Charter committee approves agreed sections, tables contested language and plans public outreach

The Augusta City Charter Review Committee on Dec. 4 voted to accept the non‑controversial sections of its draft charter and later adopted a second set of recommended revisions. The chair called a first vote that passed 10–1 with the record noting "miss Baca" voting no; a subsequent motion to accept additional revisions passed unanimously.

During the meeting Miss Robinson moved to strike two sentences in section 1‑30(d) that would have prohibited the mayor from voting on appointments or serving as a voting committee member. She later withdrew the motion and members agreed to defer fuller consideration and any language changes to the January 8 workshop so counsel and staff could analyze consequences for committee structure and internal consistency with prior committee decisions. Attorney Plunkett cautioned that historically the mayor has been excluded from some committee processes to preserve a CEO/legislative separation, and he noted an internal audit committee precedent where the mayor served as a member.

Committee members also discussed town halls and public engagement: they agreed to schedule meetings at accessible locations, prepare executive summaries and chaptered prerecorded readings of the proposed charter sections, and consider targeted focus groups so residents can provide germane feedback. Staff and Carl Vinson Institute representatives said the final compiled charter will reflect the exact language the committee voted on; Laurie Brill estimated the compilation process typically takes about two months but could vary.

Next steps: staff will post missing full‑text documents, circulate executive summaries and video chapters in advance, gather requested financial and legal clarifications, and reconvene on Jan. 8 to address the paused sections.