Politics & Government

A Rarity: Two Commenters at City Council

Barbara Barr and Gloria Hilderbran came before Powder Springs' top officials at Monday's meeting.

Something happened at Monday’s City Council meeting that hasn’t happened in at least a month in a half. In fact, it was two somethings: Two Powder Springs residents signed up for public comment.

Barbara Barr asked about the council’s three-day retreat in the first week of March to meet with the Atlanta Regional Commission to discuss planning matters. 

She first applauded them for going on the retreat.

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“I know these are often very complicated issues that require careful, thoughtful consideration, and these decisions can affect Powder Springs residents for years to come,” she said, adding that she had a couple questions that she needed “some clarification about.”

She first asked why council members were going to Brasstown Valley Resort for the retreat instead of perhaps less costly options like a city or ARC facility.

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Mayor Pat Vaughn described how leaving the city for the retreat has happened “probably for the last 20 years.”

“We remove ourselves from any interruptions,” she said.

Also, Vaughn said, the trip is cost efficient in many ways: the city doesn’t have to pay for a meeting mediator because the ARC is taking care of it; council members are taking on costs for food and at least some of the other expenses; and a meal, among other things, was donated.

“So it is the least expensive retreat we have had in many years,” Vaughn said.

Barr also asked if the retreat would come into conflict with the Georgia Open Meetings Act. She mentioned the council’s work session on Feb. 2, during which council members discussed how they wouldn’t conduct city business at the retreat.

“From my reading of the Georgia Open Meeting Law, the City Council, as well as the ARC, is required to transact business in the open,” she said. “That means that when a quorum of the members of an agency meets for a discussion or presentation of official business or policy, the meeting must be open to the public.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Barr. We are aware of the Open Meetings Law,” Vaughn said. "And for clarification, what I was saying was during the training session, we will not be conducting city business.” 

Vaughn invited citizens to come but said they’d have to pay their way.

Barr responded: “I fully understand that you have to pay for it, and I don’t think you should have to pay for people that would not possibly be using it … But my understanding of what you said was that this was a training session only.”

“No ma’am,” Vaughn said. There will be other meetings that would be open to the public aside from a training session, the mayor said. 

“OK, then I misunderstood,” Barr said, adding at the end of her discussion with Vaughn: “Thank you for the information.”

The other Powder Springs commenter, Gloria Hilderbran, asked about a published copy of the City Council minutes from a previous meeting that mentioned her requesting funding for brochures on the Southern Quilt Trail.

Hilderbran clarified that the brochures were intended solely for downtown businesses, not the Southern Quilt Trail.

“And I think we understood,” Vaughn said. “I think the brochures were needed. I remember you talking about them.” 

“We just wanted funding for brochures to help with the downtown area, and I just wanted to clarify that,” Hilderbran said. 

The council agreed that they understood Hilderbran’s request.

For a story on the other items at Monday’s City Council meeting, click here.


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