Athens public urges fuller staffing for real‑time crime center and more funding for affordable housing in FY26 budget

Dozens of residents told the Athens‑Clarke County mayor and commission on June 3 that the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget does not do enough to staff the police department’s real‑time crime center or to expand the county’s affordable‑housing fund.

At the meeting’s first public input session, Lynn Gaines, speaking for UGA Parents for Safety and Security and Safety Athens, urged the commission to “fully staff and fund ACCPD’s real time crime center” and said the group had delivered a petition with nearly 750 signatures.

The request was echoed by other parents and public‑safety advocates. Susan Monteverdi, with Safety Athens, told commissioners the real‑time crime center requires dedicated analysts and a supervisor to perform monitoring, camera integration and rapid dissemination of intelligence, and warned that adding the center’s duties to analysts already carrying full workloads would “risk undermining both traditional analysis functions and the success of the RTCC.”

On housing, multiple speakers urged the commission to adopt elements of Commissioner Carol Myers’ working budget, which would add an annual allocation to the Athens affordable housing investment strategy fund. “The $1,000,000 proposed by Carol’s budget is less than the recommended yearly investment,” said Lexi Doherty, adding that recurring, dedicated funding is needed rather than one‑off projects.

Other speakers supported targeted increases for the library, public defenders and road safety measures. Michael Jowy and others told commissioners the library provides essential services for residents in financial distress; Daria Calantari and Dawn Woolsey pressed the commission to support the “bridal equity” resolution and to direct affordable‑housing dollars toward neighborhoods with high renter populations.

Commissioners did not make a final vote on the FY26 budget during the public‑comment period. The mayor reminded residents that the commission will hold additional taxpayer bill of rights hearings June 5 and June 10; the commission remains scheduled to vote on the budget June 10. Several speakers also requested clearer breakdowns of how public‑safety and housing requests would be funded and whether proposed dollars would create new staff positions.

Residents raised process questions as well: several requested fuller follow‑up on specific budget allocations and clearer timelines for when the commission will respond to community recommendations. Commissioners said they would continue budget work sessions before the June 10 vote.

The meeting included other matters—agenda changes and votes on unrelated items—but public officials asked for the additional budget hearings and encouraged residents who had not yet spoken to attend the upcoming sessions.