The Circus was in town this past Tuesday. No, it wasn’t held at the James Brown Arena, nor was it held at the Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds. It was held in the second floor chambers of the Municipal building located at 535 Telfair Street.
It had to be the circus due to all of the jokes, tomfoolery and magic tricks of making money and serious reasoning disappear.
Straight from the legal session held before the commission meeting came the vote to accept Deputy Chief Pat Clayton’s retirement from the Sheriff’s Office. His deal comes complete with a six-month salary and benefits package. Clayton was an employee who was grandfathered in before the new severance packages were put into place.
Of course, this was accepted by the commission with a vote of eight. Even though Commissioners Garrett and Frantom were seated at their places at the dais, they both chose not to vote and that is somewhat puzzling.
The commission meeting began with the usual fanfare of the Human Resources Department giving recognition to employees who have managed to stay on the payroll for dozens of years. This time it was to give recognition to the summer youth interns who worked in the different city departments.
Hopefully, the experience won’t sour them on future public service.
Then, it was time to hear from delegations that had requested to speak before the commission. This time it was 12 people and a couple of them were no shows.
An alumnus of Paine College addressed the commission in regards to a car wash that was to be held at the Mercedes-Benz automobile dealership. The proceeds from the carwash would be to benefit the new women’s volleyball team of Paine College.
First to respond was District 10 Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle. He stated that former commissioner Bill Fennoy, a proud graduate of Paine College, called him to ask for his support in this endeavor. Commissioner Guilfoyle stated that while he could not do so with government money, he was surely supporting the benefit with a personal donation. The amount was not disclosed.
Not to be out done, District 6 Commissioner Tony Lewis stated that he, too, was a proud graduate of Paine College and was going to challenge all of the commissioners to meet his personal donation. At that point the amount was not disclosed.
This, of course, prompted District 4 Commissioner Alvin Mason to state he would match the amount Lewis was donating if he would state the amount publicly. Commissioner Lewis immediately shouted, “$500 dollars.” At this point Commissioner Mason had to agree to the $500 amount.
Commissioner Bully, um, Bobby Williams had to make his presence known. I have to admit though, he was funny as he could be with his delivery. He stated he was a proud graduate of Savannah State and therefore he would give $100. I won’t even begin to attempt to give reasoning for that statement.
The Paine College car wash picked up a dry $1,100 plus Guilfoyle’s amount without ever so much as touching an automobile.
Roy Simpkins addressed the commission as to the vital importance of trees here in our city and how the city seems to be all for cutting down healthy and vibrant trees but leaving deceased or dead trees alone.
Simpkins also spoke to the fact that Augusta needed an arborist on the city payroll to manage and direct maintenance of the city’s trees. Simpkins told the commission about the variances the city could get from the state in order to protect the trees.
This, as always, seems to fall on ears that know better than anyone else on how to handle anything, the city Engineering Department. This time the director of the traffic division, John Ursy, spoke. He stated, in scattered words, that the construction companies that were hired to do the construction had consultants in touch with arborists as to the best way to deal with the trees.
Now, many of us know what paid consultants do. They can give true factual data, or they can give the answers they were paid to give. We will just have to make up our own minds on conclusions as to which this was.
Members of the historic Spirit Creek Baptist Church located on Dixon Airline Road, Vancary Gibson and Marion Gibson, spoke against allowing a biomass facility by Renovatio Solution, LLC to be built so close to the church. Concerns for the health of the members and children were their biggest fears.
A large contingent from the church were also there to show their support against the plant being built.
Also, to speak against the biomass recycling waste plant from being built were attorney Jack Long and Savannah Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus. Long spoke eloquently, as always, as he gave numerous reasons as to why the plant should not be built.
He even made reference to the stench that the paper mill once brought not only to South Augusta but to all of Augusta on certain days. The fear that this smell would again be brought down upon the churches’ congregation as well as the surrounding area and impede the quality of life.
Bonitatibus spoke of pollutant loads, feedstock and the possible pollution of groundwater. She also spoke in favor of an environmental justice ordinance for Augusta-Richmond County.
Bonitatibus furnished the commissioners as well as the mayor with a copy of said ordinance.
At this time, everything seems to be in place for the approval for the plant to be built. All of us will have to wait until the commission has this on the agenda to see if the vote to build will be yes.
Bear in mind that in the past, the commission has been deaf to the citizens concerning certain matters stating that the law allows an agenda item to move forward. Then, at other times, the commission has voted against an agenda item from moving forward with everything being in place and lawful.. Again, guess we will have to wait on the vote.
Things really got heated when four citizens spoke out about their properties and homes being flood damaged because of the rains and no drainage.
Tara Perry, Michaela Wolfe and Latoy Taylor all from the Formosa Court area in zip code 30906 had major damage complaints.
The first two residents tried to convey their complaints, but it seemed to be taken lightly.
Commissioner Bobby Williams spoke up and stated he didn’t know if they were in his district or not but would have these matters looked into. It had been stated the district was District 6 and It had been directed to Commissioner Tony Lewis.
Mayor Garnett Johnson, trying to assure or placate the speakers into silence, told them that they now had two commissioners that were going to be addressing the issue. You can just imagine how warm and comfy that made the citizens feel.
Taylor did not go quietly. She told of how commissioner Lewis told her it was an “act of God” and not the city’s fault that her house flooded. She stated that Lewis showed absolutely no empathy toward her or for her family’s situation.
Taylor became so distraught that Mayor Johnson kept telling her to calm down and that her allotted time for speaking was up. She left the chambers still enraged and still with no answers or solutions. This is par for the course with this commission.
Chief Tax Appraiser Scott Rountree, tried to explain as to why the property appraisals went up as much as 25% and some as much as 75% this year. The state requires the adjustment be made or the city could be fined according to his explanation.
Rountree explained that with the millage rollback, it would help keep the property taxes close to current money a property owner pays on a piece of property. He also explained that the state was giving property owners that have homestead exemptions on their property an $18,000 credit toward their property assessments.
Commissioner Stacy Pulliam seemed not to exactly grasp the way homestead exemption works, or so it seemed. She asked could a property owner file now and get the credit.
Roundtree explained the process again. Remember that Commissioner Pulliam is a real estate agent. One would think that she would know how the exemption works.
Finance Director Donna Williams explained the revenue details concerning the millage rollback and how it would affect the city coffers. Commissioner Guilfoyle from the 10th district scolded Williams for not getting the numbers to the commission sooner.
The commissioners voted on the rollback rate. The vote was eight yes and one no, so the rollback passed. The lone no vote was from Wayne Guilfoyle. The missing vote was from Commissioner Sean Frantom. He left the meeting before a vote was taken.
As the meeting was being adjourned, Commissioner Lewis just had to make a final statement. He wanted everyone to know that he did have empathy for the people in his district that had their homes flooded.
In fact, he had so much empathy for one young lady and her family that he put them up in a hotel and paid for it himself. According to Lewis, the cost was $500. Interesting statement. What made this family so different from the rest of the affected families?
Folks, as always, you just can’t make this stuff up.
