Commission - Regular Meeting

Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for our tardiness. We'll be prepared to get started here in just a minute. As soon as we get our quorum satisfied. Thank you for your patience.

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All right. Ladies and gentlemen. Madam Clerk.

Yes, sir.

It appears we have a quorum. We're prepared to call this meeting to order. We'll take a brief moment of personal privilege to announce that this week we will be celebrating America's 250th on July 4th. And Augusta, the city of Augusta, in conjunction with the city of North Augusta, is holding an event called Meet Us at the River. Both communities will be celebrating the 4th. North Augusta on their side over at their beautiful amphitheater. Augusta on our side along the beautiful Savannah River. I have been told that we will have the best fireworks show that Augusta has ever had this year. Not only to celebrate America's 250th, but to celebrate Augusta's 290th. So if you're not doing anything, please come out and enjoy food trucks, live music, kids play areas, and a lot of fun in beautiful downtown Augusta. Also, if you're up to it, there's going to be a signers monument celebration at the signers monument right out in front of this building. As you know, Augusta is fortunate to have interred two signers of our Declaration of Independence. That ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. on July 4th. And then lastly, my last point of privilege, Ms. Amanda Cruz, will you stand up please? Congratulations to you on being named one of top 10 and 10 professionals in which to watch. Amanda was recognized earlier today. Thank you for your hard work and all that you do. It's noted and appreciated. All right, Madam Clerk, with that, I call this meeting to order. All right, I'm sorry. Commissioner from the first, Commissioner Jordan Johnson.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for a point of personal and privilege. I'd like to take an opportunity to recognize Commissioner-elect Yvette Williams and State Representative Elsie Malice, who's joining us today in the chambers.

Thank you guys for being here. I'm sorry I did not see you back there. All right. Madam Clerk, call this meeting to order. Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. At this time, we will have our invocation shared with us today by the Reverend Christopher C. Armstrong, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, after which we would like to ask Minister Shirley Norman if she would please lead us in our Pledge of Allegiance. Will you please stand?

Let us pray. Father, we come now thanking you for allowing us to wake up today. Thank you, God, for clothing us in our right and righteous mind. We pray, God, as we've gathered here today, that we would not do our business, but a part of what we do will be all of your business. Give us grace, peace, and humility along the way. Thank you for every person here today, and we thank you for the persons that we represent. We ask this all in Jesus' name.

Amen. to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pastor Armstrong and Minister Norman, please. By these presence be it known that Reverend Dr. Christopher C. Armstrong, pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, is our chaplain of the day. May your spiritual guidance and unwavering leadership continue to bring strength and blessings to the citizens of Augusta. Given under my hand this 30th day of June, 2026, Garnett L. Johnson, Mayor. Also, By these Presidents being known, Minister Shirley A. Norman, Minister at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, is also our Chaplain of the Day. Thank you for your willingness to share in today's program. We realize that Pastor Armstrong was out of town, and we weren't sure if he was going to make it back. Thank you for stepping in and saying that, by all means, that you would be here to support the Girl Scout troop as well as Mount Cavern. And with that, may your spiritual guidance and unwavering leadership continue to bring strength and blessing to the citizens of Augusta, given under my hand this 30th day of June, 2026, Garnett L. Johnson, Mayor. Thank you both.

Minister Norman, thank you so much for being willing to stand in. Pastor Armstrong, thank you so much for making it your duty to come here and do this today. It means a lot. Thank you for all the great work that you do throughout the community. Thank you. All right, Madam Clerk, I think that takes us to the delegation. We got some Girl Scouts in the house.

Yes, sir, we do. Ms. Tahilia Williams, Senior Girl Scout of Troop 20724, relative to earning their government badge.

Ma'am, if you will, for the record, please state your name and where you reside. That would be awesome.

Talia Williams, and I reside in Burke County.

Thank you, ma'am. Thank you for being here. You have the floor.

To Mayor Johnson, Commissioners, and Pastor Christopher C. Armstrong of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, I am Talia Williams, Senior Girl Scout of Troop 20724. Our troop was reestablished in March 2015. Our troop advisors are Lavinia Bates, Victoria Boyd, Linda Durham, Carla Ferris, and Atifah Lee. As a troop, we continue to work who carry out the mission of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Girl Scouts are known for the annual cookie sale, but we do so much more than sell cookies. As a troop, we earn badges which teach life skills. Some of the badges we have earned are money management, cookie business, meals, Girl Scout way, And my promise my faith. Last month, we earned our CPR first aid certificate. We engage in community service by decorating and filling shoe boxes with toiletry items for the homeless, serving at a China Christmas banquet, attending and serving in worship service at our meeting place, Mount Calvary Baptist Church. We have taken education trips to places such as the Juliet Gordon Lowe House in Savannah, African American Museum in Charleston, and visiting Jay Jeffries at Fox 54 Studios. We have also invited guests to our meetings to fellowship and talk to us, like Commissioner Francine Scott, District Attorney Jared Williams, Minister Adrian Armstrong, and the Women's Dance Ministry at Mount Calvary. We want to thank you for allowing us to earn our government badge by attending this commissioner's meeting.

Thank you so much, Ms. Talia Williams. We appreciate you earning your government badge, and this is a significant year. Madam Clerk.

at you, Commissioner Francine Scott and Jordan Johnson to come down front. Yes, ma'am, you can. Thank you.

And while we're coming down, I would just like to say thank you to the Girl Scout troop and to Mount Cavalry for inviting me to spend a day with you at your Girl Scout meeting. Thank you so very much.

Just hold on there while I read this, and then you want me to comment. Office of the Mayor, the Augusta Commission. Certificate of recognition given to Senior Girl Scout Troop 20724. Whereas one of your most notable display of community service work by decorating and filling shoe boxes with toiletry items for the homeless and meeting with local elected officials to gain insight into effective community service. and whereas behind every badge earned and every step of your leadership journey there's a dedicated volunteer to always help people at all times we commend you for setting your sights high and always achieving your goals and whereas the city of augusta recognizes your commitment to civic excellence your tenacity in achieving these notable goals to serve God and country, thereby living out the Girl Scout law. Congratulations and we honor you for your passion, faithfulness on the occasion of achieving your distinguished goal of earning your government badge by attending today's Augusta, Georgia Commission's official meeting. given under my hand this 30th day of June, 2026, Garnett L. Johnson, Mayor.

Well you know this is special. I keep harping on public services specialists, we celebrate this country's 250th. Having great organizations like the Girl Scouts of America, where since 1912, they have been about public service. And here we are today, earning your government badge. This is a day that you will always remember. We ask that you continue to be about service. In my opinion, the greatest city on the planet. Continue to give back. Continue to sell those delicious Girl Scout cookies. I probably eat too many of them, but most importantly, thank you guys for doing what you do, and I appreciate y'all, and certainly are very proud of you. So thank you so much.

They good. They good? Okay. Okay.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, another round of applause for the Girl Scouts. 20724 from the Mount Calvary Baptist Church.

Yes, sir. Our next delegation B, Ms. Patricia Jeter, requests confirmation of whether the West Augusta Community Center is an approved SPLOST 9 project and clarification of its designation, prioritization, site location, scope, and projected timeline for implementation. Good afternoon, Ms. Jeter.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for being here. For the record, please state your name and your place of residence, please.

My name is Patricia A. Jeter, 4102 Elders Drive. Thank you, ma'am. You have the floor in five minutes. Yes. Well, I want to thank you, honorable commissioners, for allowing me to come and speak. And I'm here to request clarification in regards to the West Augusta Community and Wellness Center. I know that it was mentioned several times in the work session as a designated project. And so I'm just here for clarification because when we did vote on it with the splash package, it mentioned new park and revitalization of community centers. So I just want to request clarification that The $10 million is allocated specifically for a West Augusta Community and Wellness Center. But before I continue to go, in regards to some statistics about Richmond County, I want to thank the mayor for his service, and you would definitely be missed. I do thank you for recognizing that Richmond County is obese, and so you did bring fresh foods to South Augusta by way of food truck, which developers have recognized the population that gathers there every third Friday. And they are looking at South Augusta in regards to improving developments over there. So I did want to recognize you and thank you for that. Getting back to some statistics in regards to Richmond County, did you know that Richmond County is one of the most obese populations in the nation? 44% in Richmond County is one of the highest counties in the nation for obesity. Also in Georgia, it's 35% among states. It's one of the highest states. I don't want to get too far into statistics because I want to stick to my purpose. That being said, Research has determined that the two factors that cause obesity are lack of resources. Well, there are several factors. Lack of resources, poverty, high blood pressure, diabetes, as well as lack of exercise, lack of community centers, safe spaces to go and walk. That being said, my question, I have some questions for you. Is West Augusta Community Center a designated project under the Splash Nine referendum? And if it is, do you have a site location? Do you have funding allocation? Or when will land acquisition take place? And also, are we being prioritized? Because the only thing that we're lacking in the fastest growing area in Augusta is a community center. We were once a food desert, food swamp, and that's one of the reasons for obesity, high obesity rates throughout Richmond County. So now that we do have a Kroger, which is the anchor, and it is bringing in restaurants and other development, what we're lacking is wellness. Wellness actually binds the community center together. I mean, binds the community together through the community center. It binds leadership together. It also has programs for seniors, youth, and safe spaces to be able to exercise and families. So that being said, I'm just asking the Honorable Commission to prioritize us in the SPLASH 9 implementation process.

Thank you, Ms. Jeter. And also to pivot back to you, thank you for your advocacy for West Augusta and your district. You've been a true champion to making sure that this project is brought to fruition. And as you know, your voice was loud and it was heard during discussions regarding SPLOST 9. And I see our Recreations Director sitting back there, and I'm going to ask her to come up because she may be able to add some more to this conversation regarding the Recreation Center. But as the Parks and Rec Director comes forth, I'm going to wait for her because there was someone in the queue, but they dropped out. Director Williams, could you add any additional context regarding the SPLOST 9 package and how does it affect West Augusta potentially, I mean, particularly the area that she's questioning regarding the new Parks and Recreation Center?

Yeah, so good afternoon, Commissioner Mayer. To address her question, yes, it was put into SPLOST. There was a lot of conversation during the budget time and when SPLOST package was put together. It is noted and is also on the city's website where the final approval and now since the voters have voted back last month, that amount was put into the package and approved. It is under the new facility and facility revitalization. And with that, that was a combined project to be put together. And so that total for that amount was $21,709,000 and the 10 million was a part of that. It was requested by the commission to combine those items.

Well, my concern is it's generalized on the referendum. The voters voted on it. It was generalized. So my concern is I want to ensure that it's prioritized in regards to, you know, I understand there's a need for revitalization in Richmond County of the parks. But I want to ensure that it's prioritized in regards to, say, for instance, we know there's a need. We just want to make sure that the $10 million is there for us. And I don't know how to say it. I don't want to be rude, but.

The amount is there. Yeah.

Don't go and take it, you know, because I know there's a need in other areas of Richmond County. And so I am all about Richmond County. I love Richmond County. I see the improvements downtown. Augusta, I think the boathouse is going to be beautiful. But I do think that we need to seize the moment on the fastest growing area in Augusta. one of the fastest growing areas. South Augusta, I've been doing some research, and yes, they are looking at South Augusta as well. But again, as I've said in previous conversations, thank you, Mayor Johnson, for encouraging industry to come to Augusta and creating the environment, the infrastructure. Because people seem to think that that a community center is a luxury. It's actual essential infrastructure for a community. It's a part of a community, a thriving community. So thank you so much for confirming that. And thank you, Mayor Johnson, for your support. Thank you, honorable commissioners, especially the ones who voted and heard my voice, as well as our commissioner, D.C. Clark. Thank you.

Thank you. Just sit tight because Commissioner Clark is in the queue. Chair recognizes Commissioner from the 5th, Commissioner Don Clark.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Jeter, thank you. Obviously, we've had conversations about this, and you've been very passionate about ensuring that this benefits not just District 5, but of course District 3 as well for that corridor of the... the county. So I think this is a good point of kind of clarity for everyone. SPLOST 9 is essential in many ways. We had some very essential items in there. The dollar allocation like Ms. Williams said was included in that for a new community center. But like we all know, the way SPLOST works, those dollars are going to have to be collected and generated and then designated to the particular line items. So specifically for this one, and I want to answer a point that you had brought up. The $10 million that's set aside for a new community center is designated specifically and only for that. And I want to, Mr. Mayor, if I can, ask General Counsel to just kind of verify that for the record. so that Ms. Jeter and other residents understand that when we have a line item designation for something, we can't just choose and say, hey, I'm going to take that and use it for something else.

Yes, sir. Attorney Plunkett. give you a lawyer-like answer. Yes, sir.

That's why I pulled you up.

So the issue is this, is that the line item is $21 million, so it does not say $10 million for one issue and other millions in that regard. However, when The commission puts out information in support of educating the population. The commission is then bound by that information. So while it doesn't say specifically $21 million, I mean $10 million for a West Augusta location, it does say it's for that. This is for a new community center. New community center. So... but that's in the materials. The line item itself specifically provides that new facility and facility renovations. So that's done with, have the ability that you can flow monies a little bit in that regard. And so, but everything was advertised $10 million for a new community center, and I think that the voters would have an action if you didn't produce that.

Correct, yeah. And we still have to set the prioritization as well of what's going to be prioritized for what items to move forward and otherwise, correct?

Yes, sir. There's basically three levels of priority here. Typically, it's first is you have to pay for any bonded indebtedness. That's just off the top. The second is we typically go ahead and fund the HubSpot and Blythe typically in two years. And then the rest of the collections are then prioritized by the administrator with y'all's consent.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Plunkett. And again, Ms. Jeter, thank you for the consistent advocacy. Again, if there is a new one, it's to benefit District 5 in that area of the district and, of course, District 3 as well with Catherine Smith-Rice. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner Clark. Ms. Jeter, thank you so much for being here. Continue the great advocacy that you do. Thank you.

I'm a persistent person, so you'll continue to see me down here. Thank you so much. Thank you. All right.

Madam Clerk, next item, please. Our next delegation, Ms. Chastanet Cherry, presentation, Raising Concerns on the Current Zoning Status of the QTS Data Center and Repealing the Godfather Clause.

Mrs. Cherry, thank you for being here and welcome back. Hi. If you will, for record, please state your name and residency, please.

Yes, sir. I'm Chastanet Cherry from District 7.

You got it, ma'am. You have the floor in five minutes if you're prepared. Do we need to give you a few minutes to get set up? Thanks.

Hi, guys.

All right, wait just a minute. Just a second. We're going to get you some IT help here.

Press the right button.

It's coming now. Oh, okay. Yes, ma'am. I used this one.

Oh, that's it.

All right, Mrs. Cherry, you now have the floor and five minutes.

Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Chastanet Cherry, and first, I would like to sincerely thank this commission for approving the moratorium. This decision created something that our community desperately needed, which was time. Time for staff to continue working on our comprehensive ordinance, time for residents to learn, time for public dialogue with QTS, and time for research and collaboration with communities across Georgia in Coweta, Troop, Bradley, and DeKalb counties, and to see how they are regulating this rapidly growing industry. Over the last several weeks, I had reviewed Augusta's current B2 general business ordinance, the proposed data center ordinance, ordinances from neighboring Georgia jurisdictions, independent research on hyperscale data centers, and I attended the recent QTS forum. After reviewing all of this information, I have unfortunately reached one avoidable conclusion. Our current zoning ordinance does not adequately protect Augusta-Richmond County for the scale of infrastructure that is being built. This is not an anti-development argument. This is not an anti-QTS argument. This is a pro-planning argument. Our B2 zoning district was created for commercial activity, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and self-storage facilities. It was never designed to regulate an industrial-scale operating facility operating around the clock with massive electrical demand, backup generators, substations, cooling systems, security parameters, and phased campus expansions. Even during the QTS community forum, company representatives Simone and Jen both acknowledged that this is an industrial scale operation. The operation reality simply does not match the intent of our general business ordinance. And because of this mismatch, there are several gaps in resident protections. Today, our ordinance contains no enforceable standards for generator noise, no comprehensive water management, no independent environmental review requirements, no reporting obligations, no commissioning plans, no long-term accountability measures or anything specific to this type of infrastructure. As residents, we are largely asked to rely on the voluntary commitments of QTS rather than any enforceable standards. During the QTS forum, company representatives explained that many of the environmental and impact studies will be performed by consultants retained from their developers. While developer-funded studies certainly provide valuable technical information, communities across the country have learned that independent third-party review creates greater transparency, greater public confidence, and better decision-making. We've already seen examples of why this matters. QTS gave the example of their facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. However, in Hillsborough, Oregon, the community has publicly raised concerns about the data center noise after the facility became operational, despite earlier assurances that impacts would be minimal. And on June 6th, just days after you all responsibly passed our moratorium, the state of Oregon passed HB 40, an indefinite moratorium against data centers. Likewise, research from George Mason University demonstrates that while data centers can increase surrounding property values in highly urbanized markets with mature infrastructure, like in Virginia, As Victoria from QTS stated, she negated to mention the other findings within that George Mason study, which stated that in rural and suburban communities without robust planning protections, They suffer from the different outcomes and concerns with the environmental impacts and the infrastructure strain causing adverse buyer perceptions which lead to unsold homes and decreased property values. These examples do not mean that Augusta cannot overcome these outcomes. First, I believe that we can amend the existing B2 general ordinance and support the supplemental standards to regulate hyperscale data scale facilities. Or we can remove the grandfather provision so that QTS and their development fall under the new data center ordinances. The last thing that I would like to reflect upon is what QTS stated in their forum, that they would like to be our partners. Partnership is built on accountability. It is built on good ordinances and good protections for our residents. I respectfully ask this commission to consider requesting an immediate amendment to the current B2 ordinance with enforceable data center standards and applying the forthcoming data center ordinance to the existing project by removing the grandfathered provisions. Doing so will ensure that Augusta welcomes innovation while providing protections that our residents deserve. Again, thank you so much for your time, your leadership, and your consideration. God bless and thank you again.

Mrs. Cherry, thank you so much for being here. I don't see any colleagues in the queue for discussion. Thank you as always for your advocacy, okay?

All right, Madam Clerk, next delegation item. Item D. Mrs. Ikea Mabry regarding public participation, consistency, and citizen access to government. Thank you so much. Mrs. Mabry, welcome back.

Girl Scout troop, this is your government in action. Thank you all for being here and being attentive. Mrs. Mabry, if you will, for the record, please state your name and residency, please.

Good afternoon, my name is Dr. Zakiya Mabry, and again, I'm not going to publicly state my address.

You got it, you have the floor and you have five minutes, ma'am.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak today. I would like to address three related issues concerning public participation, consistency, and citizens' access to the government. First, I'd like to say thank you to the law department for the response to my email that I sent on 23 June. However, the central question regarding the proposed Eisenhower data center remains unanswered. So this is my question, I'll state it. Is there any pending legal action, legal restriction or other legal basis that prevents the city from publicly explaining the legal rationale for excluding the proposed Eisenhower data center project from the moratorium or for future policy review processes.

Madam, I don't see any colleagues in the queue that has shown an interest in answering that question. You can continue with your presentation if you'd like.

Okay, so who's responsible for providing that answer, and when can the public reasonably expect to receive an answer?

Attorney Blunk.

Mr. Mayor, the law department's duty is to provide legal advice to the commission. We don't provide opinions to members of the community. If there's a particular question that you want to have us answer, we will certainly provide you that information. What you decide to do with that information is obviously within your purview. You know, we don't engage in answering specific questions from constituents. I have, as Ms. Mabry, I think, referred to, I did have an email exchange with her, and I said I'd be more happy to talk with her, and if there were certain information she was requesting, the best way to do it is through an open records request.

Thank you, Attorney Plunkett.

And for the record, that still does not, I'm just going to, since we're on the record and this is being videoed, my question was simply, he answered the other questions from the delegation. I'm asking, is there any legal restriction or legal basis that prevents the city from publicly explaining the legal rationale from excluding the proposed Eisenhower data center? And he says that he's not going to answer and he won't answer. A record request will not answer that question. In addition, if you want to talk about the email exchange, I said that I would not meet with you until you can tell me how do you justify saying I was interrogating the commission by asking one question. And since you could not do that after going back and forth with multiple emails, I don't feel that it's in my best interest to meet with someone who can't answer a simple question. So there is a reason a legal reason that the closure be able to answer these questions so that the public can know what's going on within the city, but it doesn't seem like that we're gonna get an answer today. And the reason why I ask is simple. As mentioned earlier, transparency is strengthened when citizens understand not only what decisions are made, but why they're being made. Second, I remain concerned about the Augusta's policy prohibiting citizens from returning to the commission within 90 days when they have something similar to the topic that they spoke about before. Is there a government rationale for saying that the commission can bring something back up, but the constituents cannot? And I'll pause to see if that question will be answered. If not, it's okay.

The idea that a delegation has the right to speak is not a right in of itself. People being able to speak is within the purview of the commission and it's a historical issue. I don't know the rationale when they started that, but that is within their purview to allow the frequency or at all speakers on on issues. So that's just how it's been and they continue to have that policy.

Thank you for your answer, status quo. And we debunked the status quo about giving the addresses a couple of months ago. So I would love for you all to do more research on that. And you said you don't know when it was implemented. I can tell you almost 30 years to this day, it was January 3rd, 1996, when that was implemented. So that's 30 years ago. So perhaps we should look at modernizing that policy since no other jurisdiction within Georgia has. It seems like it's built to silence the citizens. So during my previous appearance, I mentioned about the interrogating, didn't get a response. And also I wanted to bring up that several, I counted four commissioners left the dais while I was speaking, and it was a lot of noise coming from behind me, and it was really hard to concentrate. Now, there was a lot of activity, noise, we even lost a quorum. Not just myself, but other people in the community saw that as unprofessional. And I would hope that when we ask for respect, we also give respect. My purpose is not to revisit the past, just to revisit it, it's to encourage a process that is transparent, consistent, respectful, and worthy of the public's trust. With that in mind, I'm asking if we could have a town hall about the Eisenhower Data Center, no developers there, but just this body, the commission, so that the citizens can ask questions and have SMEs there, subject matter experts, who could provide answers. within the next 30 days. I hope the commission will continue strengthening the public trust, ensuring transparency, consistency for everyone, whether you like what they're talking about or not, and meaningful opportunity for citizen participation. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Mayer. Thank you for always being here. Seeing no colleagues in the queue, Madam Clerk, let's move on to the next delegation, please. Okay.

Our last delegation, item E, Dr. Gayla Kesey, regarding public access to data center records and community impact information.

Dr. Kesey, welcome.

Thank you very much.

If you will, for a record, please state your name and residency, please.

No, I will state my name. I am Gayla Kesey. I am co-president of the League of Women Voters. And we've had this discussion that saying the name and address is a violation of privacy. She called you on that just a minute ago. So I would appreciate if y'all would start following that procedure that y'all have said that you would follow.

Wait a minute. Mr. Mayor. Yes, sir. The rule requires the persons say that they reside in which county they reside.

I reside in Richmond County. Okay. Isn't that what I asked? No, you asked for residence.

Yes, what her address or residence is, which can infer that it's either a street address or it could be this issue of the county.

Dr. Casey, you have the floor.

Thank you. My name is Gayla Kesey. As I've said, I'm co-president of the League of Women Voters of the CSRA. I'm here today because residents still have questions, important questions about the QTS Data Center. The project that was revised and the ordinance that is currently being revised and how this process is moving forward. At the meeting where the commission discussed the temporary moratorium on new data center applications, Attorney Plunkett explained that QTS had a vested interest because work had already begun. He also said stopping the project could expose the city to legal and financial risk, and I understand that concern. But at the recent QTS community meeting, residents learned that this is expected to be about a six year project with roughly one building constructed each year. We also learned that only phase one is currently underway. There are still permits, reviews and agency approvals ahead, including issues involving wetlands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. So my question is simple. Does that vested interest apply to the entire six-phase project or only the phase where the work has actually begun? If phases two through six have yet started, still require permits, reviews, inspections, or approvals, residents deserve to know what rules will apply. Will those phases be reviewed under the ordinance that existed when the project began or under the revised ordinance now being developed? That answer matters because the ordinance may not just affect future data center applications. It may also determine how future phases of the project are reviewed over the next six years. That brings me to transparency. Last week, Ms. Cameron from Planning and Zoning emailed me and said, quote, the document is scheduled to be provided to the Planning Commission, placed on the website for public access, and provided to the Augusta Commissioners this week, including the dates for the public meetings. The document was the revised ordinance. As of today, I have not been able to find that document or those public meeting dates in a clear, accessible place on our website or social media. Back in February, residents were told there would be a public meeting. Later, we were told that meeting would be happening after the elections. Today, we're still waiting to see those meetings on the public calendar. I understand that public comment is not intended to be an interrogation. of the commission. But residents do have legitimate concerns and questions. If this is not the place to ask them, then where is that place? When will residents be able to review the revised ordinance, ask questions and receive answers before it comes to the commission for a vote? Today, I'm asking three things. First, Please clarify publicly whether QTS's vested interest applies to the entire six-phase project or only to the work that's actually begun. Second, please release the revised data center ordinance and public meeting schedule with enough time for residents to read it and provide meaningful input. Third, please create one central easy to find location on the city's website. where residents can follow major development projects, including approvals, permits, pending applications, environmental reviews, public meeting dates, and compliance information. And I would also like to add, please make our website mobile friendly. Finally, I'd like to extend an invitation On Saturday, August 8th, the League of Women Voters of the CSRA Environmental Justice Task Force will host Watts, Water and Wetlands, a community forum on data centers and the Public Service Commission election. We would be delighted to have any commissioner attend or participate on the panel. And if you're interested in participating, I'd be happy to provide my contact information after the meeting. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Casey. I don't see any colleagues in the queue. Thank you so much for being here. Madam Clerk, I think that ends our delegation portion of this meeting. Yes, sir. It takes us to the consent agenda portion.

Yes.

All right. Do you have any additions or deletions or any addendum items to today's agenda? No, sir. All right. Do you have any public notices, alcohol petitions that need to be read in for the record? No, sir. None at all. All right. If that's the case, the chair recognizes Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Guilford.

Mr. Mayor, I'd like to add agenda item number 16 to the consent agenda.

Madam Clerk, it's been requested we add item number 16 to the consent agenda.

Okay. Hold on. Hold on. Wait a minute.

All right, so we're gonna remove it from consent. All right, the Chair recognizes All right, don't have anybody else in the queue. So you may make this simple. Can I receive a motion please to proceed?

Motion to approve.

Yeah, I have a motion by Mayor Pro Tem. I heard a second by Commissioner Catherine Smith-Rice. Seeing no colleagues in the queue, Madam Clerk. Okay, that's items one through 15. Items one through 15, we have discussed item.

Mr. Mayor.

It will be addressed as a standalone. Yep, as a standalone item. Chair recognizes Commissioner from the First, Commissioner Johnson.

Thank you, sir. I want to pull number eight for question.

Number eight. Yes. All right, that's number eight.

Thank you.

You got it. Chair recognizes Commissioner from the Fifth, Commissioner Donna Clark.

Hey, Mr. Mayor. I know Commissioner from the First asked to pull number eight. Deputy Jackson, are you prepared to speak towards this in the absence of the administrator? I know she's been leading the effort.

Yes, sir. I do have some comments to make about that.

All right. Thank you.

All right. Now, seeing no colleagues in the queue, Madam Clerk, we're prepared to vote. We're going to pull item eight. Sixteen is on the agenda.

Stand alone. We'll take that.

Commissioner Guilfoyle, you? No, I'll follow. Okay, all right. Madam Clerk, we're prepared to vote. Okay.

That motion carries eight to one. with Ms. Scott voting no.

Girl Scout troop 20724, thank y'all for being here. Congratulations again on your government, Pam.

Okay. Sorry, Ms. Scott. with Commissioner Pulliam and Commissioner Garrett out and Commissioner Francine Scott voting no in error. How about that?

All right, you got it. All right, Madam Clerk, let's go to item 16. I think we have some guests in town for presentation.

Item number 16 is a motion to approve change order number 3 to extend the period of performance to December 31, 2026 with an additional not to exceed amount of $75,000 to test order number 1 for Hurricane Helene cost recovery services through Tetra Tech. No recommendation from our Public Safety Committee on June 23rd. Thank you so much. Director, you'd like to tee us up on this one?

Yes, sir, good afternoon, everyone. Item 16, request the approval for change order number three to our existing Tetra Tech contract for Hurricane Helene efforts, recovery efforts. This amendment extends the performance period until the end of the year, December 31st, 2026, and increase the not to exceed amount to 75,000. TETRATECH HAS BEEN A GREAT ASSET IN AUGUST AND BOTH ARE DOCUMENTING AND RECOVERING ELIGIBLE COSTS THROUGH FEMA.

WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THE ACTIVE REIMBURSEMENTS BOTH FISCALLY AND ADMINISTRATIVELY WITH THAT.

We have already seen 46 million in reimbursements, and there's more on the way. So I'll just turn it over to our partners so they can give you guys an update on where we're at with the recovery efforts.

Thank you so much. All right, sir, if you will, for the record, please state your name, who you represent.

Yes, sir.

It's on.

OK. My name's Tucker Conklin with Tech Tech. I'm actually a native of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, so a grateful visitor here. Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Mayor, Commissioner, Augusta leadership. I think we last presented here in February to provide an update. And I think today's another good news story, right, as Augusta and this body continues to be leaders in not just the state of Georgia, but nationwide as far as leaning forward and recovering from a disaster. Obviously, it was stated that Tetra Tech provides support with cost recovery services, working with large federal programs. to gain reimbursement for a lot of those large expenditures. I think we used a similar graphic here in February too, but I'm just gonna highlight a few changes. That's a large number of total estimated costs there of 83.6 million. Most of that's pending or has been reviewed by FEMA and the federal government. With the biggest change there, you see that $75.9 million number, really the first step and the first hurdle is getting FEMA to review, approve those costs, obligate those funds to the state. That $75.9 million is actually a 36% increase since we were here in February. So roughly $20 million has also been now approved by the federal government, transmitted to the state, and is in process of being drawn down upon or reimbursed. So that $46 million has been received. More on the way as Augusta continues to continue the recovery. As far as what's left to do, large federal programs, they have rules, requirements, regulations. THAT ARE CLOSELY AUDITED, CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED IS MAYBE THE BEST TERM. AS AUGUSTA CONTINUES TO DRAW DOWN THE REMAINDER OF THOSE FUNDS THAT ARE ALREADY APPROVED, WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT IN WHATEVER CAPACITY IS NECESSARY TO AUGUSTA RICHMOND COUNTY. I GUESS I'LL PAUSE AND ASK IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS BUT JUST STATE WE ALWAYS SERVE IT THE PLEASURE SO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

Don't see any colleagues in queue, but certainly thank you for your partnership. You guys were here very early on to kind of help us at one of our most direst times and certainly appreciate all that you continue to do and keep up the great work.

Thank you. I do have one question, Mr. Mayor. All right.

The chair recognizes Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Guilford.

I appreciate your presentation and giving it to us and bringing us up to speed. I appreciate all your hard work making sure that we received the money that we were entitled to, number one. Is there anything that we could do to help the utilities department along the canal where the trees is a big issue? It's going to cost millions and millions of dollars and that was caused by the storm.

We are working with the utilities department and trying to figure out how they, we had to separate the canal embankment so we're working with them to move that along.

Okay, is that could be captured by FEMA money or that would be a tech to tech question?

I would say it could be. There are some programmatic eligibility issues that are being worked through still. So that's still one of the remaining items I think that we're continuing to support. Obviously the larger the size, I think the more scrutiny. So can't give you a concrete answer today. Just say that, you know, I know that not just our team, but city leaders.

We do work closely with FEMA and GEMA on this. So they're just figuring out which parts of that project are gonna pay out.

All right, and I thank both of y'all. Thank you.

All right, of the 75.9 obligated by FEMA and GEMA, are any of those dollars still, have any of those dollars been moved from FEMA to GEMA and we're waiting for reimbursement? Or is that obligation to FEMA and we're just waiting on them to submit

YES, SIR. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND FEMA HAVE SENT 75.9 MILLION TO THE STATE AND TO GEMA. THERE'S 29.9 THAT'S SITTING WITH THE STATE THAT HASN'T BEEN REIMBURSED. SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO BE DRAWN DOWN UPON OVER THE COMING MONTHS, NOT JUST FOR EXPENDITURES THAT HAVE THOSE THAT ARE STILL TO COME I YOU KNOW I'LL PROBABLY HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS PROGRAM IS AT ITS CORE A REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM NOT A FUNDING SOURCE RIGHT SO YOU KIND OF HAVE TO PROVE THAT THE CHECK'S BEEN CUT BEFORE YOU CAN GET IT BACK FROM THE STATE AND FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SO YEAH I THINK A LOT OF THAT JUST KIND OF WORKS ITS WAY THROUGH THE SYSTEM UM THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE DRAW DOWN OVER TIME ON THOSE FUNDS IF THAT MAKES SENSE THANK YOU SIR ALL RIGHT DIRECTOR IS THAT IT

Unless you guys have any other questions that I can answer.

Don't have any additional questions that I'm seeing here on the screen. Thank you so much and welcome back.

Yeah, thank you.

All right. All right, there's a motion by the Mayor Pro Tem. Madam Clerk, and I heard a second by Commissioner from the Fifth. We're prepared to vote.

That motion carries with Ms. Pulliam and Commissioner Garrett out. Madam Clerk, let's move back to item eight, please. Item eight is a motion to approve A, staff to initiate procurement of a parking management firm for the downtown area, and B, the law department to draft related updates to the code of ordinances regarding parking.

Approved by Engineering Services, June 23rd. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Commissioner from the first, request this item be pulled. Sir, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. My questions are for the engineering department, for Dr. Malik, and the administrator's office.

Dr. Malik.

Thank you. And I'm going to just ask the questions, but whoever can answer them between legal, administration, and Dr. Malik, just feel free to tee up. So I know we've had conversations about parking in downtown and having a parking management plan in place, but I wanted to just kind of get an understanding from you being over traffic. Have we considered the pros and cons of having a procured firm versus managing this in-house as far as cost and ability? What is your thoughts around that?

What are your thoughts on it? Good afternoon. From engineering, department perspective, yes, sir, we look at that. The previous discussion was to have in-house ADMINISTRATOR TO DO THAT, BUT AFTER LOOKING ALL AND ALSO REVIEWING SOME OTHER AREAS, MY RECOMMENDATION, RECENT RECOMMENDATION BACK TO MS. ALLEN, OUR ADMINISTRATOR, WAS THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE CONTRACT SERVICES, CONTRACT THE PARKING MANAGEMENT, CONTRACTOR BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A TO Z ALL THE REQUIREMENTS AND IN EXCHANGE CITY SHOULD GET X DOLLAR AMOUNT AS A CONTRACT SERVICES. SO THAT'S THAT WAS MY KEY RECOMMENDATION AND WHEN WE WHEN THERE WAS A MEETING THE STAKEHOLDERS I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS MAJORITY WAS ON BOARD

What is the anticipated cost? Do you have an idea just based off of research and market about what the anticipated cost for a downtown parking management system to be?

It's all going to depend on what the... hourly rate is set, so my recommendation was, previously was $1.50, and given all the cost escalation and everything, for the primary corridor, which is the Broad Street, my recommendation was to at least, at a minimum, set $2.50, and the side, we're going to keep $1.50. It varies on the market, like Atlanta get like 15, 16 million out of the parking management. Some other, Savannah has a very high number, eight or nine.

You said they've generated 15 to 16 million?

Yeah.

Well, I guess my question is, is there any anticipated cost on the city side to stand this up?

So if we go with that contract services, there should not be any cost to the city because contractor has to absorb the cost invested in all that. all of the things to, there should not be any cost. And that's what, you know, really see, you didn't have to have a contract administrator or anything. It's just going to be handled.

What's the anticipated timeline for this? How soon are we looking to have this selection procured? And then... I guess after it's procured, what's the timeline for it to be implemented? Are we talking about having this installed at the, you know, in conjunction with this tier project, or we're talking about after tier?

So we have not gone that far. I've been tasked by the administrator recently to drop the RFP, RFQ. I believe there is a committee meeting on July 8th or something.

I would defer to Ms. Williams from procurement. I haven't been involved in those meetings. She can kind of give you particulars about the committee.

Okay, no, there's a stakeholder meeting, so my goal is to work through this coming weekend and have a draft ready to give it to the administrator back, and I think there's a meeting in July about stakeholders, just to present them that draft and get their feedback.

Stakeholders meaning the downtown business owners?

Downtown, yeah.

What business owners have been involved in this process?

I believe it was restaurant representation, I guess it's Tomorrow, Downtown Development Authority, DDA, so all the key stakeholders, they attended that meeting.

Can I ask Mr. Jackson, how did the stakeholders come to the table? How were they chosen to come to the table?

I do apologize. I was talking with Attorney Plunkett before you asked a question about committee. I thought I was talking about the procurement committee. I apologize. In terms of reaching out to stakeholders, that is something that our office has sort of schemed or drafted a list of stakeholders who might be interested in this particular project. And we brought them to the table, I think, this month as well. Actually, I was not in this meeting. I was with the commission at a particular meeting, so I was not involved in that meeting. But it does include DDA, EDA, Destination Augusta, a couple of downtown businesses as well. I think Ms. Allen touched on that last week as well.

Okay. I would like to get a list of those companies and businesses or whoever has been at the table, those organizations and businesses. Okay. just so that we make sure that the voices that are helping us make this decision is truly representative of what downtown Augusta is. So I'd love to get that information.

Mr. Chancellor? Yes, sir. FOR CLARITY, I THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STAKEHOLDER MEETING IN TERMS OF GETTING FEEDBACK AND THEN THERE'S LIKE A STEERING COMMITTEE OF LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATION AND A COUPLE OF FOLKS. I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE STAKEHOLDERS.

THE EXTERNAL GROUP OF PEOPLE. LAST COUPLE QUESTIONS JUST SO I MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THIS. The agenda item also says that we're going to be approving to start drafting the codes, the changes to the ordinance. What anticipated changes are we talking about? Is this just language to include parking times, restricted times, fees, and things of that nature?

It would be those issues and probably enforceability. We'll have to look in terms of violations and things of that nature. So to piggyback on Dr. Malik's issue, there probably could be some cost relative to enforcement in terms of court costs and things of that nature. But that's basically it. We're going to look at it, look at a couple of different ordinances. Athens is one, Atlanta is one, Savannah, and just kind of see how their traffic is handled. A lot of the work has already been done as well. There was a ordinance draft, I think in 2019. So we're just kind of updating that is just make sure it works for our current environment. Okay. Yeah.

And also from a budget perspective, if there's going to be some type of cost for enforcement, whether that's through the courts or through the sheriff's office or however, even internal, I don't know. I would just like to make sure that we have an idea of what that cost could potentially be. I like that we're doing the front work on this, but if it comes to the point where we can't afford something, then we've somewhat wasted our time. I'm not suggesting that's what's gonna happen. but I would like to understand that. And then lastly, my last question is, have we gotten any input from the public on downtown parking? I know no one's gonna come out and say, yeah, they wanna pay the park, but I wasn't here when this happened, but I know there was a parking debt built back in the 90s behind the board education building now that the government thought was a great idea and no one used the parking debt. And so it had to go into some agreement. And then also we had parking meters before and it was a bust as well. So have we had input from residents that live in downtown, but also the public that patronizes downtown to just really add that voice into the conversation as well? Because I would hate for us to spend money and go through this and then we are left with a product that we can't do anything with.

In our initial meeting, that was kind of one of the functions of the DDA, and they were getting feedback from businesses on Broad Street as far as their interest and willingness for paid parking. And the initial thing seems that it's positive, but I'm not sure the exact data, but we can, when we bring back information on this, we'll bring back those kind of public surveys as well.

Okay, all right. And again, I think this is all good conversation because, you know, no secret, I live on Broad, and if I wake up to a boot on my tire because I didn't pay in a meter overnight, like, we're going to have a problem. So I think we need to have the conversation again about how does paid parking look for residents? How does paid parking look for employees? The whole nine yards. And so let's make sure that that's also a part of the conversation with the codes and ordinances too. Okay? All right. That's all my questions, Mr. Mayor. I move to approve.

All right. There's a motion. Is there a second? I heard a second by Commissioner from the third. Madam Clerk, I don't see any colleagues in the queue for discussion. We're prepared to vote. That motion carries. It's unanimous. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I think that concludes our business on the day's regularly scheduled agenda.

Yes, sir.

Attorney Plunkett, I will turn it over to you, sir. I think there's some additional business that we need to take care of.

Yes, sir. As far as the legal agenda, we would ask to go into legal session to discuss pending and threatened litigation, personnel, and real estate matters.

Motion to approve. There's a motion to approve by Commissioner from the 3rd and a second by Commissioner Don Clark from the 5th. Seeing no colleagues in the queue for discussion, Madam Clerk, we're voting. Yeah.

Mr. Johnson, we'll be in room 293. No, we can move back here.

Madam Clerk, are you going to publish the vote? It's unanimous. Thank you, Madam Clerk. We're now suspended to executive session. Hey, all right. Madam Clerk, we have a quorum. I call the session back to order a turning point.

Mr. Mayor, we request a motion to authorize you to execute the closed meeting affidavit.

There's a motion by Commissioner Don Clark from the 5th, seconded by Commissioner Jordan Johnson from the 1st. Seeing no colleagues in the queue for discussion. Madam Clerk, we're voting.

Where is she?

Okay.

Is she coming on up?

You too.

That motion carries with Ms. Pulliam and Mr. Garrett out.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Attorney Plunkett, are there any motions as a result of our executive session?

There are none.

There are none. This session is hereby adjourned. Have a great day. Have a happy, safe 4th of July.