Residents urge Villa Rica council for transparency on TAD spending, appraisals and ethics inquiries
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Summary
Several residents used the public-comment period to press the council for records and explanations about Tax Allocation District (TAD) expenditures, vendor payments for appraisals, and recent ethics inquiries. Speakers requested copies of contracts, an accounting of TAD use, and answers about rescinded grants and alleged conflicts.
Speakers during Villa Rica’s public-comment period on Wednesday urged the mayor and council to provide documentation and clearer explanations about redevelopment spending, appraisal payments and state ethics inquiries.
Amy McCoy told the council she had reviewed receipts that appeared to show roughly $1,800 billed per property for 13 appraisals and said she could not find evidence the appraisals were performed. “This cost is excessive, far more than any typical charge for appraisal … and raises red flags about the validity of these payments,” McCoy said. She asked the city to provide copies of contracts with Bass and Associates (now Bass Appraisal) and TEE Consulting LLC (Teal Education and Engineering Consulting LLC) and the January 2025 comprehensive TAD report that was due to the board.
Pamela White framed broader transparency concerns as a civic grievance. “The city of Villa Rica has written a bad check on the backs of our community,” White said, attributing the statement to prior contracting and grant decisions she described as lacking sufficient oversight. She and other commenters told the council they want outside entities with investigatory power to hold elected officials accountable, saying the city’s internal ethics board lacks teeth.
Doug Lang cited recent media coverage and court filings involving the city and said he was asking why state agencies, including the Georgia Government Transparency/ethics entities, had become involved. He listed news stories and lawsuits referencing the city’s dealings with developers, a rescinded Department of Community Affairs grant, and other controversies. He said the frequency of headline coverage had prompted citizen questions about the city’s governance.
Council did not take action during the meeting; several council members and staff thanked speakers and said records are available through the city website or by formal public-records request. Amy McCoy also requested public notices for several special-called meetings tied to TAD boundary changes and asked for a timeline and explanation for how the TAD boundaries were changed.
Why it matters: Tax Allocation District funds are public dollars intended for designated redevelopment projects; residents said they deserve documentation when TAD funds are used, and they asked for clarity about whether expenditures matched the TAD’s legally required scope. Commenters also raised questions about consistency in the city attorney’s prior correspondence concerning representation rights in a land-acquisition matter.
The council did not respond with specific documents at the meeting. Staff and the city attorney were referenced as available channels for records requests; the interim city manager noted the council posts agendas and materials online and that public-records requests may be submitted through the city’s website.
