Charter committee urges enforceable ethics language, disclosure and recusal for Augusta Richmond County

Sheffi Robinson, a member of the Augusta Charter Review Committee, urged adopting enforceable ethics language in the Augusta Richmond County charter that would treat public officials as fiduciaries, require disclosure and recusal when financial interests arise, and attach structural consequences for violations.

Robinson said the committee is also recommending governance changes including a professional manager to oversee day-to-day operations and creation of an internal audits function to improve accountability and transparency. "Strong ethics language belongs in the charter," she said, arguing that embedding standards there ensures continuity across administrations and avoids reliance on penalties that only take effect after misconduct.

The proposed charter language, Robinson said, frames public officials as fiduciaries responsible for maintaining and properly using public funds and shifts ethics from a checklist of prohibited acts to a duty-based standard for evaluating conduct. It would prohibit officials from engaging in business, employment or relationships that impair or reasonably appear to impair independent judgment and would single out financial interests, conflicting private employment, misuse of confidential information and representation of private interests against the government.

Disclosure and recusal are central to the draft: when an official has a financial interest in a matter it "must be disclosed publicly and entered into the record," Robinson said, and participation in the decision would be prohibited. The proposal directs adoption of ordinances to prevent nepotism, regulate procurement and require recusal in hiring and contracting; it would also limit ethics-board members'ability to influence those processes to preserve independent oversight.

Robinson described enforcement measures built into the package. She said knowingly concealing conflicts would be treated as malfeasance; "Contracts entered into with knowledge of a violation are voidable," she said, and officials who violate standards could forfeit their positions and be barred from future service for a defined period. Robinson emphasized the provisions are intended as deterrence and institutional protection rather than merely punishment.

Robinson contrasted the charter and ordinances, noting that some governance details are appropriately handled by ordinance but that core ethical duties belong in the charter because ordinances can be amended more easily. She said the charter provisions aim to anticipate pressure and complexity and to create predictable expectations, transparent processes and durable accountability for a consolidated government such as Augusta Richmond County.

The remarks in the transcript are a presentation of the committee's recommendations; the transcript does not record a formal vote or final decision on adopting the language.