The Augusta Charter Review Committee will meet again Thursday to revisit a list of postponed and unfinished motions from its last session on Oct. 30.
The committee and subgroups have met roughly every other Thursday since April, approving a handful of recommendations while continuing to fine-tune others.
Items approved include adopting a commission-manager form of government, giving the manager authority to hire and fire department heads. The committee also approved including an independent audit department.
Consultants from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government are expected to help “wordsmith” several of the proposals before or after final votes are taken.
Motions on the table
Several items were discussed or revised at the Oct. 30 meeting but postponed for further review and possible approval Thursday. They include:
- The charter review committee to convene “every seven years” from the charter’s effective date
- The mayor selects “up to” three city manager candidates for commission approval
- The number of commission votes needed to fire the manager
- Deadlines for budget presentation and approval
- The manager’s roles, responsibilities and qualifications
- The selection of a deputy manager
Manager powers and duties
At the committee’s Oct. 30 work session, members discussed several additional matters for the consultants to wordsmith. These included the manager’s powers and duties to:
- Appoint, suspend or remove all employees
- Direct and supervise all departments
- Enforce all laws and commission actions
- Prepare and submit the annual budget
The committee also discussed placing the following limits on the commission:
- Commissioners may deal with employees only through the manager and cannot direct staff
- Abstentions during votes are banned except for a stated conflict of interest
Commission approval debate continue
The committee is also expected to revisit a motion requiring Augusta Commission approval of its recommendations before forwarding them to the state for consideration.
That step was not included in the resolution authorizing the committee, which was drafted largely in the mayor’s office.
The committee’s next meeting is at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Lee Beard Commission Chamber at Augusta Municipal Building. A 1:30 p.m. working session typically follows in Room 492.
