Aragon to look into government change
Most items on October agenda left without discussion or vote, but work session coming to discuss the city’s charter and council-mayor structure
No action was taken during Thursday’s Aragon City Council meeting on a number of issues that were placed on the agenda by Council Member Candace Seiz that sought to give herself and fellow members greater inclusion in decision-making at city hall.
Seiz cried “denied” after Mayor Garry Baldwin brought up each issue in the council’s Thursday night meeting and they were left without motions or discussion, but a late addition to the agenda got a vote of approval to move ahead with a special work session to discuss a change to the city’s charter and form of government.
That unanimous decision came once the nine different items previously untouched.
Those included a discussion Seiz sought on how policies are enacted via the council’s approval or denial within the charter, a policy for city employees who wish to use take-home vehicles, hiring and firing of employees, over the police chief hours, employee retaliation reporting, and ensuring that employees are following policies and procedures, along with a written recording of their having sworn they
have read and understood the guidelines the city has in place.
Seiz also sought to enact a policy to give Financial Consultant Rick Hartley additional purview over spending, requiring that he or anyone who would take his place sign off on any purchases before they are made to ensure funds are available to cover the cost.
She also wanted to enact a new rule that any employee who gives out their login information for city computer systems would face potential termination for doing so.
All those items were discussed during the second half of a nearly two-hour long work session that included a recess while officials waited for City Attorney Zach Burkhalter to arrive and provide his legal opinion on the items she wanted further discussion.
Once he did arrive, Seiz stated that much of the work he generated for council members to review at a cost to the city matched what she already completed on her own, and Baldwin sought for Burkhalter to complete an additional legal opinion Seiz said she already felt she understood when it came to their ability to enact policies.
Her questions about the charter were being left for the work session approved for a date and time to be determined. City Clerk Christie Langston said on Friday before press time that it was still in the planning stages, and further information would be forthcoming.
Baldwin suggested the council come together and work out a plan for how they want to move forward before having to present a change to the charter and form of government for Aragon to State Rep. Trey Kelley and State Sen. Bill Heath to get approval in the state legislature from both chambers, and then onward to the signature of the next governor.
Seiz said she did much that research on the Georgia Municipal Association’s website, and that she recommended to the other council members they go with a new form of government that gives the council greater control over administrative duties in local government, and has a weak mayor instead of one that is responsible for everything.
Council member Judd Fee agreed that “it would be nice to go with something like Rockmart has, because they have a strong council and a weak mayor. But they’ve also got enough budget to have a city manager. Maybe some day we could too. It’d be nice to have something in place like that so the burden falls on all five, and not just one.”
Burkhalter also offered to do additional research on the different forms of government, but didn’t want to do so without approval since it would take time and cost Aragon in additional attorney’s fees.
In September alone, the city paid Burkhalter a fee of $1,712.35 for legal services.
Before Burkhalter arrived, Baldwin sought to provide a response to some of what Seiz sought discussion on by providing the council with a copy of a new written policy he’d already signed and handed out to employees. Now unless the council directly approves, no employee shall be able to take home a city-owned vehicle if they live more than 25 miles away from Aragon’s limits.
Baldwin said he enacted the policy that day based on what he handed out to the council. Anyone who does have to drive more than 25 miles for anything other than work-related business would have to get permission from both the Mayor and Council before they do so.
If they fail to get that permission and drive further than the 25 miles allowed, the mileage could result in punishment for the offense that includes the potential for losing their jobs.
“I signed it today and it went into effect,” Baldwin said during their October work session.
He did say that one of the two officers left in the ranks of the Aragon Police Department lives – at least according to Google Maps – 31.2 miles from the City of Aragon, as opposed to the 25 miles allowed. He said the officer in question did say that in actual driving distance on a route usually taken, it was closer to 26 miles from the city limits to home.
Baldwin wanted permission for the employee to continue using a take-home vehicle despite the small amount of mileage over what council members sought to enact. He also added that it was a verbal policy prior it being put down on paper.
It was put to paper to avoid the previous issues brought forth when interim Police Chief Alison Taulbee drove back and forth between the Blue Ridge area to Aragon daily for work using a citysupplied police cruiser.
Taulbee remains on administrative leave with pay for the next few weeks while an investigation continues, but if it continues past another two weeks the council decided in a final vote of their October meeting to move Taulbee’s status to administrative leave without pay.
The driving policy was crafted by Public Works Superintendent Daniel Johnson, who fielded questions about whether the vehicles would only be allowed to travel back within the city and to an employee’s home only.
Seiz was concerned the policy might contain a loophole to be exploited later.
Johnson said he did include a specific language on the use of ‘work-related use’ into the policy to avoid employees using vehicles to go to a second job, or to use it for personal reasons like running errands in nearby communities. Seiz did see the language after a second reading and apologized for questioning it.
Baldwin did get permission to allow for council approval for the time being of how they’ll be notified and involved if an employee needs to go further than 25 miles for any reason, and they settled on individual discussion with Langston if necessary to make a decision.
“We’re trying to lure these people from other places to work for us, and under those circumstances we might have to deviate a little from the policy,” Baldwin said.
Seiz replied that “I just want to make sure the council is involved.”
Inconsistent distances in the past and not being written down have changed in the past, and now have set in stone.
Seiz also sought to try and have the policy voted on by the council itself, but Baldwin said that “it’s not a ordinance, it’s not a resolution. It’s mine. I’ve already signed it and imposed it, and distributed it to the employees.”
“I want to discuss that more once Zach (Burkhalter) arrives,” Seiz said while they addressed the policy. “I want to make sure we’re doing it right.”
Baldwin said “Ok. I’m good,” before Seiz finished, and then asked him to stop and said “please don’t interrupt me” as she continued.
“It is very rude and unprofessional and I feel like you do that every time I say something you don’t want to hear,” she added. “All I’m saying is that I’m sure we’re covered and following the correct process based on our current charter. So if I’m misinformed, since I’ve done my research, I’d like to know it. If I’m not misinformed, then we need to vote on this. It’s not that we’re disagreeing with you, we just need to follow the correct protocol.”
Burkhalter was requested by Baldwin after his arrival and discussion of the policy began to generate a written legal opinion about whether the council would need to vote on such an item or whether it would be left in place without any further approval needed.
“I want to emphasize that we’re wasting our taxpayer’s money to pay our attorney to do research that has already been done and should have already been done,” Seiz said the following day.