Commission - Regular Meeting

have you here friends. Uh it is Tuesday, April 7th, 2026 and we are here for the monthly voting meeting of the Athens Clark County Mayor and Commission and I will begin by asking clerk to call roll for us. here. Here present Johnson Pepper. Myers here. Then here Andy here. We have a

All right. Thank you, madame clerk. Um I'll begin by citing our civility pledge that the Georgia Municipal Association has brought to us and that indicates that the way we govern ourselves is often as important as the positions we take. that our collective decisions will be better when differing views have had the opportunity to be fully vetted and considered. That all people have the right to be treated with respect, courtesy, and openness. And that we value all input and we commit to conduct ourselves at all times with civility and courtesy to each other. Um now in the interest of uh thoughts about civility and courtesy to each other um I do want to recognize tonight um some great folks who are with us in the chamber and that is the graduates of the first uh version of our ACC gov 101 class. Uh this is a group of residents who made the commitment to learn more about their how their local government works and how to be engaged members of the Athens clar county community. Uh ACC gov 101 is an educational community government academy that teaches residents, business owners, and community partners how we operate. The program introduces participants to a variety of local government functions. So showcases departments and services they provide and educates residents on how to get involved moving forward. Topics of discussion in the course included city and county history, unification, our budget, planning, leisure services, public safety, public utilities, transportation, and more. The spring 2026 cohort was the first group to go through this program since a virtual iteration during our early COVID years. So, I want to congratulate the following residents for completing the 10-week course. And if you'll please stand when I call your name. Uh, so we have Brooke Thompson, Khloe Hasty, Cliff Collie, Danielle Gilmer,

Daria Kalantari, Dee Walker, Diego Kersh, L. Lewis, Emily Simpson, Eric Gana Salazar, Ezra Schlay, Jeremy Bond, Joanna Parkman, Joe Allen, Joane Whitehead, Katie Kirkland, Louise Taylor, Michael McClendon, Nell Warren, Nikki Yedder, Olivia Asher, Sarah Dunn, Sierra Hammock, Tuana Maddox, and Tracy Smith. So, everybody give it up for these folks who spent two and a half months of their lives. And uh I have it on good authority uh that the next iteration of this course is being planned uh as we sit here tonight. And so, um, we will announce when we are accepting new applicants and and I hope some of the folks either in the room here tonight or who may be watching out there in the digital land, uh, are willing to apply for this. Um, because everybody who participated, uh, said that they learned a great deal and so, uh, grateful for your time here tonight.

All right, so we need to move. Those weeks went fast. They did go fast as they tend to these. I feel like they went fast, but they congrats. So, uh, first official business of tonight is to approve minutes of several meetings, uh, including Tuesday, March 3rd, and non- voting meetings of Tuesday, March 10th, Tuesday, March 17th, and Tuesday, March 24th. Do I hear a motion for such minutes? So, move. Got a motion from Commissioner Thornton and second from Commissioner Taylor. All in favor, please say I. Any opposed? Hearing none, motion carries. Give all the participants a minute.

They started off quiet.

Astoundingly, after 10 weeks, they've had enough of us and they want to go party. They haven't had enough of each other. That's right.

All right, madam clerk, do we have any written communications tonight? All right. Thank you. Um, all right, friends. We're going to have several opportunities for public input tonight. Um, terms of public input are going to be effectively the same for each opportunity. And, uh, you will have a threeminut opportunity per meeting segment to speak. uh you see a light in front of the clerk. It will turn green when you begin speaking and provide your name and place of residence. It will turn yellow when you have is your mic on

uh I I can't tell from where I am. I don't know if tech folks are in the room. All right. Uh Jeff team, what you got? Anybody like to turn on the microphone because the red light is on up here. Can you hear me now? Are these mics on? Mine is mine. Can you hear me? All right, we got some of them on. Some of them not so much. Some of them you keep off, ma'am. All right,

Jeff. Check one. Check two. Worst case scenario, I can occupy Commissioner Co Pepper's seat for the evening. Now, take it up the desk. two of us. Yeah. That's right. I don't need much.

All right. working now. All right. Beautiful. Nice. Look at that.

All right. Uh so, uh let me start back at how public input works here in city hall. Uh for every meeting segment, uh members of the public have up to a threeminut opportunity to speak. Um when you begin speaking, please state your name and place of residence. And when you begin, the light in front of the clerk will turn green. uh after two and a half minutes when you have 30 seconds remaining the light will will turn yellow and then when three minutes have ended uh that is your time and I'll thank you for being with us tonight uh because we need to move on to the next person. There will be an opportunity for public input on the consent agenda first. There will be separate opportunities on the planning and zoning item uh two planning and zoning items and then there will be an opportunity for public input on old and new business. And then at the conclusion of the meeting, there will be an opportunity for public input on any item that was not on tonight's agenda to which you would like to speak. So, uh that is what we've got. Uh I I first want to ask members of the commission, is there any item that is on the consent agenda that you would like to move to discussion? The consent agenda is currently items one through nine. All right. Good. We're going to move to the public now. Would any member of the public like to speak to any item on the consent agenda? Again, those are items one through nine.

Again, just state your name and place of residence and your time will begin.

I not used to speaking on consent stuff. Uh my name is Alan Jones of 195 Xavier Drive. um speaking on the the vision zero item and I just want to say first thank you for adopting vision zero. Um from 2019 to 2024 Athens had 75 traffic fatalities and 341 serious injuries. This report says individuals walking and people bicycling made up 22% of that total. That's roughly 90 lives, about 15 a year. It names the roads which were the worst. Prince, Broad, South Village, Cedar Scholes, Whit Davis, Danielsville, and downtown. And it mentions the public's top safety choices: sidewalks, shared use paths, separated bike lanes. So, the data is here, the locations are here, the solutions are here. What remains is the spending. We don't ask whether people driving cars deserve lanes, pavements, signals, stripings, and protected intersections. We just call that infrastructure. But when the subject is people walking or people on bikes, suddenly safety becomes controversial, optional, debatable, or fiscally exotic. It's not exotic. It's basic government. So my request is simple. Please don't let vision zero become one of the fancy documents that gets admired briefly, filed away, and then left to conduct collect dust while people keep getting killed on our roadways. Too often, the recent conversation behind the rail has f focused on whether bikes are good or bad or whether somebody is probike or anti-bike. Uh, and it's seeping into the rhetoric of the upcoming election. What exactly is anyone anti-bike about?

And the seat, the handlebars, the little bell. Uh, obviously, it's not the bike, it's the person on the bike. People on bikes too often get talked about as if they're some narrow or suspicious category, a certain kind of to some undesirable people. Let's see. We're residents, taxpayers, workers, kids, students, parents, retirees, and neighbors. Some are commuting. Some are saving money. Some are exercising. Some are enjoying the city. None of us should have to prove our reason for riding is noble enough before you deserve you decide whether we deserve to be safe. Even if you don't personally ride, the question is simple. Do people who bike count? Do they deserve to get to their destination alive anywhere in ACC? Do I? And for those running for office who have chosen to fight for a status quo cars first city, please stop using people who ride bikes as your political punching bag just because it lands well with people who don't ride. We may be a minority, but we vote too.

Thank you, Mr. Chance. Is there anyone else here tonight to speak to any item on the consent agenda, which again are items one through nine?

Seeing none, I'll ask the attorney to read the ordinances associated with the consent agenda. There are three uh ordinances for tonight's consent agenda. Items one, two, and three. Ordinance. Agenda item number one, ordinance to amend the FY2026 operating capital budget for Athens Clark County, Georgia so as to provide grant funding if awarded from the National Trust for historic preservation national action grant for the completion of a historic structure report for the Morton building and for other purposes. Agenda item number two, an ordinance to amend the FY226 operating capital budget for Athens, Clark County, Georgia, so as to provide funding for for one additional position in the district attorney's office for an intergovernmental agreement between Okone County and the Unified Gun of Athens, Clark County, and for other purposes. Agenda item number three, an ordinance to amend the FY 2026 annual operating capital budget for Athens, Clark County, Georgia, so so as to provide grant funding if awarded from the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia for continuation of one full-time position and associated expenses to support assistance to crime victims and for other purposes.

Thank you, Attorney Drake. Who'd like to make a motion for approval of consent agenda? So move second. All right, I've got a motion from Commissioner Hamby and a second from Commissioner Taylor. All in favor, please say I. I.

Any opposed? Hearing none. Motion carries. Thanks, everyone. All right. Uh, moving on to item number 10. Uh, this is a recommendation from the planning commission for approval of a reasonzoning and approval with conditions of a special use regarding 330 Old Road. Is there any member of the public here to speak to that item? Good evening. Bryce 6, uh, WNA Engineering, 355 Onita Street here in Athens. The request before you tonight is to remove the binding plans and conditions from a 2004 plan that never came to fruition and to approve special use for heavy industrial use due to the percentage of heavy truck traffic from the site which as we discussed at the agenda setting is more of a technicality really than an indication of the severity of the use. The subject property is ideally situated for such a use. It's in an industrially zoned area in proximity to the loop and highways 29 and 72. It's far removed from any residences that could be adversely impacted. And the plan retains large wooded buffers around the mobile batch plants. So, I'm asking for your support tonight and I wanted to thank you all for your time and for the work that you do. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Hicks. There anyone else here to speak to item number 10, 330 Old Hole Road? Seeing none, we'll come for discussion and I'll have attorney Drake read the ordinance as we begin.

Yeah, there's two ordinances, Mr. Mayor. There's a reasonzone and also then a special use approval. The reasonzoning an ordinance to amend the code of Athens, Clark County, Georgia with respect to reszoning one parcel of land comprising approximately 10.147 acres located at 330 oh road from industrial with conditions to industrial and for other purposes. Special use ordinance. An ordinance to amend the code of Athens, Clark County, Georgia with respect to special use approval in the industrial district for one parcel of land located at 330 Old Hole Road and for other purposes. Attorney Drake, would you prefer we take this in two votes? Yeah, I would. Yes, sir. All right. Uh, would anyone like to make a motion regarding the resoning? I so move.

All right. Got a motion from Commissioner Thornon. Is there a second? Second. A second from Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Thornton, any remarks? No, this this is fine for that area. Commissioner Taylor, any followup? No, I was I was um looking at the the actual area and so um I think it'll be a great a great place to put a business because um to Allen's point there's been a lot of accidents like at the end of that road like people going out into 29 and so to have something right there will give some sort of presence to slow down or to be mindful that you're going out on 29. So

thank you. Any other remarks? All right, we've read the ordinance already. We've got a motion from Commissioner Thornton, a second from Commissioner Taylor. All in favor of the reasoning, please say I. I. Any opposed? All right. Do I hear a motion, Commissioner Thornton, regarding the special use? No. I'm in favor. I have no remarks. All right. But I so move. Motion supporting special use from Commissioner Thornton. Is there a second? Second. All right. Got a second from Commissioner Fiser. Anything further, Commissioner Fischer? Anything else from the body? All in favor, please say I. Any opposed? All right. Hearing none. Motion carries.

All right. Uh, moving on to item 11. This is a public hearing and deliberation uh regarding the Fair Haven Tuberculosis Sanitarium local historic landmark designation. Um, is there any member of the public who would like to speak to the historic designation for this property? All right. Uh, seeing none, we'll come to the body. Is there an ordinance regarding this, Attorney Drake? Yes, Mayor. An ordinance to amend the code of Athens, Clark County, Georgia with respect to historic preservation, designation of the Fair Haven, Tuberculosis, Sanitarium, and for other purposes. Uh, would you like to make a motion? I have a question first.

Um, I see that it was revised. Is that anything of substance that we need to know about for the revision or was it clerical? Yeah, this item had I was looking preparing for today's meeting and noticed that this had to have an ordinance. So, the ordinance was prepared. So, no changes. So, make a motion. Yep. I make a motion that we um accept this. All right. Motion to accept from Commissioner Wright. Is there a second? Second from Commissioner Link. Commissioner Wright, anything further? Um, no. This is a a a great thing and I'm I'm glad that it moved forward so that we're getting these historical designations before there's an issue and getting it designated and the benefits from that as well. Commissioner Link, anything further?

I'm happy to see this move forward. It's a really really interesting property. Anything else for members of the body? And and and what is interesting and u commissioner Wright is talking about uh Commissioner Wright mentioned if you look at when the des uh the conversation it's been almost 25 years um so hopefully we will move historic designations um faster but um I I do support this uh just reading my notes and realize how long it's been on the people. We've become historic in that time. It's historic in this time. Anything else for members of the body? All right, we have a motion and a second. All in favor, please say I.

I. There any opposed? Hearing? None. Motion carries. All right, now is that time for public input on old and new business. So that's items 12 through 19. If any member of the public would like to speak to 12 through 19, you can go ahead and line up the podium at this point. And again, uh, as you speak, just let us know. uh your name, place of residence, and the item to which you're speaking. Good evening, commissioners.

My name is Tana Smith Matts, born and raised on Pitt Road. I stand here today on behalf of residents who have spent months doing the work, meeting, researching, organizing, and listening. I thank the Athens Land Trust Advisory Board, Mr. Willie Thomas who is the chair, Laura Ayer, Southern Sustainability Institute, Denise Horton, and Olivia Asher, UG PhD student and volunteer for the science of Georgia along with our commissioners who have stood with us, Commissioner Meyers, Link, Thornton, Davenport, and Taylor. We have provided to you um a document a proposed ordinance that is reflective of our voices and what we have developed and submit submitted is not speculation is not fear. It is a communityinformed policy. We are asking you to ensure what we submitted as part of the final ordinance to review and our reflections as a community. At the core of everything we heard through all of our meetings, equity and transparency is what came up from that. We provided 10 clear community demands. First, equity. We are saying no clustering of data centers in our neighborhood, no exploitation of black, brown, lowincome, and workingclass communities. No draining of our water, our power, or our air quality for corporate gain. We are demanding legal binding community benefits agreement that actually invests in the people most impacted. 100% non-polluting renewable energy, not offsets, not promises, real local energy. Strict limits on water use so our residents are never competing with machines for basic resources and clear protection so that in time of crisis,

heat, drought, outages, people come first, not data centers. Not by right approvals, not now, not ever, ever, every project going through full public review, which we appreciate that from the last time. We are demanding a formal community oversight board with residents at the table, not after decisions are made, but throughout the life of these projects and full transparencies. No NDAs, no hidden ownerships, nor secrets. Real energy and water reporting and annual compliance reports. We want to be clear, we're not anti-growth. We're not anti-technology. We are pro community. And what we're saying loud and clear is no more data centers in our backyards. No more placing the burden on black and brown communities. And no more sacrificing working families for industrial expansions. Not now, not ever. Please commission work for us the community. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Maddox. Yes, ma'am. Good evening.

All right. Hello, everyone. I'm Olivia Asher. I live at 105 College Station Road and I'm here to comment also on agenda item number 14. So the people listening here, most of us are familiar with the data center ordinance at this time and the good progress that's already been made on this. And I just want to point out a couple things similar to what Dr. Talked about that could be used to improve this ordinance. So, one thing that I would really like to see is energy use reporting as a requirement for data centers in Georgia. Lumpin County has um independent energy use reporting as part of their data center ordinance. So, I would like to see that here as well. Um, in addition, I would like to make sure there are no NDAs and that's specified in the ordinance and that there are rules to prevent clustering of data centers so they don't a bunch of small ones do not negatively impact the same area. I would like there to be language that specifies that a community benefit agreement will be considered as part of a data center process. And I would like um documentation that shows that the data center proposed fits in with the 100% clean and renewable energy plan for Athens and can abide by the goals of that plan. And I would like it to be clear about resource priority for data centers. So for example, if we're in a drought or another natural disaster, who gets the resources, the data center or the hospital? I want that to be clear. Um, and in addition, I think to further this process, having a community oversight board would be highly beneficial. Um, and would help make sure that this continues to be transparent and goes forward smoothly. So, that's my comment for today. Thanks so much.

Thank you, Mr. Asher. Good evening. Hey, how's it going, y'all? Uh, my name is Daria Kalantari. I live at 120 Winter Circle, Winterville, Georgia. Um, I'm here tonight to really support uh the speakers that were before me. Dr. T and Olivia were very clear in their points. Um, and I really just want to emphasize that I support everything that they brought forward and the work that they're doing. They're extremely knowledgeable in this and I just fullheartedly support them and would also really like to emphasize the energy use reporting. I think that's a very very important point. Um, so that's all I have to say right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kellari. Good evening. Evening. I would also like to speak on amendment 14, but I would like to propose an indefinite moratorum on all data centers due to the recorded recorded harmful effects of data centers including light pollution, air pollution from natural gases and infrasonic sound pollution which has been shown to cause physical harm to humans including cardiovascular problems, insomnia, anxiety and depression. They also consume massive amounts of water every day. A small data center can use 18,000 gallons of water in a day. And Google's mega data centers can consume over 500,000 gallons in a single day. And with ongoing climate issues, that is only going to exacerbate them. And it's also going to put a bigger burden on the local community to fund the electricity bills for these data centers because they consume incredibly large amounts, over a million kilowatts per month of electricity. And so I feel like there would be no benefit to the residents of Athens if a data center were to be built in Athens.

Just need your name and place of residence for the record. Danielle Kramer, Brown Hall, Fox Road. Thank you, Danielle.

Good evening, commissioners and mayor. I'm here to also speak on item number 14. My name is Gail Chimo. I'm at 245 Millstone Circle, Athens, Georgia 30605. And I am here just to say I am concerned about the environmental impact that data centers will have on our community. Um, so I therefore ask that in the ordinances that are being drafted that we include something about the recycling of decommissioned materials. Of course, we have a wonderful recycling system and charm is here. So if that could just be in the ordinances, that would be helpful. and also tree preservation where we minimize the tree removal and support the reforestation efforts and that be added in ordinances also if we have to have data centers here. I am not a fan. I think it only benefits the big uh tech companies and AI is not regulated right now. So um also as far as um requiring the ongoing reporting which a couple of other people have just mentioned just uh to get the actual electricity use not just the projected demand and in order to fit data centers into our clean and energy plan here in Athens there are solutions with a community business um benefit benefit agreement where we could have the data center, whoever comes in put solar panels on the roofs of people's homes and upgrade their um HVAC systems so that those

solar panels could help without us having to use the pollution of uh dirty fossil fuel. So that could actually help the data centers and help us reach our goals. So there's um more information about that if anybody wants to hear about how other places are using rooftop solar and upgrading at HVAC systems to help with the power grid. And I think that's everything. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you, Mr. Ga. Good evening.

Hi. Um, I'm Deborah Stanley. I'm speaking to item 13. I live at 285 Wav Vista Avenue at the western end of Boulevard. While I do support the future land use plan generally and I think that those I thank those who've put many many hours of work into into this. I do have some concerns relating to my neighborhood, specifically the area where Satoula Avenue and Park Avenue meet boulevard um which is to be designated neighborhood center. Satula has the government building and its parking lot and park has a block of small businesses and at the boulevard end a group of warehouses. All are low-rise and do not operate in the evenings. The rest of the neighborhood around there will be designated neighborhood residential which is characterized by a variety of housing types including detached single family houses, ADUs, town houses and multif family buildings. This is already an increase in density from the single family designation that this neighborhood has currently. Neighborhood residential provides for limited commercial and other non-residential uses uses designed at a neighborhood scale including homebased businesses, houses of worship and corner stores. This all seems to me to be an appropriate way to increase density in the neighborhood and I support the commission defined option of making Satula Park Boulevard um neighborhood residential. Neighborhood center on the other hand envisions a mix of uses including residential, commercial, office and entertainment. Multi-story buildings are expected. The edges of nodes should be designed to transition to the surrounding neighborhood. The area abuts homes in the local Buenav Vista historic district on Satoula and abuts and indeed overlaps the n national historic register homes on Park Avenue. Given the small size of this proposed neighborhood center, which will sit right next to homes, I find it hard to

see how it will have room to gently transition to the surrounding neighborhood. There could be evening entertainment properties right next to houses, for example. The neighborhood center designation also assumes parking in the district. People already park on those streets for various normal town activities. And Satoula is basically one lane given that you have to pull into a parking space when someone is coming the other way. Whatever designation the government parking lot gets will probably be applied to the government building itself when it's sold. We also will have to deal with whatever the government property on Pound Street and the bus depot are changed to when they're sold. We're facing a lot of influx and a lot more traffic. Whatever you decide this evening will likely have an influence on what happens there. As a veteran of the fight to get a Buenov Vista Heights historic district, I'm very worried that the more latitude developers are given by the zoning classifications that come with neighborhood center designation, the worse it will be for those of us who call this little neighborhood home. Please support the commission defined option. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Stanley. Oops. Sorry. Good evening.

Good evening. My name is Khalisa Langford. I'm at 355 Jennings Mill Parkway. I'm a teacher here in Athens. I've been with Clark County for a minute now and I want to speak to item 13. Obviously, we have a housing issue here in Athens that we've been trying to address for some time. And that's obvious. What is not obvious is that I came to Athens, I was homeless and pregnant. um having tried to get into shelters in Athens, I mean in Atlanta, and that was a sorted process. So, I did come and like many families, I lived at the in town suites where I paid upwards of $600 a week for housing until the money ran out and I couldn't do that anymore. Fortunately, on the day of moveout, not knowing where I was going, one of the shelters called me, which was then Interfaith Hospitality Network, which is now Family Promise. And so I stayed there for six months and due to a program coordinated entry, I was able to gain housing where I stayed for maybe five or six years. It was across the street up the hill from Mama's Boy. $700 for a two-bedroom apartment. That is no longer the case in Athens. And I've seen lots of trees go down. And I've seen lots of housing go up. None of which even on a teacher's salary I could even be considered for because in order to keep housing you have to keep paying your rent on time and that means sometimes other things go by the wayside. And so I'm asking that you know we look at this future land use and make sure that we consider that it is truly affordable. Like at one time I was required to pay five times the rent. Who makes five times the rent? you know, so that was an issue. Um, and the

affordable housing issue, I would like to see it on the agenda as much as we possibly can and give voice to that specific item. But as we're looking in the future for land use, I would just ask that we consider not even the little people because, you know, I don't make, you know, peanuts. I make pretty good money as a teacher, but it's still not enough. So, if it's not enough for me, someone that is working two or three jobs part-time with three children, then how do they make that? So, as we look to the future, I just ask that we consider everyone in this picture because the students are welloused. The students are really welloused, but the residents are not. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Langford. All right. Take one of these. I'm step out the way. Thank you.

Good evening. Good evening. John Craraven Morris. I live on Willow Run. Um, before I start, if you don't remember anything I say, I want to just highlight what Khalisa said because I think she put everything very well. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for sharing your experience. And I want to remember all the people that do not have the privilege to come to city hall on a Tuesday and share their struggles with housing. Thank you commissioners and mayor for those of you that have supported and are continuing to support the development of more housing in Athens. I'm here to speak on item 13, the future land use plan map. Um, and want to highlight that it is really only changing about 7% or less of zoning categories, and it doesn't actually change zoning. Um, it's just a guide to for future development purposes. I've heard infrastructure be cited um as a very reasonable reason to slow development. We need the sewage infrastructure. We need the infrastructure. So my hope is that with the approval of this future land use plan map, our county will have the guidance, the direction of where we want to be making infrastructure investments over the next 20 years so that we can see the housing that we need built and constructed here in Athens. Um you guys know I work in homelessness. Uh I believe that homelessness is a housing problem and I believe the data shows that. uh data looking at cities and homelessness per capita variation rates from city to city show that s cities that have high housing demand and low housing supply elasticity are the cities that are doing the worst on homelessness. So when you look at cities housing demand is their housing price how much is the rent skyrocketing housing supply elasticity is how quickly can we build more housing when we need it? I don't think I think we all can agree that we need more housing here in Athens to meet the need. Um, I looked at Athens Homeless Coalition's website on their Athens coordinated entry data dashboard. There are currently 437 households who have completed a survey with the homeless service provider requesting housing assistance who are currently experiencing homelessness in our county. You can find that data live

on Athens Homeless Coalition's website at any time. That's 744 people in 437 households seeking housing assistance in the last 6 months that we are not able to help, who are living outside right now. That data changes every day because it's updated every 15 minutes when new surveys are done. 184 of those people reported they had been homeless for more than 12 months in the last 3 years. That is insane, y'all. That is insane. We need to get people off our streets. I believe that the future land use plan can help guide future housing development to improve that. Um, I also believe that there are pushes by AADM, by other organizations in Athens for uh the Git Committee for other housing legislation that can support increased housing development. So, I thank you for the hard work. I thank the county for its hard work over the last uh couple years in developing this future land use map. Also, I'm against data centers. Also, I get together with people um on the second Wednesday of every month to talk about homelessness and what we can do together to end homelessness as a community. Second Wednesday is tomorrow. We'll be at Fox Glove at 5:00 PM. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr. Morris. Good evening.

Good evening, Mayor and Commission. My name is Nona Clayton of Barrow Street, Athens, Georgia. and I would like to speak on item number 13, proposed 2045 future land use map update. Uh before I do that, I'd like to underscore everything my predecessor said. Um I feel that this land use map is a step in the right direction for more equitable housing uh and mixeduse development increase use. I support the land use map uh particularly with an overlay of inclusionary zoning and overlay districts uh to diversify the type of homes that are that will be available to uh individuals as well as nonprofit partners using affordable housing funds. So I would just like to register uh my support for that. Thank you. Thank you, N.

Good evening.

Good evening. Brick Flanigan, PO Box 295, Athens, Georgia. Um here to speak in support of the future land use map. Um with the caveat that you do explore um fully the options for overlay districts. Um there are some ideas within the ordinances that AEDM is proposing and other communities I mean other organizations are supporting um to to get over overlay districts that will allow nonprofit developers to go in those areas to build truly affordable housing um and potentially build um some temporary shelters for unhoused people um that as they're transitioning into different programs and other services they can be out of the elements. Um we saw what happened during this last winter storm. um we had to open up community centers. Um you know, it's great that we can do that, but we also can uh find better solutions um to our unhoused population and do better by them. And um you know, if I'm not mistaken, I believe this future land use process is, you know, part of the I guess conversation or leading up to some of the work that may happen in the future with a comprehensive plan. I know every 10 years each municipality has to do a comprehensive plan to account for um land use and um you know population growth including infrastructure and other things. Uh, I was at an event earlier um where I learned that uh the land that Miss Julia Jackson Harris um acquired and through her land cooperative um out on Damesville Road that there were black people that formed land ownership clubs and they had thousands of acres of land out out there. Um that area is still not developed in terms of sewage sewage. um they're still on septic out there and so uh we're playing catch-up with a lot of that. Um and historically African-American families still live in that area largely. Um some of my family

members still live out that way. And so hoping that this future land use can provide options and opportunities for us to catch up to those things. But then also having conversations with state uh legislators and officials so that we can begin to use some of the tools that are currently preempted under state law uh like rent control um non-discrimination source of income non-discrimination criminal history um as well as expanding the homestead exemption for seniors living at a certain income level. um we know it's currently already frozen at a certain income level um frozen for seniors at a certain age, but this will go further to give them an actual tax break. And um yeah, I hope we continue to to have communication with you all throughout this process so we can get some of these things uh actually done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Flanigan. Good evening.

Good evening. Uh David Lyall, 178 Virginia Avenue in Boulevard. Uh, I come here tonight to urge you to support the future land use plan developed by the citizen committee and adopted by the planning commission. As we've already heard tonight, uh, Athens needs more housing. We have a crisis level shortage now and more people are coming. If we don't build housing, a lot more, the crisis will get worse. That means higher rents, houses working people can't afford, more homelessness, more sprawl, and more traffic. We also have high property taxes and still provide to struggle to provide services. At risk youth and people who struggle to afford housing and health care deserve all the help we can provide. But we are a tiny county with a large green belt and much of our land held by UG churches and other taxexempt entities. We depend on a small area of highly valuable downtown land and then force home owners of single family homes to carry the rest of the property tax burden. The future land use plan takes these realities into account to permit sustainable development and build our tax base. The CDO that would downzone dozens of highly valuable parcels in and around downtown is a huge mistake. The proposal throws away an opportunity to build the tax base by downzoning many of our most valuable properties adjacent to downtown. It will require higher property taxes on single family homeo home homeowners and it will deny funding for schools at risk youth sidewalks and other needed services. 20 years from now people will be in this

room lamenting the state of our tax base and the scarcity of funds available even though property taxes on homeowners are high. The needs of our community are great and our resources of are limited. It will always be so. It would therefore be a tragedy to deny resources to the children of the future. Please pass the future land use plan as it stands. Thank you, Mr. L. Good evening.

Hi, my name is Dan Lawrence. I'm at 157 Grady Avenue in a Boulevard neighborhood. I'm here to speak on a proposed future land use plan. Just three quick points. First, the staff and the citizen committee, I think, did excellent work. The plan was guided by practical principles, reflects reasonable growth expectations, and recommends modest changes to accommodate the growth that is coming. It's a good step in the right direction. So, thank you. Second, like many of my neighbors, I'm worried about the future of Boulevard. We've got a good core of single family homes. Plus, thanks to grandfathering, there's a mix of big, medium, and small homes, sprinklings of duplexes, small uh small apartment buildings, and some commercial uses. But without room, at least a little more room for more people to join us, our neighborhood will grow more expensive and exclusive than it already is. I want Boulevard, one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Athens with a great public school in the heart of it, to be within reach for a broader range of families, not just law professors, doctors, and rock stars. all lovely folks, all who contribute a lot to the neighborhood. My wife is one of these types. Um, I I want more neighbors to be able to age in place with their families nearby. I want more development along corridors and at certain nodes to keep my property tax bills under control and to support local businesses. To get there for Boulevard, for all of Athens, there's no other real choice for ACC than to leverage its key resource, land, and the rules governing it how and how it can be used. This means that ACC must update its zoning zoning rules to allow for ADUs, smaller lot sizes, town houses, apartment buildings, taller mixeduse buildings, and more. That's the only way we're going to build the supply of housing we need. And important, and just as importantly, the revenue we need, not just to keep property taxes under control, but also to fund programs to help people stay in their beloved neighborhoods. I'm thinking about programs that ex like Brick was saying, expand homestead tax exemptions for

lower income seniors, create pre-approved designs for ADUs and other housing types, expand home repair efforts, provide gap financing and loans, offer incentives for smallcale builders, help maybe help create a student housing district near campus. This morning, I went on the housing and community development uh first um affordable housing tour. Um, and it's clear to see ACC is doing a lot of good work right now. There's no doubt about it. But housing costs remain high and the demand for more housing is still increasing. So, the third thing I want to say is approve the proposed future land use man map without amendment. It's a good first step. As I said at the beginning, nostalgia, downzoning, moratoriums, wishful thinking won't help. And the CDO that's on the table won't by itself doom Boulevard and nearby areas to become ever more exclusive, but it sure won't help to make housing more attainable, won't help support local businesses, and won't control property taxes. It's a step in the wrong direction. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Lance. Good evening.

Hello. I'm Michael Bean. uh PO Box 842, Athens, Georgia. I'll be speaking about item number 13. I am the current executive director of the Athens Homeless Coalition and I want to speak um in the aspect of housing and affordable housing as it applies to the future uh land use map. Um, first I want to thank this body for the work that you've put into the future land use map, but also into uh the affordable housing strategic plan. Um I I think it's a step in the right direction and it definitely has identified the need for innovative, bold, evidence-based, proven strategies to improve affordable housing, uh improve access to deeply affordable housing, and reduce and prevent homelessness. Um, I'm sure most of you are aware that the main influx of people who uh are experiencing homelessness are due to inability to pay rising rent and other expenses including child care and health care um in the context of stagnant wages. So, I encourage you to continue your work and your accomplishments in affordable housing, deeply affordable housing, and also permanent supportive housing as solutions to prevent and reduce homelessness. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bean. Good evening.

Good evening. I'm Bert Sts. I live at 738 Cobb Street. Um, I'm going to take a risk tonight, which is not just read what I wrote that times out to exactly three minutes. Um, so that's a risk. I've already wasted like five seconds, but I am going to just try to talk to y'all about what's on my mind. And I'd always come to these meetings ever since my law school days when I was worried about a huge radio tower on Prince Avenue uh and then uh downtown drive-thru windows of fast food chains being proposed in 1978 79 something like that. I always find I come to these meetings thinking I'm interested in one thing. Tonight I'm we're all somewhere else as well because there are a lot of things going on tonight that aren't right here in this room. But what we're doing tonight in this room's important, too. Um, but I but I hear people talking and I hear those stories, the BHL teacher, and obviously we all think about affordable housing. It's something that affects all of us. And it's a really important part of how our little tiny county grows. Uh, and how it's infected by these macro forces well beyond your control or any of us citizens. But I also know how hard I imagine how hard it is to serve in your role of what you do and the pressures you're under all trying to do the right thing and to balance these competing interests that seem to be never ending. Um my main reasons I've ever come to a town meeting or what a city council meeting in the olden days or the county commission meeting now um or the schoolboard meeting um are two main things that I've always focused on. the specialness of place that is Athens, Georgia, that makes us different than pretty much any other town. Um, the combination of things we have. We're not a suburb of Atlanta. We're too far away. And, uh, thank goodness that there isn't a good road between here and there. That's debatable whether that's a good thing or not. Um, but we also have the university, which is often a blessing. Sometimes, certainly in the terms of the tax base and some of the stewardship

issues, a bit of a curse. Uh but we also have these multiple intown neighborhoods that have been discussed all around our town um with various options uh for living, renting, owning, working. Um and then the other issue that I've always um I'm now kind of reading again or you know trying to adapt it but still got the green light. Okay. is the um CCSD, which faces so many challenges beyond the schoolhouse, but year after year, I would put our senior class up against any other school or district's senior class. We're going to beat them every time. That just seems to happen thanks to teachers like the one from BHL who just spoke to us and the kids that go on to Clark or Cedar. Um it's it's amazing what we get accomplished in our school district with as many challenges as we have about the future land use plan. I think that the um the citizen designed commu commissioner designed option is the way to go from everything I know which isn't nearly as much as y'all do and I'm not nearly as technical. My brain doesn't work that way but I'm assured by people who understand the technical aspects of it better than me that within the broad categories like minor have I got a red light already?

Thank you Mr. Dams. Appreciate it. Just read it. I'll put it in a letter. Uh ju just be aware of the zoning aspects. Even if it's in the plan, it's still two to five. That's a lot of discretion stories that is. Okay. Thank you. Good evening. How are you doing?

Good. Good evening everyone. I'm doing all right. Um my name is Ether Sucha. I live at 425 Riverbend Parkway and today I'm here to speak about agenda item number 14 on data centers as an ecologist. Um, as I'm sure most of you know, we are in the midst of an environmental poly crisis, as a lot of experts say. This means we have an energy crisis, a land crisis, a pollution crisis, and an equity crisis on our hands. And this is something the entire globe is facing at this moment in Athens, Clark County. Um, this issue manifests a lot in terms of equity issues and the impending idea of building a data center here. As I'm sure you're aware, data centers use a lot of energy and water. And at a time when gas prices are nearing $4 per gallon and the ACC government hasn't yet followed through on their renewable energy plan, we are preparing to build a data center that relies on these unstable energy sources that aren't renewable, are subject to the whims of the market, and don't really have a basis that we can rely on unlike solar or wind. Additionally, data centers need land. We are currently discussing a land use plan for Athens right now in item 13 because we aren't using the land that we have wisely. Our residents can't even find affordable housing and I think building a data center is incredibly wasteful with the circumstances that our county faces in mind. Data centers also emit contaminants such as nitrogen oxides, methanes, volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter which are known to cause cancer and other diseases, especially in the lungs. I'm sure none of us want that stuff around us, but often times these problems come with a price tag for the people of Athens. Those who can afford it will be fine for the most part and the data center will

end up impacting the most disenfranchised people in Athens, Clark County. These are your low-income neighborhoods. These are our homeless neighbors. These are the people who can't afford health care or living on food stamps. And as a city government, we have a responsibility to protect those people as well as the ones who can afford to move away. So I ask you again, what will it be? 200 outsourced jobs and you know supporting generative AI which you know is eventually the bubble is going to pop and is going to end up being completely useless or the health of our community the people who actually put in the work here every single day. The people who make Athens what it is and make Athens such a special place. So, I thank you for your time and I hope you seriously consider the environmental implications of the data center and how that will affect our community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Shva. Good evening.

Hello. Uh my name is James. Uh I'm not going to give my last name and uh the reason is uh I do research for one of the biggest AI labs in the country. So it'd be awkward if I was to talk about data centers so negatively and then they look up my name and that comes up. Um but uh so I'm um an honors math and physics major. Um I do research in a couple of different groups. Uh I do um AI and education. I do machine learning um and astrophysics uh quantum AI and uh also like applications of AI to rigorous mathematics and um my uh so I'm gonna try and be a good researcher and just comment on the things I know. Um and what I'll say is um I really don't think a data center is good here. Um I'm not going to comment on the environmental effects because there are other people who know much better than I do. rather I'm going to comment on the downstream effects on our society and what we aspire toward and um the things I know are one it's like it it has a good impact on education in some ways but there are also a lot of uh malignant um side effects so much so that I don't really think it's worth it um pushing for more data centers and even more use in AI um also uh like the current state of AI it's just kind of limited. It can't really grow as is from what I see. I mean, I might be wrong. Uh like the problem is AI researchers, everyone has a different opinion. No one knows because it's really confusing. But uh um as far as this dire I don't feel good about it um like a das are going up in Athens. Um just because I I think it'd have a lot of maladaptive

effects. Um, and you know, if we can do our part, that'd be good. Yep. Thank you, James of the Honor Program. Good evening.

Good evening, mayor, commissioners. I am Mickey Chastain. I am the pastor at Okone Street United Methodist Church. My address is 105 Lake Overdrive. Thank you all for the amazing work you're doing. Um, I am here to speak on number 13 and kind of on number 14, if that's okay. It's very much related. Um, I understand, of course, you're all representing various districts and I understand, you know, parking, for example, over in Boulevard is an important issue and I want to acknowledge that. But as we're considering like the future land use map, I'm here to really ask you all to prioritize the most vulnerable of our community. Um, we love Athens, Clark County. We know that we are a popular spot for investors to come in to bring in their money to consume our housing and to make more money from wherever they live. Um, but we also want to ask that you all protect these same families and communities as someone has just said, these families who've been here, some of them for generations and who are being priced out of their homes and their neighborhoods. Please protect these families. Please protect these communities. they are why Athens clar county is such an incredible place to live. Um we ask that as a part of this um with a housing issue that you not continue to just you know just have more housing but let's do housing well like the one of some of the ideas that have been presented here including this overlay district so that local nonprofit groups people who live here can dictate how the housing is built. They can dictate the needs of their own communities. They can speak those needs. They live here. they know what they need. Let's let them have platform to make the decisions around housing and less given to just outside investors who've never lived here and who will never live here. I think giving that voice to local folks who live in these communities is always a win for the city, for them, and for folks who come here who love our community. um continue

to I know we're saying this is not a zoning project, but we know that various zones have um discrepancies with regard to their protections when new housing is built in these different zones. So, we ask that for equitable treatment across all of the zones that the same protections be in place. If we we know gentrification is happening just about a half a mile from here. So, protect these vulnerable communities. Again, protection for the most vulnerable. This is Athens Clark County. like these are the folks who have I've been here like five years. These are the folks who have built this town, who continue to care for this town and who make it wonderful. And then finally, um the data centers continue to protect our vulnerable communities. You have permission to do that to make it a priority even if that's not the street that you represent. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chain. Good evening.

Good evening. I'm Barbara Benson. I reside at 235 Deose Avenue. Uh, I want to thank the mayor and commissioners for all you do. I respect you a lot and I I'm so happy that you're support Athens and and put your whole uh 100% into everything you do. Uh, I want to support uh agenda 13 item um the future land use map. It's a step in the right direction. And I also want to ask that request that you consider the proposed Athens affordable housing a um ordinance to be placed on the future agenda. Thank you. And I am a homeowner and I can't um it's been uh something that I um never realized how incredible owning a home uh means in my life. my safety, my security, uh my future. Um and I want that for others. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Benson. Good evening.

Hey. Um my name is Barrett Binder and I um live over at 250 Reed Street. Um I'm a local teacher and I'm here to speak about agenda item 14. Um, something that I think hasn't been talked about too much with data centers is the potential um for sound pollution. Sound pollution is something that um we're exposed to more and more in our modern world. And there are lots of um there's lots of research that shows that sound pollution has really negative effects, especially on children, on their behavior, on their ability to learn, and on their ability to sleep. Like there are many different ways that sound pollution can um harm people um especially young people. And so when we think about data centers going in as other people have talked about, it's most likely that these would already be put into already uh like underserved and um areas. And then we're adding even another source for these people to potentially um have to fight through to try to have um the same life as everyone else. So, I think that um in general data centers are a bad idea because of many reasons, but one of the reasons that I haven't heard talked about yet is sound pollution.

Thank you, Mr. Behinder. Good evening.

Good evening, mayor, commissioners. Um want to thank everybody for being here and for the work that you all do. I appreciate it. Um, I live at 725 Pine Forest Drive in uh, Forest Heights, Athens, Georgia, and I am here to speak about the future land use plan. Um, I want to express my strong support for the vitally needed changes proposed in this plan. Um, the future land use plan presents a forward-looking vision for a path of responsible and sustainable growth for Athens. Um, this plan was created with significant input from the people of Athens and plans for this growth while respecting the communities who are already here. Um, I think any plans to change what is currently before us that has been worked on by a lot of really um, hardworking folks in this community to bring forth, I think it should stay as is. I think any type of downzoning is just um, not great for Athens as a whole. Um, again, thank everybody for their time and thank you for all the folks that put in all the work for the future land use plan.

Danielle, give us your name for the record. Danielle Gilmer. Thank you. Appreciate it. Good evening.

Good evening. My name is El Lewis and I'm here to talk about both item 13 and item 14. I wanted to address the uh potential ban on data centers and ask that we uh implement both um some of the suggestions that were made by community members but also consider banning them completely due to the ecological and economical costs that would be passed on to the town. And so a lot of people have already brought up the pollution, the sound pollution. And so I just want to uh share with you that every time a data center goes up, electrical costs are increased for the residents directly. But there's also the subtle costs. Everywhere a data center goes up, the temperature around it is 16 degrees higher on average than anywhere else in that same area. So that does add the additional burden of cooling in those areas. There is also the water pollution which then adds the additional cost of purchasing water, filtering water and uh addressing that. Uh so I did want to ask that we do a full ban. Uh I also wanted to point out with the future land use map um when we look at the map we can see that there is a lot of agricultural uh areas but in the center of the map we have a lot of urbanized communities and we do not see in those areas an equal amount of green equity and so given uh that there from what I saw of the board whose work I truly appreciated. There was not an ecologist on board, but I do want to point out that as we develop and we do need those overlay districts, we should be uh leveraging ACC owned land

to build more green spaces, especially as we are in an ecological crisis. And those increased uh overlay districts will lead to uh more uh urbanization, which leads to poorer air quality. And of course, once again, uh, increased heating. I also want to point out, uh, in addition to the overlay, uh, districts that people have mentioned and the, uh, housing ordinance that we do have a lot of ACC owned land that we could leverage for affordable housing because only governmentbuilt affordable housing lowers housing prices overall. That is what the data shows. Otherwise, we have gentrification. And the issue that we are facing now, every new uh luxury building that has an increase of $100 in rent also includes a coinciding 12% increase in homelessness. That is from our uh no longer funded but uh our federal sorry uh report on homelessness. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Lewis. Good evening. Good evening, mayor and commissioner. My name is Willie Thomas. I live at 170 Carter Street. I want to speak on item 14. And I agree that I think Anthony need to ban these data centers completely. We don't want them in our black neighborhood, brown neighborhood. We don't want them this year. We don't want them next year. Forever down with data center. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Thomas. Good evening.

Good evening, mayor. Hello. My name is Benny Coleman. I live at 271 Rose Drive in Athen, Georgia. I stand before you today feeling embarrassed. I I totally I I am totally against the future land use map. The reason why because it wasn't fairly represented when it come between black race black people. You only seen about probably about two two black people faces there and those didn't even show up all the time. And manufactured home was deliberately left out for some reason what it could be considered for affordable homes. Manufactured homes is for lowincome people who are just getting started. And we talk about being unified. The future land use map is not unified. It's it's totally not unified because the type of people that was chosen to be on that board, I was never reconted. I left my name. I specifically said call me and let me know will you all cancel this future land use map until we get a fair equal representation here. I didn't get anything. Now, here we are here today at the end almost and we still not represent. And I apologize for my people not showing up. It's our fault. It's the black people fault. We did not ask to be on that board. We did not show up when we was asked to get on that board. Now we want to cry. I said it is not fair legally, morally or nothing represented for the community and I'm totally against it as it stand today. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Coleman.

Good evening.

Good evening. Uh, my name is Alex Sams. Um, 100 Temporary Road, Athens, Georgia, 30606. Uh, I am, uh, the chair of the future land use steering committee. I've spoken with y'all. This may be about the fourth time that we've been in the same room going over the details. I'm going to spare you the details. You know the details. Uh, I've read the reports. I haven't had time to put a speech together. I've been pretty busy with work. So, that's all I've got to say to y'all. Three little things. Um, one of them is, uh, I've studied the CDO changes. I've studied them very hard. I've spoken with Bruce Lonnie for at least an hour going over those changes. I like the changes. They make sense to me. I think the commissioners that participated in those changes did a great job. and thank you all for that. You are listening to your people in your community and you're bringing that forward. Um, also I'll thank those that didn't make any changes because no one got that I could tell on the stump and made this a political issue and that was important to me. I did not want this to fall into look what I can do for people um when it wasn't necessary. We must be going on about the third or fourth year since the very beginning of the planning prior to the steering committee was put together. And I know the steering committee has spent about two years on this and we've done a lot of work. But uh I like the changes the co uh that was brought forth. I think they're fine. I would encourage y'all to go forward with this if that's what y'all see needs to be done. And I'll just also say, and we I said this many times in the meetings that we had, the map that we delivered to y'all or the map that we delivered and the map that we delivered to the planning commission is going to change. It won't

be exactly the same map that we brought because until the elected officials, until y'all look at it and make it part of what y'all see that your people need in your community and in your district. It's not the people's map. So, y'all have made some changes and now I'm satisfied this is the people's map. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sams. Good evening.

Good evening. My name is Willa Famro and I live in East Athens and this is not the people's map. What I see on that map, you have genderified or about to gendify our community in inner east Athens. I do not think that is right. I think you all should go back um make preparations to save our community. Mo a lot of our streets are already gendified. We love our community. We trying to hang in here in our community. We have so many elderly people and so many marginalized people and so many people that are poor. Why do you all continue to put these burdens on our neighborhoods, on us? We are struggling over there. You guys aren't doing anything for us. And that is the gospel. I appreciate you letting me talk. And y'all need to have a come to Jesus moment.

Thank you, Miss Fra. Is there anyone else here to speak to any item of old or new business tonight before commission takes action? Good evening.

Good evening, M Mr. Mayor and commissioners. Uh I'm Kent Middleton. I live at 195 Clyde Road in District 8 and I I served on the uh steering committee. I thank the mayor and the commission and the planning department for creating a future land use process that con included considerable public input. And I thank Alex Sams, our chairman, for insisting that all points of view be considered. I support the future land use map uh with its uh commission defined options. With a lot of close attention and hard work, the map with its cos will allow citizens, planners, developers, and the mayor and commission itself to accommodate moderate growth while maintaining neighborhood scale that is not dominated by automobiles. I appreciate the language in the land use designations, anticipating mid-level intensity, development with a cohesive character, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, places where people can live, work, play, and shop, and be connected not only by car and bus, but also by foot and bicycle. The future land use map and its amendment suggests that parks and open spaces, sidewalks and bike paths are not solely the providence of parks and recreation, but also might be expected in plans for higher density projects along the corridors where most growth is anticipated. Reducing distances between home, work, dining, schools, and shopping is one of the principles of the future land use map. Reducing distances requires reducing dependence on the automobile in those denser developments if those developments are to be safe, well-connected, and pleasant places to live, shop, attend school, and work. Commissioner Meyers has reminded us that a future land use map is not zoning. If citizens do not want larger, more

commercial developments in their areas, they can oppose zoning changes that would allow higher density. and they can oppose individual projects as we have done successfully several times on the east side. On a more affirmative note, the land use designations in the proposed future land use map provide Clark County citizens the language and the government impremature to seek coherent design, neighborhood compatibility, and diverse forms of transportation as the county accommodates 30,000 more residents. A final note, the recently released safe streets for all safe for all uh safety action plan includes many corridor and intersection improvements consistent with a future land use map and likewise several of Tespos's proposals on the recommended list. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Middleton.

Good evening.

Good evening. My name is Lisa Walker and I'm um want to talk about the 13. I didn't get a paper, but I'm just listen to everybody. Been a while since I've been down here. Every time I come down here, I get so tired of people begging. I get tired of people begging for what is right. And y'all keep dealing treacherously. God talked about it last time. Y'all dealing treacherously. And I know he tired cuz I'm tired. He's He got to be tired cuz I'm real tired. I'm so grieved just sitting listening for people begging for houses, but y'all let y'all buddies come in to get a piece of the pie. But you know what? It's about to end. If you can't look around the world and see what's happening today, it's about to end. So, I'm just saying do what is right. Do what you know is right because that's the only thing God say is gonna is going to last. Doing what you know is right. Cuz your mouth can say one thing. Your heart can say one. Your mouth can say one thing but he looks at the heart. He looks at what's in the heart. I'm just letting you know. Let me tell you what. I went to prison. Did six years. I did six years because I did what I wanted to do. But I got saved. God, I I I accepted the Lord in prison, so I know now to do what is right. So I won't keep getting the judgment. And judgment ain't God ain't through. Like I said last time, judgment is really about to hit Athens cuz y'all want to let people come in and do what they want to do. Just do what is right.

Thank you, Mr. Walker. All right, we will move to commission action beginning with item number 12 uh which uh regards the millhouses at 110 Puritan Lane and 1060 Mon Highway. And I know uh Commissioner Thornton, you have a commission defined option, so I'll allow you to place that motion on the floor. I'm actually going to uh remove my commission defined option. Um I don't know what the proper procedure would be. You could pass out with no action. Pass out with no action. That's what I want to do. All right, somebody. We need a second. Right. Is there a second? Second. Okay. Got a pass out with no action from Commissioner Thornton. Second from Commissioner Meyers.

Comment. Yes, ma'am.

Um that is not what I actually wanted to do. It's what I had to do. I do not feel as though um we started working on this too late. I think that we missed a huge opportunity to provide housing for somebody. I don't think that a million dollars in the long run. I thought I would look at it more as an investment. Um I don't feel that the folk who opposed this really dug down deeper. I do um I do want to uh acknowledge Commissioner Link coming on board, but it was too late by then. We there were some options, but a decision was made over a year ago uh not to um to let these homes be demolished. That that and I never could seem to get over that. So, I don't want to fall on the sword on this one, but I am looking forward to uh the revitaliz revitalization or the rebuild of the two duplexes. I I am looking forward to that because I don't know I heard so many people talk about housing and um when I listen to you talk about it I know I'm not crazy but sometimes I feel right crazy because housing should not be a burden. We need to be doing what we need to do whatever that looks like. But the appetite wasn't there. But I am looking forward to the duplexes that we have been sitting on since 2019.

Um yeah, so that's why I am I'm I'm making that motion, whatever uh the mayor said. Um, but I do hope the same people that have come down here, especially those of you that have been concerned about uh the future land use, let's get let's do this together. Let's do this together. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Myers, a second or any further? No com. Anything else? Members of the body, Commissioner Link, are we speaking on the commissioner CDO or the original? We're passing out with no action. The CDO. The CDO, which is that Is there an opportunity to speak on the original agenda item?

Certainly there's a motion. So yeah, I want to thank Commissioner Thornton for drawing my attention. Is this not working? Is it not working? Is your little green light on?

Oh, my f I'm sorry, my phone was on the button. Um, yeah. Yeah, I want to thank Commissioner Thornton for bringing me into this and I really wish that when um we voted on the reszoning of the property that included the demolition um we could have asked the developer to cover some of the costs for saving at least a couple of those homes um because um moving historic homes is seldom a viable option. It is not historic preservation. It is extremely costly, extremely burdensome. Um the bulk of the cost of of building housing is the land and the infrastructure to put that house on. Um when you're just moving a wooden box, you still have to pay all that. Um so this is not a viable historic affordable housing project. I was hoping it could be a viable historic preservation project with some additional investment. We did get the land trust hooked up with um a contractor that is specializes in historic preservation and moving homes. Maybe they can work something out with the developer. Um maybe those those um materials can be salvaged, but you know, we we were looking at a $500,000 bill to move these homes, and that's not even enough to bring them up to snuff to live in. Um, so that that money can be used to actually invest in affordable housing and and make homes for a couple of families. Um, yeah, I mean, it breaks my heart to see these homes be demolished. I do hope that something can be saved of them. I do hope that a marker can go up there because it was a it's a really historic property and um

you know everybody does needs to know about that that mill which was the first uh paper mill south of the PTOIC River. Um, so yeah, I I Mr. Right. I have no I have a motion after the vote. If a motion to pass that with no action would just kind of end and we would move on to the next item. Oh, you're doing it all at once. I like it. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Y anything further? All right. There's a motion to pass this item out with no action. Move on to the next item. clarify. No action on all on the item.

No action on the item. Everything. We're done. Dragging me through the mud on this. I'm just No. No expenditure of public funds. No ordinance. Okay. No budget item. No action. All right. Anything. All right. Pass out with no action. Move on to the next item. All in favor, please say I. I.

Any opposed? All right. Hearing none. Motion carries. And we move on to item 13, which is our proposed 2045 future land use map update. Uh commissioners have in front of you uh three sets of maps. Uh a set of maps uh that is a commission defined option from link meers right and hamby uh map that's a amendment from commissioner Thornton and a map that's an amendment from commissioner Taylor and I'll just divide the questions so we can take them uh kind of cluster by cluster. Uh so uh I'd entertain a motion for uh first action on the linkers right handby map. Mayor, can I read real quick? Uh and I'll have attorney Drake read those.

Ordinance to amend the code of Athens in Clark Stark County, Georgia, respect to adoption of future development map and for other purposes. All right. I've got a motion from Commissioner Link on the first set of maps from Link Meers Wright and Hamby. Is there a second? I've got a motion from Commissioner Link and a second from Commissioner Wright. Commissioner Link, any remarks? Um yeah, first of all, I want to um assure that this map is amended to exclude the properties um that were in that are in district 2. They were not supposed to be included on this map. There's a Fair View Avenue address, a Peter Street address, and a um Vine Street. Vine Street address. And I believe Commissioner Taylor is going to address that. Yeah.

Um and I I want to kind of explain some of the changes. First of all, I think there's a little confusion. Um, land use is not zoning. Um, when we're talking about changing some of the the land use on these maps, um, from neighborhood center to, um, neighborhood residential. Uh, that neighborhood residential still includes multifamily RM1 and RM2 and commercial neighborhood zoning designations when and if the time comes to reszone. The concern with those properties in the area Boulevard that have long been zoned commercial neighborhood but not redeveloped. Um they're not viable for redevelopment as commercial properties. Um the hope is that in laying down the res the neighborhood residential uh land use that they will be redeveloped into modest familyfriendly homes. Um you know hopefully missing middle homes. um with increased density town homes um you know garden style apartments uh we have some government properties that will come on the up up for availability in the foreseeable future and you know the hope is that those will um go the same way. We need more people living in the Boulevard neighborhood and we need need more options for affordable housing in the Boulevard neighborhood. It's a walkable. We don't need more commercial in boulevard. We're two blocks off Prince Avenue. There are five grocery stores on my scoot home. Um, there are plenty of places to go grab a cup of coffee with your neighbors. We need that land available for housing. So, that's that's the the thinking behind um behind that that change. The other changes, the vast majority of the properties that are being changed are either in historic

districts and not viable for any kind of upzoning or or redevelopment or they're directly adjacent to historic properties um or they're very small lots that are not viable for um significant redevelopment. Um that includes those properties in the that uh Commissioner uh Wright will address. Um, and it also includes some properties off of the Hawthorne corridor. Um, most of those properties are um overseen by the Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity. They're they are perpetual affordable housing. So, um, that's a lot of the the thought behind some of these changes. um the college avenue changes. We had a lot of stressful conversation about redevelopment in that area particularly when it came to the core project where we are allowing 1,400 student bedrooms in a 10-story build sevenstory building to go up um directly in front of lay park near the Lynen house. There's a lot of fear about those precious community centers being walled off by student housing. Um changing some of that to um a more viable uh mixed density residential that still allows multif family RM1 2 and three. There's also our inclusionary zoning ordinance that could allow a little more density in that if they're going to contribute to some affordable housing. So, I'm hoping that this will incentivize the use of that inclusionary zoning ordinance because it doesn't get used that much downtown. Um, and then there's the historic neighborhood in the Elizabeth Street area. Um, you know, keeping that a neighborhood residential area, I'm hoping we'll preserve that little historic neighborhood so we can maintain

the memories of the communities that have built this town. Um we've lost too many of those historic little mill neighborhoods. Um this is pretty much the last one standing and it's it's really on the chopping block. Um and you know it will help you know maintain that presence next to the to to the river that viewshed. Um and and um you know we lost Pottery Town. you know, or we we were able to preserve a little bit of it through a fraternity, but um you know, we see these neighborhoods just flattened over and over again and disappeared. Happened to Linen Town, tap into the bottoms. Um maybe we can hold on to that one little neighborhood.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Wright, anything further?

Um yes. I just wanted to uh summarize a little bit of the strategy for the changes that Melissa had brought forward that were in my district. So, I wanted to learn some of those strategies and what um I applied was to take some of the ones that were designated from the committee's work, which I do appreciate all the work that was done, all the outreach and um the depth of knowledge that they have and what they were doing. Um once we got down to the areas that we knew and the especially for me the walkability that's on Prince I wanted those to not be a minor corridor. To me a minor corridor speaks more to vehicular versus pedestrian. So those are neighborhood oriented zoning changes there. And um similar with um some of the areas in Five Points, making that consistent so that um some of the spokes on Five Points aren't minor corridors. Again, there's crosswalks which are speaking to what all that we're part of the things that we're doing to make it safe to be walkable between residential and um commercial. And so by making those uh residential oriented but yet still businessfriendly and business opportunities that um can speak to keeping it um neighborhood oriented versus a corridor. So that's kind of the philosophy for it. And I also apologize that um information to make sure that district three changes weren't in here, but we've covered that with this motion to make sure that those don't get changed per

what Commissioner Taylor wanted. Commissioner Myers.

Yeah. Um it's been a long time coming and I'm sure hoping we can pass this pass as as much of this tonight as as we can. Um, as my one of my constituents said, I I make it really clear that future land use is not zoning. Um, but future land use is visioning. There's a lot of words, there's a lot of description in there about the kind of community, whether it's walkable, business, auto, etc., etc. Um, the most something's going on here. Little musical background. the most the most concrete thing associated with the future land use little music um and really everyone needs to look at is this thing this compatibility matrix because this makes the biggest difference there's a and there's a lot of overlap between these designations um so you know the neighborhood residential for example is a designation that has RS25, a pretty big lot on it, but that's the biggest lot that goes all the way that the items in that area could be reszoned to RM1 and RS5, which is very dense. So, there's still a lot of room for density in zoning changes. I also want to say to some people who came up and and spoke as well that the zoning changes in designation are not the descriptions of what you can and can't do in a zone. That's a whole other process. So changing what you uh whether or not you going to have tiny homes or manufactured homes, that's that's another process as well. And as it's going to be clear at the end of the evening, I know there are some community members who are very uh passionate about affordable housing. And they've presented some ideas. I think there must be 17 or 18 ideas in there that address housing. This is just one part of this um what we're doing. and it's and it's

been something that um has been talked about uh since I've gotten on to the commission. So, I hope we can get through this tonight. Um and I think we have all uh tried our best to work together on this. Um and I and I do want to mention another thing. When I did talk to our planning director about some of these changes, not just there's just one little parcel in my district, but in other districts, inevitably he would say, "Oh, we discuss that a lot among the commission on on the meeting. We were going back and forth between those things." So, a lot of times we were moving it in these co options to something that was seriously considered among the committee as well. Um, and I just want to make that real clear. So, thank you. Any further remarks on the underlying map with the uh link Myers right handby amendments the pollen has gotten to me. Um so I just want to thank the user group uh the you know the resident citizens residents who spent over a year and a half or whatnot um to this thing and providing substance to to guide us and thank you know Bruce Lenny and the staff. Um, and I just got one request. Once this is approved, um, can we all get a updated map?

Okay. Believe we can do it. Thank you, Commissioner Fischer.

Yeah. Thank you. And and I too want to thank the user group for the work that they put in. And again, I'm glad I got criticized when I said, "Let's hold this thing until we get all our questions out and get more input." And I'm glad we waited. Um, I thought it was a good time to do that. And as you all know, I've been pushing with the infrastructure and and our sewer and water and how how important that is to the future land use and what we're going to build. And I and I just think that uh as we move forward, we mindful of that and we need to be mindful of the neighborhoods that been generified over the years. And you know, I'm I still got some inks about this um student housing thing that's coming down um at the former foundry. Um um I don't think it was a good deal for us because again, you got an African-American community that's getting phased out because we're putting more and more um student housing there. and you know and what bothers me the most is when we look at housing or look at trying to do student we do it in our neighborhoods that look like us and that's unfortunate. So when we want to be equity about where we putting houses at it needs to be across the community and again when we start looking at trying to build these things and put um housing in place we got to be smart about it. We got to make sure that the community want those type of housings because that's one of the biggest push back we get when we start talking about density and it seem like a lot of times community don't want more density in their communities. So then we got to figure out okay then where we going to put the housing and we're going to do tying housing we're going to do manufacturing housing we always need to think about where we going to put those type of housing and what communities going to be accepted of those type of housing. So, as we move forward, um, let's be mindful those things and let's just don't tackle or go into African-American communities to make those put all the housing there and their houses are needed there. But at the same time, let's don't put all

student housing in those particular areas and we forget about the people that live there that need those type of housing. So, I just want us to be mindful on that. And again, but I do want to thank the user group. they spent their time on doing this and and I appreciate the work that our citizens do and our residents do from time to time and it's valuable when they have their input in there. But I just think as we move forward, let's be smart about how we move forward and just look at the big picture how housing is going to impact this community. And to my colleague's point, we still got to come up with some type of zoning. Our zoning is outdated over 20 years is outdated. So, we got once we get through with this and vote on this, then we got to come up with zoning and what that zoning is going to look like and how it's going to really impact our community as we move forward.

Thank you, mayor.

All right. Uh again, the the first of three votes will be on the underlying map with the amendments as brought forward by Link Meers, Wright, and Hamby. And then we'll have a subsequent vote on uh the amendments brought forward by Commissioner Thornton and then the amendments brought forward by Commissioner Taylor. Um, I do appreciate the the residents kind of everyone who spoke tonight and particularly those who did spend really two years of their lives looking kind of in a deep way at what the community's needs are. Um, planning staff did a great job sort of laying out the challenges that we have in front of us and and and they are real challenges. Um, but I'll share with everyone who's listening tonight, I have the opportunity to engage with mayors all over the country. Um, and I'll take the challenges of a growing community o over the challenges of a community that's dying on the vine any day of the week. Um, so many places that you can find not very far from here. Um, have seen employment shrivel up. Um, have seen deep blight and and and and those are the kind of challenges that we don't have in this community. And I'm glad we don't have those challenges here. So, um, uh, there is a motion on the floor from Commissioner Link with a second from Commissioner Wright, uh, for the underlying map with the changes as brought forward by the first four. So, all in favor, please say I.

I. Any opposed? Right. Hearing none, motion carries. All right. Uh, next vote will be on um amendments from Commissioner Thornton. So, I'm going to turn it to you, Commissioner Thornon, for a motion. I want to make a motion to accept my uh recommendation for uh the land future land use map. Do I hear a second? Second. All right. I've got a second from Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Thorn, you want to describe? Um this has been a long time coming. It's a little different from um Hamby, right?

Meyers and Link um because we're really talking about uh uh infrastructure like sewer. Um, my district does not have sewer and it it's it's a it's one of those Oh, do we Oh, it it's one of those things that we got to be careful with because once you put in sewer, then it's like the game is on. People are going to come for everywhere. But I do want to say that I don't think any of these ideas and all any of these CDOS's um are going to um be functional operating by themselves. I noticed that Commissioner um uh Fiser mentioned about zoning. Yeah, zoning has not been changed since 1999. Um but right now we do have a zoning committee that's working. So, I'm assuming that uh some of the ideas that we heard tonight, such as overlays, uh uh revising zoning um is going to play into the uh future land use. The other thing that people do not realize as far as my my recommendation, we still have to go through a service delivery process. So even though we passed this today, hopefully we whoever wants to do whatever, they still got to go through a process. And I do think that um I think my commissioner uh right wanted to know about all the parcels. Um there there are a lot there they're they're um they're labeled res uh RS, but most of those are duplexes. And um we are going to have to keep in mind or

figure out how we do how we handle people who are renting. But this my CDO allows for us to explore sewer in district 9. Not going all the way up to and and I I asked Bruce to to to help me out if I struggle with this. is not going all the way out north on um Nowhere Road. We're we're we're we're kind of staying in that cut right up until Freedman Drive. Um so we are if we it's a start. That's all it is. So please do not think that tomorrow we're going to go building a whole bunch of stuff because we're going to lay sewer down. But Bruce, did is there can you explain it better than what I've just done? Probably. So,

planning director Bruce Lonnie is coming up to the mic.

Honestly, I I think you did fine. Um the the changes that are being proposed in Commissioner Thornton's CDO. Um the upper reach of those changes is the intersection of Freeman and Nowhere Road. and then those changes kind of work backwards presuming that sewer might be extended during the 20-year lifetime of this plan perhaps sooner rather than later. um what would those changes be if sewer were present and and so the upper reach that is shown in um Commissioner Thornton CDO shows neighborhood center at that intersection which is very consistent with how the steering committee worked with looking at nodes and putting that type of neighborhood center designation in place and then working back down through the sewer basin that Sandy Creek lower basin um it was taking the single family designation largely into neighborhood residential which is just that next notch up in terms of development intensity. Um and then where we had some properties that were transitioning between some of the commercial areas particularly along nowhere I mean I'm sorry

yeah along nowhere road. Um the other practice that the steering committee used was to use mixed density residential designation as a way to step down from commercial towards more single family character. Even if it's duplexes, it's that single family duplex type um character of development which is present in the SE Sandy Creek basin. So that's what um ultimately came together in the CDO. Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate it. Thank you, Commissioner Thornton. Commissioner Taylor is the seconder. Any further remarks on this amendment? Any others from members of the body? Uh, Commissioner Myers, I

I just want to say that we know when I looked at this um because there's a lot of roads on here, most of them are changing single family to the neighborhood residential, which is it's kind of an interesting thing for me on the east side because um Cedar Creek is single family and Green Acres and University Heights are uh neighborhood residential. Um real close overlap just allows a little bit more density. So there's I don't know how many parcels there are, but they look to me like there's uh a lot close to a hundred and I think there's about 14 that are not that change and are the change to either the mixeduse or the neighborhood center. So, um, you know, I just want to point that out here, uh, because I thought a lot about what was going on in here. And I also do want to say that all of this is not a we we would have to make decisions if we approve this. We're going to have to make decisions down the line about the sewer capacity. This is not a done deal. There's going to be a whole in-depth look at what's going on environmentally, financially to do that and make decisions. And then also like you were saying, like Commissioner Thornton was saying, every time anything wants to be reszoned, that's going to be another process as well. So there's going to be a lot of opportunities for public input um on on those 14 parcels that are more of a a bigger change than the others. Um just wanted to add that to the discussion.

Commissioner Ambby.

Sure. Um, I appreciate the the um explanations for this and I was I was good I was probably good to go until we started talking about sewer and knowing that the sewer delivery plan is coming and also knowing that that this this kind of this kind of skews from the whole future land use map and the premise of it and that we're we're not laying down new sewer, but we're focusing on those areas that have the sewer capacity or not sewer capacity already, but we're focusing on those areas that already have have um the chance for sewer. Um it's already laid out in the service delivery plan. So, this is totally something new and totally something that, you know, I mean, this this, you know, even raising the question in the future land use map that does tie into the service delivery map in a lot of ways. um does does give me a little bit of pause because you know for years when the service delivery map came forward I was I wasn't supportive of putting sewer down the Sandy Creek basin because it's our water source and that's important environmental source that we need to maintain and be aware of. Um so you know that that gives me great pause in in supporting this this amendment uh for that reason. And I will say this you know and Commissioner Thornton hit on this. I mean, once you put the sewer down there, uh, you're you're asking for for the development to come in, you're asking guaranteed if you're worried about gentrification, it's going to happen once that sewer gets put down. So, um, so it's it's kind of a it's kind of a, you know, interesting thing, but but you know, I just and protecting the neighborhoods along there and, uh, and given, you know, making sure that whatever we pass on the future land use map doesn't send mixed signals when it

comes to what we're going to do on on the service delivery plan or or whatever. You know, somebody could come in right now along any of these parcels like y'all been saying and ask for a change in the in the future land use map and if they can get it, they can get it. And then in the zoning, uh, but then they would have to demonstrate how that sewer goes in and there's been creative ways about how people are putting u some type of sewer system in to service how how what development they want to do. So, I just I just urge us to be real cautious about the Sandy Creek Basin and uh its importance on our on our water system. Thank you. Bob, did you want to make a

observations? Follow up a little bit. Just as a reminder um for um everyone that um those next decisions are going to come in fairly quick order in the sense that at your April work session there'll be an item on there to talk about the basin and the feasibility of sewer service into part of that parts of that basin. Depending on the outcome of that that will then feed into further discussion in the service delivery plan which will be coming this this summer. You all have already been provided a draft of that service delivery plan which at it in its current state does not include an extension up into this area. Commissioner Hamby is correct. If this is approved that kind of starts that starts that process doesn't end that process because there's a couple more steps, but those are going to come in fairly quick order at least that piece of it. There's still a lot of other things that have to take place. zoning dollars to actually extend any sewer. But I just want to kind of remind everyone that those other parts of this are coming pretty quickly as well.

I'll get commissioners link Davenport and right before I go back to Commissioner Thorne. So a lot of these neighborhoods out there have duplexes on them, right? So, they're are they would they be considered um nonconforming in that they're currently zoned single family, but they have duplexes on them? Is that

So, that's that's correct. They'd be legal, but non-conforming with current code and current development standards. And um in that current single family residential zoning um you know that kind of puts the kaibosh on you know if we were to adopt an ADU ordinance or something like that it would be less likely to be allowed in a land use that was strictly single family residential or um I mean I'm just trying to justify um you know this proposal based on what's already on the ground. I'm very trepidacious of about the concept of putting sewer up Sandy Creek considering right over the county line we're about to see a giant golf course development on Sandy Creek that's going to be sending a lot of pollutants into that creek right into our water supply. Um removing that ecosystem surrounding Sandy Creek would make it, you know, much harder for that ecosystem to absorb that pollution as it enters our water supply. We're really lucky. We've got really good clean water here in Athens. Um, so yeah, I'm kind of like looking at this like a mixed bag. I mean, this is all many of these properties are already would fall under that mixed density residential category or neighborhood residential category because they have those duplexes on them. But we, you know, we we do have to be considerate of laying the groundwork for expanding the sewer line. Um, and I am wondering if the option for getting some sewer out there would be to go sideways into the North Avenue trunk. I had been told that was possibly a possibility once upon a time.

Just putting that out there. Commissioner Davport. Yeah, Commissioner Link asked the question. I was going to ask it. I was just wondering um did Thornton she did um talk with staff and um yeah cuz some of those homes that are single family are and duplexes so it kind of makes sense um but I just want to make sure that we all understand that um what's happening out there for North Avenue road commissioner right

um um yes I I'm glad we're having a chance to talk about this and this has gotten in front of us. This is my my first look at it and it does I mean there's 13 and a half pages of parcels that are affected by this uh proposed change and um a lot of my concerns um not that Commissioner Fischer was speaking specifically about this but my concern is to upsize so to speak these parcels. um it's going to make them vulnerable for um us and and it would affect it wouldn't be a mindful it would be a negative effect on the communities that I believe we need to be mindful of. I think that there's only four of us here behind the chamber that were here for that last study on the service delivery plan and just how sensitive the Sandy Creek um water shed basin is. And um as we all know when we get the sewer spills um periodically that the water contamination from our sewer system is a real thing that we are constantly servicing and addressing with our service delivery plan. And um I I and we we are constantly doing that and I I I I fall back on the taking care of what's there in our sewer delivery plan. And I as well as other things that we're responsible for and I I just I just can't um I just can't support these changes because um it would then roll into the expectation that we're going to be able to afford an expansion of our sewer service. And I and I just I know that we don't have the money for that. So I I apologize to my long-term friend that I am not going to be able to support this commission to buy option.

Just before I return to Commissioner Thornton because I haven't been here for 20 years now, I do want to note uh that a series of iterations of both land use change and sewer have been suggested for what I'll effectively call the Freeman Drive corridor because that's what we're talking about really is kind of from its terminus at nowhere road, you know, back to where it essentially hits uh Loop 10. And um this is in some ways a sort of constrained version uh because there had been an earlier iteration gez 15 or 18 years ago that really would have gone up Niki Creek uh m much further uh kind of into what we think of as the green belt. Um, and given that we're really talking about going down this avenue that's almost completely duplexes on either side of the road, kind of both on the side that's closer to Danielsville Road as well as on I guess what I think sort of think of as the downhill slope. Um, I think this is appropriate particularly given that we know that those duplexes are primarily on septic systems that have a limited lifespan and most of those lots simply don't have a new drain field area. So, you know, we are not voting on the U service delivery plan tonight. Obviously, as Bob said, we're going to have that conversation next week and then we're going to have to have a subsequent vote. Um, but just knowing that these two things do work handin glove with one another. What I don't want to see is is this effectively to become sort of an unusable series of parcels hugging Freeman Drive. Um, and I think this provides, you know, through some future mechanism, which I think Commissioner Link noted, you know, could be lift stations that carry waste over to the Danielsville Road mainline, you know, an opportunity for continued viability, uh, along that Freeman Drive corridor. So, just wanted to make that note. And I know Commissioner Thorn, you

had a further observation. I have had three septic tanks bust in the last two months. One was right next door to me and I think I sent all of you pictures. Um, septic tanks are more dangerous to the Sandy Creek basin than sewer lines because if a sewer line breaks, you can cut it off. If a septic tank bust, this is going in the the in the in the water. That's just it. You talk about affordable housing, but you do not want to make the sacrifice on um the service delivery plan. All of these houses in this area are not um duplexes. That's the first thing. Second thing, in my district, I have more manufactured homes that people own their homes, but they're on septic tanks. Now, you can't have affordable housing and not make some concessions. And as since unification, it seems that two areas has have always been overlooked. And that's district two. Well, now it's two and three and nine. The folk in district 9 deserves the same kind of amenities. I know y'all want to go to fish at Sandy Creek and have a picnic and stuff, but people's lives are we're talking about people's lives. This is not a luxury thing. And I I it it it it it

everything changes, but to say that you're trying to keep the water clean um to keep the water clean in case there was a septic um bust. The sewer lines are much safer and it and I I help me out here now. Didn't you tell me that, Bob? Um, Bruce, did you tell me that? Okay, Bob. Bruce, somebody told me. But, um, so, so it's not and and and yes, my area has the largest amount of septic tanks. Now, we're not going to create we're not going to have we're not going to be and my area also is the only likely place that you're going to get affordable housing. You're not going to move affordable housing in Five Points. You're not going to be moving affordable housing in on Timothy Road. So, if we're not going to do affordable housing, let's tell the people that's not what we want to do.

Commissioner,

I'll just say I'll just say it's actually for me it's actually more uh more than just about the water. The water is important for the whole community, but I'm telling you right now, when you start putting sewer lines down there, and Kelly, you've you've voted with me on this a lot of times, and you've changed your position here, but the the when you start putting sewer lines even to Freeman Drive, the next the next the next commission is going to want to go even further. And what's going to happen is this, y'all, it's going to create a situation where once you put those sewer lines in, it's not going to be affordable for anybody because you still have to pay to put those sewer lines to the homes. So, so that's add as an expense to the to the folks out there already. And and you know, and there's that's if somebody wants to reszone something right now, they can come and ask for a reason and do what do what Commissioner Link said. But for us to for us to for us to start considering it before we even before we even talk about the service delivery plan is a huge mistake because we need because some a lot of people probably would have been down here tonight if they knew we were talking about sewer lines going down the Sandy Creek basin. And that wasn't part that wasn't part of any future land use discussion that we talked that they talked about that what came out of those what came out of the committee's work was that we don't want to we don't want to go in areas to where we're going to have to make the make the make new lines that are going to cost money because we we've got to fix a lot of old lines that we already have to where to where we could put the the the u the density. But but now I mean we start with new laws. It's going to you know you see what I'm saying so I'll hush now and just get ready to vote.

Commissioner Link.

Yeah. Um Commissioner Wright and I both sat on the board of health. She still sits on the board of health and we had hours and hours of discussion about septic tanks and failing septic tanks and how do we somehow manage septic tanks. And the state does not allow us as a local municipality to regulate and mandate that people on septic get their tanks pumped regularly. And that's how you maintain the life and the health of a septic tank is by regularly every three to five years having a truck come out there and pump it out. Um that's not happening especially in in neighborhoods like this where you have a lot of renters. Um that's why those tanks are failing. Um, we've got to do something. We know where the tanks are. Not every community even knows where the tanks are. Um, UG did some work for us years ago and was able to locate all the tanks. Um, but we've got to somehow educate people who live in those areas and come up with some kind of financial assistance for folks who can't afford the three to$500 every three to five years to get them pumped. Um because it is a public health issue. When your next door neighbor's septic tank fails, that's going in your yard where your kids are playing, where your dogs running around. Um

but there there, you know, there are I mean in other countries they have options for living off the grid without sewer. you know, there are electric toilets, there are composting toilets, there are, you know, conservation communities with group septic. Um, I mean, those are the kind of options we need to explore when we're talking about increasing density in areas like this that don't have sewer lines. Um, but I I mean, I am open to the conversation of figuring out what to do to help these folks out who are living on failing septic tanks. And that might mean running a trunk, running a trunk sideways into an existing trunk. If it means going up Sandy Creek, it's going to mean we need a lot of public discussion and we need to bring those scientists in. We need to bring those hydraologists in. Um, you know, there's a lot of eminent domain involved in expanding your sewer lines. A lot. Oh.

Um, that that's a yeah, that's a come to Jesus moment right there. Um, but I mean be we have a bunch of existing non-conforming properties in this area. And maybe the the thing to do is to change the future land use map. I just feel like this was kind of dropped at the last minute. How many how many lots are in this particular map? Let me be clear. Let me first of all let me please mayor let me just answer that question and then I'll come back. Yeah, it's a bunch. Yeah, let me let me be clear. Um there Oh my god. When we had the um just commissioner, how many lots? Bunch. Okay.

So, so so several dozen. Yeah. I mean, I just feel like you know what pages. Yeah, there are page there a couple hundred I think. And just clear on just so that's clear on the number the vast majority of those lots that are on there are lots that already have existing structures on them duplexes. They're not vacant property. So that's why there's so many because there's they're all subdivided down to those duplex lots. So I I guess I say that to say not get too wrapped up that it's a long list because there's just a lot of developed properties there.

Yeah. I mean I am not opposed to starting that conversation and if this is how it starts maybe but it's got we've got to commit to like the fullon study and the community input that it's going to take and you know because expanding sewer is expensive. So that means all our utility rates are going to go up. I haven't recognized Commissioner Johnson. She has to be recognized.

I'm sorry. Go ahead. Commissioner Thornton, I understand. I understand your frustration and I I totally understand everything I heard. I don't tonight. I don't agree with everything. I think if we start with the premise and I'm not going to go into the details or weeds of this, but go into the premise of what was approved in Janu in January 1991, which was for everybody to have equitable services. And it's been kicked. The can has been kicked. the people who don't receive the services, we feel the inequity. And to share a story, my mother had a property that was over 2400 square feet on an on over an acre of land off of Smoky Road. That's the exact area. She was 1.04 miles away from the closest station that she could actually attach to, but it was point the 04 kept her out of the system. every time it rained. And my mom was very good about having her septic her septic tank serviced every 18 to 24 months, but every single time it rained heavy, her yard would fill up. That's a quality of life issue. There's a health health issue, too, but there's a quality of life issue. I would like us to just as we can find money for our sidewalks, as we can find money for repairing the sidewalks, the the the street t the tables, the speed tables, you know, in the neighborhoods that already have them versus the neighborhoods that's never had them. We find the funding for those things, but we we are not having a conversation about the needs for the entire community. It it was to make when we unified that when the county voted to unify, it was to make all services equal. It's not. Yes, it's very expensive, but everything we do is expensive. And every year the public utilities department comes before us before the budget is approved and they ask for an increase in the rates because

they have things to fix, things to repair and whatnot. So we're paying an increase in the fee for the things we have to at one point figure out how to build in that need to make something equitable to to disagree or to say it's expensive. That's yes it is. It is and that's not an argument but we should if we are serving in this capacity think about all the things that were approved that's that during that time period and the purpose of it. I don't doubt it's it's expensive. That's not that's not what we're discussing. But if you care, you care. If you don't, you don't. Just say that part is in if money was not the issue. I think that there is some frustration because people live with this every day. And when I tell you when it rains, my mom would she she retired and when it started to rain at one point she had to start taking her clothes to the as we would say the wash house, but it's the laundry mat because mud was coming through her pipes into the the washing machine. If you dealt with that every week, you would be you would feel a different way. I just wanted to share some context. Thank you. I uh had Commissioner Wright and then Commissioner Thornton has last opportunity.

Yeah. And and just to piggyback on the the board of health, uh our meeting is next Wednesday and um I asked at our last meeting to get a additional information on uh a a community in Georgia that was helping with the finances and giving uh rebate back with proof of having your septic tank cleaned out. And I think that that's the type of thing we have money in the budget for education um and outreach, but I think we need to do mailers making sure my when I first moved here, I was out behind u in Ovita's neighborhood. Didn't know her back then, but um I didn't realize I was on a septic as a as a renter and having that information because of the different things that you have to do to manage a septic. um making sure and for the rentals I think that the landlord maybe isn't communicating that or maybe isn't taking that ownership of that maintenance and if if it's a cost for 500 every several years then the cost for hooking up to a sewer is going to be insurmountable as well and then and again it's it's an option it's not mandatory and then also I think another part that people don't realize is that the septic people who on septic tanks don't have that large part of the water bill that those of us who do have sewer hook up. So, we're also talking about potentially doubling somebody's water bill once they're on sewer for that part. Um, but those are those are different things and um I I um just wanted to add that to what was brought up.

Return to Commissioner Thornton and Commissioner Johnson. Um Lord, I kept waving my hand so long. Now I got to figure out what I was going to say. Um, do you pay your water bill? Um, Commissioner Wright, do you pay your water bill? So why do you think the folk on nowhere road won't want to pay their water bill if they had accepted? I just want to be I just saying double in the bill, but but a double in the bill is is fine. But I was just asking that that that to me wasn't a legitimate concern. Um, let me say this. Let me let me say this. Let me please let me say this.

I I was trying not to bring an entity into this conversation because it really has no bearing on um it has no bearing on the future land use. But the comments that uh were collected during the future land use meetings when we were going around to the schools and stuff um my district comments were not included in the responses. they were not included because and I don't know why and I really don't but so when we get recommendations for future land use and there's a population of people whose um comments were not part of the recommendation that's a problem. Secondly, Commissioner uh Johnson's right. I'm not talking about something that just happened yesterday or the day before yesterday. This goes back to 1990 plus

years with unification. What? 1991 93 90 was the vote 93 January 14th 1991

91 so I'm not coming up with something that just h it you know it looks like we we came up with unification and still there was going to be a group of people who were always going to be left out. Now I thought this was going to be the simplest thing in the world but so did I think the millhouses were. Um, but May the 4th, May the 4th, we're at JJ Harris. May the 4th, we're at JJ Harris to explain to people about sewer and water and and cost. We're going to be uh the principal. That's what going to be one of the meetings I've hosted. you know, you're making decisions about PE and then um um Commissioner uh Link, you talking about we got to do something. I would have been very very open for a conversation from you about what to do before I got here. But nobody pays attention until I until I say something and then I got to fight you for it. I'm just asking you to treat people fairly. That's all I'm asking. And the same people who pay their property taxes, some of them do have own homes, are the same pe they're just like you and they just want what you have. And I don't think that's that's I don't think that's unfair.

Commissioner Johnson, did you have further remarks before I return?

Just a couple of quick statements that, you know, everyone in my mother's neighborhood, they they service their their sewer regularly. So I don't want there to be a perception that, you know, people don't know to do that. There are some that may not, but most people who own homes do know to do that. My mom ended up selling her house because it was just too expensive to continue to get that done. It was just the quality of life had tanked. She retired and hoped to to enjoy life, but having to go to a laundromat now because of those sewer issues. She she ended up selling her house and moving four miles out of county um after living here her entire life. So, these are things that um this that's all I wanted to say. Commissioner Myers,

just real quickly, um, clearly this is a a heated topic and but it's a heated topic about the sewer line that we are not talking about right now. We're talking about the changes to the future land use designation and someone said how many, you know, how many parcels are there? My quick estimate was there about 250. All of them, but 12 or 14 are just changing the designation from single family to to neighborhood residential. That's one. Back to this chart, which I harp on. That's just only, you know, single family residential allows RS40 where the other doesn't. The neighborhood residential allows RM1 where the the single family doesn't. So, basically, they're very, very, very similar. I think this is a preview of some of what'll come out when we discuss the the uh the the public utility plan. Um but we will have more details there. We'll have more presentation to work with. Right now, we're mostly talking about shifting 240 lots from single family to uh residential neighborhood and 12 to something more dense. So, I just want to clarify what we're actually voting on tonight.

Uh, we've got a motion and a second and, uh, we'll go around the room beginning with Commissioner Thornton. Motioner. Uh, yes. Oh, yes. Andy, no. Yes. Lee, yes. Taylor, yes. No. Fisher, yes. Johnson, yes. Meyers. Yes. Seven. Yes. Two. No.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right. Uh we're going to move on to vote number C uh which is uh the uh minor amendments from Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Taylor, I'll let you make that motion. Yeah. I I motion to change the um proposed future land use um designations for 160 Fair View, 295 Vine, and 220 225 North Peter Street from Minor Corridor to neighborhood residential. Got a motion from Commissioner Taylor. Is there a second? I second.

Second from Commissioner Link. Give it to you. All right. Uh any further remarks, Commissioner Taylor? really quickly. In 1999, these three parcels were um designated as Main Street businesses. Um planning department doesn't know exactly why 160 Fair View and 295 Vine were designated, but 225 North Peter Street was discussed as a potential site for smallcale neighborhood commercial or commercial with housing above. Um and so just a history lesson um on that. And so I also want to want to apologize to those who looked inside of the um agenda packet and didn't see these things change. It was it was a um a minor oversight. It it wasn't done in malice and so I'm ready to vote.

Anything further? Oh, sorry. I I I don't think so. I mean, there were there are these little remnants of what were tiny commercial properties scattered throughout some of our in town neighborhoods. And I think the the land use committee decided minor corridor was an appropriate designation for a commercial neighborhood zone, but um you know with discussion these are in neighborhoods and some on Hancock were changed to residential. So we're just trying to make the neighborhoods neighborhood friendly. Anything further from any member of the body? All in favor please say I. I. Any opposed? hearing. None. Motion carries. All right. Do y'all want to take a quick break? Yes.

All right. So, uh, we're going to be back in our seats and ready to go at 8:30.

All right. from our prior meeting and uh given our planning and zoning ordinance, we have to act on it tonight. And uh so uh item 14 regards of course data centers. the planning commission had brought forward a text amendment uh for our consideration uh that was held so commissioners could consider whether they wanted to give some additional marching orders to the planning commission in moving forward. Uh but before we begin any of that attorney Drake is eager to read the ordinance

amend the code of Athens Clark County Georgia with respect to regulating da d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d da centers as an industrial use and for other purposes. All right, thank you attorney Drake. I appreciate that. Uh, would anybody like to place a motion on the floor? Commissioner Myers? Yeah. I motion to accept the ordinance as presented and immediately refer the ordinance back to the planning commission with directions to further res revise it with consideration of these seven added criteria through the special use permit. And so, um, I'm going to read them, but I've also shared them. Let me second. So, you can tell me. Oh, you want to second it? I'm gonna second you.

All right. We've got a motion from Commissioner Myers, a second from Commissioner Thornon, and Commissioner Meyers, uh, just to be clear to everybody, we're going to adopt a modification to the ordinance, and recommend some further modifications that you're about to read.

Right. An energy one, an energy consumption plan and annual reporting that covers electricity requirements, peak demand estimates, use of renewable energy sources, backup generated use and location, a power allocation letter from utility provider, transmission line impact assessment, and other technical materials necessary to evaluate whether the facility is compatible with surrounding land uses and available infrastructure. two, water consumption sustainability plan, an annual report to include the requirement uh to use a closed loop uh low water cooling system, water consumption rates, use of non-pottable water, and a vulnerability assessment to water scarcity and drought. Three, disclosure regulatory guidance on how data centers are prioritized during periods of constrained resources, including drought, extreme heat, or power outages. Four, limiting the size of the data center and their clustering. Five, use of community benefits agreements to address any impact on residents within a certain uh designated distance. Six, decommissioning plan that includes reasonable recycling of electrical electronic infrastructure. And seven, consideration of charging changing the distance from 400 to 500 feet from property lines in sections 9116 design standards F and G. and um to the planning department as was written in what I shared when incorporating the above criteria if it becomes part of the level one to three industrial use criteria or specific uh requirements for data center special use permit. Uh I'll let you guys work on that. I mean we will um reference we would like it if there's uh look into reference to non-disclosure agreements as rationale for not disclosing uh data um that that that that's not that that's not good for the

go um that that we need to have this data and to be uh clear and this is for the public right now because there was different information coming through we have one data center that a power utility built without needing any ACC see action because state law allows power utilities to build what they want without asking local util uh governments what they think. We had another request for a data center that was dealt with administratively denied. So right now we do not have any data centers. So I just want to clarify that. And and finally I urge people to carefully read all the details of what we are passing tonight that already cover many of the concerns brought up tonight and what about what is and isn't allowed in industrial zones um and with data centers. So that covers everything.

Thanks, Commissioner Myers. Commissioner, any followup? Uh, the only followup. I do appreciate um, Attorney Judge sending us those pieces that the cans and we cannot do. So, I I I I heard a lot of comments tonight, but Jud kind of giving us our I think this is a good project. That's all. I've got commissioners right Davenport and link um I just wanted to add because it uh that we are currently in a moratorum through June

it will by adopting this it'll terminate because we'll have that's the way the moratorum read okay so that's clarified so that we all not just the audience but myself as included are clear on that commissioner deport yeah um everybody's talking about this email from Jud and I I should about I think upon upon approval by the mayor is not Yeah. See, he does. He has a process to do that. John Hawin. Okay. I'll find it. You good? Commissioner Deport. Well, I just I didn't get an email, so if I can we'll make sure we get that to you.

All right. Thank you, Commissioners Link and then Taylor.

Um, yeah. I want to thank all the citizens who have been tirelessly working on this with like vast arrays of knowledge and all different things. Um, you know, particularly the young man who who works in studying AI. I mean, there there's kind of a moral ethical underpinning in all of this um and and the technology in general. Um, so I hope that, you know, we consider that and make it as ownorous as possible for these things to get here. Um um Commissioner Myers and I had a extensive conversation with Ted Terry Dicap County Commissioner and um he shared their ordinance. They're dealing with the same issue. They actually have a couple of already set up and they have a very extensive ordinance that I hope that our staff and planning commission will take a deep dive into and and um borrow from quite liberally. Um, and I I just hope we can keep these things out of our community.

Commissioner Fischer and then Taylor. Yeah. Thank you. Um, I still never saw whether or not the U by right. You know, that was one of the things when Jordan Power put up that they was by right and did not come before the commission nor before the planning commission nor before us. know that we do any research to find out can utility companies come in and by right put up data centers. Well, my my recollection on that issue was that the plan department determined that uh George Power is not subject to regulation by us because they're they're they're regulated by the PSC.

So to be clear and I think I want the community to understand and and you correct me if I'm wrong. So if a utility company comes into the community and want to put up a data center, they can and don't have to go through any type of process. Right. Well, I hate to make blanket statements like that, commissioner, without knowing all the facts. Okay. Generally, I'd say that would be the case, but I hate to make a blanket statement just unequivocal because I don't know all the

particularities and facts. In just in general terms, and this came up in one of the prior conversations, yeah, um there are some kinds of entities that are not regulated by local governments at all, but they're regulated by elements of the state government. Uh in this case, the public service commission that regulates the public power provider, Georgia Power. Okay. Commissioner Taylor.

Yes. Um, I first want to say, um, thank you to all of the community members who did your due diligence, who taught this body, um, a lot of the things that we didn't know. Um, and so kudos to you guys because I think it's very important that we acknowledge the work that you guys do as a community to help us make the decisions that impact all of Athens. Um, also because a lot of the industrial um area is in district three, I appreciate you guys on a personal level um because we don't want to have a repeat of what happened um with pollutants in our communities, especially marginalized communities. And so, thank you guys.

Anyone else? Commissioner Thor,

I think I think that um I don't think that we use all of our all of our influence because even though we're um doing a local ordinance, just like I think Commissioner Fischer alluded to, um utility companies can I think that we should have a relationship with our state representatives and um build that kind of relationship with with uh PSC let them know ahead of time have that type of relationship when we pass an ordinance let's make sure that we share that so when things do come up we can have some backup if we don't have the power by oursel

yeah um one of the things that was discussed was the need for a citizen review committee um to keep up with these things um to to to hold them to account um you know if there are um community benefits agreements or reporting requirements. Um we do have a similar committee written into our renewable energy plan um that's never been appointed. So, I I would like to ask the mayor to, you know, appoint that committee, appoint a committee that can be tasked with dealing with the data center question and also with other renewable energy and environmental justice issues in our community. We I feel like that's something that we really really need. I mean, there are other environmental justice issues that we could use the input from citizen experts on. I mean, sewer is certainly one of those issues. Thank you. There wasn't a motion.

There's the motion was from Commissioner Myers. Second was from Commissioner Thornton. Right. All in favor, please say I. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries. All right. We're going to move on to item number 15. This is the award of proposed construction service contract for the East Side Library. Something long aaited. Do I hear a motion? A motion again. Yeah. All right. Got a motion from Commissioner Myers, second from Commissioner Davenport. Commissioner Myers.

Yeah. I'm just I mean I spoke to this at the agenda setting. I'm just really excited. There's, you know, according to our agenda report, uh we should see construction starting in May. That's just a couple of weeks from now with a library opening uh next summer, late next summer. And I guess there's going to be have to work in some landscaping or something. Have the final completion in the fall. So, I'm really really excited about that. And also included in here is a crosswalk to get from one side of Barnach's over to the uh library in in a safer way. So that's they're real exciting um changes going on. So it it's going to be wonderful to see that and I think there's a connection to the greenway as well. So very thrilled about this. Is there an ordinance associated with this

connection pedestrian improve improvements that Commissioner Myers was just discussing? An ordinance to amend the transportation special purpose local option sales tax 2018 program budget so as to provide additional funding project number 12 pedestrian improvement program and for other purposes. Thanks attorney Drake and Commissioner Davenport. Yeah, this is a question for Mr. Bob. Um so there's a Tesplas project 2026 if it passes. When do we get when do we start tiering? Because there's a a B shows road project that complements that would complement the the library especially when it comes to safe crossing and slowing down traffic. Great, Josh. Yeah, it was good timing for Josh. He just came out. Okay. He went

I think I caught the question, but I want to make sure you were asking about tiering of TPL 2026. That's correct. So assuming that that referendum goes well then we would bring you a tearing schedule post referendum. Um one thing I would add though keep in mind about the funding timeline for T+ 2026. So that's that would begin towards the end of 2027 and the timing on providing this pedestrian facility here needs to be closer to the construction of the library itself. So that's why we recommended this. Okay. Thank you. asking Commissioner Ray, did you get answer what you needed?

Well, no. Uh this uh 1,250,000 crosswalk improvement, a pedestrian improvement. Can we get a diagram or maybe a description of this awesome crosswalk? So, issues, let's see, there's a there's a brief one in there, but this is a pedestrian hybrid beacon that would actually stop traffic. So, it's it is you're right. It is an elevated crosswalk. Yeah. Would you just send us an email that because that one uh maybe highlight some of the other ones in town that are like that in and the pricing because that seems I'm trying to get some crosswalks

and that's a that's quite the price tag and and I apologize because it came after some other things. Uh but if I'll I'll go up and read further into the agenda packet. Okay. So, and I believe Josh, this is what we've sometimes referred to as a hawk. Is that right? It is. Yeah. similar terminology, but keep in mind one of the significant features of this is that it would have effectively traffic lights. So, you're talking about, you know, post um similar to uh what you might have in an intersection holding a traffic light. Okay. So, it is it is more than just the the crosswalk in the asphalt. Okay. It's more than the carriage lane. Yeah. Crosswalk. That's right. That's right. Okay. We're talking Cadillac. Yes. Version. That's right.

Okay. We've got a motion, a second on the floor. Attorney Drake has read the budget ordinance. All in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed? All right, everybody's loving the library tonight. All right, moving on to item number 16. We had a recent work session on the FY27 community partnership program funding recommendations uh that flowed through housing community development uh with the assistance of the vision committee. Uh I'd entertain a motion. So move 1ab ABC. All right, got a motion from Commissioner Wright. Is there a second? Second. All right, I've got a second from Commissioner Myers. Commissioner Wright, any follow-up?

Um, no. I think this was covered. This was that work session we just had. Um, I'm glad we had it. It's a lot of good stuff going on there. The duplexes are in here. Commissioner Myers? No. No comment. Anyone else? Commissioner Davenport? No. Um, no. I'm supporting this. Um, so has it always been that we approve CPP before the budget? Yeah, since CPP has been a phenomenon, which has only been a few years, it effectively is the first finalized piece of the budget. Um, and so now this will be plugged into the budget spreadsheet that staff emailed to me today. And, um,

there's actually two items that are like this. This and the housing counseling one that we talked about also before. Um, it is what this does is it allows the staff to start developing the contracts that are necessary with the the folks that are being selected, but it is still ultimately subject to budget approval. So, um, if for some reason you got to the end and these items were not included in the budget or some of these items were not, they would not proceed forward. So, even though they're getting approved, as the mayor has said, they're entering into the spreadsheet for the budget approval, they really don't become final until the budget is actually adopted. because these are general fund dollars. Mr. Thornton,

um yeah, I did appreciate um the work session. Also, I had questions early on couple of months ago um Bob about the staffing with the homeless coalition and it was around um the directorship and we I think you managed to explain it. So explain to me again um about the director and that role and when it was split and how that salary well envision is not on here but envision asthma that's that's what I was concerned about.

Yeah there was a period of time where for medical reasons there was if you will an interim director over the o over that activity. The interim director was in effect on loan from Envision and was actually not being compensated for that work because they were already compensated under Envision. That has since changed. The executive director is back and of course is on the payroll. So that person was not compensated separate and apart from the Envision. Correct. Okay. Correct. So and and Envision then will come back before us as one of the um be part of the general fund. Part of the general fund.

Yes. Yes. And they're still right now anticipated to be the facilitators of the CPP process as you already have done with this year as well, but that also will part of the budget discussions. Yep. Okay. All right. Commissioner Johnson.

Yes. I wanted to start with I teach a class at the Sparrow's Nest and I see homeless, unhoused people who are suffering with addiction or living with addiction um every single week and I hear their stories and I I'm reading through this and I just want to just share my my personal experience and professional professional um opinion about the funding recommendation amounts. um the individuals that I've seen over and I was an volunteer before I was a commissioner because I really wanted to do it. So I've kept up with various individuals who are part of this program to improve the quality of their life and make better decisions or whatnot. And one thing I asked them last month was have your has your life changed from working with the partners partnering with the partners. Has your life changed? Has the has the needle moved for you? have do you have housing finally? And um no one said yes. I have individuals in my in my class that have been on the housing list for over a year and a half, one over two and a half years. There is one person who graduated that eventually received housing after being on the list since 2021. And so what I'm getting to is that if you the premise of if you only make 25% of your rent, can you really pay your rent? How long can you pay your rent before you get kicked out? Never. and I see these these programs the funding recommendations only barely touching an issue and I don't know how to fix it but I disagree with um really strongly with a couple of them and I and I can start with start there and the first one is the housing the the housing coalition homeless coalition so it's a new program and as as I understand from the agenda it was started within the last two years and this is the first year's funded and there is when you look at their website and when you look at their proposal and

you will and also look at the agenda item there's a lot of discussion about data recovery providing data partnering with other agencies they can do that now the agencies that are out there that serve the same community the same community the same clients can do that now and but it I don't see that happening um what I hear from clients is that they are um referred from one side of town to the other. They they are in perpetual case management and there is a an a line item for salary for case management and I don't know what it means but it doesn't mean solution. you know, they are um individuals who are going for showers and baths and whatnot and getting their clothes washed, but it's not solving the the issue. They're in a category of improving homelessness. This is managing people who are living unhoused. And so I strongly, you know, in looking at the housing coalition, there's two items that they were approved funding for. One is around 78,000 and the other is is around 70,000. And you have other agencies that have worked in the community and provided great services for the same population that their funding is less than in previous years. And I I I love the idea of partnering financially with some of these partners. I don't agree with the amounts. And when I if and I think if you all talk to real people too and hear their stories, their struggle that you would also understand where I'm coming from that there is no solution. you still have people that are in the same position and they're I'm sorry I thought and that the outcomes of what the goal is is which is to improve their the quality get into get into housing finally um get to that

transitional place. These people struggle eight nine years. I just learned on Monday an individual after eight years and I learned what the criteria was, you know, veteran 25 points, you know, you know, um, elderly, um, in enrolled in a class like I'm learning and and I even called the housing authority authority to ask if I could job shadow for a couple of hours because I don't want to be a critic and not really understand what it what's involved in the in the funding decision. But I think just throwing a little money you know, across a big group isn't very helpful. And I just wanted to say that for the record. I like the idea, but I'm not happy with the funding um amounts.

That's all. Uh, Commissioner Thornne. And so my question is, and I thought I answered it when I asked that other question about the role of Envision Athens with the homeless coalition. And I keep looking Can can can you tell me um tell us Bob? Okay, I think I figured it out.

Exactly. What is the difference between capacity building and community services? So those were two separate proposals. Was that what happened?

We've got Alejandra Calva from Housing and Community Development who can describe the difference between and let me let me just be real clear. If somebody just looks at this like I'm just looking at it and you see homeless coalition twice, they're not going to delve down deep to see what the difference is. It it it it looks it doesn't look good. So, I could see one proposal and then you kind of broke it down, but I'll let you explain that.

Sure. Uh, so agencies are able to submit up to two separate applications for funding. It helps them explain to us how they're going to be using the funding spec for specific programs. So, in this case, a homeless coalition did submit two applications. They are detailed on attachment, too. Uh I'm trying to pull them up really quickly because as you can imagine we go through a lot of applications. Um so that that is you don't have to dig there. So that is the process. Yes. Organizations can submit um up to two up to two applications. So that's the rule.

Yep. So that is uh our that's one of the the rules so to speak when they apply they can apply for up to two different applications. Each application has to include a proposed budget, a proposed scope of work, a proposed metrics etc. So the vision committee in this case reviewed every single application. They scored them. They rated them against the criteria that are included in your agenda packets and this is ultimately what they were recommending for funding for your consideration.

Is the homeless coalition um their request is that also because ARPA funding is is is ending. A lot of the agencies that are receiving uh or that are proposed to receive CPP funding are also receiving ARPA funding which as you know wraps up in December of 2026. The homeless coalition is currently funded with ARPA that is wrapping up in December. So they're already thinking ahead of how else can they continue to serve the community through their programs and CBP is one of those.

I'm I'm going to vote for this because I do support uh the efforts with the homeless coalition but you know, I just don't I don't we get into um when we have extra money, we're able to do some things and then when the money dries up for whatever, we're expected to continue giving and or giving to the same group of folks.

I do have a problem. I hope you will change I hope we'll get into a place where we change this process because we heard a lot of good folk that are doing good work and I'm not saying the homeless coalition uh I I spent the night at the homeless shelter so I'm good. Um, but I do think that this does send mixed messages, especially with ARPA funding drying up and other groups are saying, "Why not me?" And, you know, I just submitted one application, they submitted two. You know, it just sure

I'm going to support this, but I did want to put my my thought out there. As a body commissioner, one observation I have is that you know if the desire is to provide a larger array of services to signal ahead of the application timeline in the autumn that that you know we would like a million and a half dollars or $1.75 million or kind of some other figure going into the future. So you know that that's an opportunity we have. Obviously the portal was open to everybody. It was open I believe from October to December 1st approximately. I just looked at the ones that did not get funded and it just puts a little question in my mind. That's all. But, uh, I'm sure they've done the best they can and I do not qu uh, like I said, my big question about the homeless coalition was months ago about the, um, the role of the director. So,

we have a motion, a second on the floor from Commissioner Wright. So, will Commissioner Taylor?

Yeah. Um, really quickly, um, being a part of the It's going to be quick, I promise. um being a part of the GT committee, the sub the subcommittee that I'm currently in is um finding ways to retain or um keep the housing that we have right now um in ways of rehab weatherization as well as eviction prevention. And I said all of that to say when I see the art not getting funded because there weren't it wasn't enough money left over for when you um you know gave these organizations money. I understand the the process and and all of the things but these are the organizations that's keeping families in their homes um which helps with the housing crisis that we have. We've talked a lot tonight about the housing crisis. When a family calls me and asks me um where can they go to get rental assistance or where can they go to get help for court payment or court rears? The art is the first organization that I um send them to because I know that the art is willing to help families. I do want um moving forward that we take into account and I may seem biased by my comment that I'm about to say but I think that it's very important that we keep family promise that we keep um the art that we keep um the Salvation Army those organizations that are doing rental prevention if they're a rental prevention program and I know that there are other needs but those those organizations need to be funded first and foremost and then everybody else um should fall second. And again, I apologize if it sounds biased, but it's hard to come back from being evicted

from an apartment when you can just help a family stay there. Um so yeah, ready to vote and of course uh kind of in that area, Family Promise, uh has has funding. Yeah, it is. Uh, Commissioner Johnson, I thought I read in the in the agenda packet in follow-up information that the ARC is getting addition is getting their funding through another streaming fund. Yes, Alejandra, they are recommended for home art funding and that's coming up in your May, April, May cycle.

I just wanted to add that and also a comment about the ARC. So on February 10th, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to help a constituent who was down on her luck. Her car had broken down. She couldn't pay her rent. She got behind on rent and she was just she was acrewing $50 a day in late fees and she was on the verge or the precipice I would say more is appropriate of of just losing losing everything. And instead of her giving me giving her the information of the housing partners to go solve and fill this information out and apply, I said, "Let me do it for you and I'll and then I'll contact you and give you the information of where to go." So when I called the agencies, I started with the ark and the first thing I I told them they told me was they're out they're they're out of money. This is February 10th and I didn't I didn't want to introduce myself as a commissioner. I was just calling to get help to help somebody. But then as a commit but then when I got that was the first response. I'm calling about the eviction prevention program and and possibly you know funding. We're out of money. That was very quick and I was like oh well I'm so sorry. I guess I should have started with I'm Commissioner Johnson. I now I have questions because I'm curious how you're out of money on February 10th. And I said, "Are you not asking for enough money? Do you need more money? Like what's the deal?" And so they she said they just don't have enough and it goes that quickly. And so I I I did understand that. Um I I I think there you know instead of putting funds in areas that we are just collecting data when we already collect data and things there there are many areas that could be strengthened. I think that is something that if the budget could be increased for those type of programs, I would be in support of that. There was a statement in the agenda packet that also said from the writer of the agenda language that the indication that there were 26 or 24 or 26 nonprofits that applied for um funding and only you know

less than half a little bit more than half of that those agencies were funded. And that was an indicator to them that all the needs weren't met. And I that's not true. It's just an indicator of you know people have the same service and they provide the same thing. But we don't really know and and and I say that how how how well we are doing and servicing the need and what the nonprofits say. The outcomes data doesn't really I would like the agencies to improve the outcomes data. So when they say we are going at the very beginning of the year we're going to um establish housing for five families this year like that's the goal that's the goal what what what was the outcome at the end of the year we have those tangible things that are in our strategic plan that don't translate to agency support and so I would just like it to tie together better and the story to be told better. I'm not saying don't support or not support. I'm just saying there is there's a need for increased funding because a lot of people just one paycheck away from $50 a day in late fees and she and and and that compared to another agency that says we'll provide you with a list of where to go or we'll collect data and those things are valuable but I think the needs are more valuable. That's a want to me because we have so many other partners that collect data and share the same service information. Thank you. Uh, Commissioner Thornon, last go round.

Last go around. Um, you want to come back up? Um, the $40,000 for diapers, is that just for Clark County or the surrounding counties? While the agency serves surrounding counties, our money is only to be used for Athensclar County residents. So there's other funds that this agency has that does and you have other counties. Yes. Okay. So So this is just us. Okay.

Yeah. Because it's general funds. Any funding that we award to these agencies are restricted to be used with Athens County residents. We check on that every month with their performance reports, etc. Thank you. You're welcome. Commissioner Davenport. Now, see, Commissioner Johnson and Thornton are raising make it this is why I would like for us to for future to do CPP with the budget. I would too because like you know we are and it's not I don't want to trash or say anything bad about any of the the wonderful work that these um organizations are doing but you know there's some duplicity there's some

um and there's a lot of need in our communities and I think we need to focus on what's major in our community versus trying to help as many people as we possibly can. Um but I think it was two three years ago when we changed CPP but you know I would like to make some adjustments but at the um end of the day just hopefully in the future we'll be able or in the next body be able to make changes to CPP program maybe assign it to committee GC will take it. Uh generous of you on behalf of the committee. All right, everybody. We've got a motion and a second on the floor. We'll go ahead and do a round robin beginning with uh Commissioner Wright, who is the motioner.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Johnson, I am abstaining because I'm volunteer at one of the agencies. Yes. Myers, yes. Then, yes. Davenport, yes. Link, yes. Taylor, yes. Seven yes and one abstain.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. All right, moving on to item 17. This is the Arena District Development Facilitator Professional Services Agreement. Uh, Attorney Drake, I know there's an ordinance. I'll have you read that. Ordinance to amend the FY2026 operating capital budget for Athens, Clark County, Georgia, so as to provide funding from the East Downtown Tax Allocation District TAD fund balance for expenses related to the professional services agreement for an arena district development facilitator in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between the Athens between Athens, Clark County, and the Classic Center Authority and for other purposes. Thank you, Attorney Drake. Uh, Commissioner Wright, would you like to place a motion on the floor? Yeah. Motion to accept one ABCD. All right. Do you have a second? Second.

All right. I've got a second from Commissioner Myers. Uh Commissioner Wright, thank you for serving on this committee on an ongoing basis. Would you like to talk a little bit about this work? I just wanted to say that it's been um the hardest part is just getting everybody in the same room at the same time, but when we do, we um get a lot done and we're looking forward to uh moving to the next step after this. And I just want to remind everybody that this is just onethird of the funding that we're teamed up with. Uh it's all in the packet, but the Classic Center Authority is also involved and tad money on this side of the river. This side of the river

and and so that's how we're putting this together and we're going to hit the ground running with this group to facilitate for us. Excited to see them uh get some building on the land. Yeah. If anybody has any questions, just just contact me and I can uh tell you what the committee's been doing. Mr. Myers. Well, I I had questions and then I kept reading and found the answers to a lot of my questions. So, the um

the this is all supposed to be done between now and the end of the year. Um which is a good wonderful to know. Um, I did have someone ask and I I I'm going to follow up and ask you all, but of the the 600,000 the money that's coming from T from Splast, is that from interest going in to the arena project because they the point person was pointing out to me that there was no money in the it's tied to the the arena project which I'm certain has has interest money as a part of that um funding as well. So yes, because Right. Right. Um it does not because it does not deplete that entire project number. So I'm I'm certain it's tied to the to that.

Yeah. And and so the TAD there's there's nowhere I mean that'll be actually in the the budget book that we get. How much money is in the TAD? So I'm assuming that there's money in there and this is this this is the facilitators just doing all the stuff to get the actual developer developer out there. This person does not become the project man. That will be something someone else in another contract. Okay. Um I did have like in here this is I am supporting of this obviously I second it but um it mentioned in here that there was money to pay the bonds this year. Is there somewhere down the line we'll get a plan for uh paying the bonds next year?

Well the the plan is that the uh arena district the arena itself generates enough revenue to cover those bonds. There is the potential that there's a gap that that's not going to take place. Part of what this discussion is is looking at the overall and part of what the committee has talked about is looking at these overall parcels with an eye toward how can they actually be developed in a manner in which ensures that those debt payments if there are any gaps are covered with those with the development of that property. Okay. So, so it's kind of a combination of the authority revenue that's being generated by the new arena, what happens on these properties, which is part of the reason for the timing associated with it. All with the goal that there is no gap that has to be covered um in in the in the meantime.

I'm sure you'll keep us updated on that. Yes, because if there's a gap, you'll know about it real soon because we'll have to cover it. So, and I think the earliest that comes is in next year, I believe, is the next kind of that first vulnerable spot. It says that that's why because in here it said beginning in fiscal year 28 that the authority projects so 1.2 million shortfall. So, but we'll find out more about that later with the goal being that the revenue from this development um makes us whole. Oh yeah, it it just seemed like a short turnaround time for actually getting anything on the ground built, but we'll we'll find out more about that later. Um yes, I'm happy to support this.

Any others? All in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed? Hearing? None. Motion carries. All right. Uh moving on to item 18. This a resolution uh entertain a motion. So move. Second. Got a motion from who made the motion? I'm sorry. Is it Commissioner Wright? And second from Commissioner Fiser. Commissioner Wright. Any remarks? Ready to vote. Commissioner Fischer. All right. Any others? All in favor, please say I. I.

Any opposed? Hearing none. Motion carries. Right. Uh, item 19 is an ordinance to amend the operating capital budget for additional funding for road paving. I'll have attorney Drake read that ordinance. An ordinance to amend the FY 2026 annual operating capital budget for Athens Clark County, Georgia, so to provide additional funding for road paving and other purposes. All right. Uh, entertain a motion from the body. So move. All right. Got a motion from Commissioner Thornton and a second from Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Thornton, any remarks about road paving. No pave on. Commissioner Taylor. Yeah. Paveon. All right. Any others? All in favor, please say I.

Any opposed? All right. Hearing none. Everybody prefers new pavement. All right. Uh now is that time in the evening when, as stated earlier, we have public input on any item that was not on tonight's agenda. Rules of this round of public input are the same as before. Please provide your name and place of residence. And you have three minutes. And if you line up at the podium, we'll go ahead and get you one at a time. Good evening. Good evening, Toana Maddox.

I'm just a ball of emotion as I sat through this meeting tonight. I'm just thinking about just growing up as a child, you know, on Pit Road. Thankfully for my parents, a good church family, you know, despite, you know, being mistreated pretty much saying you ain't Jack. you know, they say you are, you go and do what you have to do, be what you need to be, reach back, help others. And I feel that same way as a nonprofit. I just see that the grassroot, you know, nonprofits, especially those of us born and raised here who continue to give everything that we have so that our children can have a better life. children who are from the same rural areas that we are from, same discussions that we had tonight. It all fits together. But my my love, my first love are children because they are truly they are the future of this community. And so I started not to come up here, you know, because I'm, you know, I'm not a beggar because I know all things work together. But at the end of the day, these tax dollars, they belong to all of us. I'm sick and tired of having to beg when we have for 27 years, 20 of those years straight volunteered, my sister and I, with the help of the parents and community members who believe in our children who may have fallen behind in reading, who may have had some social, you know, ill wills. But we help these young people to to get themselves together. We also help them their parents. I'm a case manager. I'm a resource officer. I go into IEP meetings with our parents. I help them to advocate for themselves and understand that they are their children first advocate. We make sure that our children understand that they are enough. We make sure that they go

they show up differently when they return back to school. We have students that we serve for years. Retention is excellent. Families bring them back every single year. And we also charge them a fee as well because we want them to understand that they should have skin in the game. All kind of life lessons that you it won't show up on paper and maybe we have to do a better job of that. But I we we submitted a CPP application and it's not about that. I accept that. I thank God we could apply because last year we couldn't apply. But please think about the children, the grassroot oper um the grassroot um people who serve these young people who they can relate to us. And when these recapture funds come up, that's what I'm asking for. Please send give us some of those funds so that we can have a great summer camp and also have a great afterchool program in the fall because I thank y'all for the ARPA funds. They have truly helped us to take these kids to new heights. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Maddox. Good evening.

Hello again. Sorry y'all, my phone is uh dead, so I got my whole iPad. Um, so thank you for your time again. Uh, and I'm here for the second time tonight uh in support of the affordable housing ordinance that's being proposed by AADM. Um, my ask tonight is for this ordinance to be on next month's agenda to begin discussion between our leaders and the community. Um, in many ways this is one big group project and I along with everyone else that will be speaking on this issue would generally welcome the opportunity to meet with any commissioner who's open to follow-up conversations so we can stay informed and engaged in a productive way. When it comes to affordable housing, I'm asking us to find common ground and to keep pushing for solutions, even ones that we haven't fully explored yet. There are many ideas in this ordinance and that's a strong starting point. And I'm also asking for your guidance uh as leaders. I know there's already a lot in progress. How can we as a community be a part of the solution? I want to thank everyone in this room tonight for showing up to do this work. It is really a privilege that we're able to. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Kellar. Good evening.

Hi, my name is Karina Gallagher. Um and I'm just going to read straight from my phone. Um, so first I want to thank you for approving the North Avenue TAC CIPL and for continuing to prioritize investment in that corridor. I also want to acknowledge the work being done or that could potentially be done through Teslas and the RISE grant to improve transportation safety and connectivity along North Avenue. Um, but um, I also want to say that North Avenue is not just a transportation corridor. Um, North Avenue is where the community has concentrated its social services. Um, it is where we serve individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, mental health challenges and economic instability. um it is where most of our vulnerable residents go to access support and not just the form of organizations but for um from multiple systems located in the same area. Um so while we are investing in roads and sidewalks um those things are important but we also must recognize that North Avenue is carrying a different kind of responsibility. um it is serving this entire community and because of that I'm asking that you consider a more intentional equity based approach to how to invest in the North Avenue corridor. Uh and that would look like ensuring that the infrastructure improvements directly support the people cross um accessing services like safe crossings, lighting, walkability um for all of the air uh all of the organizations that are there. Um investing in beautifification and maintenance. If you've driven down

North Avenue, we desperately need that. um and um exploring ways to formally recognize North Avenue as a service corridor. Much like downtown is now a um an entertainment district, we house all of the social services. Um so we're going to need some some support. Um, uh, what I don't want to happen is that North Avenue, um, gets treated just as the the pass through for the rest of Athens. Um, and that you all really pay attention to the fact that everybody in Athens, if you need a social service, you end up on North Avenue. Um, also real quick before my time runs out, um, if we could get a handwashing station, like we did in CO on North Avenue, that would be nice. Um, and um, I was talking to an unhoused gentleman in the um, hallway. He works, but he doesn't have anywhere to store his personal items. So, if that could be on somebody's priority list. Um, and also real quick while while y'all were talking about um the CDBG funds,

real quick, um, if for the vision committee, if you could please request that the members participate in an organization or volunteer or ask some real questions because Thank you, Miss Gallagher. Thank you. That ain't working. Okay. Good evening. Hey, I pass this out for both sides of the room if you don't mind. You stand as the attorney. He'll distribute that.

My name is Richard D. Rose. I live at 230 Terrace, Athens, Georgia. Been on living on that street for nearly 40 years now. Um, a lot of you know me and and um, basically I'm 100% for the institution of policing, but back in the 90s I had a big impact on Clark County, as you know, helped to create the classic city high school that you were principal of. And uh, anyway, there's a lot of things that happened at that time, but one of the things I'm proudest of, I helped to make a better police department. But I'm up here now and I'm giving you this evidence because I was involved in a wreck on uh March 8th and uh somebody plowed into my car, flipped it over. I had two kids in there. We could have been killed. And at my age of 77, I may suffer from the pain I'm suffering from now the rest of my life. So I told the police officer, I said, "I did not cause that wreck." you know, he was speeding and he actually turned, if you noticed on the diagram, he turned off of Highway 29 and plowed into me. So, I've spoken to 12 ranking police officers. And Miss Johnson, your husband's not one of them. So, but I'm disappointed in their attitude of not wanting to hear anything I have. They wouldn't even look at those pictures. They turned me down. So, I filed a complaint with the uh police department, internal affairs. I know a lot about that situation. and also uh filed a complaint uh with the uh public safety civilian oversight board and I've heard some really bad stuff about that. So you created that and you need to fix it because we don't have oversight in this county.

There's corruption and there's bad stuff going on in that police department and we need to fix it. in Lake and Riley her death that was so popular and so out I heard her name mentioned today you know and that happened because the police weren't doing their job protecting this community crime is everywhere people are getting hurt and this that and the other I know for a fact and you know I used to write a column called city watch it changed Athens and now I'm coming forward as a citizen to explain the fact that we need to do something and Kelly you need to fix that police department before you Please do that for Athens, for these communities. Like the lady's up here in the uh green uh shirt, you know, she said, "It's about morality." If we don't have morality in this community, what do we have? Nothing. Because we can't fix problems without it. You've got to have integrity at the top of that police department. And it's not there. I've been lied to with these officers and other things like that. And it's not fair. and I will sue one day this ca community if any kind of re retaliation is against me. I've got the rights to do it's actual malice. I didn't know that then. Professor Kent Middleton was here. He was my professor in law school back in 2013. I just want to say please do something.

Thank you, Mr. Good evening.

Good evening again, mayor and commission. Thank you. Um, so just to reiterate, uh, I'm Na Clayton of Barrow Street uh, 30601. I'd like to reiterate my support for the affordable housing ordinance that was put forth uh that was sent to you by AADM more than a month ago that will help homeless, low-income, senior, and other increasingly marginalized Athens residents potentially uh with some more technical development and partnership and advocacy at state level and local level. Um, in this fair housing month, housing still remains a crisis, still remains a human right. We must act accordingly within our power. Um, we would also like to work with you uh as a community to advocate for fairer housing policies such as um some of the inclusionary zoning ideas we we gave you uh AADM gave you in the ordinance, the overlay districts, um expanding homestead exemptions and uh criminal history non-discrimination and so on. Uh we are proposing that you place this ordinance squarely and formally on the agenda for discussion to kickstart a review and development and if necessary the revision pro a revision process. Uh we look forward to partnering with you. Uh and uh we are also heartened I personally am heartened um to hear uh

the conversation going on uh around you know um aligned issues other aligned issues on affordable housing that relate to the ordinance either directly or indirectly and I was also heartened to hear um Commissioner Thornton's um willingness to engage with uh state represent state level representatives and these are the sorts of issues that we can tackle with them together. So I was very heartened to hear that we look forward to partnering with you. We thank you for the work you've done so far and um yeah it let's you know we we we have to remain proactive uh to get these fairer housing policies and enforced and institutionalized at state and local levels. Thank you so much. Thank you, Miss Clayton.

Okay. Good evening.

Hi again. Um I'm Barrett Binder from uh 250 Reed Street. It's 30605. And um I'm also here to speak in support of the AADM um affordable housing ordinance to ask that it be put on the agenda for the next meeting. Um we right now in Athens, housing is one of the um issues that everyone is talking about at many of these um uh future mayoral candidate forums. This is like the main thing that gets talked about there is how housing has worked and how it could continue to work. And so I think that we have um I'm just a person who ended up signing the AADM um affordable housing or ordinance, but there are people all across Athens who have signed that. And I think part of the reason is because we all know whether we were part of making it or not that housing is not working for many people um all across Athens and it could be working better. So, I think this is a this would be a great step in the right direction to um discuss it further and see how much of it would be feasible to implement.

Thank you, Mr. Ponder. Good evening. Good evening.

Uh my name is Hampton. I live at 255 Preserve Drive. Um I wanted to briefly speak today in favor of the Athens affordable housing ordinance. As a member of the student community, um I think it's undeniable that there is tension between um members of the student community and many working-class uninions. It is undeniable that students have been a contributing factor in the gentrification of many areas of Athens. But I believe that this ordinance offers a number of remedies in order to help ease much of that tension and not and additionally tackle the issue affordability that we are seeing so many other cities and frankly um areas and cities and uh places within um the United States deal with. I believe this is be beneficial to uh Athens at large and that uh affordability requires bold action. I'm optimistic that this commission can meet the moment. Thank you.

Thank you, Hampton. Nice shirt. Evening.

Hi, Mickey Chastain here a second time. Um, I would like to also support uh you all including on the agenda the proposed affordable housing ordinance uh to give it the platform for public discussion to give these ideas platform. Um, I also appreciate want to just kind of mention that I appreciate the idea of coordinating and developing relationships with our state officials. um that has been a consistent response particularly with for example um uh rent controls, mandatory inclusionary zoning, these things. We know that in places in Atlanta there are exceptions being made. And so we believe that Athens, clar county, the idea is that we are a highly targeted, highly sought-after little county, everyone wants to come and invest here to take our housing to bring in income. The ideas of developing relationships with state legislators. It seems like especially given our prominence, UG, all these things, it's surprising to me that those relationships are not more in place so that these conversations can be had um particularly for our county. Um and then again it includes also this um proposed ordinance the overlay district again handing authority to the local communities so that they themselves can dictate how this housing affordable housing is uh developed and how it is managed. Um so these are ideas that are um just offered amongst many in this ordinance. We would love the opportunity to put them out on the public table for discussion and just to begin the discussions with these ideas. the idea that well it has to be approved at state level that is just it seems um that that's that's the that's the only answer that we're getting for some of these is just we're we're asking for more representation here for our local community even at the state level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chain. Good evening.

Good evening. Uh my name is Steve Williams, 310 Lakeland Drive. Um, I also am here in support of AADM's affordable housing ordinance. Um, I'm not going to repeat what's been said. You've heard it a number of times. And you folks have dealt with this for the last four years. Um, some of you for eight years. It's not going to go away because we are in a very attractive community. People want to come here. People want to live here. And it's that old economic supply and demand. When you have a lot of demand, if you don't meet the supply, your costs are going to rise. And that's what we've seen. Cost rising for folks. And for some people, like if I I jumped in 25 years ago, I bought my house. I have a very low mortgage payment. It's almost gone. And my value has gone up. But I'm in the minority. Most folks in Athens, the figures are most folks in Athens rent. They don't own. They don't have equity. And as the rents go up, they get forced out. We've already seen many, many people who've left the county and many, many more who are still here and unhoused. And uh Commissioner Johnson, you're absolutely right that um there's a waiting list for housing for folks. I've had a couple of people that I've tried to get on and um now it's about been eight months, haven't heard. We've been on the list. 85 years old he is. So he goes to the top of the list. So the bottom line is there's a huge demand uh for action and you folks are the ones that have the opportunity to do that and I know you've

already done a lot. There's a lot that you've accomplished over these last few years. You've recognized the crisis, but it's not over. This isn't a sprint. This is a long distance run, a marathon if you will. And we're at the maybe the end of the beginning. This is not the beginning of the end. And what we would ask you folks to do and some of you u won't be where you are, Mr. Mayor, uh in another nine months. But um now is not the time to stop. Now is the time to go forward. Let's not go out with a a whimper. let's go about with a bang. And the AADM proposal is a great starting point and I invite you to join them and try and get something done here uh this year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Williams.

Hi, my name is uh Ray Smith. I live at 1100 Calls Creek Circle in Watkinsville, but I've been an uh a resident of the Athens area for about 15 years. And uh I'm also uh running for Senate District 46. And so I'm an aspiring senator to be a representative for many of the the residents here in Clark County. Um I want to speak in favor of the AADM ordinance like so many others have and and others will follow after me. Um, I think again it's a great opportunity to take the fantastic work that Athens has done in the past for housing and expand that even further. Um, I think that the land use plan is a a great start and I would advocate that you take the uh AADM ordinance and put it onto your next month's agenda in order to continue to push the envelope and see how we can address these very very important issues uh that that people are struggling with. I mean, we've heard it over and over again tonight and obviously previous meetings as well. The homelessness problem in Athens is at a crisis level. The number of people that are unhoused continues to go up and that fundamentally is um it's a housing problem. There are many issues that that obviously affect homelessness, but homelessness, it's in the name. They don't have a house. So, fundamentally, we need to build more housing. We need to have more ways of keeping people housed to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place because as some of the commissioners mentioned earlier, uh once you're in that hole, it's very difficult to get back out if we can keep people housed in the first place. Um it it's a more effective way to solve the problem in the long term rather than band-aids after the fact. And I believe that this AADM ordinance,

even though some of the things um do have preeemptions at the state level, I don't think that those that should be a reason not to put this on the agenda. We need to start having these discussions and have a framework in place so that if some of those state level preeemptions do get overturned, then the county will be ready to take action immediately instead of having a a protracted planning process after afterwards. So again, I would encourage you to add it to the agenda and consider its passage in the future. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Good evening.

Good evening. Lewis here again, and I'm here to ask that the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement uh affordable housing ordinance not just be added to the agenda, but for us to get started on getting that approved. Uh so during my opposition to the destruction of the 90 acres by my house um I had the opportunity to speak directly to Jake Strickland. He is the VP of Maler and Evans that is the billiondoll firm that is going to be adding 1,200 units of luxury housing across three projects to Athens. When I asked him why affordable housing or even housing that was indexed to the average Athens rent uh salary wasn't included in the Scholes project, one of the largest projects they have. He answered and I quote, "Well, nobody asked us to. We're not even asking. We're not even asking." of the 10 latest uh apartment buildings that have been built, I have called around, most of them do not accept housing vouchers either. And now I'm not somebody who believes that government should be run like a business. But as a business owner, I would never approach a negotiation as though the person across from me has all of the power and the leverage. We have the leverage. We what we need is political will. They are coming to Athens. They want to be here. And so with no affordable uh housing ordinance, we are signaling to them that our people and our land is ripe and ready for exploitation. The lack of guard rails, the lack of demands is how we enable gentrification

and homelessness. Athens cannot both brag about UG's 90 uh9.2 billion impact on Georgia and the guaranteed 30,000 residents and then pretend we have no leverage with these developers. We also have the economic power to follow in Atlanta's footsteps and sue for our right to make our own housing ordinance and make those decisions for ourselves. We often talk about the Georgia state constraints. Atlanta sued for the right to do affordable housing required. We can do the same. And so this uh ordinance is an important first step in our in our journey to providing housing for our people. And so I ask that you guys add it and get started on improving it. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Lewis. Good evening.

Good evening. Once again, Brderick Flanigan, PO Box 295. Um, here to reiterate um everything that's been said previously about the affordable housing ordinance. Um, I see Jud is over here watching basketball on his phone. Um, that's interesting. Um, and so, you know, just want to make sure that we are using all the ideas and the things that and the tools that we have at our disposal um to be able to address this crisis. I feel like some of the things y'all were discussing earlier with some of the other items related to unhoused and homeless people um could have been addressed through community benefits agreements policies like strong community benefits agreements policies that some of these ideas that were like hand tossed to this body that we just didn't have the courage and the fortitude and the political will to see through. Um it's very disheartening that we have to continue to come up with all these brilliant ideas and all these solutions to these things and then people are afraid to push the button. Um, I feel like in in history there there have been people that have stood up against u un unspeakable odds and and all kind of like you know oppression and and and and things that could have like I don't know like I'm losing some my train of thought here but you know it's it's it's just so disheartening sometimes to like be here in a space where we have the the the intellect to be able to solve these problems but again we don't put forth the amount of effort that I see for some other things that are happening. Um you know we are getting ready to generate a good amount of money through our affordable housing trust and funds. I feel like there are ideas in the ordinance that can move some of those things forward. um ideas that I've pitched to unhoused uh service service

providers that will help bridge the gap between um you know pouring money into certain types of services versus like actually employing them like a program they do out in Austin, Texas I believe it was where they hire unhoused people to do uh cleanup and some of the uh miscellaneous work around community in terms of beautifification. um you know having an organization or partnering with an organization to apply for that type of program helps solve some of the things that Miss uh Commissioner Johnson was speaking to earlier. And so you don't have to keep keep pouring money into just the services and the um the the the u the the the case management portion of it. You know, you eventually have to come up with some kind of tangible solutions. And so we hope that you continue to communicate with us and put this item for discussion on the May agenda. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Flanigan. Good evening.

All right. Hello everyone. It's me, Olivia Asher, again at 105 College Station Road, and I'm here to also support the affordable housing ordinance. Um, I currently technically live in affordable housing. I'm a graduate student at UG and I live in the state subsidized university graduate student housing, which is one of the reasons I can afford to live in Athens because graduate student stipens are between like 12,000 to $30,000 a year. So, we don't really have a lot of money. One of the luxury housing does not benefit graduate students. A friend of mine had to live in the student luxury housing and she couldn't afford any food because all of her money had to go to these fees. Also, I grew up in rent control housing. So, my whole life, if it wasn't for affordable housing, I wouldn't have had anywhere to live. So, I wish that more people had access to that, not just people that live in areas that have those type of laws already or, you know, people like me who are lucky enough to get into the graduate student housing, which is quite competitive. So, I just want to support this and I hope that we can get something in place for the rest of the county. Thanks.

Thank you, Miss Asher. Good evening.

Hi. Uh, Keegan Brooks at 291 South Finley Street. Um, I didn't expect to speak last, so I'll keep it brief. Um, but I first wanted to thank all of the commissioners and all of the community organizers who've done so much work in getting some of these data center ordinances and regulations rolling in our community. Um, because I think that's, you know, that's not always happening everywhere and I think it's it's wonderful wonderful to see that and especially the the work between some of the commissioners in the community. And I also wanted to speak in support of adding the AADM's affordable housing resolution um to next ordinance to the next agenda for the next mayor and commission meeting. Um if you recognize my address, you would know I I live um only a few yards away from former site of Linentown. So very aware of students impacts both historically and at present um kind of on the Athens Clark community um at large. And I also wanted, you know, I appreciate the work that has been done in the past. The first time I met Mayor Girtz was to interview him about ARPA and housing uh funds and how the county was spending them a few years ago. Um, and I know there's lots of work that has been happening. But I continuously see the impacts that the housing crisis has on our community, whether that's when I'm walking downtown, when I'm walking to class, when I'm talking to campus workers on my campus. We have many dining workers, facilities maintenance workers, housing workers who are forced to work multiple jobs um to afford to live in the city they were born in and grew up in. Um and you know that's partially from UG underpaying many of their their staff and employees, but that's also from the housing crisis and the unaffordability of housing in our community. Um, and I think considering some of the proposals, even if they aren't, you know, necessarily possible now because of state preeemption laws at the next meeting of the mayor and commission is kind of one small step. Um, and exploring more of the options that are on the table. Um, and working towards

creating an Athens where truly everyone has a home and housing exists as a as a human right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brooks. Right. uh come to the end for anything from the uh kind of lead charter officers and then from commissioners. Anything from the manager's office? Uh the only thing I was going to mention is that in your packet in addition to the contract awards for the month of February, you'll also see a memo from the manager to the commission just notifying y'all that we did approve uh a transfer of $25,000 from general fund contingency to the animal services department just to address some rising costs that we're seeing in medical costs. Um so just pointing that out. Thank you. Thank you. Anything from the attorney's office?

No. Anything from the auditor's office? No report, mayor. All right. We'll begin with Commissioner Davenport and we'll have uh Commissioner Thornton adjourn us.

So, yeah. Excuse me, it's piling. Okay. So, I do support the ADM um housing. I would like to see, you know, put on um agenda so we can have a discussion. Um but I do just have a question or just one concern. Um, and this always happens, but um, it's just bad timing. Um, we're about to enter our budget season. We're going to have all these meetings and to begin this, I don't want to say to begin discussion to talk about um, the AADM proposal is bad, but it just to me it just badic because housing we need to be solely focused on it. we need to, you know, have our um attention just we don't need our brains scattered all about because then we're gonna make bad decisions. But I just want to throw that out there that it just really bad timing. But and also when crafting these things, work with us. I don't know if it if we got an email to work with them when y'all was when AADM was crafting it. Um cuz I think if we work together in crafting these things, we have better outcome and better solutions. Um and but yeah, I look forward to having further discussions on that. But I've talked to my yeah I talked to my rep and good luck. So it what is up with the official emails? We've been getting uh a whole bunch of them. So, um I don't know if we are being targeted like other cities, but it's it's getting really annoying. Happy Earth Day. Um so, believe everybody appreciate Earth Day. We only got one. Um she is beautiful and precious. Um and early voting starts April 27th. And we do have a locker program. Well, we don't have, but the

Athens Homeless Coalition is doing a is starting a pilot program for um lockers for homeless people. Um and I believe it's going to be at this church down the street, First Baptist. That's it.

Um yeah, I want to thank the folks that came out here to talk about housing and and y'all repeatedly brought up um coordinating with our state legislators, which we definitely need to do. We used to meet with them annually and um you know we do have a second Democratic representative who is friendly to us as elected officials and to this community in general. Um so I I'd like to ask the mayor if maybe we could schedule that meeting with them um sooner rather than later to start having these discussions um you know to solve affordable housing in our community. It's going to need addressing the causes. Um, you know, not just putting a bandage on it, but you know, we have a rapidly growing university, a medical school. The quality of life in Athens is great and people want to live here, and the more people want to live here, the lower the housing supply is. um university has a lot to do with that and I would hope that we could bring them to the table to to figure out how they could contribute to increasing our housing supply. Um many universities offer staff and faculty housing um or contribute to local housing funds. Um, we heard a presentation from um the homeless coordinator out of Savannah a couple weeks ago um who talked about how SCAD contributes to their homeless day center. They they pretty much cover the cost of their homeless day center. So um we really need to get other community partners involved because this is bigger than just this local government. It is all the entities that contribute to the quality of life and the influx of population that that cause the issues and and our state legislators who make the rules that prevent us from doing the things that we could do and that other states do to increase their supply.

Um yeah, so I would like to thank staff um for all of your hard work. I don't think we tell you guys enough how much we appreciate the 8 to5 every day because we're only here on Tuesdays and we come in here running the show. So, thank you for all that you do when we don't see you guys. Um, also to all of the residents who have showed out tonight. I hope all of you guys are proud of yourselves. um you make Athens what it is. And with civic engagement and um talking to staff, I know that we'll be able to get some some great work out of this ordinance to be able to keep families in housing as well as create um parameters on housing further than a a state level. Um so I look forward to that. Um I will be traveling next week to a to a um geek housing conference. Um, so I'm excited to learn more about the way we can help um with the housing situation in Athens. We also have a geek commit um a geek committee meeting um on the 20th um from my knowledge public I mean the public is welcome. You just can't talk right.

I'm just telling y'all what they told me. So y'all could come we can go together, but come back at the work session to tell us.

Um, and so I I really look forward to seeing you guys there if you have the time. It's at um 10:00 at the um Athens Housing Authority building. Also, I'm in the midst of reelection. This is a shameless plug to keep me in my seat and to also donate. Y'all have a good night. Is that it? Okay. I am not up for reelection. I'm very happy about that for those of us with the even numbered commission seats. Um I do I also want to thank staff because I know the budget work is on top of everything else that it takes to put these agendas together and the inquiries inquiries that we have. I'm very uh happy to hear that the manager is doing a good job of safeguarding the lack of time to add meetings when they're requested and to postpone them to after the budget process because of the added meetings that we have um or making sure they're not they can be delayed uh for that just like um commissioner in district one was pointing out this is a very um timeconsuming time for staff staff as well as us with the budget numbers and all that kind of priorities. Um, the topic I want to bring up isn't even here yet, but we moved it out of LRC for the full mayor and commission. Let's talk about noise pollution that was mentioned earlier. It's the noise ordinance. It's coming forward so that everybody can uh learn about what we've been learning about and we have improved some of the accountability of it for those who violate the noise ordinance. Um repeat offenders. Uh there's an automatic show up in court cannot just sign a check for

your loud party. And so I'm looking forward to the improvement that this is going to make as we move forward with it as a as a as a group. And um because it's the quality of life of the neighbors that a lot of this is done for the ones that didn't realize it. First- timers sometimes are just thank you for letting me know, turn it down and it's solved. But we have repeat offenders and entities that may or may not have a special use permit. So in a year we're want to study the improvements or um and data based on these improvements that are coming forward in in the next cycle. And I'm hoping when we redo reook at it, we'll look at special use permits and if we can address some of the non-compliance um and talk to the people who have these special use permits about how that might affect it and see if that can get us somewhere. But it's just more to learn and it's a topic that uh we've addressed for the um agricultural zoned areas and this is for the closer in town areas coming soon in the next cycle.

Thank you, mayor. And just to um piggyback on our budget, um I would like like to invite the public out when we start having our budget meetings. I think it's critical that you all understand this process and how it works. So, I'm going challenge to to as many as you all show up for this, show up for the budget. When we start doing budgets, we'll be I think we're going to do three or four of them um in the community. So, it's important that you all come out this year for the first time um that you all have not seen in the past. We're going to expose you all to the enterprise funds that we have that you may not know about how we use those dollars. So, I think it's important that you all get a um whip of what we do and what it means when we putting this budget together. Um secondly, on the housing front, I do um want the um organization that sent us the um the ordinance. Take a look at what we've do what we have done. Read that. If you hadn't read it, please read that because there's a lot of commonalities and the same thing that you all are proposing. We got the same thing that the glit committee is working on, that Commissioner Taylor and Commissioner Thornton is working on. Take a look at that and then see how we can partner together to share ideas and how we can move our housing um um in this community further, but take a look at what we've already done. Um somebody already mentioned some of the things that's been done already to um start getting housing in this community. So, um, please take a look at that and, um, and recognize some of the work that our staff has done, also some of the commissioners have put together when it comes to our housing and what what that's going to look like in the future along with our future land use. Uh, do want to put a plug in for on this Sunday coming, the Athens Voices of Truth will be celebrating 40 47 years of bringing great um, spiritual songs to this

community. um spearheaded by James Russell Smith. That will be going on at Ebenezia Baptist Church at 4 PM to Sunday. If you want to hear a great counselor, come out and hear that great music, hear that choir. For 47 years, they are pouring to this community every year. And I'm proud of the fact that I know a lot of those um individuals that sang in that choir. But when we hear some good gospel singing, show up Sunday 4 pm at um E. And again, thank you staff for your work, for what you do for us. And um I really appreciate it. Have a great evening.

Thank you to all the individuals that came out and even stayed late. Um you feel like um us now. We never know when we go home. So I want to say thank you. I also want to commend the police department and the other public safety agencies um that worked together to solve the double murder that occurred um downtown, the real time crime center or RTCC. Um the downtown patrol division, the criminal investigation division, and the safe streets division. I just wanted to commend you all for your great work. They all played a great role in quickly solving the case. Um this month I have two different events that I'm partnering with my neighborhood neighborhood um neighborhood leader and that one the first one is tomorrow. It's going to be a discussion amongst community members about reducing homelessness. It's going to be at Fox Club um Fox Club Planter on Baxter Street and it starts at 5 and it goes to 6:30. The second one is going to be on April 24th from 3:00 to 5:00 at the cooperative extension and that is more so a resource fair. Um the highlights are u discussions about health, housing and education. I'll be there with with community information. So I wanted to invite you all to that. I also want to thank the police department, transportation and public works department, solid waste department, code enforcement for responding so quickly to areas of concern in district 6. So, all of the all of the individuals that have been so instrumental in helping the residents have a better quality of life. Thank you. I wanted I wanted to say this. Sorry for the individuals that came out to the mayor and commission meeting the week before we had to make a final vote or decide on the final vote for our FY26 budget. They contribute greatly to our tourism and entertainment industry and

they made a great point last year, but it was too late. I just want to encourage you to come early so that we can wrap in some of your comments and your ideas and your wants into our discussion. I also think working with state representatives is a great idea. I wanted to state that my church is having their 156th church anniversary this Sunday. Yes. Yes. Yes. 1931 Old West Broad Street. And I invite you all to attend. And I do believe work I do want us to work with the um partner organization AADM in establishing an affordable housing um policy that sooner on our I can't really say what's the best time you're right about the budget but you know when I first started one of the first questions I asked I was invited to a retreat you might remember the October before my no before my January start and I asked in that retreat when are we going to discuss affordable housing set on the agenda. And then later on, I asked about it. I wanted to know if we had a plan. Jed and I met about something totally different. And I just asked sidebar rapid fire questions. And one of those rapid fire questions are, "Do we have an affordable housing strategic plan?" And or something because I can't find it. And I just wanted to know. He said, "No, we don't." So, I want us to go from managing to actually action. And I think with the partnership with the agency in the in the community, that would be helpful. That's it. Well, I'm gonna also thank you guys for coming and talking about the affordable housing. You're getting a lot of attention tonight. Um, people, it's clear people are struggling all over on on that uh on housing, on paying their utilities, on paying their bills. Um, and I appreciate all the work you've

done. Um, the document you guys have shared us uh can't includes a lot of specifics. Um, and I appreciate that. I like I said there were I thought there were about 17 action items in there and it's really hard I try to write about uh homeless and affordable housing and homelessness in my newsletter. It's really hard to pull all everything that we are doing together and what we could be doing um together. So I appreciate your efforts there. Um, I want to make sure that you know that there are these two because there's so many little pieces of it that there are these two pieces next week at the work sessions on Tuesday on the affordable housing trust fund and then on Thursday on what's going on next with the Bethl housing redevelopment. Um, and so I think you know understanding for myself what's going what we're actually doing is uh really important. Um, I can't I I've received an invitation from from you all to a meeting that I can't do, but I'm very willing to sit down with anyone um any of you who want to um talk through how to advocate for the affordable housing ideas that you came through. Um I I've done similar stuff with a the the advocates for more EMS service and for the data center. Um, and so, you know, I started out with an advocate as an advocate myself out there. So, um, I am more than willing to do that. I do not have the answers. I am not the expert. Here's a person who's more expert.

I'm not the expert. I just love it. I mean, that's my passion. Yeah. So, that's all that's all I have to say. I'm That was me passing it on to you. Okay. Oh, that was the past. Oh, that was the past. That was the past.

Y'all are still here. That's so nice. we here with you. Um I you know I I I am so glad that the ordinance is a conversation. I really am because I've been working on affordable housing for the last five years. Um this is the most interest that I think I've seen from the group. But you know what that means? It means that it takes folk from the community. It takes people with their personal stories. You know, my intentions have been genuine, but the voices need to come from the folk that have experienced the struggle and are passionate about it. That's the difference. And I appreciate I I I get help from anywhere. Devil can come up here and help me if you want, but to have this conversation um and just wanting to know more and learn more, it it it really means a lot to me personally. Um I'm going to piggyback on Commissioner Taylor. The gig committee is functional and you can you can even speak if you get on the agenda. You can even speak if you get on the agenda. I will also tell you this is how serious I am because I do believe in transparency. Thursday from is it 9 to 10 10 to 11 the zoning group is meeting they're talking about zoning somebody should make it to the planning office if you can't speak or I you know

I haven't even been myself but I know there's a meeting this Thursday if I ain't supposed to tell you don't tell I told okay but it's Thursday go where the convers you know take your platform where the conversation is going on at. Okay. Um where people are already, you know, brainstorming. So, yes, you're welcome to the get committee if there's a meeting that we can have in the community. I'm about like Patrick, we are our our our agenda is is rocking right now. It's running over. But if there's conversations that we can have, you know, in small groups and move because everybody cares about h housing, but nobody has all the answers how to get there. So, uh, the get committee is alive and well. You're more than welcome. Um, one of the committees that the mayor has assigned through the resolution um um to move, you know, to move housing forward is operating. Get on board now. He also has appointed the land bank authority. I don't know if they've met yet, but get involved now. You know, you you don't it doesn't you know, just get involved. And if you don't know where we is at, if it's housing, I'm very passionate about it. So, Sunday I will not be at um Ebeneza. I'll be knocking on doors because I'll be campaigning. I will be campaigning. So, I won't be knock I won't be there. And the last thing I want to say is Karina Gallagher. Karina Gallagher. Karina Gallagher. You never let me down. You never ever let me down. I am so proud that you speak up for North Athens the way you did tonight

with the pluses and the minuses and the things that we could do. I didn't I didn't pass you no notes, but you let me so proud tonight because I do not think folk know that North Athens exists sometimes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I make a motion to meet and be ajourned. All in favor, please say I. All right. Thanks everyone. is a beautiful night.