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The Mayor and City Council addressed a 22-item agenda at the Agenda Setting Meeting on Thursday, February 11, 2021. Except for voting upon streets to receive monies earmarked for paving, the items were either consented or taken off the agenda.

Consent items include: approving contracts for service, matching a $500 expenditure in conjunction with Colonel Dames for landscaping at Joyce Myers Park, granting Sunbelt Ford the winning bid for a police car, paying Axon for police body cameras, vehicle bids, appointing Buddy Guth and Steven Avant on the Revolving Loan Fund Project, awarding winning bid on North Lee Street drainage project, approval of proposal for connecting Americus bike lanes from Boone Park to GSW, advertising software and phone system, final payment for emergency force main repair, bid out replacing Rylander Park fountain and to allow staff to submit a 5311 transit program RFP.

Nelson Brown then spoke of his intentions regarding Black History Month. Additionally, Brown questioned Jimmy Skipper, City Attorney, on the laws regarding a sitting council member vacating their seat in order to run for mayor. Although Brown was under impression such a rule could be overridden with a city resolution, Skipper informed the council it is written into the Georgia Constitution and no local municipality had authority to override it with a resolution. Lastly Brown questioned Chief Mark Scott on recent black on black crime. He questioned if Chief Scott had received as many comments and/or conversations as he had. He also asked Chief Scott if he had sought out other agencies to help in suppressing the crimes. Scott reported that the Americus Police Department works with both the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. Brown continued to press and asked if other counties, such as Lee County, could help the department. Scott told Brown that other departments do not have jurisdiction in Sumter unless there was an emergency of some sort declared.

The council then went into executive session and came back out to take a single vote. The vote resulted in the approval of the City of Americus to purchase the old Wells Fargo bank building on Forsyth Street with the contingency that paperwork was completed in a satisfactory manner. The building will be used to house the City of Americus Finance Department.

The regular meeting of the city council will be at 6pm on February 18, 2021.