been identified and
in addition to that the associated fines that are part of this have been identified. The Commissioner
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from the 9 has given us a motion the Commissioner from the 5 has given us a second and absent
some additional conversation we’re prepared to vote on it.
Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve.
Mr. Mayor: We’ve already got a motion to approve ---
Mr. Hasan: Yeah.
Mr. Mayor: --- and a second.
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Mr. M. Williams: I’m going to yield, Mr. Mayor. I think Commissioner Sias brought all
those points out. I went out and looked at it and talked to some of the residents, had no issues to
come up and so well I mean I’ve been ready and ya’ll getting me to the point now.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
Mr. Garett votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
The Clerk: Item number five, sir?
Mr. M. Williams: Thought it’d be a short meeting but ya’ll are coming to be here all day.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
5. Z-19-38 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Georgia Planning Commission to
approve with conditions below a petition by South Georgia Custom Homes, on behalf of
Margaret Mayo Cordle Caughman Living Trust, requesting a change of zoning from Zone
R-3B (Multiple-Family Residential) to Zone R-1E (One-Family Residential) affecting
property containing approximately 31.34 acres and is part of 2590 Tobacco Road. Part of
Tax Map 141-0-004-04-0 DISTRICT 4 1. The overall density of the proposed development
shall not exceed 6.78 units per acre. 2. Maintain a minimum 50 foot natural buffer to the
south and west property lines. 3. Sidewalks shall be installed and maintained on both sides
of each street in the subdivision. 4. The developer must install at least 30 overflow off-street
parking spaces throughout the development. 5. Site plan shall incorporate walking trails or
sidewalks between lots to encourage more walkability and pedestrian activity. 6. The site
plan shall met regulations/guidelines of all departments with specific attention to Augusta
Traffic Engineering and the Fire Department. 7. Secondary access at Tobacco Rd will need
to be converted to right out only.
Ms. Delaney: Hello again. Essentially with this petition what we would like to do is we
are of course requesting concurrence but we would actually like to remove the condition #7 which
required them to convert to a right out only. We would like to remove that condition because we
think that traffic is better suited to handle that. We know that there are some challenges and some
commitments already in play and we would like to honor that and allow the developer to move
forward and we will use the site plan process to address any issues with traffic (inaudible) amend
it to six.
Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the, all right so let’s make sure okay, that was
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your, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. Ms. Delaney, I’ve got some issues here myself on this one that I
want to address but I want to go back to what you were saying about secondary access at Tobacco
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Road. When you’re saying about the secondary access where it say right out only you’re
attempting to change that to right or left or are you attempting to take it out?
Ms. Delaney: There will be two accesses so we’re not removing the second access but
what we’re removing technically the requirement that it be a right out only. We would like to, so
the access will remain and we want traffic ---
Mr. Sias: Are you talking at a San Sebastian not San Sebastian but ---
Ms. Delaney: San Sebastian will ultimately have a traffic signal.
Mr. Sias: --- and that’s what we’re talking about. That’s not the one over by the Circle K
though.
Ms. Delaney: There’s an entrance over by Circle K and this is particular to that one, this
right out only.
Mr. Sias: San Sebastian is not the one by the Circle K.
Ms. Delaney: No, San Sebastian is across from Spanish Trace.
Mr. Sias: Now here’s the thing and one of the issues I have. San Sebastian has been worked
as a possibility of a traffic signal, however, if we are going to approve this one then the traffic
signal may be better served to be at the other entrance by the Circle K where you have an already
two identified 4-way intersection. So that study was done for San Sebastian before this project hit
the books and that’s how Engineering worked that. So before we commit to saying San Sebastian
will have a traffic light that’s not, that has not been determined. And if we have the 90% of this
because this is more like an emergency exit, am I correct?
Ms. Delaney: No, it’ll be a regular (inaudible).
Mr. Sias: Okay if we move toward that other entrance over there by the Circle K I’m trying
to think of the name of that that street. Is that Spanish Trace Drive? Yeah, that’s Spanish Trace
Drive. I see some heads nodding behind you. The traffic light might be better served at Spanish
Trace Drive. So one of my main points on this agenda item is to not lock in saying we want a
traffic light at San Sebastian when it may be better served at Spanish Trace Drive. Secondly, in
looking at the what was approved by the Planning Commission in some of our conversations
meeting with the neighborhood in that townhouse development where we’re talking about
overflow parking now one of the things that I’ve learned through experience and many other
people know overflow parking just doesn’t work in those kinds of townhouse sections. That ends
up being a place for other folks to come park and hang out because most folks are not going to
park and walk halfway through a townhouse to get to the house they want to go to. That’s been
proven so I have an issue with the overflow parking. So I’m not trying to hold this project up but
here’s a question, a primary question. Some of these things that we see that may need to be
changed can they be changed prior to between if this is approved to a further site plan and all that
kind of thing can changes be made?
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Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir, they will be made at the Site Plan Review Process.
Mr. Sias: And, Mayor, I would like to ask the developer to come forward so I can get his
consent that he’s open to changes on this because I definitely want to support this project or
whoever is representing the owner. I didn’t know it was Mr. Trotter.
Mr. Mayor: Okay and if you’ll state for the record your name and if you’ll give us your
address.
Mr. Speaker: Yes, Keith (unintelligible) 41130 Shady Oaks Drive, Martinez, Georgia.
Mr. Sias: Mr. Keith, I’ll go with that.
Mr. Keith: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: As you heard what I said to Ms. Delaney and you and I have had an opportunity
to talk, we’ve also and an opportunity for you to present with neighbors, okay? So I just want to
make sure on the changes that we were discussing that you are open to making some additional
changes in your site plan, oh this is where you’ve already taken out that overflow parking?
Mr. Keith: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: Okay and we also had a discussion about marked curve or curb and gutter. I still
would like for that to be a consideration by Planning because if you have, if you saw what the one
that Mr. Barbee had, you could see where there was no parking on the street and that’s the way
you work those townhouse subdivisions and I’d like to see the same vision in this one as you saw
in that one. Okay, so those are the things I wanted to ask him to be able to and be prepared to
make some adjustments if this is approved between that and the site plan. And if I may say to The
Clerk sorry I grabbed the whole thing instead of giving it up, I’m guilty.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 8.
Mr. Garrett: I make a motion that we approve.
Mr. B. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Ms. Delaney: May the department ask for a clarification?
Mr. Sias: You have to talk to the Chair.
Mr. Mayor: Ms. Delaney.
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Ms. Delaney: In regards to the overflow parking we had talked to the developer and he
was going to just first he threw out, is it your recommendation that it go away or because that
would require a variance so we’re not sure, we just want to be clear.
Mr. Sias: It doesn’t have to go away but if you look at that drawing the overflow parking
is at one end and then the other end. If it’s disbursed out closer to the units that it will serve that
will make sense but not when you put it at one end of the development and another one at the other
end it don’t serve anybody but people who want to go and hang out, okay?
Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: And some of these other changes we can discuss. I’m not saying Mr. Keith has
to commit fully to those but I want those to be discussed and be able to be implemented that we
can all agree, thank you. sir.
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Mr. Mayor: I’m going to come, the Commissioner from the 8 had the floor. I’m coming
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this way, the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Ms. Delaney ---
Ms. Delaney: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- will the will there be parking in front of each unit?
Ms. Delaney: Yes sir.
Mr. Fennoy: So will the parking spaces be assigned to a particular unit and how many
parking spaces will be assigned to a unit?
Ms. Delaney: Roughly two.
Mr. Fennoy: So if I’m in the apartment and my car is there and my son’s car is there then
where will my wife park at?
Mr. Speaker: In the garage.
Mr. Fennoy: Oh, it’s going to have a garage, okay, all right. So if I have a party can we
all get in the garage? Well and I guess my point is I kind of agree with what Commissioner Sias
says about the overflow parking but I believe that from time to time there are going to people
who’s going to be visiting and they need a place to park. And I don’t know how you would prevent
---
Ms. Delaney: Essentially since this is a concept plan what we would do is work with the
developer through the Site Plan Review Process to distribute that parking maybe that’s five or ten
extra ones per aisle that are not designated so that a person doesn’t have to traverse the whole
property in order to park.
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Mr. Fennoy: --- okay, I can go for that, okay, I’m through, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, thank you. The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, Ms. Delaney just helped me out when she talked about getting
with the developer and working out the parking versus I’m trying to look at it to see is it going to
be one place or another one. If we can work that out where there’s not going to be a stream walking
because I agree people don’t want to walk a half block to get to somebody’s house so they can go
back after 20 minutes or 30 minutes. So if ya’ll can work that out the developer’s good and
Planning and Zoning everybody’s satisfied I’ve got no problem with it, Mr. Mayor, I do not.
Mr. Mayor: Okay, I think we’re approving this with striking Number 7. It was only
condition 7 that the Planning Department and the other conversations, the other items are being
worked out at the Site Plan Process, okay?
Mr. Sias: The one thing that had changed here the part you saying Sebastian was initially
not a full access and that is something new on the drawing so that traffic study may still fit there
because now you said this will be a full access. And then looking at that then you’re creating the
traffic will go through that way instead of by the Circle K so that was a change I wasn’t aware of
but it’s a good change so thank you, sir.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion and a second, voting. It’s a motion to approve
striking condition 7.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
19. Motion to approve Meeting Management System for the purpose of Augusta decorum
and order of questions and statements. (Approved by Administrative Services Committee
September 10, 2019)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I pulled this item. We’ve been having a lot of
debate, a lot of discussion about this management system. I think it would be a waste of taxpayers’
dollars. We’re trying to do a lot of things with employees and finding money this is not going to
control anybody even if you cut their mikes off . You’re not going to be able to stop them from
talking. So my motion is to deny Number 19, Mr. Mayor.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, that motion fails. The Commissioner from the 9 had a motion to
deny. It fails without a proper second. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the
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6.
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Mr. Hasan: Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, in talking with the IT Director Ms. Allen on
last week as well as yesterday I felt from last week’s conversation there’s enough support to make
this pass so to get this passed so what I’ll do in the meantime I’m trying to find out exactly what
does the system that she shared with us last week, what features does it offer in terms of the
Commission to be able to see where are they in the cue. And what she shared with me that the
Commissioners will have no knowledge of where they were in terms of where they come up in
terms of being acknowledged. And so with that being said I actually say yes we should just kind
of look and see is there something out there, a system out there that can give us the ability to see
exactly who’s on first, who’s on second, who’s on third. And she called me back about a couple
of hours after that and said that she can install something up here in between Commissioners that
would allow her or I can’t think of the gentleman’s name ---
Mr. Mayor: Mr. Horne.
The Clerk: Mr. Horne.
Mr. Hasan: --- Mr. Horne to share with us exactly what they could do so this Commission
could be aware of who’s on first who’s on second who’s on third along with the Mayor as well.
She gave me a cost yesterday that that would be about $2,000 dollars to do that, an additional
$2,000 dollars. And I asked her is that $2,000 per modular? She said no it’s $2,000 dollars for
the whole system. So if that’s the case I have two questions. I’d like to make a motion to approve
it if that’s the case with that ability to see exactly where we are and the next question is we just
showed a few minutes ago where as the Sheriff’s is going to about we approved that and everything
goes well we’ll be about $5,000 dollars short there so we’ll now be looking at an additional
$27,000 dollars and where is that going to come from.
Mr. Mayor: Well, the only thing I would do okay, all right, are you making a motion?
Mr. Hasan: I’m going to hold off until I can find out where the money’s coming from.
Mr. Mayor: Okay all right because I want you to separate the two conversations. We’ve
already addressed the Sheriff’s conversation; that issue is gone and been debated. This issue here
again I think specifically as it relates to this you’re referring where is the $27,000 dollars whatever
the number is ---
Mr. Hasan: Yeah.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay all right, again single subject matter, okay? All right, the Chair
recognizes Deputy Director Horne to answer his question with regards to the display.
Mr. Horne: So if the Commission does choose to move forward with this recommended
system we would simply install in addition to the tablet for the Chair person to use we would also
install smaller monitors between each of the other monitors on the dais and they would be
connected to the same website that the Chair would use to see who is next in line as it relates to
the request and that’s where the additional $2,000 dollars would be spent.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir. If I may address Mr. Horne please. Mr. Horne, based on y’all’s
review of this and I’m just going to take these examples these locations right here. Do we need
one between every monitor or can we kind of say we have four Commissioners we can use two
monitors.
Mr. Horne: So with the $2,000 dollars that we’re proposing we would install four on each
side so essentially one between each of the five on each side of the dais.
Mr. Sias: Okay, thank you.
Mr. Horne: Yes, sir.
Mr. Sias: And we’re talking about $27,000 dollars now?
Mr. Horne: With the addition of those monitors.
Mr. Sias: Sure, okay and I can say when we had need to find the money for other things
we found it whether we did it out of contingency, capital improvement so when we’re talking
$27,000 dollars for the management of (unintelligible) system because I was looking online day
before yesterday and I’ve seen a couple of other meetings of local governments. It wasn’t pretty.
One of them was in Michigan and it was just really ugly. So I’m really for anything that services
and makes our meetings smoother and increases our decorum and I think that was in the initial
wording. So while I have the floor, sir, I make a motion that we approve the Meeting
Management System with the additional monitors and task the Administrator and Finance
to give us a location for the funding and we’ve done that with other items as well and I don’t
want to go into the $400,000 dollar item. That’s my motion.
Mr. Fennoy: Second.
Mr. Mayor: We’ve got a motion and a second. All right, the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I support this but I also think that regardless of what type of
system we have up here if we don’t honor that and go by that system it’s not going to do us a bit
of good. The purpose from my understanding is to let the Chair know who speaks next but that’s
not going to prevent any of us from speaking whenever we want to. Now we’ve already said that
anybody can make a motion at any time ---
Mr. Sias: No, we haven’t.
Mr. Fennoy: --- yes, we have but regardless whether that’s included or not if we get this
system then we ought to honor it and go by it.
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Mr. Mayor: Thank you. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
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Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I still want to hear where the money’s coming from. Like
Commissioner Fennoy just stated that the system is only as good as the people who use it. I’m not
and I’m saying it up front I’m not going to sit here and be quiet because someone tells me I hadn’t
had time to speak. I’m elected to speak and we are to do that. Just like Commissioner Fennoy
stated earlier in Charlotte, NC there was a Democrat and Republican group who was going to
honor 9-11 and the Republican stayed in and the Democrat went to 9-11 event and they wanted to
call a meeting. No media, nobody was there. They was out of order and everything else. And the
Democrat who stayed back picked up the mike, it got cut off. So he picked up another mike it got
cut off. She stood up and stood her ground and I think she was well within her right as an elected
official to do that. Augusta’s not the only government that operates the way we operate. They all
need to Government 101 at ACCG. or GMA and let them explain to you how the process works.
Now if we can respect each other and do that that’s fine but let’s don’t spend taxpayers’ money
just to be spending it. Let’s don’t get another toy to play with for six months and then throw it
away. Let’s be real with this now. But I’m telling you now I’m not going to sit here and be quiet
and none of you are going to stop me from talking when I get ready to talk. I’m elected to do that.
Now if ya’ll want to buy, take taxpayers’ money to do that have at it. You’ve got six votes, you
can spend the taxpayers’ money the way you please. But this government has operated for years
and years and years the same way and not just this one but all over our country but now we’re
going to get different. We’re going to cut the mike off. I don’t need a mike to talk. I can talk
without a mike. That don’t do me any good to say you’re going to cut the mike off because you
sure ain’t cutting this mouth off.
Mr. Mayor: All right, I’ve got a motion and a second, voting.
Mr. M. Williams votes No.
Motion Passes 9-1.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
23. Motion to approve continuing the process of developing proposal for Commission
consideration for managed parking in downtown Augusta. RFQ 19-196 (Approved by
Engineering Services Committee September 10, 2019)
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Is my mike on, Ms. Bonner?
The Clerk: Sounds like it is.
Mr. M. Williams: Sounds like it is. I’ve got two questions. First of all, Mr. Mayor, I want
to make sure this group that we approved in committee is not the same group who’s going to do
the parking analysis or do this, is that the same group or how does that work I guess? We approved
someone to formulate something and bring it back to us but are they the same group that’s going
to do the process all in on?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, I want to take this approach regarding this matter. We do have
Nancy Williams who is from Procurement and I’m going to take a stab at doing a single thing,
Nancy, if you’ll come forward. I want to do one single thing and that is again for whatever reason
the way this is written, it shouldn’t have been written this way whether it was in the committee
process or this. Whenever there’s been meetings where this body has made a decision to go out
for an RFP or and RFQ, that then is handled through the tradition procurement process. It then is
brought to this body to affirm which is what should’ve happened in last week’s meeting and as I
understand it in Administrative Services it did in fact receive a 4-0 vote to move it forward. But
this language here is confusing about “continuing the process”. As I understand it as Ms. Williams
so eloquently articulated last week when called upon that what was before this body was to affirm
i.e. and ratify their selection of the vendor, is that not true?
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. M. Williams: My question, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: I’m going to that now.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay.
Mr. Mayor: And so Ms. Williams would you now revisit that and answer the question for
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the Commissioner from the 9.
Ms. Williams: Okay, thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Commissioners, for allowing me
to speak on this matter. We actually at the last committee meeting you requested additional
information and we provided each one of you with a copy of the RFQ specifications, also some
additional information that was provided from the task force. And on Page 11 of the RFQ
specifications it states at the very top the RFQ’s will be received and it will be brought back to
Commission to approve the company to move forward with coming up with the actual parking
management services for you as Commissioners to approve that process. So we’re not really
asking for the approval of the parking management service at this time. We’re just asking you to
approve the company to move forward with those services to come back to you for full approval.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, Mr. Mayor, if I can rephrase my question then. Ms. Williams, I
guess would this company be able to apply or bid or the same company will they be able to because
if they’re putting the program together to me they’ve got an advantage over who else may come
and want to do this job.
Ms. Williams: Yes, sir according to the specifications we have chosen SP Plus to move
forward with coming up with a parking management service to present to you for approval and SP
Plus will be the one that will be doing that because they have been the one that was qualified in
the specifications that we put out and as to this stated on Page 11 of the specifications.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, let me try to help where I think you are going. When the parking
task force was established, the parking task force of citizens and elected officials and staff took all
of the studies that had been done for the previous 30 plus years in the City of Augusta. And it was
decided that there was not going to be a new parking study. Those recommendations on multiple
instances were provided to the members of the Commission both in small group settings and on
the floor of this Chamber. It was then agreed this body voted to move forward with the RFQ
process and that was done in April of this year. It takes about four to five months which is where
we are now. This body again in roughly April made the decision to do that and to move forward
with the RFQ process. You now have in front of you the vendor that has been chosen by that
process who then will take the recommendations from the parking task force that you all have
reviewed on multiple instances and put together a parking management strategy and proposal to
include hours, to include proposed fees, to include proposed enforcement and come back to you
for adoption of said. This is not a new thing; this is not a new conversation. This is consistent
with what has been discussed again on multiple occasions as it relates to that, on multiple
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occasions. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: Thank you, sir and I would just have one request of the task force and the vendor
that they’re choosing. I would ask this and as one Commissioner I’m making this request is that
before it comes back to this body for adoption that it come back to this body for lack of a better
word a scrub or review first. So when we get back to the time you want it adopted it doesn’t
become a thing where we start spinning our wheels and get stuck in the mud so I would just ask
that in particularly to you, sir, that you insure that this task force bring that back to us for a working
review first before we say here’s something for you to vote for.
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely.
Mr. Hasan: Is that in the form of a motion?
Mr. Mayor: Absolutely.
Mr. Sias: Do you want a motion for that but we need approval for this first though, right?
Mr. Mayor: That’s correct.
Mr. Sias: All right, well, I move that we approve this ---
Mr. Mayor: You can.
Mr. Sias: --- I was about to do that, I move that we approve this with the fact that a
working copy or working proposal be brought back to us before a final vote is requested.
Mr. Hasan. Second.
Mr. Mayor: We have a motion and a second, voting.
Mr. Garrett and Mr. D. Williams vote No.
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Motion Passes 8-2.
Mr. Sias: Did that cost us any money? Did that cost any money?
Mr. B. Williams: $27,000.
Mr. Sias: I didn’t know we had that. I was just (inaudible) request that?
Mr. Hasan: Maybe Ms. Allen misunderstood my request.
Mr. Mayor: Following you, Madam Clerk, top to bottom.
The Clerk:
ENGINEERING SERVICES
29. Motion to approve award of Bid #19-136 for Spirit Creek Interceptor Sewer
Rehabilitation Project No. 1 to Bio-Nomic Services, Inc. in the amount of $2,582.900.00.
(Approved by Engineering Services Committee September 10, 2019)
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I’m in support, Tom, this Spirit Creek and the other creeks and the
briars and all that stuff but I’ve got some problems when we continue to spend millions and
millions and millions. I understand there’s an enterprise, a utilities enterprise situation there but
in the last year, Tom, we just got through talking about monies and where we’re getting money
from and how we’re going to provide for this, that and the other. We have spent probably $30
million dollars or more and we’re still struggling around this city to get other things done. That’s
not in your wheelhouse, that’s up here. We need to talk about it. But when we spend $2.582 for
Spirit Creek how many others are out there that we’re going to have to do because we can’t solve
it overnight. Now the money is we didn’t have any infrastructure in South Augusta at one point
and that’s why they hadn’t much growth. We’ve got water I thought everywhere now doing this
one what is this going to do?
Mr. Wiedmeier: So ever since the Spirit Creek trunk sewer was built in the mid 1980’s it’s
been plagued by high flow and infiltration. We’ve had really high flows and it causes some severe
problems. Right now we pump everything that goes down that line up to the Messerly Waste
Water Plant but the volume that we pump during wet weather is tremendous. We believe that we
remove about 90% of that extraneous flow with this project. So the line is structurally sound. It’s
never been watertight; this should improve that situation greatly. And to your point about how
much we have left to do we have parts of our system are very old, however, since 2000 we’ve
rebuilt just about every major trunk sewer. You guys have awarded the last one which is the Rocky
Creek. You allowed us to award the pump station and force main; it should take care of that. So
37
as far what we’ve got on the books this is, these the Rocky Creek and the Spirit Creek are the last
two major trunk sewers that need attention but there’s a lot more work to be done.
Mr. M. Williams: And I get that, Tom, but we won’t get it all at one time. It’s going to
take time hopefully when both of us are gone way past here somebody else will still be working
on it. We won’t ever stop; it won’t get to a point of stopping. Rocky Creek, how much money
will we spend? We approved for Rocky Creek not Spirit Rocky Creek.
Mr. Wiedmeier: Probably $8 or 9-million dollars between the two projects.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, so those millions that bothers me, Tom, and I think this body
needs to get serious about the enterprise and what we’ve got coming in. People pay water bills
every week and sanitary sewage, those who still on it who hadn’t changed over yet may not be but
we’re paying that money comes in every month, every month. But this government don’t receive
but a and I don’t know what you call it it’s not a portion but what’s the word, Mayor Pro Tem ---
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: A franchise fee.
Mr. M. Williams: --- a franchise fee, thank you, we get a franchise fee. We need to look
at that. This body needs to get serious about looking at that. Now I don’t want to rob that. I know
it’s been robbed one time; we don’t want to rob nothing but what I want to do I think we need to
look at that and direct more money into this government because people are crying about
overgrown this and overgrown that and what we don’t have. We’re not doing any economic
development to draw monies in so we’ve got to we got to reallocate some. We need to take a
serious hard look at what we can reallocate. And I’m not opposed to this one but when I saw it, it
just bothered me for the last, if you think about the last two years man. I know it’s over $30 million
dollars we done spent in trunk lines and other things and we’re still going to have to redo them I
get that but we’ve got to slow it down.
Mr. Wiedmeier: Well, if we can’t keep the sewer in the pipes then that’s a problem and
that’s what all these projects are designed to do.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, if I can Mayor Pro Tem and, Tom, I was ready to shut it down
but I understand about keeping the sewer in the pipes but let me tell you something all the pipes
don’t need it at the same time. We’re going to have to work on them I agree with that. We hadn’t
stopped working on them. We’ve got some problems with some pipes around the city still made
out of wood, Tom. I don’t know where they are. They’re holding up pretty good so far but we just
can’t keep continuing to spend like that and we don’t say a word we just go ahead and approve it.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, thank you, sir. Commissioner Garrett.
Mr. Garrett: Motion to approve.
Mr. Sias: Second.
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Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We’ve got a motion and a second from the Commissioner District 4,
voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Next agenda item, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
32. Final Plat – Governors Place Phase 1-I – A request for concurrence with the Augusta
Georgia Planning Commission to approve with conditions below a petition by Jachens Land
Surveying Inc., on behalf of Southeastern Real Estate Group, LLC, requesting final plat
approval for Governors Place Phase 1. This single-family residential development is located
at 3927 Harper Franklin Avenue and contains 16 lots. Reviewing agency approval 8-27-2019
DISTRICT 3 1. Any reference dedicating the road, storm or pond to the City shall be
removed from the plat. Everything shown therein must remain private until Harper
Franklin is dedicated. Until Harper Franklin is dedicated the City will have no legal means
to own or maintain the infrastructure. This section can be labeled as private or to be
dedicated to an HOA as seen fit by the owner. 2. There are some minor issues with the
drafting that need to be addressed, i.e. text overwriting property lines and typo’s. 2. Finalize
the bonding of the remaining infrastructure shown on the development plan. Based on
conversations with the inspector he has stated only the storm system and 70-80% of the
curbing has been installed. He believes the water and sewer are installed and just lacking
testing. Will defer to AUD on that. Need breakdown of the cost estimate that Bluewater put
together. 4. The site must conform to all applicable codes and regulations for the City of
Augusta.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, Commissioner Mary Davis.
Ms. Davis: I wanted to make sure did staff approve this before you sent it to the
Commission?
Ms. Delaney: Yes, ma’am.
Ms. Davis: Okay, any issues with neighbors with traffic concerns or anything?
Ms. Delaney: No, we had no concerned citizens to arrive at the Planning Commission
meetings.
Ms. Davis: Okay, Mayor Pro Tem, I make a motion to approve.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: A motion and a second, Commissioner Sias.
39
Mr. Sias: Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem and I’m just going to ask something for Ms.
Delaney’s appetite with Engineering you know that Harper Franklin and Jimmy Dyess we have a
major issue there. We’ve talked to Engineering about that so I want ya’ll if you would continue
to impress with Dr. Malik and Mr. Ussery to kind of, we’re adding additional folks I know they’re
working with GDOT to make some corrections out there and we really need to keep the pedal to
the metal on that because it’s only getting worse day by day. I know they have some ideas but we
sent out there and looked at that about two weeks ago and it’s terrible and dangerous so if ya’ll
continue to work together on that to make those improvements we’d really appreciate it before we
wind up with some fatalities. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second, please vote.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
PLANNING
33. Z-19-30 – A request for concurrence with the Augusta Planning Commission to deny a
petition by Malisa Wanjala, on behalf of Kimberly Godbee, requesting a Special Exception
to establish a Family Day Care Home per Section 26-1(F) of the Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance for Augusta, Georgia affecting property containing 0.46 acres and known as 4004
Madison Lane. Tax Map 053-4-012-00-0 DISTRICT 3 (Deferred from the September 3, 2019
Commission Meeting)
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Ms. Delaney.
Ms. Delaney: Hello again. In regards to this petition the Commission asked us to go back
and review the status of the sex offender and to also evaluate whether or not there was a state
statute in place that would address the issue, we have done both of those items. The Sheriff
Department has confirmed that the sexual offender still resides in the location that was identified
and there is a House Bill 571 that states that a Day Care should not be within 1,000 feet of a sex
offender.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: Okay, Commissioner Fennoy.
Mr. Fennoy: Motion to deny.
Mr. B. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor Pro Tem: We have a motion and a second to deny. Any further discussion?
Voting.
Motion Passes 10-0.
The Clerk:
40
PUBLIC SERVICES
34. Update from Augusta Recreation Department regarding request for emergency repairs
at the Henry H. Brigham Community Center as discussed in the Public Services Committee
held May 14, 2019 and the June 27, 2019 Administration’s Recreation Department Capital
Improvements Work Session. (Requested by Commissioner Bobby Williams.
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Mr. Mayor: The Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 5 and Director Houck.
Mr. B. Williams: I just want to hear what you guys have done so far.
Mr. Houck: Thank you, Commissioner, Mayor. We’ve been working on gathering
facilities replacement costs. We’re currently looking at project options not only for the Brigham
Center but the rest of the current SPLOST projects. We sort of been put on hold for a while and
our intent is to bring back and update next committee cycle for discussion and action on some of
these capital projects we’ve been sort of delinquent on.
Mr. B. Williams: So you plan to make a recommendation at the next committee cycle?
Mr. Houck: We’ll bring some options, yes, sir, per the Commission with a
recommendation.
Mr. B. Williams: Okay, I’m not sure anyone else had some money about the some
questions about the monies.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: (Inaudible) Ron, as you know I frequent the Brigham Center ---
Mr. Houck: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- and in the room where my folks gather, ain’t no air in there and it be hot
in there. And they say and I know it’s not that ya’ll are doing everything you can to get us some
air as soon as possible but I think that if you look at the history of all of our recreational facilities
most of them are in pretty bad shape and need major repair. And so I would like to for you to you
know maybe bring us an update on the condition of all of our recreational and park facilities and
to also bring back some corrective action that we’re going implement to make the changes. But
I’ve been in the Carrie Mays. It needs some work. The Brigham Center and the gym needs some
work. The one down here across from 401 it, yeah, May Park, yeah so just take a look at it and
maybe when you, if you have time you bring back a recommendation for the Brigham then you
could if you have time to bring back some of the things you’ve noticed in the other facilities and
let us know how we’re going to go about correcting those.
Mr. Houck: We’ll try to do our best with at least the major centers ---
Mr. Fennoy: Okay ---
41
Mr. Houck: --- by next week.
Mr. Fennoy: --- all right, motion to accept as information.
Mr. B. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, we’ve got a motion ---
Mr. Fennoy: To accept as information?
Mr. B. Williams: Second.
Mr. Mayor: --- okay, voting.
Mr. Sias out.
Motion Passes 9-0.
The Clerk:
PUBLIC SERVICES
35. Update from Code Enforcement regarding current conditions relative to the upkeep
maintenance of the Enclave Development and surrounding properties at the next
Commission Meeting. (Approved by Public Services Committee September 10, 2019)
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Mr. Mayor: Okay, all right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9.
Mr. M. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is just about the ---
Mr. Wynder: The Enclave.
Mr. M. Williams: --- well not just that but since you’re here, Terrance ---
The Clerk: They requested at the committee that they bring back a report today.
Mr. M. Williams: --- yeah but I called Ms. Bonner and asked to give me some other
information too but go ahead, Terrence, and I’ll speak when you’re finished with that.
Mr. Wynder: Okay well, I can provide a little bit of information about 902 Enclave Court.
I met with the property owner last week and issued him a notice of noncompliance giving him 10
days to have the property cut and cleaned. I got a message from him today saying that he is in
contract with an individual that actually lives at the Enclave who will be cutting and cleaning that
on a continuous basis. So once it’s cut I could notify Ms. Bonner or this body that it’s actually
cleaned up. His case was kind of unusual being that we don’t actually handle vacant lots because
I believe it was Commissioner Hasan wanted me to go out and meet with the property owners
because Joe Edge said that they would be in town. I wanted to do so, so that is my report based off
of last week. Now like I said I will get in contact with you all once it’s cut and cleaned.
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Mr. M. Williams: They were in town?
Mr. Wynder: Yes, they met me on the property.
Mr. M. Williams: And they hired someone you say to continually ---
Mr. Wynder: Maintain that the vacant lot.
Mr. M. Williams: --- and was there any information about what they plan to do or when
they plan to do it?
Mr. Wynder: They didn’t know at this time but that question was asked. They didn’t know
what they wanted to do at this time.
Mr. M. Williams: And how much time will they have to make that decision?
Mr. Wynder: Well, as long as they’re keeping it cut and clean that’s all that we can enforce.
Mr. M. Williams: Well, okay, Mr. Mayor, I mean I’m sorry we had it come to that but
they cut their property I think the next day after that that someone’s in there cutting that property.
Code Enforcement don’t normally handle that. I guess my question would be, Mr. Mayor, who’s
going to police that? If Code Enforcement don’t police they don’t write a citation or call somebody
in. Who’s obligation? Ya’ll don’t pay me enough to continue to do that. I mean I’ve been doing
it but it’s not my job. So somebody gets a lot more than I do. I’m trying to figure out how can we,
because if you don’t say nothing you’re got going to get anything and if we had not brought them
in, it’d still be like that today. So whether it be the Marshal, the Sheriff’s Department, Code
Enforcement, License and Inspection, who handles that? I mean and that kind of goes over into
my next item I guess, Mr. Mayor, because it’s the same question I’m going to have over there Item
40 but do we know who’s going to drive that train?
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, Terrence is the one who’s going to speak to that as well.
Mr. Wynder: All right, so vacant lots, vacant property, grass cutting, we’re talking about
grass cutting are handled by Environmental Services. If there is a structure on the property that’s
in bad condition and the grass is overgrown as well, Code Enforcement will handle the entire
property. But as far as a vacant lot with overgrown grass Environmental Services handles the
inspection, sending out the notice and contacting the contractor to have it cut and cleaned.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, Terrence, you really helped me just then. You really did. I
appreciate that because you brought some photographs in here a couple three weeks ago of a piece
of property off of Walden Drive right there at Davidson Division or whatever that is on the corner
---
Mr. Wynder: Davison.
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Mr. M. Williams: --- okay, that property had not been touched, not at all, well, yes, it has
the grass had grown a little bit taller but I mean as far as somebody going on there nobody has
been on there. You couldn’t even see the house. The tree is the yard has grown down so far it’s
touching the ground right now. And we, Mr. Mayor, on the piece of property in front of it belongs
to the city at the little island right there, it’s down to the ground. Anybody can stand beside the
tree and hide all day long. I’m surprised nobody hasn’t gotten mugged coming up the other street
right there. I had really planned to call Engineering to get somebody to trim up that stuff now I
talked to Malik he said he’s going to need some additional people to do some of that kind of stuff.
But it’s embarrassing for that house has been there 20 years in that same condition and we can’t
find the owner, we can’t make anybody do anything but since Code Enforcement that you said
handles it the property that’s overgrown and vacant I mean all those things all of that that he
mentioned it’s right there. And since we, since I asked you to go out there and take those pictures
you brought them in we took a look at them inside, Mr. Mayor, was old mattresses and the stuff
thrown all over the building. You was able to get inside the house; somebody else could get inside
the house as well just like you walk in. But nothing had been done now. When is that going to
take place, when’s that going to be resolved?
Mr. Wynder: That property will be in court in December, this December in Nuisance
Abatement Court to get an order to have the property demolished. A notice was already sent out
to the property owner. The notice was returned unfounded so anytime that happens Code
Enforcement goes out and posts a notice on the door on the structure and if we can’t get in contact
with the owner we will go to Nuisance Abatement Court to have it torn down because of the
condition. That’s one of our challenges, our number one challenge is being able to contact these
owners. That’s our number one challenge.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay so, Terrence, who do we need to talk to, Mr. Brown who is our
Attorney to get something changed? We can’t sit here and say that’s the problem but we can’t do
nothing about it if we know that’s the problem and it’s been the problem, that’s holding us up,
that’s stopping us. So who’s in charge? This Commission evidently can’t do it so whether it’s the
Attorney that needs to rewrite the code. Something needs to happen to change to stop that process
that’s been continuing for twenty-something years. We can’t let people just dump on us and go
somewhere else. So if that’s the next person I can get Mr. Brown’s attention just call Mr. Brown
he’ll look over here.
Mr. Wynder: If we can create an ordinance that says this property is in violation of the
International Property Maintenance Code or any other codes that Augusta has, we can take your
property. I’d love to do it.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay Mr. Brown you heard that motion. Do I need to second that?
Mr. Brown: No, sir.
Mr. M. Williams: Okay, twenty-something years we’ve been doing the same thing and
have been saying I don’t know what to do. We know there’s a problem then let’s fix the problem.
If making a change in the law we could do that. Now I know some people are going to cry. My
44
Grand Mom. I’m sorry I don’t care how old you are or how young you are If it’s your own property
you need to take care of it.
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Mr. Mayor: Okay the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I didn’t hear from the Attorney. I thought he’s going to
reply.
Mr. Mayor: Oh, okay you were, okay.
Mr. M. Williams: I was asking him a question and hoping he can tell me which way to go.
I can get my Clerk to talk to him but ---
Mr. Mayor: Attorney Brown.
Mr. Brown: Yes, Commissioner Williams. I don’t simply think we can take a property
because it’s in violation of a code without compensation and for a city purpose. However, it is
already in our code that if a property becomes dilapidated and a danger to the public there’s already
a court process to demolish that property. One of the problems I think that Code Enforcement may
be having is that during budget times there doesn’t seem to be enough money allocated to actually
to address dilapidated properties.
Mr. M. Williams: --- Tom Wiedmeier’s got plenty of money. He just told us that so we
know where the money’s at. We need to get it over there over here where we need it at and move
forward but we keep waiting and waiting and waiting but we ain’t getting nothing done.
Mr. Mayor: All right, Mr. Wynder, thank you, oh I’m sorry don’t go anywhere. Yes, the
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Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Wynder, you made mention much earlier about
the Enclave and I apologize in advance if I misunderstood you. You referred to it as being vacant
property or something. Nobody’s staying at the Enclave anymore?
Mr. Wynder: Nobody’s staying at the lot that we’re talking about. It hasn’t been developed
yet across the street from Dyess Park; it’s a vacant piece of land.
Mr. Hasan: You don’t consider the Enclave as being a one piece of property it may be
sectioned off but all those are fenced in. You have a standing building in the back. People are
living there and you don’t consider it to be a one piece of property?
Ms. Delaney: Because it’s ownership of townhomes, they are considered separate
residences so the portion up front that is undeveloped that is considered separate from the
ownership of the units in the back.
Mr. Hasan: So all the land up front it was private owners, you’re saying?
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Ms. Delaney: (inaudible).
Mr. Hasan: Well let me, Mr. Wynder, excuse me, I’m sorry, in terms of the owner of the
vacant property do you have the name of the person that ultimately he’s going to be contracted
with that lives on site?
Mr. Wynder: I do not.
Mr. Hasan: That would probably be a good idea moving forward to try to create contact
sources like that so that sometimes you have to contact the owner who may be out of state that you
can go to this person and inform them before they can do it or not if they have the relationship
with the owner to do that and probably would expedite that moving forward.
Mr. Wynder: Okay. I do have an idea of who it is. It was a guy who was cutting grass out
there that approached them but once I issued the citation I left and they continued to talk so I do
believe who is the person who would be cutting.
Mr. Hasan: Okay, okay, all right, thank you.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Wynder ---
Mr. Wynder: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: --- approximately how many properties that we have that are court order for
condemnation?
Mr. Wynder: Can you elaborate?
Mr. Fennoy: How many pieces of property have you all taken to the court and these pieces
of property have been condemned?
Mr. Wynder: I can tell you how many open demolition orders we have the properties that
are waiting for demolition. 340 ---
Mr. Fennoy: Okay ---
Mr. Wynder: --- in Augusta Richmond County.
Mr. Fennoy: --- okay and of that 340 approximately how many will be demolished in
2019?
Mr. Wynder: That question would have to be answered by Environmental Services.
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Mr. Fennoy: Okay, approximately how many of these properties do we have monies for,
that’s them also?
Mr. Wynder: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay, is it not true that we have properties that’s been court ordered
condemnation that nothing done to them in the past three years or longer?
Mr. Wynder: I would say three years, yes.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay and is it not true that we have properties that are so overgrown that you
can’t see the roof of these properties for the foliage?
Mr. Wynder: That’s absolutely right and those cases we refer it to Environmental Services
to have it cut before Code Enforcement can even go in to inspect.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay. Mr. Mayor, may I talk to someone?
Mr. Mayor: Sure, all right Environmental Services if you’ll approach. Okay and excuse
my ignorance, ignorance is not knowing is that our new Director, okay, all right, would you please
stand. I believe the gentleman’s name is Mark Mehall, okay, outstanding. All right so this is
Director Mark Mehall our new Environmental Services Director. Welcome to the City of Augusta
and to this organization, okay very well thank you ---
Mr. Fennoy: And, and ---
Mr. Mayor: --- and this is Ms. Becky Padgett.
Mr. Fennoy: --- Ms. Padgett, I think Mr. Wynder said we have over close to 400 properties
that have been court ordered condemnation.
Ms. Padgett: Yes, sir. They are in our database. 344, there’s several of those that are
already in the process so I estimate that we have 300 more work orders in demolition, yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: And how much would it cost approximately you don’t have to, within five
dollars.
Ms. Padgett: Well, we know the approximate cost of each demolition is around $7,500
dollars.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay so do we have the $7,500 times 300 to do it?
Ms. Padgett: Yes, sir.
Mr. Fennoy: Okay.
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Mr. Mayor: So if I may interject to our Finance Chairman, Item number 36 we’ll talk a
little bit about that. This matter has been persistent in our local government. I believe the
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gentleman from the 9 has said 20 years of doing the same thing over and over again. And so
what you’re going to hear under Item 36 is an effort that’s been underway to try to put our arms
around it so that you can address it in a holistic way. The number that has been loosely talked
about is about $5.8 million dollars needed. That’s just for demolition alone, okay and we don’t
have those dollars absent as we said. In December of last year when this conversation was first
broached about how much, we talked about we’d come back in January around putting together a
bond to the tune of about roughly $15 million that would’ve allowed us to go demolish, cut and
begin a redevelopment strategy. We did not act on that which is why we’re here today having this
conversation.
Mr. Fennoy: But, Mr. Mayor, I don’t want to be here next year having that same
conversation so I will end all of my questions and we’ll go to Number 36 and hopefully that will,
I will get some answers.
Mr. Hasan: Do you call us a tag team?
Mr. Mayor: Thank you, Terrence ---
Mr. Wynder: Thank you.
Mr. Mayor: --- all right, thank you. All right, you call that being light on your feet.
Mr. Fennoy: Float like a butterfly.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk, all right, we’re going to receive this for information.
Commissioner, are you good with that?
Mr. M. Williams: (Unintelligible), Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: I know you’re not but just so we can continue this conversation.
Mr. M. Williams: --- I make a motion to receive as information.
Mr. Fennoy: Second.
Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
Ms. Davis and Mr. B. Williams out.
Motion Passes 8-0.
The Clerk:
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
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36. Presentation regarding the Fight Blight Initiative through the Joint Collaboration
Committee (JCC) and request input from the Augusta Commission on funding
redevelopment efforts in the target area. (Requested by Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr.)
Mr. Mayor: I’m going to start this conversation as Mr. Campbell is getting himself ready.
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The Commissioner from the 9 has raised a series of issues that are germane to this discussion.
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This body received a presentation in December of last year specifically the 18 of last year where
Lori Videtto at the time came, and it was Item Number 41 on the agenda. At that time on the
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December 18 meeting where there was a full-throated conversation around the issue of blight in
the other cities and what they were doing and so prior to and since that time there’s been an ongoing
conversation that started because of the work that this Commission has been involved in. And it
was an effort to get all of the departments coming together working in concert with the
Administrator starting with Janice Jackson at the time and that effort has continued with our
Interim Administrator Jarvis Sims and the entire team. What has been noteworthy about this,
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Commissioner from the 9 is that all of the departments have come together to put their efforts
around getting after this very issue. In December of last year what was brought to this body was
the conversation about what it would cost if we were to focus specifically on the issue of
demolition. In the current budget cycle there was only $450,000 that was allocated for demolition
which clearly is not enough to begin addressing this issue. It’s just a piecemeal approach and
we’ve been very good at that. Since January 1, 2015 to date there have been fifteen meetings that
we’ve had this issue that we’ve talked about. Fifteen full Commission meetings where we have
talked about this issue of blight, vacant and abandoned properties and/or vacant properties and
demolition, fifteen meetings. And so to that end this is just a brief presentation to bring you up to
speed with what has happened thus far. In this presentation there is a series of requests and asks.
You can’t do anything unless the Commission supports it and votes for it. And so while this is an
ongoing conversation even if there’s no immediate action today other than for you to get your arms
around this conversation. The meetings need to continue so that we’re continuing to do the work
with the resources that you’ve identified because there’s been good work. I want to take a moment
to commend Planning and Development and the work that they have done. I want to commend the
Marshal’s Office. This is in my mind one of the first times that I’ve seen cross collaboration for
every department to include Law Enforcement, our Sheriff’s Office, Code Enforcement, got the
Administrator’s , IT just phenomenal the staff that we have is phenomenal. And again this is day
to day work but they’ve come to put these things in a structured manner around this targeted area
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and that’s the targeted area along Laney Walker, not Laney Walker but 15 Street where you’ve
got some economic growth projects that are in fact taking place. Mr. Campbell, if you would I
want you to start on key work elements for the JCC. Start on that slide, sir.
Mr. Hasan: Excuse me, Mr. Mayor, before you get started if you don’t mind.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, these are the kinds of things that the piece
of equipment that we purchased much earlier attempted to purchase or don’t resolve or don’t solve,
excuse me. And this initiative or this conversation should go back to the committee cycle. That’s
where it needs to be at. That’s not to say that I’m in agreement with it but we ought to be respectful
of the system and those are the things I’m saying. This is one of four issues that you put on the
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agenda today. Three of them you agreed readily agreed to and this one also ought to be going back
for the committee cycle. Now once again let me be very, very clear. It’s not that I necessarily
support it the way it’s being presented to us but I think that’s where it ought to be. We ought to
be consistent and if we start and say be respectful to one another with the machines, we respect
each other with the process and I make a motion that we send this back to the committee cycle to
start this conversation around this.
Mr. D. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I’d like to make a substitute motion.
Mr. Mayor: Well, that motion fails. It didn’t get a proper second. I’m going to continue
the conversation. And again we’ve talked about this fifteen times and that doesn’t include what
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the Commissioner from the 9 has put on here. He’s been a champion for this conversation. There
was an effort along the Wrightsboro Road corridor where he engaged the churches at Calvary and
those churches, he spent a great deal of time. Every time we get to this place there’s always
something or someone who says well we should stop, we should do this, we should do that. In
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fact the Commissioner from the 6 just last year asked the Administrator at the time to inquire of
the Warden about putting additional people in the demolition work and engaging the Warden at
that time about can we get more resources from there to be involved in demolition. It’s high time
for us to move beyond who’s idea it was and all of these things that come to grind us to a screeching
halt. What’s in front of us today is an effort that has received substantial work, good work. We
have amazing people who work for this city. I know we’re not debating that but if we’re going to
ever holistically get after this issue of blight in our city there has to be a framework to be able to
do that. We have not had a framework ---
Mr. Hasan: That’s not true.
Mr. Mayor: --- I’ve been here four years, nine months, eight months and three days and
now we have an opportunity to proceed. All right, Slide 3.
Mr. Campbell: All right, good afternoon, Mayor, Commissioners. Moving on to Slide 3
which meant we moved beyond the Commission goals for the JCC. Here we are at the key work
elements for the JCC and blight which is to identify blighted properties, identification of at least
three policies to address blight at all three levels from the tenant, landlord and encumbered titles,
public outreach and engagement, ordinance updates, demolition, upkeep, zoning and
redevelopment. As the Mayor stated and as we’ve heard earlier today the departments and
different inner and outer agencies came together and we’ve been meeting, our attempts to meet
was monthly and it still is to discuss the target area which I will present to you here shortly. These
are the agencies that are part of the Joint Collaboration Committee to include Animal Control who
was introduced to this last week. So this is the targeted area that the Mayor and the, that the
Commission approved and that we’ve been discussing thus far. What I’m going to do I’m going
to go back to the beginning slide because what I want to do is show you the work that has been
going into this area as far as the collaboration of the agencies that have been working this.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so before you go on and I want to make sure in all deference go back
to that slide again the one you just had, sir. All right, the reason this target area was presented to
you in December and adopted was the fact that there’s work taking place at T.W. Josey where
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they’re expanding the school. We’ve had conversations with them about property in terms of
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potential property swap. All of us are fully and intimately aware of the 15 Street road widening
with the streetscapes and the enhancements there and of course we’re all very familiar with the
former Cherry Tree Crossing which is now Legacy at Walton Green and the work that’s taken
place there. And then just a stone’s throw from there is Beacon Station formerly called Foundry
Place. All of this catalytic economic growth is taking place and it made sense that if we’re going
to be in this area working where the systemic issue of blight, vacant abandoned burned down crack
houses, drug houses etc., there and we need to come in and help fix this place up and at the same
time keep the community of interest in mind because we want it to be a place where they can
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continue to live at. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
Mr. Sias: I just have a quick question. It’s one of them ‘why’ questions. When you look
at your map there in the Steiner Mill project area there any particular reason ya’ll didn’t go down
just a little bit and come back across to include that property which would also would’ve included
the, what’s the name of the community center ---
Mr. Speaker: (Inaudible).
Mr. Sias: --- Bethlehem Community Center. Is it possible, this is just a question I know
you’ve got it defined but is it a possibility you can expand that to include that area because that is
a real blight probably worse than that area there where you at.
Mr. Mayor: I think that’s absolutely possible. I think all of these are possibilities. There
was a rationale for that because you had an opportunity ---
Mr. Sias: And that’s what I was kind of asking.
Mr. Mayor: --- you had an opportunity to do something where you could go in, do the
assessments and immediately begin working towards putting together a redevelopment strategy in
this area and have immediate success.
Mr. Sias: Now let me pull the rabbit out my pocket. There’s a group that’s working that
area right there, the Steiner Mill area, (unintelligible) this doctor and whatever these groups that
housing is familiar with, Mr. Hawthorne. In other words you don’t have to start off at a standstill
right there. They’re working hard to rejuvenate that particular piece so let’s give it some thought.
Mr. Mayor: Well and let me say this that the Mayor didn’t decide on this. We took
everybody and said hey where can we make investments and Housing and Community
Development has had three proposed target areas in this immediate area so I think we can
absolutely expand that to your question, Commissioner, but those considerations were ---
Mr. Sias: I’m not saying it was just one of those ‘why’ question because I think there’s
value already started there ---
Mr. Mayor: --- absolutely.
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Mr. Sias: --- so that’s my point.
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Mr. Mayor: I see the Commissioner from the 6 you had your hand up.
Mr. Hasan: Yes, I was thinking if I understood my colleague’s question he was talking
about the Bethlehem area?
Mr. Sias: You know that’s the area ---
Mr. Mayor: The Steiner Mill project which is (unintelligible).
Mr. Sias: --- where the mill used to be.
Mr. Hasan: Yeah, but I’m saying all of that already is in the target area for the Housing
and Community Development in the Laney Walker Redevelopment so it’s already there and
you’ve got resources to do that with that goes back to the penny tax that Ms. Beard passed. So
there’s resources already there to do all of that and if you’re expanding you’re encroaching on
territory that’s already been outlined for that purpose.
Mr. Sias: I don’t have a problem (unintelligible) they must need to be massaged or
something.
Mr. Hasan: Well, I think the first thing for all of us it gave us heartburn and once again I
was involved with that project for work they spent the first three or four years buying up substantial
amounts of properties in those areas and as a result of that.
Mr. Sias: Don’t try to kill me.
Mr. Hasan: And as a result of that, you know you’ve got the properties and stuff in that
area and so you’ve got entities that can also do this but we’ll wait until we get through but that’s
the reason for that.
Mr. Sias: I’m good now.
Mr. Mayor: Okay.
Mr. Campbell: So what we have here, gentlemen, is work of the IT. What they did they
provided a shared base or shared point to where all of the partners and all the committee members
can come together and work in one location through the use of technology. So this is our area and
several departments or a few departments have their own tab and we’re still working with other
departments where they can get their own tab and work in this area. So here you have the Story
Board and it talks to the establishment of the Joint Collaboration Committee our purpose or our
focus which is to eliminate blight and we do that by asking these four questions here, what are the
key services ---
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Mr. Mayor: Mr. Campbell, I’m going to move you along on this because we’ve had that
presentation before. I want you to get to the meat of it of where so they can see results for the
target area, sir.
Mr. Campbell: --- all right, so you have another tab here and this is just a general view to
show you what’s going on. So we discussed the target area and through data we were able to
identify that a high blight concentration is within that target area also. This is the target area that
was just discussed. It’s a data driven decision and we’re proactive identification of projects and
strategic code enforcement, leveraging demolition funding, special zone overlay and expedite land
acquisition.
Mr. Mayor: All right, so let’s pause there for a moment. The strategy for success here
again is being proactive in identifying public/private partnerships. What we have unfortunately
tried to do for twenty plus years is go at it alone. We can’t go back and rebuild everything. We
can’t go and do all of the work to include all of the demolition and everything ourselves. And so
with strategic code enforcement and then leveraging the demolition funding that we have because
if we have partners that we engage the city wouldn’t necessarily be the ones on the hook for doing
all of the demolition as well. One of the things that when you talk about redeveloping an area like
this is having a special zoning overlay that allows you to get after going in and again where there’s
an opportunity for single-family redevelopment and multi-family much of which you see now
instead of it having to be three stories, four stories, you could have townhomes you could have a
two unit multiplex. These are the types of opportunities where you could create that level of value
in there and move forward.
Mr. Campbell: So in one point in time the team along with the Marshal’s Office, Code
Enforcement, Environmental Services and other agencies came together to walk the target area
and this is the work that came out of that where they walked through 452 occupied buildings, 216
vacant lots, I mean vacant buildings and 403 vacant lots then the Marshal’s Office dealt with 177
properties with regards to illegal dumping so this is the baseline we started from within the target
area.
Mr. B. Williams: Mr. Mayor?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 5.
Mr. B. Williams: I like what you said when you said we’re going to try to keep the people
who live in those neighborhoods where they are. Have you talked to any about the housing and
what exactly you would do because sometimes, well, all the time when they say affordable housing
I’m sure that’s pretty much a word that they use but when you say $160, $180,000 and they give
you $20,000 you still owe $140,000. And those people who live in those areas I would pretty
much say that most of them own them homes outright right now so if you have talked about that,
can you talk about that some? If not maybe in the future when you bring it back?
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Mr. Mayor: All right, so that’s an excellent question to the Commissioner from the 5 and
that is how do we engage the community. So what the attempt today is to simply bring you up to
speed with the meetings that have taken place on a monthly basis to get to this point. You could’ve
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stayed there where you were, Campbell, to get to this point. So what we have at this point is a
need for community engagement. What the group did not want to do is move forward with
community engagement until the Commission was fully aware of the work that has been done at
this point. That’s why we’re having this conversation, sir. There’s been a lot of good work that’s
gone on but at the point in time that we engage the community, this body should be involved in
that. And so as part of Phase 2 which effectively is really about a three to six month period of
time. It’s organizing a community engagement meeting to gauge the property owners needs then
to go back and promote it and hold a meeting in the community after business hours with an
emphasis placed on property owners who are already on the main streets and then going to the
collector streets. But all of that is contingent upon continued support from this body on being able
to do that, going to next steps so that you’re going it in a holistic fashion but that’s how we would
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do that. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 1.
Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor, I think that you know what we’re saying is good but I think you
know we have been talking for years we have been talking and the only thing we’ve done is talk
and you know we tear down a house and then a year or two later we’ve got a problem with the
grass. I like the idea of a $15 million dollar bond project so that we could develop, we would do
block development as opposed to a little spot here and a spot there. I think that once we start doing
that and we have something like that that we could present to the community that they know that
or feel reasonably assured that something’s going to happen. I think that the neighborhoods and
the community would get behind us. But whenever you know we needed money for the
renovations for the Municipal Building, we issued bonds and we put it in SPLOST and paid it
back. We needed money for the parking deck and we issued bonds. And I think that if people as
saying if you could issue bonds for this and you could issue bonds for that, why can’t you issue
bonds to address our blighted communities?
Mr. Mayor: All right, that’s, I couldn’t agree with you more. Here’s what I’d like to do in
light of one time or two as a request I’m going to kind of speed this up. Campbell, if you could
go back to the target area if you would. Just go back to the target area slide. I want to get right
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after what the Commissioner from the 5 and the Commissioner from the 1 just said and if you’ll
click on number seven, slide number seven. So this area that we see is in fact the target area.
People want to see success. They want to see what that looks like and we can go cut the grass
down, cut the grass down, tear a house down and that becomes nothing more than a distraction. It
becomes a red herring. We talk about it, we talk about it, we talk about it and then nothing
effectively happens of significance. What we can do and what I’d like to see happen is if we’re
going to show what incremental success can in fact look like, there are a series of parcels that are
in this targeted area that if we had an allocation of $150,000, we could go in clean it, do the
demolition abatement and rebuild and this includes acquisition, potential acquisition of property.
But it could show what incremental success would look like including redevelopment of a piece
of property or parcels that are in that area that we could then replicate showing immediate success
in that area. I think there’s an opportunity for us in partnership with the Augusta Housing
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Authority to the Commissioner from the 9 there’s some resources there that we can get that
coupled with Commission resources we could do that for roughly probably about $150,000 dollars.
All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 9th.
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Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor, I heard everything that’s been said and I’m sitting here
listening and my next item on the agenda talks about the dumpsters and the stuff that we physically
see every day all over our city. You know it’s all over the city in different places but no
enforcement. We had a situation here, we had dumpsters up on Milledgeville Road 2000 block I
believe it is but anyway but the owner had paid the contractor but the contractor never moved it
but it’s overflowed. It’s all on the ground. Those kinds of things make people not want to put
their boots and their gloves on and get out there because there’s so much of that. And the
enforcement part making people who have paid for their garbage, some people got containers,
businesses got containers. Hadn’t paid their overfill and then they have paid some and still hadn’t
picked them up. We got to find a way to let them know that we are serious about what we’re
saying and we’re not just saying something. But everything we’re saying I agree and it wouldn’t
take a whole lot to do it but if we ain’t got some teeth to that then how do we change it?
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, I think in the target area that’s why we talked about strategic code
enforcement being able to get out there in a significant way. But the goal is in this targeted area it
becomes your cookie cutter. It’s your template that you then pick up and take it to other parts of
the city so that you have a holistic approach to how you’re addressing these issues of blight where
if it worked here in this area, we can take it, we can move it over Kratha Road and in that immediate
area off of Deans Bridge so that you know all of the boxes that need to be checked in order to have
success which is what they goal was because prior to this time we’ve said well, just cut the grass,
just tear a building down. You just heard from Terrence you’ve got 340 orders, open orders to
demolish and we’ll never get there. I’ll be gone in 31 December 2022 and it’ll be 365 then because
they’ll keep growing. But this is a way for us to get after it. If we had those resources we could
have an example of here’s what success looks like. All right, the Chair recognizes the
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Commissioner from the 2.
Mr. D. Williams: Mr. Mayor ---
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
Mr. D. Williams: --- would the bond amount cover just this targeted area or the entire city?
Mr. Mayor: The goal was the entire city if you had that amount that was a number that
was loosely given to us in the 2018 presentation I believe, that would cover the whole ---
Mr. D. Williams: (unintelligible).
Mr. Mayor: --- yeah. But I think we need to be clear about if we took that approach, we
need to be clear about what we’re saying we’re going to accomplish with those dollars, very clear
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about that. All right, the Chair recognizes the Commissioner from the 6.
Mr. Hasan: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, let me say this here for the record and
what you’ve shown thus far pretty good, interesting body of work but if we’re going to do
something in terms of going out and bonding money that means the persons or the entities that we
have in this government already have not had access to those resources so we don’t have to stand
up for another entity. We can use the entities that already exist. They haven’t done what they
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needed to do. If it takes resources to do it, then give them the resources. We’ve got a Land Bank
that’s built and designed to do just this along with our Code Enforcement who’s been operating
on a shoestring budget that can do it and allow them to go ahead on and do it. We don’t have to
create another. And you’re talking about from a redevelopment here as well. You’ve got an HCD
Department that’s what it’s designed to do by the Federal Government so you’ve go entities
already in place that allows them to do that. If we’re going to bond resources to do it because they
have not done it but for the most part they don’t have resources. And I just want to say this as well
when you just mentioned about the fact that myself asking for money and trying to use the prison
labor but also in April of 2018 we did approve a committee with me to chair the committee had a
couple of meetings. And I don’t know whatever the previous Administrator done with it and then
next this pops up so that’s not the issue here. The issue is if you’re considering bonding the money
we should give it to the appropriate entity that already exists that has the tools in their toolbox to
do just that. We all want it done with the understanding it’s done without standing another entity
up as much as entities already exist to do this body of work. Give them that access to the resources
they need to get it done.
Mr. Mayor: So I couldn’t agree with you. Marcus, if you’d go back to the previous slide
about key roles and responsibilities. This conversation is not about standing up another
department, another authority or any of that at all. All this conversation is about is here’s the work
that’s been done up to this point, here’s what needs to continue happening and here are the folks
to get that done just to your point you have all of those. I will tell you the Land Bank has been
intimately involved in this conversation as well, okay, in terms of how to holistically get after this
issue and do it in a coordinated fashion. When the assessments were done just in the target area,
one of the things that our team found out is that they were operating with different standards. They
now have a single standard of how to assess properties, of what to do with that and that was not
the case before. So we’ve got folks who are doing work and then that work being done in
stovepipes and silos it’s not integrated. It’s now integrated and you’re able to have conversations
about when you send HCD out or Code Enforcement or for that matter the Marshal’s Office
everybody’s talking from the same sheet of music now and you’re better able to address these
issues and get after the work that we today have not had the will to fund. It’s not the ideas. We’ve
not the will to fund and that’s the long term conversation in having the will to say that these
underserved and underrepresented communities that persists in cities all across America not just
Augusta, Georgia where historically black and brown communities are that get left when economic
growth and development is taking place in cities like ours and then we build all around then and
you have these pockets of blight and disrepute. We have an opportunity to do something about it
to your point without a new agency, without a new organization. But that was not what our attempt
was today to have the conversation about bonding $15 million but rather here’s what’s been done
because there have been questions, you’ve asked questions. You’ve asked questions of staff,
you’ve asked questions of the Administrator’s Office about what are you doing. We don’t know
anything about it until now here we are. We’re telling you about it.
Mr. Hasan: Mr. Mayor, can I respond?
Mr. Mayor: Yes, sir.
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Mr. Hasan: Well, like well, Mr. Mayor, to your point in asking those questions most of
those entities that you mentioned are not quite sure. And I think you may mean well in saying
those things just like much earlier when you made mention about another agenda item you said on
multiple occasions we have discussed this, multiple occasions. I don’t know whether that’s, I don’t
want to get cute with using a term but the entities that you mentioned a lot of them are not quite
sure what they’re doing. And so this is not going to bring no clarity today around none of this
because you’re asking us to consider appropriating resources. If you’re going to do that, the Land
Bank really doesn’t need that in the terms of all of these entities like this. The Engineering Services
can do these things themselves. Hawthorne can do some of these things himself if we can provide
additional resources. So to say that you’re not going to do that, well then we’ll see what role that
all these persons are going to play in it and who’s going to authorize them and who’s going to give
them the resources to do it. Are you going to give money, put money into the Environmental
Services to go out and start demolition? Are you going to let the Land Bank give them the
resources who has the greatest tools may not have the resources to succumb some of the blight.
Are we going to give Hawthorne additional money that he can complete that he can continue doing
the body of work that he’s doing and we get out of the way? So I applaud the body of work that
you’re doing, I’m not dismissing that, but I’m saying if you’ve identified those things give them
the resources and get out of the way.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah, well, I don’t think again that we’re at a point where we’re talking about
you ready to give folks resources because if you were we wouldn’t be talking about it for the
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fifteenth time. The Commissioner from the 9 wouldn’t have had his agenda item on there just
specifically about the upkeep of the neighborhoods of the Enclave Development. So what we
don’t want to do is necessarily bifurcate the conversation around politics and personalities. Let’s
just focus on the work that needs to be done in this area. We’re very clear about what that is.
We’re also very clear about what needs to happen from a Commission standpoint. Nothing of
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substance happens unless you have six votes for it. The Commissioner from the 9 is going to put
another agenda item on next week’s committee cycle and say well why aren’t we cleaning this up,
why aren’t we doing this, why aren’t we doing that. I haven’t been in any of the meetings where
this work in terms of putting together a true plan of action, a framework in a phase approach where
the entities, the players who you see listed here were confused about what needed to be done.
Mr. Hasan: Ask them then.
Mr. Mayor: Had that been the case early on but I think we’re all clear about what where
we’re trying to go now.
Mr. Hasan: Well, ask them.
Mr. Mayor: Yeah. All right, Mr. Campbell, thank you. All right, Madam Clerk, we’ll
receive this as information.
Mr. Sias: So moved.
Mr. Hasan: Second.
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Mr. Mayor: All right, voting.
Ms. Davis and Mr. Garrett out.
Motion carries 8-0.
The Clerk: That takes us to Item Number 40.
Mr. Mayor: Madam Clerk ---
The Clerk: Yes, sir ---
Mr. Mayor: --- I want you to put this on the Administrative Services agenda for next week.
The Clerk: --- okay.
Mr. M. Williams: So moved.
Mr. Clarke: Second.
The Clerk: Is this Item Number 40 you’re so moving it, okay.
Mr. Mayor: I’m not talking about Number 40. I’m talking about what we just talked about.
The Clerk: No, I know what you were talking about. I’m just trying to figure out what the
so moved is.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
40. Discuss Environmental Services Department’s process for emptying
overflowing/capacity filled commercial trash dumpsters. (Requested by Commissioner
Marion Williams)
Mr. M. Williams: Well, I wanted to discuss that and it’s all similar to what we just got
through saying Mr. Mayor but we just have no teeth in ordinances where people can allow trash
in dumpsters on the side of their businesses just to sit there. We just had a conversation a couple
of weeks ago an auto shop had a wrecked automobile and I say wreck, this is a similar automobile
in their front on the main thoroughfare on Gordon Highway. We couldn’t make them do anything.
I mean there’s something wrong there. We just wanted to take the man’s license from him a while
ago who open a local business in a business combined neighborhood but we let people, I mean
some people can do anything they want to and some people got to follow the rules. So we need to
make it a rule so everybody got to go by.
Mr. Mayor: So can we do this? Let’s send this back to committee and we’ll couple that
with a conversation around 36 and we’re going to get after it. We’re going to find out what kind
of wheel there is to get some stuff done. How about that? Send it back to committee. The Chair
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recognizes the Commissioner from the 4.
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Mr. Sias: I move that we send this back to Engineering Services Committee.
Mr. Clarke: Second.
Mr. Mayor: Voting.
Ms. Davis, Mr. Frantom and Mr. Garrett out.
Motion Passes 7-0.
Mr. Sias: I ain’t in charge, Ms. Bonner, but is that it?
\[MEETING ADJOURNED\]
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
September 17, 2019.
______________________________
Clerk of Commission
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