Augusta leaders approved making a 1% cut to the city budget but didn’t adjourn their Tuesday meeting so they can reconvene and continue budget talks Dec. 5. They also agreed to add on to the county jail.
The city commission approved borrowing $37.5 million to add 200 beds to Charles Webster Detention Center, with the city making interest payments from the general fund until voters approve a sales tax to cover the debt.
Georgia sheriffs are required by law to maintain county jails, and Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree reiterated Tuesday the need for additional space.
The sheriff’s office routinely jails 20% more inmates than it has bed space. Of its 1,066 beds, 160 are reserved for females, 45 for mental health concerns, 40 for inmates receiving medical care and 25 for inmate lockdowns, Roundtree said.
“If you take all those out, you don’t have enough beds just for the people who are incarcerated for criminal acts,” the sheriff said.
The resulting security issues are so severe it could lead to the death of staff members, he said. “With that many inmates in a confined space, tragedy is going to strike us.”
The Augusta Judicial Circuit, which lost three judges to the split with Columbia County, hasn’t been able to catch up.
“We have an outstanding relationship with our court system; they just can’t try them fast enough,” Roundtree said. “The courts can’t keep up with the number of people that we arrest.”
Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse recently presented three methods of paying for jail construction, although commissioners lacked a quorum last week to hear them.
The options she presented include issuing general obligation debt, subject to voters approving a property tax increase to pay off the debt and borrowing expense, or waiting until special purpose, local option sales tax 9 to begin in 2027 to fund it.
“We’ll be in a federal decree if we wait till then,” Roundtree said.
The third option, which the commission voted 8-2 to approve Tuesday, was to revive the Urban Redevelopment Agency, which previously issued bonds to pay for renovating Augusta Municipal Building and other projects that were paid off using later sales tax collections.
Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle made the motion to approve and was seconded by Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight.
Commissioner Sean Frantom asked if there was any way the commission could instead reprogram existing sales tax funds to help finance the jail expansion. Finance Director Donna Williams said the commission can’t eliminate any designated sales tax project but could reduce its scope.
Frantom and Commissioner Bobby Williams proposed waiting two weeks to further explore funding options, but their motion failed 4-6. Williams and Commissioner Jordan Johnson were the two votes against the Urban Redevelopment Agency plan Tuesday.
1% budget cut passes, budget approval delayed
The new bond payments will add $18 million to Augusta’s budget, which Frantom proposed Tuesday to cut next year by 2%. The budget, which Douse prepared includes raises for law enforcement and a cost-of-living adjustment for all employees and is balanced as required by state law.
“We know that every one of these departments has fluff money in there,” Frantom said.
Asked if the cut could be made without reducing salaries, Douse said she wasn’t sure. Johnson said the cuts would disrupt valued city services such as downtown maintenance, libraries and housing development.
“The dollars these department directors are spending (are) essential to the operations of this government,” Johnson said.
Commissioner Alvin Mason proposed to reduce the cut to 1%, with the administrator, finance department and department directors to work out the details. Commissioner Brandon Garrett seconded the motion.
The cut passed 7-2-1 with Johnson and Commissioner Tony Lewis opposed and Williams abstaining.
Douse and Finance Director Williams said they could not apply the cut to the budget commissioners were required to approve Tuesday. The city code requires Augusta approve a budget by the second Tuesday in November, but the commission has missed the deadline several times over the years.
General Counsel Wayne Brown said Augusta has used “methodologies” in the past to delay adjourning its final meeting to approve a budget.
The group agreed to reconvene the meeting at 1 p.m. Dec. 5. “This meeting is not adjourned,” the mayor said.
Audit contract moves forward without recommendation
The city Pension and Audit committee earlier Tuesday sent a contract with UHY Advisors, the accounting firm selected as Augusta’s internal auditor, to the full commission without a recommendation. The firm bid to provide a first year of services to about 25% of of city departments for $290,500.
Two of four committee members present, Douse and Donna Williams, abstained because they were involved in the procurement. Mayor Garnett Johnson said he supported the award while Commissioner Jordan Johnson took issue with the $1.2 million Augusta would spend over four years to audit all departments.
New Asian spa site, boarding house get OK
In other action, the commission approved a new location for Ye’s Massage at 1912 Walton Way, renewed every existing alcohol, Sunday sales, adult bookstore and dance license for 2024, and agreed to rezone lots at 1015, 1027, 1029 and 1033 Moseley Road for Mary Ross and Richard Makerson to operate a boarding house for women.
