The Waycross City Commission will begin a third attempt Tuesday at passing a budget for Fiscal Year 202425.
City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford said at the commission’s planning and information session Monday, September 16, he will present the proposed budget at 3 p.m., October 1 prior to the commission’s first bimonthly meeting.
It will be followed by a public hearing October 15 ahead of the commission’s meeting that evening, at which time a vote on the ledger could take place.
Monday’s work session was followed Tuesday, September 17 by a short business meeting at City Hall. Commissioners approved three resolutions and the second reading of an ordinance in the session that was preceded by a public hearing.
The commission’s first action on passing the new $42.668 million budget died in June for lack of a second on a motion to pass. The second attempt in early August failed on a 2-1 vote with Commissioner Sheinita Bennett in favor and Commissioners Katrena Felder and Diane Hopkins opposed.
The commission’s composition, however, has changed since the earlier votes. District 5 Commissioner Alvin Nelson was returned to his seat prior to Monday’s work session by order of the Georgia Supreme Court. Nelson’s appeal of the Ware County Superior Court ruling in the lawsuit brought by Henry Strickland challenging the results of the November 2023 election in which Nelson defeated Strickland is pending before the high court.
The lower court’s ruling removed Nelson from the seat and ordered a special election, which was on the ballot for the General Election, November 5. However, the Supreme Court granted Nelson’s motion to stay the lower court order until his appeal is heard, returning him to the seat and removing the District 5 entry from the ballot.
A four-person commission could bring Mayor Michael-Angelo James into the vote should there be a 2-2 tie on an issue. The mayor’s voting power is limited by the City Charter to breaking the ties of the commission.
The commission’s District 1 seat, vacant following the death in March of Norman E. Davis, is on the November 5 ballot. Shawn L. Roberts, Willie E. Oliver and Jené E. Walker are vying for the post.
The city continues to operate under its FY23-24 budget of $37.992 million following a resolution passed by the three commissioners June 29.
The first resolution at Tuesday’s meeting approved a new city credit card contract with Ameris Bank and designated city officials for its use. The deal increases the card’s rebate rate from .055 percent to .69 percent, which will realize the city about $2,500 income annually.
The second resolution approved the sale of a 1.96-acre surplus parcel of land on City Boulevard for $17,500 to purchaser Jamarra McGraw. The property is zoned for residential development.
The final measure authorized a Memorandum of Agreement between the Waycross Police Department and the Ware County Board of Education. This would allow WPD personnel to render mutual aid assistance in a local emergency such as an active shooter situation on school system property.
The ordinance second reading approved the closure of an alley between Pendergast Street and Wadley Street. The alley, which was never opened or used by the city for public access, is approximately 10 feet wide and 98 feet long in a northerly direction between the streets.
The public hearing prior to the meeting was to consider closure and abandonment of a portion of Palm Beach Avenue.
