John Luke Weaver, joked that the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Commission Structure might as well call him “John Q. Public” since he was literally the only Pickens resident to attend the CAC hearing on Thursday.
The study group had arranged three public meetings to discuss legislation framed to create a multi-member commission, something voters will see on the ballot next November.
While Weaver and eight attendees at the Tuesday, October 27, meeting were weak by the number, they came well-informed, made thoughtful comments and posed thought-provoking questions regarding the final multi-person commission form chosen by the CAC.
The final hearing came just after press time Tuesday evening. Click here for link to video courtesy of KnowPickens.com.
The purpose of the final round of public hearings was to gather suggestions about the language of the enabling legislation that will, if the multi-person commission is approved by voters in November 2010, nullify the 1964 charter of Pickens County and replace it.
A charter sets up the rules a local government (county or municipality) must adhere to. Details such as commissioners’ educational requirements, salary requirements, monthly meeting requirements, are outlined in a county’s charter.
CAC hearings were also meant to provide a forum where the public could ask questions about the commissioner-manager form of government selected by the CAC. That form would operate with four part-time commissioners elected by district, one part-time chair elected county-wide, and a county manager, hired by the board of commissioners.
A draft of the enabling legislation can be found on the Pickens County Progress website.
Steve Brock, previous chair of the Pickens County Planning Commission, told the CAC his concern that a part-time chairperson with no educational qualifications could be allowed to submit a county budget to the board of commissioners, with a probably better qualified, better educated county manager on staff.
According to the current draft of the legislation, the only qualifications for the board chair would be that they are 25 years old and have resided in their district 24 months.
“If you hire a county manager that will be professionally qualified, why let a chair submit the budget, and why not have the county manager more involved in the budget because of their education?” he asked.
CAC Chair Phil Anderson, who worked at one time as county manager for Dawson County, assured Brock the budgeting process would be a group effort to include all department heads and elected officials.
“The chair will not sequester himself and come up with a budget,” Anderson said. “I can assure you there will be less rub when elected officers work with elected officers…The chair just takes ownership and presents [the budget] to the board and starts the process.”
Many of the public comments made were in regard to elements of the multi-person commission not changeable at this point in the process––major components, such as the number of commissioners on the board and the creation of voting districts.
Weaver, only member of the public at the second meeting in Hill City, told the CAC his main concern is that districts be suitably established.
“Creating four districts is one of the most important aspects of this change,” he said, noting there could be at least 100 different ways to draw four districts in the county.
CAC member Jon Aldridge said creating the districts will be up to the state, which will use the 2010 census to create them, based almost solely on equal population, “one man one vote.”
CAC member John Foust said the state has personnel on staff whose sole function is creating voting districts. He said the state creates districts for every elected body in Georgia, using someone outside a political arena to ensure lines are drawn fairly.
Foust said it is pointless for the local group to offer input on the drawing of district lines, as it will not be used or considered by the state.
“Whatever we came up with would have no bearing on anything,” he said.
Weaver told the CAC it troubles him that districting will handled by someone not familiar with the local area.
Brock, present at the first meeting, felt the CAC was creating too many districts for a county the size of Pickens.
“I’m all about the money,” Brock said. “Why would a smaller county go to a five person commission board…It’s hard to get three to agree on anything, let alone five. Over a five year period, having three commissioners instead of five would save the county $100,000…that could buy at least a few police cars,” he said.
Brock cited the large square mileage of counties that use five-person commission boards, including Cherokee, which has 424 square miles, and Gordon, which has 356 square miles.
Pickens County is 232 square miles.
“There are lots of neighboring counties that have three commissioners, and they do pretty well,” said Brock, who frequently works with county governments in his current line of work.
CAC members told Brock they ultimately settled on a five-person board for several well-thought-out reasons.
“I feel we have looked hard at cost and feel we have been explicit about what the costs are,” said Anderson, who along with other members of the CAC outlined the rationale behind selecting a five-person board.
CAC members told Brock that under a three-commission board, two commissioners would not be able to go to lunch because they would create a quorum, “tying their hands,” and stifling communication.
Aldridge also pointed out that having three commissioners makes it easy for two to “freeze out” the third. “Deals are too easily made with three,” he said.
Anderson noted only 11 of Georgia’s 159 counties use three commissioners, while nearly 68 percent utilize the five-person board.
Despite the untimely nature of many of the comments heard, the CAC expressed much gratitude for the public’s participation at the final hearings.
“We just wish you would have come six weeks ago and brought some friends,” CAC member Paul Lindsey said.
Public participation in the tedious seven-month process of hammering out a multi-person commission alternative has been low at best and dishearteningly low at worst.
“We did our best,” Lindsey later said. “We would have loved to have input, but very few showed up at the other meetings. We can’t please everyone. We have to have a happy medium.”
John Baptist, who attended the Tuesday meeting, said he had expected more people to attend. The non-binding vote held in July 2008 returned results that were overwhelmingly in favor of exploring a multi-person commission, he said.
An unidentified gentleman addressed the CAC: “The apathy you spoke of is unfortunately what we’ve got in America. Somebody’s got to step up and find answers. You are to be congratulated with what you have done,” he said. “You’ve massaged it.”
The CAC, a volunteer group of Pickens County residents, will hold their final meeting Tuesday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at the Pickens County Admin Building. State Senator Chip Pearson is expected to attend.
The CAC will finalize its draft of the enabling legislation after taking into consideration comments received from the public. The legislation then makes its way to state legislators of the Georgia General Assembly early next year for approval, that legislative approval placing the question before Pickens voters in November 2010 as a ballot referendum.
The public will ultimately decide if Pickens will move to a multi-person commission in the November 2010 general election.
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| PHOTO BY DAN POOL |
| BIG SCREEN BUT FEW EYES AT PUBLIC HEARING - CAC Chair Phil Anderson, moderator at the latest round of hearings on the multi-person commission draft legislation, sits in front of a screen illustrating the government structure. |
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