Mayor & Commission Meetings

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Monday, January 22, 2024 Committee Members Present: Commissioner Patrick Davenport, Committee Chair Commissioner Dexter Fisher Commissioner Mike Hamby Commissioner Tiffany Taylor Commissioner Melissa Link (Virtual) Staff: Josh Edwards, Assistant Manager Andrew Saunders, Central Services Director Remy Epps, Inclusion Officer James Alexander, Assistant Central Services Sherrie Hines, Chief Assistant Attorney Director John Hawkins, Deputy Chief Attorney Laura Welch, Assistant Human Resources Austin Jackson, Senior Assistant Attorney Director David Boyd, Finance Director Alphonso Daniel, Fire Jessica Beri, Purchasing Administrator Todd Miller, Park Planning Christy Bailey, Purchasing Kent Kilpatrick, Leisure Services Director Jeff Montgomery, Public Information Officer Chinesia Thompson, Recorder Jean Spratlin, Clerk of Commission Beth Smith, Facilities Management Emilie Castillo, Park Planner Administrator Molly Brooks, Inclusion Fellow Doug Hansford, Building Inspection Nicholas Valdez, Inclusion Fellow Committee Chair Davenport called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. A. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Fisher made the motion to approve the Minutes of the November 20, 2023 meeting. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. B. Commission Identified Items of Interest: Evaluate opportunities for Inclusive Athens-Clarke County Facilities (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on May 4, 2021) Staff from the Inclusion Office and Leisure Services presented an assessment on Inclusive Facilities that they had prepared for the committee. They outlined their process and findings from evaluating accessibility across facilities. Emilie Castillo, Molly Brooks and Nicholas Valdez shared details of the data collected and the implications related to inclusion. The team then provided recommended next steps based on the assessment results. Discussion centered around the ADA Coordinator role - its history, current organizational housing, and potential future placement to enhance coordination. Beth Smith briefed the committee on updates to external signage for improved navigation. Commissioner Taylor motioned to move forward with Phase 1 of the recommended improvements per the assessment report. Commissioner Fisher seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.  Advance efforts pursuant to recommendations from the Disparity Study (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on November 7, 2023) Finance Director David Boyd presented his proposed business inclusion policy to the Committee. He provided background on the history of the MBE Purchasing policy. David then discussed details of the recently completed disparity study, including its objectives, methodology, findings, and recommendations for enhancing inclusion. The committee discussed both Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program and a Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) program. The committee discussed ensuring locally owned Athens-Clarke County businesses benefit under any new policies. David summarized that the proposed policy is a narrowly tailored M/WBE program with aspirational contracting goals and good faith compliance requirements. This aims to address identified disparities per recent disparity study findings. The committee would like to discuss further at next meeting. Recommend updates to BAC procedures as recommended by Manager’s Office, Public Information Office and the Clerk of Commission (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on July 19, 2022) Sherrie Hines briefed the committee on the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) ordinance. Sherrie noted their ability to adopt their own bylaws and soliciting donations without Commission oversight. Commissioner Taylor motioned to amend the ordinance language for all Tier 2 boards/committees requiring Mayor and Commission approval before accepting any donations. Commissioner Fisher seconded. However, Commissioner Taylor tabled her motion until the next meeting to allow the County Attorney's office to provide additional information. The committee agreed to take up this agenda item again at their next meeting once the Attorney’s Office has prepared a draft BAC ordinance template. Commissioner Fisher made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. Government Operations Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 01222024