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AUGUSTA, Ga. – While adding items to a meeting agenda is routine, some commission members feel it should not be a frequent occurrence.
“It’s surprising because we only find out about these additions on Tuesday, the day of the meeting,” explained Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Guilfoyle.
Commission agendas are typically released on the Friday before the scheduled Tuesday meetings. However, commissioners have the ability to introduce new items on the day of the meeting, known as addendums.
This week, for instance, six such items were proposed for inclusion, catching both the public and commissioners off guard as they had not been previously disclosed.
“These are transparency issues, and we need to question how they are held accountable,” stated Dr. Gayla Keesee, Co-President of the League of Women Voters. “The public should ask, ‘Why are you adding this now if it wasn’t on the agenda initially?'”
Earlier the month, a representative from QTS Data Centers came before the commission to discuss the data center on the Gordon Highway.
But despite the interest from nearby neighborhoods, her appearance wasn’t on the regular agenda and was added as an addendum.
“It’s just part of the process. It’s not a part that everybody likes because everybody wants to know and be informed on everything, but there are times that it requires and addendum be put in play,” said Commissioner Don Clark.
Dr. Keesee says a discussion of the Data Center should not have been an addendum.
“People are interested. They are wanting more information, and they would have been there, but they didn’t know that that person was going to be there,” said Keesee.
Guilfoyle says for emergencies or grant money deadlines, addendums have their place, but he’s not fan of the last second additions.
“I like coming to work prepared and they catch us being off guard, so no, I don’t like it being caught off guard,” said Guilfoyle.