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Public commenter alleges extensive court filings by Commissioner; commissioner declines to answer at meeting
Summary
At the Aug. 6 Cusseta–Chattahoochee County commission meeting, resident Steve Wagner publicly questioned Commissioner Damon Hoyte about court filings and alleged costs to the county; Hoyte declined to answer some questions and later said he would not resign. The county attorney reminded the meeting that commissioners are not required to respond to public questioning.
A resident who said he voted for Commissioner Damon Hoyte pressed the commission on Aug. 6 over what he described as multiple court filings by Hoyte and potential costs to taxpayers.
Steve Wagner told the commission he had reviewed court records and asked a series of on-the-record questions, including whether Hoyte had “plead guilty to a county ordinance” on Dec. 8, 2022, and whether Hoyte filed a plea rebuttal within 30 days. Wagner also said he had identified several magistrate and superior-court filings and an EEOC complaint and told commissioners he plans to forward a complaint to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance/ethics process for review.
County Attorney Bin Minter reminded the meeting of the standard policy that county commissioners are not required to answer questions during open forum. When directly asked, Commissioner Damon Hoyte declined to answer some questions at the meeting, telling Wagner that “there will be some things he can not talk about.”
After the commission’s executive session and reconvening, Hoyte addressed the board and public, saying he had at one point prepared a resignation letter after election results but ultimately “threw it out” and would not step down. “I am not going to resign,” he said, adding that members of the public who wish to pursue removal should continue the formal process.
The minutes record no formal board action in response to Wagner’s comments. Chairman Charles Coffey and the county attorney indicated that personnel and legal matters discussed in closed session fell within the legal exceptions to the open meetings law and that no votes were taken while in executive session.
What happens next: Wagner said he will continue his review of court records and pursue an ethics complaint; the commission did not direct staff or take formal action at the Aug. 6 meeting.
