AUGUSTA, Ga. () – Augusta’s city operations may see a change in the near future. At a meeting held by the West Augusta Alliance on Thursday evening, residents were briefed on potential modifications to the city government structure.
After 30 years, Augustans and local leaders getting a chance to weigh in on what changes they would like to see to the charter.
This meeting was aimed at providing residents with a better understanding of the charter and what it does.
“Imagine a Constitution, envision the creation of the legislative body, represented by the commission, and the executive branch, consisting of the mayor and potentially an administrator or manager. We favor a manager for various reasons. The voters also have their part in this system,” explained Marcie Wilhelmi, Chair of the Augusta Charter Review Committee.
Many residents spoke at the meeting including Gayla Keesee, Co-President of League of Women Voters of the CSRA.
Keesee says while the committee did answer most questions, a lot of residents are still in the dark.
“Attending the Town Halls and hearings, the process still leaves some questions unanswered. Today didn’t completely address these concerns, but altering that is beyond the charter review committee’s authority,” stated Gayla Keesee, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of the CSRA.
One of the biggest challenges for the committee has been the discussion of the form of government.
Katie Davis, Co-President of League of Women Voters of the CSRA, explains some of her concerns with this process
“They seemed thrilled after interviewing several former city mayors, all of whom supported the idea of a strong mayor system. But if you ask a mayor whether the role should have more power, the response is quite predictable,” Davis remarked.
The next charter review committee meeting will be on August 21st.
