City Council

Summary/Final Minutes – Work Session – April 4, 2013 Savannah City Government SUMMARY/FINAL MINUTES MAYOR AND ALDERMEN WORK SESSION April 4, 2013 – 10:00 am PRESENT: Mayor Edna B. Jackson, Presiding Alderman Van R. Johnson, II Mayor Pro-tem (arrived at 11:00 a.m.) Aldermen Tony Thomas, Chairman of Council Alderman Mary Osborne, Vice-Chairman of Council Aldermen John Hall, Carol Bell, Alderman Mary Ellen Sprague Tom Bordeaux and Estella Shabazz Acting City Manager Stephanie S. Cutter City Attorney W. Brooks Stillwell Mayor Jackson called the meeting to order. Trip Tollison, President and CEO of Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) briefly discussed the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the collaborative partnership they share with SEDA, and lauded their many accomplishments for the City of Savannah. He then introduced Gretchen Corbin, Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce who has been with the state department since 1998 and travels all around the world representing the state of Georgia. The Global Commerce team includes statewide and existing industry project teams, the international trade team, small business, and Georgia’s ten international offices. Mayor Jackson presented Ms. Corbin with a book and wooden outline of the City of Savannah. Self-Insurance Funds/Risk Management (Liability and Casualty) Dick Evans, Acting Assistant City Manager and Louisa Browne, Risk Manager presented a detailed overview of Risk Management operations. Mr. Evans gave an explanation of sovereign immunity, reviewed risk management techniques and objectives, and outlined the current financial status of risk management funds. He discussed the four techniques for managing risk, outlined the four major objectives of the program, and described the six comprehensive areas of the City’s risk management plan which are general liability, auto liability, workers compensation, property, medical benefits and other risk management areas such as long-term disability and unemployment. Ms. Browne provided an in-depth overview of workers compensation that covered statutory Georgia Law, authorized medical treatment, weekly wage benefits, catastrophic injury benefits, no fault law wherein employers pay benefits and employees cannot sue. Also discussed were physician panels that assist in controlling medical treatments, the Georgia Medical Fee Schedule that aids in controlling medical costs, high Self Insurance Retention (SIR) that covers excess insurance for police, fire and others, along with auto liability, general liability and subrogation recoveries presenting examples and slides for each area. 1  Summary/Final Minutes – Work Session – April 4, 2013 Council Voting Districts Redistricting Thomas L. Thomson, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) and Noel Perkins, Director of the Savannah Area Geographical Information System (SAGIS) gave a slide presentation on the MPC/SAGIS proposed redistricting. They outlined the rules which state that districts must be drawn to have as nearly equal population as possible, each person has one vote and Aldermanic districts are legally required to comply with this principle. Additionally, there is protection of minority populations when they represent the majority of the residents in a district. Also discussed were guidelines that preserve neighborhoods, split as few voting precincts as possible, and alter existing district boundaries as little as possible. The projected process consists of meeting with individual Aldermen to review the district and obtain their ideas, meet with the Mayor and at-large Aldermen individually for their input, make adjustments to map-based responses from the City Council and report findings at work sessions, conduct a public open house to solicit community involvement and feedback, make maps available for public review, have City Council adopt maps in an open session and send maps to the Department of Justice for preclearance. The deadline for completing the redistricting is approximately set for 2015, but Mr. Thomson and Mr. Perkins provided a six-month timeline commencing April 2013 with August 22 and September 5, 2013 agenda items at council meeting for adoption and ending October 2013. Mayor Jackson requested Mr. Thomson provide a set of district maps for each Council member and she will meet with Acting City Manager Stephanie Cutter for further discussion. Executive Session Upon a motion by Alderman Johnson, seconded by Alderman Shabazz and unanimously carried, approval was given to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel. Upon a motion by Alderman Johnson seconded by Alderman Shabazz and unanimously carried, approval was given to come out of Executive Session where no votes were taken. Council broke for lunch Acting City Manager Stephanie Cutter presented the City Manager’s Briefing of the agenda items for the Council Meeting of April 4, 2013. The agenda is attached and made a part of the permanent record. Mayor Jackson adjourned this meeting. Dyanne C. Reese, MMC, Clerk of Council 2