Athens-Clarke County commissioners spar over FY2026 budget, special-events funding and proposed surveillance center

Athens-Clarke County commissioners spent more than two hours debating competing FY2026 budget proposals — one led by Commissioner Lisa Myers and a rival package introduced by Commissioner Aaron Hamby — with sharp disagreement over whether to use T-SPLOST interest to reduce the millage rate and how much to fund a proposed Real Time Crime Center (RTCC).

The public hearing on the budget drew long public comment. Event organizers and downtown business owners urged the commission to increase Community Enhancements Project (CEP) support for special events, saying those festivals drive tourism and economic impact. At the same time, multiple speakers — residents, civil‑liberties advocates and criminal‑justice professionals — urged the commission not to fund the RTCC, citing concerns about facial-recognition bias, cross‑jurisdictional data sharing and potential access by federal agencies.

Why it matters: The budget sets staffing, capital projects and tax policy for the coming fiscal year and includes choices that affect long-running T‑SPLOST projects, affordable housing allocations and public‑safety investments. How the commission balances one‑time interest income against ongoing operating needs will affect whether long‑planned sidewalk, road and park projects are completed as currently scoped.

Myers and Hamby proposals: Commissioner Myers’ CDO emphasized fiscal restraint and prioritized continuation of multi‑year infrastructure projects funded through T‑SPLOST and SPLOST, plus targeted increases for courts, public defenders and special events. Commissioner Hamby proposed using roughly $5 million in unallocated T‑SPLOST interest to reduce property tax pressure this year and to fund traffic‑calming and neighborhood priorities; that option drew praise from residents seeking near‑term relief and criticism from colleagues who warned it could deplete funds earmarked for long‑term capital projects.

Special events: Multiple festival organizers asked the commission to increase CEP allocations. Timmy Conley and Allison Smith, among others, asked that CEP funding rise toward $500,000 to sustain events such as AF Fest, Wild Rumpus and Hot Corner, noting direct revenue to local government and estimated economic impact figures for AF Fest. Organizers said the current hotel‑motel derived CEP allocation has not kept pace with rising costs and that additional support would help smaller cultural events that lack corporate sponsorship.

Surveillance and the RTCC: Several speakers opposed funding for the proposed Real Time Crime Center, arguing the technology amplifies biased policing and risks broad data sharing with federal agencies. Felix Bell, Kristen Bryant and Elham Togizadeh warned the commission that private vendors’ systems — identified during testimony as including license‑plate readers and camera‑integration platforms — can cross state lines, have been accessed by outside law‑enforcement actors, and use tools (testimony referenced “Gotham” and Cloud‑View‑style software) that are subject to accuracy and privacy concerns. Opponents urged redirecting funds to public defenders, housing and mental‑health services.

Supporters of public‑safety investments emphasized needs in staffing and court services, and the Superior Court’s chief judge had asked the commission to adopt a state‑required judicial salary change resulting from House Bill 85. Commissioners also debated whether the RTCC’s expansion could be limited through policy or whether the commission should restrict funding until stricter local governance and contractual safeguards are in place.

Process and T‑SPLOST concerns: Several residents and former advisory‑committee members objected to using T‑SPLOST interest for non‑T‑SPLOST purposes, saying many voter‑approved T‑SPLOST projects have not yet been built and that interest acts as a safeguard against inflation for long‑running projects such as sidewalks and multimodal corridors. Speakers urged that the T‑SPLOST advisory committee and affected neighborhoods be consulted before reallocations.

What passed or moved: The commission heard multiple motions and amendments during the session. (The official roll‑call of the final FY2026 adoption is recorded in the meeting minutes; the public transcript records lengthy debate, a motion to call the question, and subsequent commission votes on related SPLOST/T‑SPLOST ordinances.)

Looking ahead: Commissioners said they want clearer public engagement on large fund transfers and promised to revisit T‑SPLOST prioritization and governance. Several commissioners also proposed creating a small budget advisory group to review major revenue and appropriation decisions earlier in the process to avoid last‑minute changes during future budget seasons.