The city/county merger was a shotgun wedding, and everyone knows it, but few seem willing to do anything to fix the consequences.
The act that merged the city and county in 1996 (Augusta/Richmond County Consolidation Act) has long been recognized as a hastily drawn document. After almost 30 years, it is time for a revamp that will promote good government instead of obstruction by abstention.
The old city of Augusta was bankrupt when the consolidation happened, and the only way out was to add to the tax base by incorporating the rest of the county.
Former Senator Charles Walker has always been candid about how the charter, which was designed to give more Black representation in the new government, became obsolete almost before the ink was dry.
Lines were drawn to assure 50-50 Black/White representation on the commission, and the role of the mayor was made intentionally weak to avoid disrupting that balance. The role of city administrator was also designed to be weak as to allow consensus on the commission on most important city matters.
Instead of creating a streamlined government based on racial equality, though, the Act created an out-of-control commission that is ripe with cronyism and that works backroom – or, as happened at Tuesday’s meeting, front room — deals – with an audience — on both sides of the racial aisle.
Decades ago, commissioners learned that by having one member of a voting bloc abstain, the mayor could be cut out of the process altogether.
An administrator and department heads who serve at the pleasure of the commission are always only one vote away from instant termination.
Augusta/Richmond County has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. The city is a majority Black city, and the representation on the commission reflects that. However, while it is a good thing that race plays less of a role in commission politics these days, the cronyism and obstructionism remain, and the only way to change things is with a revision of the consolidation act.
The solution is simple. The mayor needs to have a vote, and the administrator needs the power to hire and fire department heads. However, making these changes is not just a matter of citizens petitioning for a referendum because the current government structure was created by state law. Only the legislative delegation or the Augusta Commission can call for a referendum.
Commissioners, though, will never call for such a referendum because, as District 5 Commissioner Bobby Williams has stated publicly, they “do not want to give up (our) power.”
To fix this problem, we strongly urge our readers to reach out to the local legislative delegation and demand that a referendum be placed on the earliest ballot.
