5/6/2024 Meeting Recap
For your information, state law requires our city clerk to post the action items from the meeting within two business days of the adjournment of a meeting. O.C.G.A. 50-14-1(e)(2)(a). Action items are the issues upon which the Council has decided to take some sort of action via a vote.
A full list of the action items from the meeting can be found here. You can see the recordings of the meeting here. The meeting is in three separate videos - workshop, regular session and the return from executive session.
While you can see the documentation all of the action items via the above link, I wanted to highlight and discuss in detail some of the motions that were and were not considered.
If you have feedback for Mayor and Council directly, you can e-mail us.
WORKSHOP SESSION
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3. Discussion regarding the restructuring of Public, Mayor and Council remarks.
While there was no action on this item, I think it is worth your time to watch the discussion. We currently have a 36 minute limit for public comment. Recently the public has been commenting more than we have typically experienced. We have reached the time limit on several occasions, without e-mail comments being read into the record.
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REGULAR SESSION
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7. Councilman Gay motioned to approve the international travel for Councilman Carn in the amount of $4,100.31, seconded by Councilman Carn, Councilmembers McKenzie, Carn and Gay voted in favor, Councilwoman Arnold voted in opposition, motion passed.
Our travel policy requires Mayor & Council to receive approval prior to embarking upon international travel. Councilmember Carn noted this oversight on his part, as he had already completed his trip.
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10. Councilwoman Arnold motioned to approve payment for Rose Stewart in the amount of $26,595, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
Ms. Stewart has prepared two reports during her time as a contractor in the Human Resources department. She said she would be preparing a third by the end of the month. These reports should be available via an Open Records Request.
11. Councilman Carn motioned to approve and support the Citywide Annual KidsFest to be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Saturday, August 3, 2024 in the amount of $50,000, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
12. Councilman Carn motioned to approve and support the Ward 4 - 8th Annual Citywide Festival to be held at Charles E. Phillips Park on Saturday, October 12, 2024 from Noon to 5:00 pm in the amount of $50,000, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried. (All Voted Yes)
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15. Councilwoman Arnold motion to relocate the Rock Wall at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center to either Conley or Brady Recreation Center, seconded by Councilman Carn but motion was withdrawn.
Councilwoman McKenzie exited the Council Chambers at 9:46 pm.
16. Councilwoman Arnold motion to authorize the City Manager to perform a full investigation on the inconsistencies and budget $60,000 to make the best administrative actions on determination of relocation of the rock wall, seconded by Councilman Carn and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
It is hard to fully express my disappointment with this decision. You can see my comments here. There is no reason to remove the rock wall. There have been no safety issues. While the programming has not been as robust as everyone would desire, there is an opportunity to bolster it. Councilmember Carn requested Dr. Adediran, our Interim City Manager, come back to the governing body with the results of his investigation prior to taking any action.
Dr. Adediran now has enlisted the services of Donald Dejarnette, the Chief of Police and City Administrator of Lithonia, GA to conduct an investigation. (See e-mail.) Our city attorney, Winston Denmark, is also the city attorney in Lithonia.
If you feel strongly about the rock wall, please reach out to Dr. Adediran. He has the authority to keep the wall exactly where it is. His phone number is 470-714-0828 and his e-mail address is emmanuel.adediran@collegeparkga.com.
18. Councilman Carn motioned to approve the reallocation of $60,000 from property acquisition of Finding the Flint towards Price Barbershop, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
19. Councilman Carn motioned to approve costs associated with community engagement of Price Barbershop and Six West cultural art initiative, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
20. Councilman Carn motioned to approve property maintenance costs related to Price Barbershop, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
All three of these items are important steps forward to protect, preserve and share the history of our historic African American community in College Park. The ultimate goal is to turn the former Price Barbershop into a museum so residents and visitors alike can learn more about all of the important people and places that made our city great. The $60,000 diverted from the Finding the Flint project was offset by a grant from U-Haul for the same amount.
After these items were addressed by the three council members in attendance, our Community Development Administrator, Tasha Hall-Garrison, quit on the spot. Having had the opportunity to work with her over the last four years has been a pleasure. She is smart, determined and an unfailing community advocate. I know she will do great things no matter where she goes next. The good news is that as a resident of College Park, we will still see her around and I know she’ll continue her involvement with the city — just in a different way.
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25. Councilman Gay motion to approve the purchase and installation of pedestrian balusters on Roosevelt Highway from Herschel Road to 2601 Roosevelt Highway at an estimated cost of $10,000, seconded by Councilman Carn but motion was withdrawn.
26. Councilman Carn motioned to approve the purchase and installation of pedestrian balusters on Roosevelt Highway from Herschel Road to 2601 Roosevelt Highway contingent on documentation and increase the budget to $15,000 for the upgraded pedestrian balusters, seconded by Councilman Gay and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
There was no supporting documentation for these motions. I think it would have been better to wait for information and then allocate resources.
27. Councilman Carn motioned to approve the invoice payment for Freeman Mathis & Gary for professional services rendered through March 31, 2024 in the amount of $14,707.13, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
During the discussion of this item, I asked why we did not put the monthly invoices of our city attorney’s office, Denmark Ashby, on the agenda for approval. While I recognize it has been the practice of the city for the city manager to approve these invoices administratively, the city manager only has the power to approve up to $10,000 in spending before bringing it to Mayor and Council. (City of College Park Charter, Sec. 4-7(i))
The city attorney’s bills from January 2024, February 2024, March 2024 and April 2024 have totaled nearly $275,000. In in the interest of transparency and good fiscal management, I think we should review the city attorney’s monthly bills on our agenda. Our contract with the city attorney does not have a cap on fees; it only places a limit on the hourly rates.
I asked Dr. Adediran to place this issue on the next workshop agenda so the body may discuss it further. As of the date of this post, he yet to do so because the city attorney believes there is no need for the discussion based upon the language of the contract.
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30. Councilman Carn motioned for policy for invoices totaling $10,000 or less shall not require 3 estimates, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold, Councilwoman Arnold withdrew the second. Motion dies from lack of a second.
In a continuous effort toward transparency and good fiscal policy, I do not think this was a sound idea and I was happy it did not move forward.
31. Councilman Gay motioned to suspend the sale of delinquent property tax and initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for a third-party delinquent tax collection service, seconded by Councilman Carn, motion was withdrawn.
32. Councilman Gay motioned to suspend the sale of delinquent property taxes until we identify the most appropriate policy for collection, seconded by Councilman Carn, Councilwoman Arnold abstained, and motion carried.
Considering tax sales do not take place until the fall, this is an issue that may not be ripe at the moment. To get an understanding of the scope of delinquent tax properties in the city, you can make an Open Records Request.
33. Councilman Carn motioned to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of litigation and real estate at 12:02 a.m., seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
34. Councilman Carn motioned to exit Executive Session at 12:37 a.m., seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
35. Councilman Carn motioned to authorize the Mayor to execute the Quitclaim deed giving transfer of 6.5-acre portions of Bill Evans field to BIDA, seconded by Councilwoman Arnold and motion carried by those present. (All Voted Yes)
This has been a hot topic within the community. I signed the quitclaim deed transferring Bill Evans Field to our Business and Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) because the three councilmembers present all voted in favor of the motion. (While Councilmember McKenzie left earlier in the meeting due to an injury and did not return, she voted in favor of directing city staff to deed over the property in February. (See Action Item 29.))
The times earlier this year when I have not signed items have been because I did not believe them to be legal and/or accurate based upon my analysis. I have discussed those instances in previous recaps. Signing a document that has been passed by the council is not about whether or not I agree with the substance of it. As mayor from 2020-2023, I did not refuse to sign a single document. That did not mean I agreed with everything I signed — quite the contrary on occasion. But I respected the will of the governing body and did not have reason to take issue with the legality of any decision made in those first four years. This year has been different in that regard.
As you are probably aware, I only vote on council in the event of a tie. As a member of BIDA, however, I do get a vote. On May 8, when BIDA considered whether to accept the property that had been quitclaimed by the city, I voted against that motion. I think Bill Evans Field should remain a baseball field and we should work with community partners who could help us enhance this amenity in the center of our city. To this point, I have not heard a compelling reason to consider any other use for Bill Evans Field. Our Comprehensive Plan contemplates increased residential density in our downtown core. However, we are far from built out. As we develop other areas of downtown College Park, greenspace will be at a premium. Preserving this asset would be my preference.
36. Councilman Carn motioned to adopt the resolution of Mayor and Council of the City of College Park authorizing execution of a memorandum of understanding for the use of proceeds from the sale of Bill Evans field to be designated for Riverdale Road projects located within the City of College Park with the amendment to strike the authorization of the City Manager to execute any required document, seconded by Councilman Gay, Councilwoman Arnold abstained, and motion carried.
In the event Bill Evans Field is sold, I think this resolution makes sense. However, I don’t think Bill Evans Field should be sold.
37. Councilman Carn motioned to authorize Mayor to execute a resolution to transfer a property to BIDA and striking that authorizes the City Manager to execute any required document, seconded by Councilman Gay, Councilwoman Arnold abstained, and motion carried.
Exhibit B of this resolution illustrates the land that is being transferred to BIDA. It includes Bill Evans Field and a portion of the back football field.
