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Residents urge greater outreach and tougher action on homelessness and panhandling
Summary
Public delegates asked the commission for clearer outreach, more hands-on homeless services and better accessibility to commissioners; a speaker urged a locally funded administrative assistant model for commissioners and urged more aggressive outreach to move people into services.
Several residents used the delegation period to urge expanded public outreach, improved accessibility for citizens seeking services, and a more active response to homelessness and panhandling in Augusta.
Moses Todd, a former commissioner, addressed House Bill 581 specifically during the delegation period and urged the commission not to “take us away from the voters,” arguing the local response should respect the will of voters and, if necessary, pair any opt‑out with a simultaneous vote on alternative revenue measures.
Brian Green, a resident who identified his address for the record, asked how community members could help the commission and offered several suggestions. Green proposed that each commissioner contribute roughly $300–$400 from their stipend to fund part‑time administrative help (roughly $3,000 per month, $36,000 per year total) at no additional cost to the community, so constituents could reach someone who would take messages and assist with constituent services. He also urged the commission to move beyond a 9‑to‑5 homeless task force approach and to “get in the trenches” with outreach, citing his own encounters with panhandlers and the instability of some individuals.
Green provided an approximate range for the local unhoused population, saying counts sometimes read “600” and at other times “around 400,” and said many people experiencing homelessness lack identification or family ties. He urged greater accessibility from department managers and quicker communication with residents.
Mayor Pro Tempore Wayne Guilfoyle and other commissioners responded. Guilfoyle agreed communication and response time are concerns and said some panhandling appears organized rather than individual. Another commissioner (unnamed in the transcript excerpt) said they had contacted the Department of Transportation and been informed that soliciting on the highway is illegal under DOT rules; the meeting record did not provide statutory citations or enforcement details.
Speakers framed the comments as requests for more active outreach and improved constituent communication rather than formal motions. The commission did not adopt new policy during the public‑comment segment but acknowledged the requests and discussed potential enforcement and outreach considerations.
