The Augusta Commission will hold its committee meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 30 and will discuss a number of issues as the year begins to wind down.
The Administrative Services Committee will take up the matter of mental health among employees working through the COVID-19 pandemic and will vote on whether to offer a “mental health day.”
According to City Administrator Odie Donald, the city’s decision to remain open during the worst phases of the pandemic created considerable mental stress for employees.
MORE: Augusta Commission Has Packed Agenda
“While the impact on residents and businesses has been mostly positive, staff members have acknowledged higher levels of stress due to a variety of pandemic-induced events (death, emergency response to positive cases, school closures, pandemic protocols, vaccination protocols, etc.),” Donald wrote in the committee agenda log.
If approved, employees will be given Dec. 20 as a paid day off for mental health.
While the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic both recognize that the pandemic has caused mental stress and even mental health issues, neither organization endorses “mental health” days.
In fact, the Mayo Clinic advises just the opposite, prescribing that people should stick to their schedules and not become isolated. Click here to read more about the Mayo Clinic’s advice on coping with the pandemic.
[adrotate banner=”55″]
Donald says the extra day off will not affect the city budget.
MORE: Augusta Commissioners Talk Trash
The Human Resources Department is also recommending the commission expand the employee incentive program to include an employee appreciation week to be held the week of Aug. 8, 2022 and an employee fun day, sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department, on Aug. 13.
Human Resources also wants permission to create an “Augusta Perks” program in which local businesses agree to provide special discounts and other perks to city employees.
Building maintenance is another issue to be debated by the Administrative Services Committee.
On the heels of a massive update to the Augusta Aquatic Center on Damascus Road, which included new air conditioning and water filtration systems, the Parks and Recreation Department said the facility needs a new roof. The cost estimate for the emergency roof repair submitted by Hixon Roofing is $275,715.
While the price for a new roof may seem steep, leakage from the roof of the 22-year-old facility has caused damage throughout the structure.
On June 7, a city employee sent an email saying, “The entire roof of the administrative part of the facility has several leaks. Currently, there is a major leak in the multi-purpose room. Leakage occurs every time after rain… During an event yesterday, we were barely able to prevent the fire marshal from closing down, since the leakage went through electrical structures.”
Hixon Roofing also sent in a cost estimate of $61,880 for an emergency roof repair for the Augusta Animal Services building on Mack Lane.
In related commission news, Donald is recommending the creation of a “Build Augusta Dashboard” website that will track projects that are approved and funded through SPLOST 8 and the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) in an effort to improve on city fiscal transparency.
The proposed website will include an interactive map where users can scroll over to get information on the progress of construction as well as budgets and expenditures.
According to Donald, Build Augusta will be a simple and easy dashboard that will keep the citizens of Augusta-Richmond County up to speed on how and where their dollars are being spent.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
