While changing the city charter has been the largest reform movement in discussion so far in 2025, there are other charters that need review that will not require a referendum.
We commend Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle for being the first to expose the inner workings of the various boards and authorities operating within the orbit of city government.
What we have learned is that, in most cases, appointments are doled out to political supporters as a kind of payback or patronage; however, for most of these boards, such as the Augusta Port Authority, the appointment is nothing other than a resume filler as the boards hardly ever meet and have no real function other than to make recommendations.
There are other boards and authorities whose charters give them the same power as the Augusta Commission itself and not one member of the board is elected to the position.
The latest controversy has been the heavy handed treatment of a property owner by the Historical Preservation Commission, and the matter may end in the demolition of a local historic building.
Thanks to a couple of overzealous people with connections to the HPC, local developer Joe Edge says he is being forced to spend millions of dollars on the Old First Baptist Church downtown, or be forced to demolish the building.
Once the charter of the HPC came to light, it was discovered that the body has enormous power over property owners, and there is nothing in the document that holds them accountable should they go rogue and begin targeting property owners for political purposes.
The HPC can issue citations, petition matters in court as an official representative of the Augusta Commission, take any “appropriate action to enforce compliance” and “exercise all other powers implicit or explicit.”
In other words, the HPC, on paper, doesn’t need to consult with elected officials to levy fines or even seize property.
We encourage the Augusta Commission to take a long, hard look at all of the boards and authorities operating on behalf of the government and rein in the ones abusing their authority.
The Historic Preservation Commission is a good place to start.
