By Richard Banton

Athens commissioners will hammer out the upcoming fiscal year’s goals and objectives in late January. The move comes after a heated meeting last night that saw the commission split on whether to postpone the adoption.

The budget’s goals and objectives guide the year’s operating budget, determining where the county focuses critical investments. However, community members were unable to comment on the agenda item because it wasn’t posted in time for the last board meeting. This issue, a perceived lack of transparency, became a theme throughout the night when speaking on the actions of the commission.

Commissioner Melissa Link said she thought voting on the matter was so important that all items should be considered at once. Five members disagreed and voted against the motion when Mayor Nancy Denson broke the tie. The new approval date is set in February.