Members of Augusta’s Charter Review Committee are expected to take up weighty matters such as creating a strong mayor and consolidating all law enforcement in a Thursday meeting.
The committee as well as its “form of government” subcommittee both are scheduled to meet. A finance subcommittee meeting was canceled.
The meetings follow a series of three public hearings the committee held July 10, Monday and Tuesday. The committee also issued a survey which had just over 1,000 responses as of Monday. The survey is expected to remain open through the end of the month.
The city is paying the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia $320,174 to assist with the charter review. Institute staff are expected to present information about “other forms of government” during the regular meeting, according to the meeting agenda.
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The “form of government” subcommittee meeting is expected to start at 1 p.m. On the agenda is a discussion by members of the government’s current structure, “for accountability and oversight issues.” Subcommittee members are Chairman Steve Foushee, Frank Lewis, Sheffie Robinson and Roderick Pearson.
Up next on the agenda are five “motions” submitted by Foushee, for “discussion and consideration.” Motions are typically action items voted up or down at meetings. Marcie Wilhelmi, who chairs the charter review committee, downplayed the seriousness of the motions, calling them “conversation starters.”
The motions are:
- City administrator will assume a dual role of administrator/manager. The position reports only to the mayor and will have shared responsibility to hire or terminate ineffective department heads in collaboration with only the mayor.
- The mayor along with the city administrator shall prepare and submit a balanced budget for the commission’s approval annually.
- All public safety departments will fall under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office; to include the marshall’s (sic) department, code enforcement and 911.
- All board committee assignments appointed by the mayor or commission shall be term limited to two four-year terms.
- County commission voting rights should be limited to the business of the consolidated government, policy items and protection of district rights.
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The motions have a long way to go, but if approved would substantially alter the local government by creating a strong mayor. Currently the administrator as well as department heads report to the Augusta Commission rather than the mayor. The administrator, rather than the mayor, prepares the budget.
For public safety, placing the Richmond County Marshal under the sheriff would have an elected department head reporting to an elected constitutional officer. The motion doesn’t mention the fire department, emergency management or EMS but all three also rely on 911.
Augusta’s Charter Review Committee meets at 10 a.m. Thursday at Augusta Municipal Building.
July 24, 2025 Charter Review Form of Government Subcommittee meeting agenda by Susan McCord on Scribd
