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

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.