Ordinances / Resolutions of Note
- Delay Barber Street Bike / Ped Improvements
- Approve Mall Redevelopment
- Restart the Eviction Prevention Program
- Recognize the Firefighter’s Union
- Approve the FY 2024 Budget
- Ban Indoor Vaping
- Start Delinquency Prevention Initative
- Place Public Safety Monitor in Auditor’s Office
Delay Barber Street Bike / Pedestrian Improvements
The ACC Commission has been debating making changes on Barber Street to improve bike and pedestrian safety. The current plan was to add a multi-use path, which would have removed some of the parking spaces between Boulevard and Prince Avenue. Some commissioners felt there had not been enough public comment, and hesitated to approve the $7 million project concept. Instead, they tabled the project indefinitely.
Voting yes to delay Barber Street improvements: Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Culpepper, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: Davenport, Houle, Myers
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Wright
Passed on February 7, 2023
Approve Mall Redevelopment
The ACC Commission approved a near-total redevelopment of the Georgia Square Mall, leaving Belk and the surrounding area. According to the Flagpole, the redevelopment will add “70,000 square feet of new commercial space and 1,200 apartments, townhouses and senior living units…10% of the apartments will be set aside at below-market rents for 20 years, and reduced-rent commercial space will be set aside for the Clarke County School District, the Boys & Girls Club, and women- and minority-owned businesses.”
Voting yes to approve the Mall redevelopment: Davenport, Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: none
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Passed on March 7, 2023
Restart the Eviction Prevention Program
The ACC Commission voted 9-1 to restart an eviction prevention program that stalled out in 2022. Family Promise of Athens, working in partnership with The Ark, will revive the program and attempt to make some improvements on it. They’ll receive $900,000 from the American Rescue Plan to help them do that, funding which the commission allocated to eviction prevention but so far has been left unspent.
Check out APN’s article on this commission meeting for more information.
Voting yes to restart the eviction prevention program: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Hamby
Voting no: Thornton
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Passed on May 2, 2023
Recognize the Firefighter’s Union
The ACC Commission voted 9-1 to officially recognize the Professional Firefighters of Athens-Clarke County and start the process of collective bargaining. Commissioner Allison Wright opposed the idea because the benefits it provides firefighters will not be shared by other ACC employees. Mayor Kelly Girtz had previously threatened to veto the measure, but he changed his mind after supporters won enough votes to override a veto. Read the APN article here.
Voting yes to recognize the ACC firefighter’s union: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: Wright
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Passed on June 6, 2023
Approve the FY 2024 Budget
Written by Commissioner Mike Hamby, the new county budget slashes the property tax millage rate from 13.1 to 12.45 mils, provides for a 7% raise for all ACC employees with an additional 1% in merit-based raises, prevents employee health insurance costs from increasing this year, provides some extra funding for neighborhood traffic calming, fully funds a request from the ACC Library and provides $500,000 towards a new Center for Racial Justice Black Futures among many other items.
There ended up being three votes in total on two different budget versions, the second of which was written by Commissioners Jesse Houle and Carol Myers. This budget version would have passed, but Commissioner Ovita Thornton manipulated the decision by inappropriately abstaining on Houle’s budget. Read the APN article here.
Voting yes to approve Houle’s budget: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Houle, Myers
Voting no: Wright, Fisher, Culpepper, Hamby
Abstaining: Thornton
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Failed on June 6, 2023
Voting yes to approve Hamby’s budget: Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Culpepper, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: Davenport, Link, Houle, Myers
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Hamby
Passed on June 6, 2023
Ban Indoor Vaping
Since vaping aerosol contains heavy metal, fine particulates and cancer-causing chemicals, the commission decided to ban the practice indoors across Athens, with some exceptions. Read more about the ban here.
Voting yes to ban indoor vaping: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: none
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Passed on August 1, 2023
Start Delinquency Prevention Initiative
The ACC Commission approved a $2.9 million contract with the Boys and Girls Club of Athens to start a new delinquency prevention initiative to help at-risk youth stay out of gangs and improve their academic performance. Read more about the program here.
Voting yes to start the initiative: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Wright, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: none
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Houle
Passed on August 1, 2023
Place Public Safety Monitor in Auditor’s Office
The Public Safety Oversight Board has been a controversial addition to the ACC government since its conception, and increasingly so after the local election of 2022. The board recommended at least one full-time position, called the public safety monitor, to help them in their goals of reviewing complaints and providing oversight over the police department and other public safety agencies. With this vote, the commission gave the monitor responsibility to the ACC Internal Auditor, but did not yet provide the funding needed to actually hire for the position (as of August 2023).
Voting yes to house the monitor: Davenport, Link, Taylor, Fisher, Houle, Culpepper, Myers, Thornton, Hamby
Voting no: Wright
Absent: none
Proposal made by: Davenport
Passed on August 1, 2023