Augusta leaders look at panhandling, transient rules

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Committee meetings of the Augusta Commission took place Tuesday afternoon in the Lee N. Beard Commission Chamber at the Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building.

Among items on the agenda, Commissioner Sean Frantom was pushing to adopt a panhandling ordinance similar to Columbia County’s that would create more warnings and citations for homeless people and loiterers in public spaces.

There was also discussion of transient guests overstaying at Augusta hotels, although it hit some confusion.

In previous meetings, a representative from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said there wasn’t an ordinance with adequate “teeth” to remove or arrest overstaying hotel guests.

However, a city legal and planning and development staff member said there is.

Sheriff Richard Roundtree got up and spoke in front of commissioners saying his agency is able to remove or arrest individuals on the same principles as tresing if the hotel owner calls. However, he said he isn’t familiar with the current ordinance that was adopted “a long time ago.”

Commissioners voted to hold a workshop in the next 40 days to bring together Destination Augusta, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Marshal’s Office, hotel groups and some other entities to look over the current transient guest ordinance for a possible update.

Commissioners also approved a workshop in the next three weeks with the Sheriff’s Office, Marshal’s Office, homeless task force and city staff to discuss a Richmond County panhandling ordinance, which would then move forward with a draft after the meeting.

Commissioner Jordan Johnson pressed to make sure that it does not the “mass arrests of people who need help.”

After a break that lasted a few weeks, Interim City Takiyah Douse was back with her rightsizing plan she presented more than a month ago that aims to save the city about $10 million.

Parts of the plan include consolidating grass-cutting services, cutting vacant jobs and vehicle use, as well as a number of other money-saving tactics. Commissioners are expected to pick out and adopt certain parts of this plan moving forward.

The plan was approved but as a working and moving document so the commission can realistically plot out what goals are attainable.

Meanwhile, Mayor Garnett Johnson is pushing to discuss having every department in Augusta-Richmond County create a 5% and 10% budget cut model. That proposal was moved to the commission with no recommendation.

There was discussion of renovations to existing jail and a new jail pod that revealed a new pod would only bring the Charles Webster Detention Center to capacity, rather than make more room.

Roundtree says an expansion was pushed eight years ago and was voted down, and where the jail stands now is about 300 beds over capacity.

A new jail pod would be immediately filled up by the current population.

Building costs have also gone up $13 million since then.

Right now, commissioners are looking at where funding would come from, including taking money from a future SPLOST, and that expansion estimate is at $35.5 million.

All items approved through Tuesday’s meeting must go through the full commission before they are fully approved or adopted.

Other important items approved included:

• Taking of the city ’s office has been tasked to streamline the food truck ordinance to be more flexible with permitting trucks on where they’re allowed to operate.
• $1.2 million from federal funding for a Willis Foreman Road construction project that will improve traffic flow and public safety.
• $600,000 in ARPA funding for street lights in the Windsor Spring Road corridor between Meadowbrook Drive and Crosscreek Road.
• The Board of Elections did not budget for any special elections in 2023 and was awarded $195,000 to run a 0.05% sales tax vote on the James Brown Arena
• SPLOST 8 (2024-2026) projects will receive funding at an accelerated rate at $12 million more a year (from $39 million a year to $51 million a year).
• A request for $30,00 in funding for Arts in the Heart security was approved and is being pulled from contingency funds.
• $28,500 for restrooms at Vernon Forest Park (money from SPLOST).
• A $121,000 contract for renovating the Augusta Print Shop (in the budget with SPLOST funds).
• $80,000 in emergency funds to fix leakage in the roof of the probation office (comes from capital budget).
• Almost $26K in emergency funds to replace the HVAC units at the McBean Community Center.

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