Blog Topic: Government

In the Loop: Girtz Releases Statement on Saulters Settlement

By Blake Aued | March 6, 2019 8:28pm

Mayor Kelly Girtz released a statement this afternoon on the settlement with former Athens-Clarke County police officer Taylor Saulters saying that he and commissioners wanted to put the incident behind them and move forward with new law enforcement and diversity initiatives.

"Like we have done with past circumstances involving members of the community and members of our Police Department, we evaluated this situation based on its own unique facts and circumstances," Girtz said. "We, the Mayor and Commission of Athens-Clarke County, have made this decision in order to avoid prolonging the pain and expense of continued litigation, and further place our energy moving forward into ensuring that safe, dignified lives can be lived throughout our community."

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In the Loop: UPDATE: ACC Settles With Officer Who Hit Suspect With Car

By Blake Aued | March 6, 2019 9:26am

Former ACCPD officer Taylor Saulters.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted Tuesday night to approve a settlement in a lawsuit filed by former police officer Taylor Saulters, who was fired last year after hitting a fleeing suspect with his cruiser.

The vote was added to the commission's agenda at the last minute because, as ACC Attorney Bill Berryman told commissioners, Saulters agreed to it on Monday. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, nor had documents related to the settlement been posted online as of this writing, and several commissioners told Flagpole that they weren't sure if they were at liberty to discuss it. Commissioner Jerry NeSmith, presiding over the meeting in place of Mayor Kelly Girtz, said Girtz would release a statement in "the next couple of days."

The vote was 5–2, with commissioners Tim Denson and Patrick Davenport voting against the settlement. Commissioner Mariah Parker abstained, Commissioner Andy Herod was absent, and NeSmith did not vote because he was acting as mayor pro tem.

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In the Loop: Oconee County Moves to Keep Economic Development Out of the Public Eye

By Lee Becker | March 4, 2019 11:46am

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

County Administrator Justin Kirouac.

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night will consider transferring the county’s economic development activities to the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce.

The action comes in the form of a memorandum of understanding that would convey $100,000 annually to the chamber and give it responsibility for providing economic development services for the county, including attracting and recruiting new businesses and industries.

The intent of the agreement, according to Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell and County Administrator Justin Kirouac, is to circumvent the state’s open records and open meetings laws.

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In the Loop: Bill Prohibiting House Design Regulations Passes Committee Over Oconee's Objections

By Lee Becker | February 25, 2019 1:04pm

A screenshot of Athens homebuilder Jared York testifying before the House Agriculture Committee.

The Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives voted 6-5 Wednesday morning to pass House Bill 302 prohibiting local governments from regulating building design of one or two-family dwellings.

The vote followed a discussion of more than an hour that was dominated by the building industry in the state, with speakers strongly favoring the bill and criticizing local regulations of residential housing.

One of the most outspoken of those who addressed the committee was Jared York, past president of the Athens Area Home Builders Association, who singled out Clarke and Oconee counties for criticism.

Representatives of the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia spoke against the bill, as did Lilburn Mayor Johnny Crist. Lilburn is in Gwinnett County.

Oconee County Commission Chair John Daniell and Commissioner Chuck Horton attended the meeting and asked to speak, but Committee Chair Tom McCall called for a vote before they could do so.

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In the Loop: Frances Berry Appointed to Clarke County BOE

By Rebecca McCarthy | February 22, 2019 4:57pm

The Clarke County Board of Education voted 6–2 Thursday night for Frances Berry, a well-known volunteer in progressive circles, to fill the District 2 seat recently vacated by Vernon Payne.

The vote followed a plea from BOE member Linda Davis to choose a black person for the position—namely, former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Harry Sims—since the school district is majority black. Only a black person, she said, can understand what it’s like to live as a black person. “It’s one thing to have theories and another to live like that,” she said.

Board member Greg Davis said he was voting for Berry because she wouldn’t be satisfied with the status quo, which he said was failing the district’s students by not offering them the skills needed to get good jobs. Three young women joined the school board last year, he said, referring to Kara Dyckman, LaKeisha Gantt and Tawana Mattox, and he wanted to add a fourth. Berry’s training as a counselor, and as a teacher of counselors, should serve students well, Greg Davis said.

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In the Loop: ACC Officials Raise Concerns About Housing Bill

By Blake Aued | February 19, 2019 10:45am

Commissioner Mike Hamby.

ACC officials are concerned about a House bill co-sponsored by Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) that groups like the Georgia Municipal Association say would prohibit local governments from setting design standards for single-family homes.

Commissioner Mike Hamby told Flagpole that House Bill 302 could make it easier to construct cheaply built, oversized infill McMansions. “This takes away local government’s ability to regulate designs for single-family homes,” he said. Frye, however, said it only applies to a house’s appearance—roof styles, window styles, exterior cladding and color—and won’t affect zoning laws related to height or setbacks.

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In the Loop: Three Candidates Apply for Clarke County School Board Seat

By Blake Aued | February 18, 2019 4:22pm

Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Harry Sims.

Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Harry Sims is among three applicants for the District 2 seat on the Clarke County Board of Education vacated by Vernon Payne.

East Broad Street resident Mary P. Bagby and Mulberry Street resident Frances Berry are the other two applicants for the open seat. Berry, a photographer, is a former president of the Federation of Neighborhoods and managed Commissioner Patrick Davenport’s campaign in 2018.

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In the Loop: Commission Debates Drug Grant, Approves Rezonings

By Ashlyn Webb | February 11, 2019 5:03pm

Commissioner Mariah Parker.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission could create a criminal justice committee later this year after two commissioners briefly held up a federal grant that funds drug investigations.

The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds the Northeast Georgia Drug Task Force, which consists of nine officers, six of whom work for the ACC Police Department. The grant partially funds four of those six officers, according to ACC Manager Blaine Williams.

Commissioner Mariah Parker removed the grant from the commission’s consent agenda—a package of noncontroversial items—at its Feb. 5 meeting. She and Commissioner Melissa Link said they would approve of the grant if the commission were to take action to establish a criminal justice committee. After discussion, the commission unanimously approved the grant and decided to return to the subject of creating the committee in six months, once new Police Chief Cleveland Spruill has time to settle in and take part in creating the committee. Mayor Kelly Girtz said the commission is scheduled to review the criminal justice system at its March work session.

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In the Loop: Mayor Kelly Girtz Signs Clean Energy Pledge

By Blake Aued | February 8, 2019 12:51pm

Photo Credit: 100% Athens

Mayor Kelly Girtz has signed on to the Sierra Club’s Mayors for 100% Clean Energy Initiative, the first step toward committing Athens-Clarke County to 100 percent clean and sustainable energy by 2035 in an effort to fight climate change.

Girtz joined about 100 other mayors when he signed the pledge last Monday, Feb. 4. The next step, he said, is for the Athens-Clarke County Commission to approve a proclamation officially setting the goal, then to discuss ways to meet it.

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In the Loop: Kemp Settles Lawsuit, and Athens Legislators Receive Committee Assignments

By Blake Aued | January 28, 2019 4:54pm

Gov. Brian Kemp.

Just before taking office, Gov. Brian Kemp quietly settled a lawsuit filed against him by a Kentucky company he’d invested in, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week.

A consent order signed by a Gwinnett County judge Jan. 8 doesn’t disclose terms of the settlement.

The lawsuit was an issue in last year’s gubernatorial race. Businessman Rick Phillips claimed in the lawsuit that Kemp never repaid a $500,000 loan Phillips gave Kemp to invest in Hart AgStrong, a Georgia-based seed company that ran into financial trouble after expanding into Kentucky. At one point, the company owed farmers there $2 million. AJC reports indicate that Kemp invested a total of $750,000 and guaranteed another $10 million in loans. He resigned from the company’s board in 2017 and began to sell off his stake, and now owns about 8 percent of AgStrong.

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