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Public accuses commissioner of legal filings; commissioner declines detailed on‑the‑record answers
Summary
At the Aug. 6 commission meeting a resident publicly questioned Commissioner Damon Hoyte’s court activity and potential cost to taxpayers; Hoyte declined to answer some questions on the record and a citizen said he will file an ethics complaint with the Georgia Ethics Commission.
Steve Wagner, a resident who spoke during the public‑comment period of the Aug. 6 meeting of the Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County, asked detailed questions about Commissioner Damon Hoyte’s court filings and an EEOC matter, including whether Hoyte had “plead guilty to a county ordinance within the magistrate court” on Dec. 8, 2022. Wagner asked for yes‑or‑no answers and said he had located records showing multiple filings. Wagner alleged those filings impose costs on the county and could affect county employees and budgets and said he planned to forward a complaint to the Georgia Ethics Commission.
Commissioner Damon Hoyte declined to answer some of Wagner’s questions during the public meeting and asked to speak privately after the meeting; Wagner insisted the questions remain on the record. County Attorney Bin Minter reminded the audience of the board’s standard policy that commissioners are not required to answer members of the public during a meeting. Chairman Charles Coffey opened the public‑comment period and allowed speakers to address the commission.
The exchange included follow‑up questions from Wagner about conditional‑use permits and a residential move that affected neighbors; Hoyte replied to some operational questions in brief, saying the moving company replaced one item of damage and that the manufactured home had inspections in 2020 and 2022. Hoyte later told the commission, after an executive session, that he had considered resigning but chose not to and asked critics who want him gone to continue the process.
No formal disciplinary action, vote or referral to an ethics body was taken by the commission during the Aug. 6 meeting. Wagner said he will continue collecting documents and pursue a complaint with the Georgia Ethics Commission; the county attorney and the commission did not announce any county‑initiated investigation during the meeting.
The meeting moved on to other agenda items after the public comments and later entered executive session for legal and personnel matters; the chair stated no votes were taken in the closed session and that the topics discussed fell within the legal exceptions to the open‑meetings law.
The allegations raised by Wagner were made in public comment and have not been resolved on the commission record. The commission minutes note Wagner’s statements and Hoyte’s refusal to answer certain questions on the record but do not document any substantiation or administrative response beyond the participants’ statements.
