Members of Augusta’s Charter Review Committee will dive into topics of public spending and forms of government during two simultaneous subcommittee meetings Thursday, June 12.
Meeting for a sixth time, the 11-member committee’s purpose is to study Augusta’s charter and recommend changes to go to the legislature and eventually voters for approval. At the last meeting a survey reflected interest in increasing powers held by the mayor, but many topics remain.
Thursday’s subcommittee meetings are at 1 p.m. and follow the committee’s regular 10 a.m. meeting. They are being held at the same time, at least initially, to accommodate traveling consultants from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, said Marcie Wilhelmi, who chairs the committee.
The city hired the Vinson Institute to facilitate the charter review and the agency has sent a team of four from Athens to most of the meetings. Wilhelmi said having committees and subcommittees meet on the same day will “minimize travel/expense” expended on the consultants.
Both subcommittee meetings will be recorded and uploaded to Youtube later Thursday afternoon, she said.
According to an invoice obtained by The Augusta Press, the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. has billed Augusta $80,043.50 for charter review assistance so far. The June 5 invoice states the total cost will be $320,174.
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Form of Government Subcommittee
The agenda for the form of government subcommittee meeting is brief and includes creating a mission statement and a discussion of the Vinson Institute’s role in subcommittee meetings.
Local governments can take several forms. The entity created by Augusta’s charter is largely a weak mayor-strong commission form with an administrator who reports to the commission. Other forms can have a strong mayor or a strong manager in whom power is centralized.
The subcommittee’s final item is to request an interview with Augusta Administrator Tameka Allen. Allen gave a presentation at an earlier committee meeting and members had many questions for her.
Finance Subcommittee
The agenda for this subcommittee includes reviews of the government’s financial reports, annual audits, sales tax projects and spending and stormwater fee spending. It includes a discussion of hiring an internal auditor and external audits.
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Regular Meeting
The committee’s regular meeting will have members administered an oath of office. Old business includes adopting bylaws and procedures that have remained sticking points and a vote on removing language no longer relevant from the existing charter.
