Staff Reports
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta’s elected officials spent Wednesday afternoon arguing about “grass” — and then promptly vanished into a closed room together for nearly two hours.
No, not that kind of grass.
At the Feb. 18 Commission meeting, the hottest public debate wasn’t crime, taxes, or housing. It was lawn maintenance. Commissioners sparred for more than an hour over whether to create a new standalone landscaping department because, as several admitted, the city’s grass-cutting operation is a mess.
Right-of-ways overgrown. Retention ponds uncut. Citizens confused about who to call. One commissioner said what the city has now simply “is not working.”
The proposed fix? Consolidate crews from multiple departments into a single vegetation and grounds division. The concerns? No clear cost breakdown. No confirmed warehouse space. No director hired. And grass-cutting season just weeks away.
After a marathon debate — complete with warnings about budget strain and operational chaos — the Commission voted to move forward in theory, but only after the administrator comes back with a detailed transition plan.
Translation: the grass will keep growing while City Hall keeps planning.
Weed Street Worries
Earlier in the meeting, residents from the Weed Street neighborhood questioned a rezoning request tied to a proposed 136-student housing development.
They raised concerns about traffic, drainage, drug activity, infrastructure strain, and whether the project fits the character of the community. Commissioners countered that redevelopment beats blight and stressed the vote was “just rezoning,” not final approval.
For neighbors worried about long-term impacts, that likely felt like small comfort.
Then the Doors Closed
And then — just as things were getting interesting — commissioners voted to enter executive session to discuss personnel, litigation, and real estate matters
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They didn’t come back for nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes — more than 53% of the entire meeting time.
When they finally returned to public view, the only visible action was correcting the retirement date of an airport finance official.
Everything else? Behind closed doors.
Georgia law allows executive sessions for certain matters. But when more than half of a public meeting happens in private, taxpayers are left with a blunt question:
What exactly happens when Augusta’s commissioners lock themselves in a room together — and why does it take that long?
While the public debates grass on the outside, the real business of City Hall appears to be happening where no one can see it.
