Raises for county staff, fare-free nights and weekends for Athens Transit, a property tax rate reduction and expanded public safety initiatives were all on the table as commissioners discussed a budget proposal put forward by Mayor Kelly Girtz last Thursday. The optimism of the ACC government comes in stark contrast […]
Issues
35 posts
The mayor and commission have agreed to pay Adam Bishop, a right-wing evangelical preacher, $25,000 to settle a lawsuit against the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Bishop was shouting anti-LGBTQ rhetoric through a megaphone at attendees of the 2019 Athens Pride Festival when two ACCPD officers escorted him outside the festival […]
The EMS Oversight Committee has held closed door meetings in violation of the Georgia Open Meetings Act since its inception. That’s based on ACC Attorney Judd Drake’s legal opinion, which he delivered to the committee in December. After hearing Drake’s opinion, the EMS Oversight committee stopped meeting altogether, even virtually, […]
Athens Transit will receive a federal grant of more than $9 million to fund operations and capital expenses for the coming year. This aid is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security — or CARES — Act passed by Congress in March. Of the $9 million, Athens Transit […]
Sheriff Ira Edwards, up for re-election this year, has raised $9,300 from bail bondsmen and contractors of the private prison industry. Edward’s largest campaign donor is James Owens, owner of Double “O” Bonding company, who donated $2,000 in 2019. In Georgia, corporations and PACs are allowed to give directly to […]
Tuesday night, Athens-Clarke County Commissioners expected a difficult set of choices in store for them going into budget talks this year. Might they be forced to raise taxes or cut services as the COVID-19 recession continues? According to initial estimates, maybe not. ACC Manager Blaine Williams’s first draft of the […]
Sheriff Edwards declined a video interview due to social distancing rules imposed by the threat of COVID-19. Instead, we completed the interview over email. Here are the questions APN asked, and his responses: Athens Politics Nerd: “Why should voters choose you over your opponent?” Sheriff Ira Edwards: “Stability in Leadership. […]
The mayor and commission is calling for leniency on rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. At their meeting on March 31, the commission unanimously passed a resolution calling on local landlords and mortgage holders to take a number of steps in support of tenants and […]