Augusta Commissioners agreed Tuesday to advertise millage rates that would mean a slightly lower tax bill for property owners whose assessments did not increase this year.
For example, the owner of a house valued at $200,000 would pay about $15.50 less this year than in 2023 if commissioners approve the advertised rates at a Sept. 3 meeting.
The motion to advertise the full rollback millage rates passed on a 6-2 vote with Commissioners Wayne Guilfoyle, Sean Frantom, Catherine McKnight, Francine Scott, Brandon Garrett, and Mayor Garnett Johnson voting for it. Voting against were Commissioners Stacy Pulliam and Tony Lewis.
Commissioners Alvin Mason, Bobby Williams and Jordan Johnson were absent.
Fire department request
Fire Chief Antonio Burden had requested a $5 million increase, but the rollback rates set Tuesday by the board will mean the department will collect $114,000 less than was budgeted in 2024.
MORE: Richmond County Board of Education holds two of three millage rate hearings
Interim City Administrator Takiyah Douse recommended a .212 mill rollback from the general fund’s M&O and Capital Outlay combined and an increase in in the fire millage rate by .212 mills that would yield about $1.3 million for the fire department. Sales Tax 8 did not include funds for fire department equipment, the first sales tax issue that did not include money for fire equipment.
Commissioner Sean Frantom asked Douse whether there were any other options commissioners could consider.
“Sir, we do have several other options that would have to be combined because this $1.3 million would still not meet the requirements the fire chief has requested,” Douse said. “There is still an available balance in ARP funds for 2024 and also funds from the fire department’s budget, but not to the tune of $5 million he is requesting.
Burden came prepared with a long list of fire department needs, including:
- Aging fire apparatus that required frequent repairs and replacement
- Outdated fire stations
- Fire personnel recruitment and retention
- Rising operational costa
- The arrival of large-scale industries, such as Arubis
- Economic impact to the city by protecting these industries would contribute to ISO ratings
- Hazardous material response
“No doubt we’ve got to help our fire department,” Mayor Johnson said.
Guilfoyle said Burden would get $1.3 million from Douse’s recommendation, which would just be a band-aid on the problem.
MORE: 143 Ministries withdraws rezoning application for Rockford Drive
Other items discussed at the commission meeting
Guilfoyle also tried to no avail Tuesday to get his colleagues to approve reimbursing Johnson for $40,000 in purchases he made using his personal credit cards and then submitting receipts to the Finance Department.
“This things’ been going on for quite sometime now. It’s not been a good positive light within our community, our commission or within our mayor,” Guilfoyle said before moving to reimburse the mayor.
In response, Commissioner Tony Lewis made a substitute motion to refer the matter of reimbursing Johnson and require him to use a city-issued credit card with a $15,000 credit limit to the next finance committee meeting and tasking the administrator, finance director, procurement director, a representative from the law department, if necessary, and someone from the mayor’s office to meet and come back with a resolution of the matter.
Commissioner Catherine McKnight said the matter had already been before the finance committee three times.
“Here we keep kicking the can down the street,” she said. “And it’s back on finance committee, and we’re just wasting time talking about this every other week.”
Concerning Lewis’s substitute motion, Guilfoyle said reimbursing the mayor and requiring him to use a city-issued credit card was a totally different matter. Guilfoyle also cast doubt on the suggestion he’d heard that Johnson had benefitted from using his personal credit card, when he’d actually lost money on the interest charges this month alone.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said.
MORE: Community mourns the death of Dr. Ralph Walker
Guilfoyle also said that staff who are paid a combined half-million dollars a year met last week and nobody came up with a solution.
“That’s disturbing,” he said. “We looked at other cities that don’t have the same problems, the same trash that’s put into the media to make us all look bad.
“We’ve got to get this thing resolved and move forward,” he said.
Guilfoyle said they should look at other cities, such as Savannah.
Mayor Van Johnson has no limit on his daily transactions, but he’s got a $50,000 a month limit as long as the purchase is within the mayor’s budget,” Guilfoyle said. “The city of Dalton. Mayor Anna Lee Sams. Single transaction limit: no greater than $5,000. Monthly spending limit: no greater than $10,000, he continued, citing several other examples.
Frantom said the mayor has to have a city-issued credit card going forward and should have had one but that his past practices, what he did in 2023 should stand for something.
“And I think when we had a former mayor (Hardie Davis) who spent, and spent, and spent, and spent, and you didn’t really see anybody up here continuing on because it was embarrassing for this government,” Frantom said. “And it’s embarrassing that we’re going to continue to have this conversation on the reimbursement thing. I think we should just give him his money back, but it’s politics. It’s Augusta, Georgia. I get it. But the whole situation is disappointing.”
Lewis’s substitute motion failed 3-5 with Lewis, Pulliam and Scott voting for it.
Guilfoyle’s motion likewise failed 5-3 with Frantom, Guilfoyle, McKnight, Garrett and the mayor voting for it. Voting against it were Pulliam, Lewis and Scott.
