The Augusta Commission unanimously approved an amended credit card policy but quarreled over allowing a forensic audit of all city departments, a measure that failed for the second time.
One agenda item might have been an omen of what was to come later Tuesday.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke placed the item on the agenda, which simply was for the commission’s oath of office to be read into the record.
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“I don’t want to make a big deal of it, I just want for us to hear what we swore an oath to do,” Clarke said.
The mayor complained about commissioners placing items on the agenda without the items first going through the committee process and asked the Parliamentarian, city attorney Wayne Brown, if the item was even appropriate to be discussed.
Before Brown could explain, a motion to deny was made, followed by a motion by District 4 Commissioner Sammie Sias to table the matter by receiving it as information.
So, Clarke’s request for a symbolic reading of the oath of office did not occur.
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For the second time, a request made by Clarke and seconded by District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight for the city to conduct a forensic audit for all city departments failed in a 6-4 substitute motion to deny.
Several commissioners voiced concerns that casting such a wide net with no evidence of malfeasance in the many city departments suggested that criminal activity was being investigated without any suspicion of such activity.
District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett then pointed to the elephant in the room by asking Mayor Hardie Davis if he had gone forward with his pledge to have his office audited.
“Back when the news started talking about audits and the mayor’s credit card usage, you offered—on the record—an audit of your credit cards,” Frantom said. “Has that audit started, or is that something you’re waiting for us to put through?”
“I believe the gentleman knows of what he speaks,” Davis responded.
However, Davis did not offer any other information other than to say the process had begun and that he would make the findings public. Davis then moved to quickly call for a vote.
After the vote, the discussion continued with District 6 Commissioner Ben Hasan asking for a point of personal privilege.
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Hasan said that he believed it was wrong to scapegoat the entire government when all the questions regarding finances were only coming out of the mayor’s office.
“There’s been no corruption in this government, per se. You’ve had one thing, this credit card that’s been up in the fire. And that’s been yours, Mr. Mayor,” Hasan said.
According to Hasan, he felt his colleagues were taking the “easy way out” by asking for an audit city-wide when only the mayor’s office has issues with accounting for spending.
Hasan then publicly chastised the mayor for his lack of transparency.
“When any of my colleagues ask you about your card, you can’t give a straight answer,” Hasan told Davis, who then squelched the discussion by telling commissioners that he would have the “last word.”
Davis then went to the next agenda item, a presentation of the annual financial audit for the city’s 2020-2021 fiscal year, prepared by Mauldin and Jenkins, which painted a rosy outlook for the city’s overall finances.
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Clarke said that he and McKnight are not going to back down on demanding a full city audit to, in their words, clear the air.
“Just because we have two strikes doesn’t mean we are not going to throw the next pitch,” Clarke said.
The new credit card policy, which includes the mayor’s office, places limits on spending and gives the responsibility of maintaining the records to a card administrator. Single purchases are limited to $500 each, and no department or elected official can spend more than $5,000 in a calendar month without the finance department’s approval.
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One amendment made to the draft policy was to make City Administrator Odie Donald the card administrator rather than the head of the finance department, Donna Williams.
Commissioners also amended the policy specifically to state that individual commissioners cannot have their own city-owned credit cards, and purchases on their behalf are made by the clerk of commission, Lena Bonner.
The commission did not vote to allow the mayor to have a credit card, which is required by state law, but they also did not request the mayor turn in the card he currently uses.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com. Sylvia Cooper is a Correspondent with The Augusta Press. Reach her at sylvia.cooper@theaugustapress.com.
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