Mayor & Commission Meetings

Meeting Minutes Ad Hoc Committee: Public Right of Way September 23, 2025, 9:00 – 10:00 am City Hall 301B Members in Attendance: Commissioner Patrick Davenport, Commissioner Carol Myers Members Absent: Commissioner Dexter Fisher Also in Attendance: Mayor Kelly Girtz Staff: Alex Bond, Harrison Daniel, Courtney Davis, Will Fleenor, Suki Janssen, Rani Katreeb, Ilka McConnell, Vic Pope, Jack Reddick, Chinesia Thompson Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:05 am. Approval of Agenda: Commissioner Carol Myers made a motion to approve the agenda. Commissioner Patrick Davenport seconded the motion. All 3 Committee members unanimously approved the agenda. Public Input: Steve Williams shared that he has been a 6-year member of the Athens Area Courtwatch Project, which observes courts, including Municipal Court. He stated he has observed the criminalization of homelessness in Athens. People are charged with misdemeanors, are not able to make bail, and are jailed. He stated that the jail is understaffed and the environment of incarceration has a negative impact on the mental health of those incarcerated. He asked the Committee to consider the impact of their potential recommendations on the unhoused. Michael Moss shared that he serves as Homeless Outreach Coordinator for the Athens Homeless Coalition (AHC). He shared that the AHC has been hosting community conversations with Advantage Behavioral Health. He emphasized the importance of having space for people to store their belongings, and noted that the community of Lancaster, PA has developed a locker program that offers 12 metal lockers that fit within the size of a parking space, to providing 12 spaces for people to safely store their belongings. Reminder of the Charge of the Ad Hoc Committee: Mayor Girtz shared the charge that he assigned to this ad hoc committee on September 2, 2025. • Work with the ACC Attorney and Manager to bring forward to the full Mayor and Commission no later than the November Voting Meeting: o Ordinance language updates clarifying the definition of “Public Right-of-Way” and allowable uses thereof in a manner that provides common understanding for ACC staff and the public about that definition such that:  The entire breadth of public right-of-way is considered (e.g. vehicular lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.)  The danger in laying upon or sitting upon the right-of-way is reduced or eliminated for the public safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike.  Similarly, debris and material storage upon public rights-of-way is reduced or eliminated.  First amendment rights and the operation of Special Events is considered. OFFICE OF THE MANAGER T H E U N I F I E D G O V E R N M E N T O F A T H E N S -C L A R K E C O U N T Y , G E O R G I A P. O. Box 1868 • Athens, Georgia 30603 (706) 613-3020 • Fax (706) 613-3029 www. ac cgo v. co m   Any related operational and fiscal needs are considered. Mayor Girtz shared that in code, the public right-of-way spans the street, any bike lanes, and sidewalk. Sitting or lying in the right-of-way, and storing materials or bags in the right-of-way is a safety issue. Commissioner Davenport asked about the ability/capacity of ACCGov departments to manage materials within the right-of-way. Vic Pope shared that Transit has very limited staff to maintain bus stops, and managing storage of materials creates staffing and storage space constraints. Suki Janssen stated that Solid Waste has a Litter Technician who serves downtown Athens and talks with the owners of belongings when they are obstructing a business, to ask them to move the items. if they aren't able to identify the owner, they will remove the items and store them at the CHaRM until the owner can be identified. Alex Bond stated that Leisure Services has park ordinances. They affix a sticker to materials/bags, store them, and contact Advantage Behavioral Health to try to identify the owner. Owners of the materials have 72 hours/3 working days to reclaim their items. Leisure Services contracts with a private service to clean up related trash/waste because it can be potentially hazardous. Deputy Chief Daniel mentioned that obstructing ingress and egress from a business is addressed within the ordinance. ACCPD will ask people to move if they are obstructing ingress/egress. Due to the width of the sidewalk, even if a person is sitting/lying, they are generally not obstructing free passage of the entire sidewalk. ACCPD enforces pedestrians within the ROW/roadway because it is so dangerous, especially at night due to visibility. Chief Solicitor Will Fleenor noted that during his time in office, he is not aware of anyone being arrested for stepping into the ROW, or anyone currently being held in jail on that charge. Generally, the person would be issued a citation. It is rare for people to be arrested for violation of local ordinances. Trespassing is a state violation, not local. Commissioner Myers asked what was legal/not legal regarding storage of items in the public ROW, and what definitions in the ordinance are relevant. Mayor Girtz mentioned making it explicit in the ordinance that sitting or lying in the ROW is prohibited due to safety; for example, College Square. Alex Bond mentioned that it might be helpful to include multi-use trails in the ordinance. During their discussion, the Committee asked that staff follow up with the following: • County Attorney's Office to do some research to include the following: o Review sidewalk obstruction ordinance, Section 3-5-23 o Identify potential options for language updates within the existing ordinances o Examine clarity of current definitions within the existing ordinances for "right of way," "debris," "litter," "storage," "public spaces" o Identify examples of related ordinances from similar communities • ACCPD to share available data The Committee confirmed a quorum for their next meeting date of Friday, October 3 from 9:00 - 10:30 am at City Hall. Commissioner Davenport made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Myers seconded. The motion passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 10:12 a.m.