Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCalled Commission Meeting November 12, 2019 CALLED MEETING COMMISSION CHAMBER November 12, 2019 Augusta Richmond County Commission convened at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the Honorable Sean Frantom, Mayor Pro Tem, presiding. PRESENT: Hons. B. Williams, Garrett, Sias, Fennoy, M. Williams, Davis, D. Williams, Hasan and Clarke, members of Augusta Richmond County Commission. ABSENT: Hon. Hardie Davis, Jr., Mayor. Mr. Frantom: All right, we’re going to call this meeting to order. Attorney Brown. 1. LEGAL MEETING A. Pending and potential litigation B. Real estate C. Personnel Mr. Brown: Good morning, Mayor Pro Tem, Commissioners. We request a motion to go into executive session for real estate, pending and potential litigation as well as personnel. Mr. Hasan: So move. Mr. D. Williams: Second. Mr. Frantom: A motion and a second. Please vote. Mr. Garrett and Mr. M. Williams out. Motion carries 8-0. \[EXECUTIVE SESSION\] Mr. Frantom: We’ll call the meeting back to order. Attorney Brown. 2. Motion to authorize execution by the Mayor of the affidavit of compliance with Georgia’s Open Meeting Act. Mr. Brown: We request a motion to execute the closed meeting affidavit. Mr. M. Williams: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Frantom: We’ve got a motion and second. Please vote. 1 Motion carries 10-0. Mr. Frantom: All right, I’d like to go to Attorney Brown for a motion. Mr. Brown: Yes. There are several motions that the Commission has requested that we place on the floor for consideration today. The first motion is a motion to approve that all issues regarding the Depot Project must be resolved by January 28, 2020 or Augusta, Georgia will withdraw from the Depot Project. Further, that the Administrator and the General Counsel shall lead the negotiations on behalf of Augusta to reach resolution. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Sias. Mr. Sias: Motion to approve. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Frantom: I’ve got a motion and a second. Please vote. Motion carries 10-0. Mr. Frantom: Attorney Brown for a motion. Mr. Brown: Motion to accept the appraisals dated November 7, 2019 prepared by Vaughn L. Maxwell, III for Old Clanton Road at a value of $120,000 and the proposed Clanton Road at a value of $130,000 for the purpose of property exchange. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Hasan. Mr. Hasan: Motion to approve. Ms. Davis: Second. Mr. Frantom: Got a motion and a second. Mr. M. Williams: Got a question. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: Yeah, is there any other residents on that road? I didn’t ask that question in legal. Is that road – Mr. Frantom: Attorney Brown or Commissioner Hasan, can you answer that question? Mr. Hasan: Mr. Chairman, Commissioner Williams, the new Clanton, the new one that they built, that road, there is no residents on that portion of it, the part that they built. The previous portion coming off of Tobacco Road all the way to the railroad track, there was no residents there 2 as well so I suspect, it might have had an address but there was no residents on either portion of those. Mr. M. Williams: I just know there’s a couple of families named after the Clantons out there on Clanton Road and now we’re talking about the new road and I just thought about that. I just wanted to make sure that we’re not impacting somebody in a negative way. I’ve got no problem with the move, no problem with the switch. But I just thought about it. Now we need to make sure that we’re not impacting someone who lives there for the benefit of this plan and I think it’s a good move but there is some people on Clanton Road that lives out there I know. Mr. Frantom: Thank you, sir. Attorney Brown. Mr. Brown: The issue regarding closure of the presently designated Clanton Road is on the Engineering Services committee agenda and the vetting for closing that road will involve a specific investigation to make sure that that road is not in popular use and it does not negatively impact residents. So that will be vetted before the road is closed. Mr. M. Williams: What are we doing with this move though? Names, what? Mr. Brown: This is not a move. This is just to accept the appraised values of it, of the two properties which is required by state law. No action is taken today other than to accept the appraisals. Mr. M. Williams: I’ve got no problem. I just want to make sure that I’m dotting my I’s and crossing my T’s. Mr. Frantom: Yes, sir. I’ve got a motion and a second. Please vote. Motion carries 10-0. Mr. Frantom: Attorney Brown for a motion. Mr. Brown: Motion to approve settlement agreement and release of claims between Augusta, Georgia and the heirs of Velma Wright. Mr. M. Williams: So move. Ms. Davis: Second. Mr. Frantom: Got a motion and a second. Mr. Brown: The dollar amount that’s in the agreement is $6,000. Mr. Frantom: Got a motion and second. The Clerk: I didn’t get that, I’m sorry. 3 Mr. Frantom: Marion Williams and Mary Davis. We’ve got a motion and second. Please vote. Motion carries 10-0. Mr. Frantom: Attorney Brown for a motion. Mr. Brown: Motion to approve a salary for James Hill in the amount of $102,800 and to authorize the Administrator to execute all necessary employment documents and letters. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: So move. Mr. Sias: Second. Mr. Frantom: Got a motion and a second. Mr. M. Williams: Question. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner, do you have a question? Mr. M. Williams: Yeah, I’ve got a question. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Marion Williams. Mr. M. Williams: I’m not opposed to this, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, but I guess my question is will we be setting a precedent by going and adding to this one now. We’ve got other employees who feels like their salary is not compensated the way it should be either. So are we looking at everybody’s or are we just going to support this one today and that’s just a question I need to know. Mr. Brown: This particular action, Commissioner, is to bring in line the salary of a director pursuant to an analysis done by the Administrator of all directors. So I think that would be the only person in class. Mr. M. Williams: Okay, on a person today but if you bring it in line and that’s what I just heard you say, if you bring in line this one and I keep saying I’m not opposed but we’ve got to stay on the straight and narrow, now, we’re going to do one, we’ve got others who are going to follow suit and I said this about it earlier that we open this door, be prepared to keep it open. I’ve got no problem. I mean I’m not going to support it but if that’s what everybody does, it’s going to open up a snowball effect. Mr. Brown: There should be no legal harm to the City of Augusta by providing equitable salary in this instance. 4 Mr. M. Williams: Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, my attorney is talking about legal harm. I hadn’t mentioned legal harm. I didn’t say anything about anything legal. I’m just saying that we open up a door now. You know I didn’t say there would legal harm. I didn’t say there would be a lawsuit but there are going to be some other knocks on that same door and I don’t blame them for that but I’m just putting it out there so we won’t act as if we don’t know that. Mr. Frantom: Thank you, sir. Commissioner Bobby Williams. Mr. B. Williams: I don’t think we’re opening up a door. I did ask Administrator Sims to take a look at the salaries for all of the directors and when I looked at the salaries, Mr. Hill was making nine to ten thousand dollars less than all the other directors which I thought was unfair so unless there’s some other directors out there other than the ones that we had on the list, the door is closed. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Clarke. Mr. Clarke: Okay, I got two things I’d like to say. First of all when we negotiate with someone for a job and they accept the salary and they agree to a salary, I think that there should be some kind of time limit put in place at least a year or two years before that salary is renegotiated. Now the second thing that I’d like to request is for public record. Give the department that this is going to and the date of hire and the amount of the raise. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Bobby Williams and we’ll wrap it up. Mr. B. Williams: Okay the only problem I do have is that we just sat back there and talked about this for a whole hour and then we bring this out on the floor. It’s easy. It’s either vote it up, excuse me, just vote on it. Mr. Frantom: All right, we’ve got a motion and a second. Let’s just go ahead and vote this up or down please. Voting. Ms. Davis, Mr. Garrett, Mr. M. Williams and Mr. Clarke vote No. Motion carries 6-4. Mr. Frantom: Attorney Brown, do we have any more motions? Mr. Brown: Yes. Motion to approve the execution of an agreement and general release of claims between Augusta, Georgia and Lonnie Wymberly which will be assigned and designated as Deputy Director in Environmental Services. He will remain at his same compensation, benefit and pay rate. He waives, he will not be a probationary employee and Mr. Wymberly will release and waive all claims that he may have against Augusta, Georgia. He is responsible for any attorney fees on his part and this agreement is entered into voluntarily. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Dennis Williams. 5 Mr. D. Williams: So move. Mr. Hasan: Second. Mr. Frantom: Got a motion and a second. Voting. Mr. M. Williams abstaining. Motion carries 9-1. Mr. Frantom: No further motions, Attorney Brown? Mr. Brown: No, sir. Mr. Frantom: Commissioner Bill Fennoy. Mr. Fennoy: Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, do you give points of personal privilege? Mr. Frantom: I guess I am right now, huh. Mr. Fennoy: You know when it comes to salaries and city employees, I’d like to think that we have the best of the best. I think that a lot of our departments in the City when you look at how they rate on the state level, how they rate on the national level, they represent the City of Augusta very well. I think that when we have people that are doing an outstanding job for the City and we don’t properly compensate them for the job that they’re doing, then we stand a good chance of losing those employees and we have to start that process all over again which I don’t believe is cost effective to the City of Augusta. Every opportunity I have I brag about the greatness of the people that work for the City of Augusta and if we have employees that their salary is way below what employees are in similar situations are making then I will vote to properly compensate them especially because this is not the first time we have taken similar action. Mr. Frantom: Okay, that concludes this meeting. Committees. \[MEETING ADJOURNED\] Lena J. 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 Called Meeting of the Augusta Richmond County Commission held on November 12, 2019. ________________________ Clerk of Commission 6