Athens-Clarke County Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

This special called and agenda-setting session addressed three urgent funding items for food security amidst federal service disruptions, debated significant development proposals at Homewood Hills and Lay Park regarding infrastructure and community impact, and reviewed organizational audit findings and the 2026 T-SPLOST project list.

Consent Calendar

• Qualifying Fees: Commissioners approved the 2026 general primary election qualifying fees based on current salary scales. Commissioner Thornton noted an upcoming subcommittee will review salaries after receiving feedback from a unified government.
• Food Bank Funding: Commissioners approved a $50,000 supplemental funding appropriation for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, sourced from contingency funds. Commissioner Link expressed gratitude for the assistance; Commissioner Davenport noted the contingency fund is currently depleted to approximately $100,000 pending collective bargaining agreements. Commissioner Thornton voiced support for the aid while warning against improper fund usage elsewhere.
• Meals on Wheels Funding: Commissioners approved funding for the Athens Community Council's Meals on Wheels program to address federal funding pauses and service eliminations affecting seniors.
• Mental Health Facility Fee Waiver: Commissioners deferred a motion to waive 100% of wastewater connection fees for the Advantage Behavioral Health facility due to pending ordinance language, leaving the item for discussion.
• Transit Comprehensive Plan: Commissioner agreed to place the transit service comprehensive plan on the consent agenda for routing and costing review.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Homewood Shopping Center (Item 6):

  • Jack Murphy (Applicant/Carter): Expressed support for the proposed plan, arguing it creates a better site plan with reduced density compared to 'by-right' development, despite the necessity for waivers.
  • Michael Goltzer: Expressed opposition, stating the proposal unchanged since the last meeting and citing unresolved community concerns.
  • Ed Lane (Applicant Rep): Clarified that the Project Development approach was chosen to ensure a transparent, community-engaged process rather than finding loopholes, and addressed sewer capacity concerns by confirming Public Utilities Department support.
  • Colette Walsh: Expressed strong opposition, citing fears of sewer line failure, vibrations from the nearby railroad affecting holding tanks, and lack of stormwater detention.
  • Liz Little: Expressed opposition, highlighting that the project lacks stormwater detention, violates stormwater regulations regarding the 75-foot buffer, and poses liability risks for aging infrastructure.
  • Lisa Germain: Expressed concern, noting existing stormwater flooding in their neighborhood and the risk of increased water issues with 250 new units.
  • Robert West: Expressed strong opposition, arguing the project benefits developers financially and creates a poor choice for the land, describing the creek flooding as a recurring community issue.
  • Lillian West: Expressed opposition based on the proposed five-story height of the apartments.
  • Shanice Allen (Inter-East Athens Neighborhood Association): Expressed opposition to the Core Hub 2 project (Item 5), citing inadequate funding for playground relocation, the removal of accessible parking creating barriers, and the shift of parking deck debt to the city.
  • Susan Monteverdi: Expressed opposition, arguing the financial deal results in the city incurring $11.5 million in debt for student parking while the developer contributes $7.8 million to an affordable housing fund.
  • Heather McElroy: Expressed strong opposition and frustration, urging a vote down the future land use change to prevent apartment construction that contradicts community desires.

• Doherty Street Development (Item 5):

  • Commissioners: Commissioners discussed concerns regarding traffic, height, and the 'by-right' option that could result in a five-story building if the plan development is denied.

• Infrastructure Concerns:

  • Commissioner Thornton: Expressed concern regarding the lack of progress on 2023 T-SPLOST projects in District 9 and the need for visible completion before approving the 2026 list.
  • Commissioner Johnson: Expressed concern that infrastructure repairs (sewer, traffic) are lagging behind development, putting the city 'ahead of the horse' in terms of growth management.

• Right-of-Way Ordinance (Item 11):

  • Commissioner Davenport: Expressed concern about criminalizing homelessness and urged a focus on services rather than punitive measures, though she supports the ordinance to clear sidewalks.
  • Commissioner Myers: Expressed support for the ordinance as a clarification of existing rules, emphasizing that it targets materials interfering with ingress/egress and does not criminalize hanging out, while advocating for community-funded locker programs.

Discussion Items

• Food Security & Contingency Funds: Commissioners discussed the fiscal impact of the food bank and Meals on Wheels funding, confirming the contingency fund is nearly exhausted. Commissioner Davenport noted the federal government's failure to support residents is the driver for this local intervention.
• Homewood Hills Redevelopment (Item 6):
  • Infrastructure Capacity: Commissioners discussed existing sewer infiltration and stormwater issues. Commissioner Link noted the proposal actually reduces impervious surface; Commissioner Johnson argued the city is placing the burden on developers to fix public infrastructure issues.
  • By-Right Option: Commissioners emphasized the risk that denying the plan development could allow a developer to build a five-story structure by right, which might lack the community improvements agreed upon in the current plan.
  • Future Land Use: Commissioner Link expressed a preference for a five-story reduction to lower risk and density, but acknowledged the need for compromise.
• Service Delivery Plan & Moratorium:
  • Commissioner Thornton: Reiterated the need for a development moratorium until the service delivery plan is updated to ensure infrastructure capacity aligns with growth.
  • Manager Bob: Countered that a moratorium carries legal risks given specific developer mitigation offers, explaining that a companion service delivery plan is coming in spring to address these bottlenecks.
• T-SPLOST 2026 Projects:
  • Commissioner Thornton: Stated opposition to the 2026 list if District 9 does not receive funding, citing uncompleted 2023 projects and a lack of visible progress.
  • Commissioner Myers: Expressed concern that greenway projects were excluded and that some projects should be prioritized for completion via TAD funds if eligible.
  • Commissioner Fisher: Requested that projects be distributed more equitably across districts.
  • Discussion on Funding Sources: Staff explained a potential mechanism to move 2023 T-SPLOST funds to 2026 projects if the 2023 program yields surplus revenue, a point requiring legal verification.
• Organizational Audit:
  • Commissioner Fisher: Expressed appreciation for the audit report, highlighting the need to review historical context rather than just current employee ratios.
  • Commissioner Thornton: Expressed concern regarding customer service deficits and lack of employee sentiment data (DEI/workplace culture) within the organization.
• Right-of-Way Ordinance Revision:
  • Commissioners: Discussed the distinction between 'obstruction' and 'interference,' clarifying that the new language targets lying on pavement or obstructing ingress/egress, not social gathering on benches. Commissioner Davenport argued it still risks criminalizing homelessness.

Key Outcomes

• Approved:
  • $50,000 supplemental funding for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
  • Funding for the Athens Community Council's Meals on Wheels.
  • 100% waiver of connection fees for the Advantage Mental Health Facility (deferred to ordinance finalization).
  • Transit Service Comprehensive Plan placed on consent (to be discussed further).
  • Revised Right-of-Way Ordinance to clarify 'interference' (with a first-offense warning system).
• Deferred/On Discussion:
  • 2026 T-SPLOST project list (requires further negotiation among commissioners regarding district equity and 2023 project completion).
  • Naming of the East Broad Bridge (deferred to review the historical naming policy and collaborate with petitioners).
  • Core Hub 2 (Item 5) and Redwood Shopping Center (Item 6) development agreements (continued debate on infrastructure capacity and project scope).
• Directives:
  • Staff to provide documentation on 2023 T-SPLOST project status and sign locations.
  • Staff to provide summaries of TAD committee priorities for cross-referencing with T-SPLOST.
  • Work session scheduled to finalize the T-SPLOST list by the third Tuesday in January; voting to occur in February.
  • Staff to follow up on the feasibility of a homeless locker program with the Athens Homeless Coalition for February.