Powder Springs to Take Minutes of Closed Meetings

In accordance with a recently passed Georgia law, the documents can only be seen initially by a judge.

Before Monday night’s legislative meeting, Powder Springs city officials rehashed a main component of the recently passed House Bill 397—that executive session minutes must be taken by the city clerk. Powder Springs’ city clerk, Dawn Davis, and City Attorney Richard Calhoun described to the City Council that Davis will take the minutes and then put them in a sealed envelope. They can then only be opened by a judge if someone files a suit, and the judge is the only one who can decide if anyone else can see them. A “transcript” of the meeting isn’t required, but the minutes “must identify the specific issues discussed,” according to the Georgia attorney general’s office. Powder Springs’ executive sessions exclude members of the public and …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Barr: Mayor Wrongfully Received More Pay

The process of giving Pat Vaughn an additional $3,000 a month while she served as city manager went against city and state law, the former councilman says.

Mrs. Patricia Vaughn wrote an article that was published on Patch on Oct. 27 outlining the events of her being granted additional pay by the City Council. I was a member of the City Council at the time, and I would like to provide some thoughts as a participant in that action. On April 3, 2006, the Powder Springs City Council did go into an executive session called by Mayor Pro Tem Bob Farmer. The city has provided a copy of the affidavit, which must be signed before an executive session is entered, and it shows that all five City Council members were present. During this meeting, a discussion was held regarding the additional duties and time Mrs. Vaughn had been providing to the city since early December 2005 when we, the council, had …

•  60 Comments
• Photos (1)