Council member Greg Maddox questioned the process of public comment during the recent Bogart City Council meeting. The city plans to vote on a new policy at the next regular session meeting on Nov. 10.
As long as we let the public speak, that is all I care about,” Maddox said.
An advocate for slab-style construction, Rob Scott, was listed on the public comment section of the Oct. 13 meeting agenda, but others were not allowed to speak.
The proposed policy, which has a second read at the meeting, is believed to be the first public comment policy for the city.
The policy would establish procedures and behaviors for non-council members.
It states:
- Members of the public must sign up on the signup sheet provided prior to the start of the meeting with their name, place of residence and topic.
- Council members shall not question the speaker nor make comment until the speaker has concluded his or her presentation.
- The council recommends that multiple speakers from a group or organization appoint a single representative to address the council.
The policy also notes that only Bogart residents or employees may speak, and it limits speakers to three minutes.
It also says: “Speakers may not engage in disorderly, disruptive, disturbing, delaying or boisterous conduct, such as, but not limited to, hand clapping, stomping of feet, whistling, making noise, use of profane language or obscene gestures, yelling or similar demonstrations, which conduct substantially interrupts, delays, or disturbs the peace and good order of the proceeding of the Council.”
Scott, who owns a construction business, accused the council of banning slab-style home construction, claiming they had little evidence to do so.
“Your conditions are pretty much exactly like every other city in the state, and by the way, every other city in the state allows slab construction,” Scott said. “This is bureaucratic overreach, in my opinion.”
In other business, the council:
It passed a purchasing policy that allows Mayor Janet Jones to approve purchases up to $3,000 except in case of emergency where that limit is overridden. In normal circumstances, any purchase over that limit warrants city council approval.
It approved discussion of moving City Hall from its current location to the Bogart Historical Agricultural Center and the surrounding infrastructure. Jones said the move could decrease the rental income it receives from its current building. Council members agreed that since the center was renovated in 2015 to house City Hall, it is time to begin that process.
I want this building to be the face of this town,” Maddox said.
It approved the construction company Carter & Sloope to clean out instead of replace the culverts on the driveways on Jefferson Avenue, Bernice Drive and North Burson Avenue.
Maia Capuano is a Fink Fellow in the Cox Institute’s Journalism Writing Lab at the University of Georgia. This story also was published in The Oconee Enterprise.
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