Augusta Commissioners will start off the new year on Jan. 4 hearing applications for new alcohol licenses, reviewing zoning changes and considering a renewed call for a city-wide forensic audit.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke and District 3 Commissioner Catherine McKnight are renewing their call for an independent auditing firm to be contracted to provide forensic auditing services for every city department, including the mayor’s office.
“We are not singling out one department or one individual. Instead, we want someone to look at all the departments to make it fair,” Clarke said.
However, Gary Jones, mayor of Grovetown, says he knows a thing or two about forensic audits and says, from his experience, casting such a wide net would be a costly mistake as the process could run into the millions of dollars.
“You really have to have a belief or a substantial indication that a crime may have occurred and focus on where the problems may lie or it could turn out to cost a fortune,” Jones said.
[adrotate banner=”55″]
However, Clarke points out that each Commissioner is budgeted in 2022 to receive a million dollars to spend at their discretion and says he will use the funds allocated to him to pay for the audit if that is necessary.
“I’m not looking at what it may cost, I am looking at the amount of money we may save in the future. The question to me is, why aren’t the other commissioners behind this?” Clarke said.
Clarke and McKnight have placed the item on the agenda several times before and have yet been unable to garner the needed six votes for approval.
Also on the Jan. 4 agenda are several applications for new restaurants hoping to open in the new year.
Andrew Crumrine has applied for a consumption on premise beer and wine license and a retail package beer and wine license to be used in connection with Soul City Pizza located at 1855 Central Ave. Crumrine is the former owner of Crum’s Restaurant at that location and is partnering with the owners of Southbound Smokehouse, which closed on Central Avenue last year, to rebrand the location into a pizza restaurant.
Wendy O. Mendoza has applied for an on premise consumption liquor, beer and wine license to be used in connection with La Michoacana Cremery and Mexican Grill located at 2805 C Washington Rd.
In the space next door, Wei Lin has applied for an on premise consumption liquor, beer and wine license to be used in connection with Rockin Crab House located at 2807 Washington Rd.
Housing developments are also on the agenda with new or expanded residential areas near Fort Gordon and West Augusta.
[adrotate banner=”15″]
After winning approval from the Augusta Planning Commission, Coel Development, Inc., is requesting final plat approval for the Hayne’s Station neighborhood, The residential subdivision already contains 50 lots and is located at 1036 Mulford Loop near Fort Gordon.
The Augusta Planning Commission has also given the approval to Kinger Homes, LLC for a rezoning to allow apartments to be built on nine acres located at 3208 Skinner Mill Road.
The developers have agreed to stipulations made by the Planning Commission to win full Commission approval. The density of the proposed complex will not exceed four units per acre, they have agreed to build a 10-ft buffer along the perimeter of the development and will pay for a traffic assessment by the Augusta Traffic Engineering Department prior to site plan submission to include acceleration and deceleration lanes if determined appropriate.
Part of the acreage includes a pond and wetlands and the developers have agreed to provide walking trails as well as a playground.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
