Council approves handbook version amid objections about rushed process

The Statham City Council voted on Dec. 16 to approve the council’s draft of a 2026 employee handbook after members debated which of two circulated drafts — the council’s version and the mayor’s proposed version — should be adopted.

One council member urged that any motion identify exactly which draft and any specific edits before approval, saying multiple versions were circulated the same afternoon and that motions need to state which draft is under consideration. “The motion needs to say which of those versions and then if there are any tweaks to said version what specifically those are,” the council member said.

Another council member urged caution and opposed completing approval that night, saying the body had been “rushed” and that a face-to-face review was warranted for policy that affects employees and citizens. “I feel like that this is important for our city, our citizens. It’s important for our employees that we slow down,” the speaker said.

Councilors discussed the mayor’s veto timeline; staff read the charter’s procedure, noting the clerk must prepare and present a recording of proceedings and then the mayor has seven days to veto; if a veto is returned it must be placed on the next regular meeting agenda.

The council recorded a motion and a second to approve the council’s version of the employee handbook and proceeded to a voice/show-of-hands vote; the transcript records approval by that vote but includes recorded objections about the pace of the process.

Next steps: The approved handbook will be subject to the charter’s veto process; if the mayor returns a written veto, the item will be placed on the next regular meeting for further action.