[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6221772,"mediaKeyId","3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02","parentId",3611461,"title","Charter review committee names finance and government-structure subcommittees, plans town halls across Augusta","audioSeconds",981,"startMs",3754000,"endMs",4735000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02&start=3754&end=4735","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02/thumbnail_3754000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221772/Augusta-City/Richmond-County/Georgia/Charter-review-committee-names-finance-and-government-structure-subcommittees-plans-town-halls-across-Augusta","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221772-fa5c72ed0a765da9161d84cd44d58318/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146858&Signature=iY-aEel3KpNQ9FwtzFtIwQNVPtCgGuBYZdqWGKN6uQELpv7xNIGSCgrT2QWAVQxrPx-U3mMDHHeiwqJvSA9RYeVQcRHnedhrZkH~EXJPOokqAb5B45fA1qV0bm5VUv4FcwoT4fI9PGfE8oox6n4W331QwdBGZwS8ZPDCUHg6E-xWp1NKWhSqS~hu8fku81YIdi7LlgPkgo6PR~o4j5o7Czq~rNkQulPXPztWBQlEADJwJhzsi4-j5e618c3zZl~tCSFijrosNebdN1Wvugd2cHg1jTpgB2nE9dO4NDQHufVwywadmtgQkVbScO02XCEqaB~PqF1k-9pSq1IU28kKoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-30T03:28:12Z","article","The Augusta Charter Review Committee appointed a Finance Committee and a Form of Government Committee and discussed scheduling three public hearings across the city to gather public input.

The Finance Committee will be chaired by Lee Powell, with Tanya Barnhill as vice chair and members Marvin Cole, Angela Backus and Charlie Coleman. The Form of Government Committee will be chaired by Steve Foushee, with Lonnie Wimberley as vice chair and members Virginia Cody, Rod Pearson and Sheffy Robinson. The chair said all appointees had accepted.

The committee discussed scheduling public hearings late June–early July at three locations — the Beasley Room, Diamond Lakes and Warren Road — in a clustered Tuesday–Wednesday–Thursday pattern so the public hears the same presentation in a compressed timeline. Members debated uniform start times (6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., or 7 p.m.) and whether evening hours should be later to accommodate working residents. Several members recommended a uniform start time to avoid public confusion; others noted facility availability and existing commission meeting schedules could require flexibility.

Staff and IT support will stream the events and the clerk’s office will post them on the committee’s web page, the chair said. “Www.augustaga.gov/CRC. And what you'll find is what Miss Bonner and Mister Lewis put together,” the chair said when explaining the committee webpage where materials will be posted. The committee also asked that notice clearly state that the same program will be presented at each town hall so residents can attend the most convenient location.

Next steps: committee members were asked to check calendars for Monday, Tuesday or Thursday availability and report possible blackout dates to the chair; clerk and IT staff will coordinate room reservations and streaming support.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Augusta Charter Review Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The committee appointed a Finance Committee and a Form of Government Committee, identified chairs and members, and discussed scheduling three public hearings (Beasley Room, Diamond Lakes, Warren Road) in the coming weeks with evening hours and streaming support.","taxTitle","Augusta City, Richmond County, Georgia","taxId",3794,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6221777,"Augusta charter review committee cuts public comment to 3 minutes, defers bylaws vote",287,3413000,3700000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02&start=3413&end=3700","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02/thumbnail_3413000.jpg","/articles/6221777/Augusta-City/Richmond-County/Georgia/Augusta-charter-review-committee-cuts-public-comment-to-3-minutes-defers-bylaws-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221777-f88a8d0ec85c42924bef5bba79abd37c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146858&Signature=SYsS2LPpKAFU~n0aFayEzvr8gN1Em3VbwvtDIqfctJHfGefZl8q6G9Q9gkW9TklLCGnmVKlAIpmYHtwh7VRhvge17EPWuZ-NTraGYwavNsUifSxIQGMS-5oY7sFXZ5ugJCRxvf7KyFUki8g~SFIWB0uHgQTpJtT9jtSeaBflBf2Dfr0Juf5nTfuKQKjGZwanSP-9FYXDc41sxESFslyl3p~2IHaAFEV8e4sjHKqIiL44wg7FfcXOGMHleDNP3~K2venB4zyHcjhZFer56mEYpGL7~gXxYprnSBi8R-L5y3CeLkT1p70IlMgzsLadUK2uIQoeeAEI5FGROMng4ljINg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Augusta Charter Review Committee voted 9–1 to reduce individual public-comment time from five minutes to three minutes and later voted 7–3 to defer a vote on bylaws and procedures to the committee’s next meeting on June 12.

The change to public-participation time was proposed by committee member Sheffy Robinson, who argued shorter statements would let more residents speak during lengthy meetings. “Three minutes, I think, is a great way. It’s enough, where people can prepare what they wanna say ahead of time, get to the point,” Robinson said during the meeting.

The committee then debated the package of bylaws and procedural rules that had been circulated. Several members said they needed more time to read the documents; committee member Lonnie Wimberley asked for earlier delivery and printed binders. After discussion the committee voted to defer final action on the bylaws and procedures until the next meeting so the clerk’s office can post materials and members have time to review; the motion to defer carried 7–3, with Clarence Powell, Charlie Coleman and Steve Foushee voting no.

Legal counsel described the draft procedures’ approach to speaker disclosures and offered a working definition of “immediate family” for the public-participation form. Attorney Plunkett said immediate family typically includes a person’s spouse, children and grandchildren and their spouses; he said the intent is to disclose potential personal or financial interests when a public speaker has a close family tie to a matter under discussion.

The committee also set a deadline policy for agenda additions: materials or requests to be added to an agenda should be submitted to the clerk by noon on the Friday before the meeting so the clerk’s office can assemble and publish meeting materials in time for public notice.

Directions: the clerk’s office will post the bylaws and procedures in advance of the next meeting and provide updated materials so members may review prior to voting. The three-minute public-comment rule is effective immediately for committee meetings.","The committee voted 9–1 to shorten public comment from five minutes to three and later voted 7–3 to defer final approval of bylaws and procedures so members can review documents posted in advance.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6221782,"Augusta charter review panel orders redline of outdated \"anticipatory\" language after survey analysis",1197,1133000,2330000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02&start=1133&end=2330","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611461-cb97c427ca5b8daecb2215f14779ad02/thumbnail_1133000.jpg","/articles/6221782/Augusta-City/Richmond-County/Georgia/Augusta-charter-review-panel-orders-redline-of-outdated-anticipatory-language-after-survey-analysis","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221782-1f420dd8c0ed8d56afeb60aba2fe3723/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146858&Signature=W~D648g2CrUKfY9nWh1TjRXw0mEXiHI23kKCYTsqOKAoldP7yJHr8oXb~BMO1H5G18AjFdDvwy1tfhohDY~tDurNVj9kok1m-Ak7Me7K8PtOC0f0pi~nck2W-VOzRE0wiqtG2r6bxPbqKnfmz6cJXFGHUaOa9jHaKKCr9PUUbal~8aLYl8T1pVJt~YWT73DxC4nzdxXgmI9563V5pY~08hV8XwGxIdRMtfCOmPrQJp8jPwVGMLUdaNlvVHn34vYRIljliHwgFTghee3fybupO2BenuQ87KzsFE94RcrNmH4EZO-YwieRGx9oDaHqnWPSHTRIs5D8UXSgTeHDpnNlJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Augusta Charter Review Committee on Thursday directed the Carl Vinson Institute to create a redline version removing or updating ‘‘anticipatory’’ language in the Augusta Richmond County Charter and to distribute that redline and an accompanying spreadsheet through the clerk’s office for public posting.

The committee’s consultant summarized themes from member surveys and recommended the redline approach so the public can see what would be removed or changed. The consultant said the work began by scanning committee surveys, analyzing recurring topics and preparing both a highlighted document and a redline for clarity. “What we did is we took those surveys. We analyzed them looking for themes and patterns,” the Carl Vinson Institute representative said.

Why it matters: committee members said portions of the charter that were written to anticipate consolidation or to repeat state rules are now outdated or duplicative. The redline will make proposed deletions visible for public review before the committee votes on any final text.

Committee members were shown top themes drawn from the surveys: mayoral authority; commission structure; role of the administrator; board appointments and related transparency; departmental oversight and the need for regular audits; and public safety consolidation. The consultant said some comments conflicted — for example, different respondents recommended both expanding and reducing the commission — which the committee must weigh. “There were 47 different comments about the mayor’s authority,” the Carl Vinson Institute representative said.

Legal counsel, Attorney Plunkett, advised that a formal motion direct the institute to prepare the redline and return it for committee consideration so the public could inspect the exact text subject to change. The committee voted to direct the institute to prepare a deletion/addition redline and to post the redline and a citation spreadsheet via the clerk; the motion carried unanimously.

The committee also asked that the consultant post a short public survey and make the archived, anonymized committee survey responses available via public records. The consultant said the scanned, anonymized responses had already been handed to the clerk in response to a records request and that a short online survey for broader public input is being designed.

Next steps: the institute will deliver the redline and the consultant’s review to the clerk for web posting and will continue work on identifying charter language duplicated by state law for later committee consideration.","The Augusta Charter Review Committee directed the Carl Vinson Institute to produce a redline version removing or amending antiquated \"anticipatory\" provisions in the Augusta Richmond County Charter and to post the redline and supporting spreadsheet to the clerk's website, following review of committee surveys and identified themes.","actionData","errors"]

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Charter review committee names finance and government-structure subcommittees, plans town halls across Augusta

Augusta charter review committee cuts public comment to 3 minutes, defers bylaws vote

Augusta charter review panel orders redline of outdated "anticipatory" language after survey analysis