Commissioners Present: Chairman Doug Duncan, D1 Connie Melear, D2 Jim Steed, D3 Mike Carraway. D4 Alison Couch was absent due to testifying at State tax committee in Atlanta.
Call To Order: 6:00 pm
Approval of 7/7/2026 Meeting Minutes: Yay 4, No 0
Consent Agenda: Yay 4, No 0
Management and Internal Services Committee
(H1a) Service Agreement with the Izzy Scott Foundation
(H1b) Georgia Indigent Defense Services Agreement for the Public Defender’s Office
(H1c) Master Services Agreement with Pictometry International for Digital Orthophotography
(H1d) Implementation of Cisco Security Suite
(H1e) Microsoft Enterprise Agreement 2026-2029
(H1f) Allocate funding for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to replace the Detention Center plumbing fixtures.
(H1g) Independent Contractor Agreement with WSP USA Inc. for the Special Inspections and Material Testing Services at Evans Towne Center Park and the Racquet Center
(H1h) Lighting Services Agreement with Georgia Power for the Evans Towne Center Park Ice Rink and Parking Lot
Development and Planning Services Committee Commissioner Melear
(H2a) Purchase of Stream and Wetland Mitigation Credits from the Phinizy Swamp Mitigation Bank and Yam Grandy Mitigation Bank for the Hereford Farm Road Widening Project, PI# 0012865
(H2b) Resolution 26-16 Concerning a Determination to Abandon and Sell a Portion of Morris Callaway Road
(H2c) Acceptance of the 2026 LMIG Safety Action Plan Grant
(H2d) Alcoholic Beverage License Mendoza’s Mexican Grill LLC
(H2e) Easement Encroachment Agreement for 801 Prairie Lane, Tax Map 072P Parcel 077
(H2f) Easement Encroachment Agreement 3104 Wildflower Court, Tax Map 071 Parcel 178
Debate Agenda
New Business
Development and Planning Services Committee
(I1a1) VA26-07-01, Variance to Section 90-53 List of lot and Structure Requirements, 618 Millstone Drive, Tax Map 077 Parcel 599, 0.70 +/- acres, and currently zoned R-2 (Single Family Residential). Approve: Yay 4, No 0
Schlachter: (This is for a proposed standalone garage.) The property has 2 front setbacks. Letter of support from HOA.
(I1a2) RZ26-07-01, Major PUD (Planned Unit Development) Revision, 500 Furys Ferry Road, Tax Map 078 Parcel 178, 11.16 +/- acres, and currently zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development). Disapprove: Yay 3, No 1 (Steed)
Dr. Troy Acres: Asked to deny. Planning Commission voted 4-1 to deny. Concerns about traffic safety, removal of parking spaces, construction impacting existing businesses, existing conceptual plans from 2020 and 2024 do not include gas station. Had to jump through hopes for Ding Pickleball, but never complained.
Lindsey Steinburg: Opposed. 2026 Comprehensive Plan encouraging wider variety of businesses. Economic benefits of pickleball tourism, safety concerns associated with gas stations, impacts to quality of life.
Dr. Brandy Consololis: North August Business Owner of Splatter Place. Shared experience of prolonged construction at shopping center in Aiken County. Promised it would be done in 10 months but still ongoing at month 12. She had forced layoffs within 3 weeks of construction starting and she is 3 weeks from bankruptcy. Has lost $15K in business per month since construction started in the parking lot. Her business now has no parking and her front entrance was blocked for 2 months. Urged Commission to not put businesses through that.
(I1a3) RZ26-07-02, Change of Conditions, 4800 Columbia Road, Tax Map 068 Parcel 019C, 2.44 +/- acres and currently zoned C-2 (General Commercial). Approve: Yay 4, No 0
Schlachter: Change to allow restaurant to use Parcel. Years ago, there was a restriction placed on the parcel to not allow a restaurant. There has been infrastructure improvements nearby, so asking restriction to be removed to build a restaurant. Conditions that all planning staff has to approve and Caliper trees to remain in landscaping.
Melear: Will this restaurant be inside the gas station and connected or two separate units?
Schlachter: Connected to existing building but there won’t be doors that pass between the 2 businesses.
Melear: Questions about alcohol sales at this location?
Schlachter: Not at this time.
Melear: Were there any comments from neighbors?
Schlachter: One comment at planning commission that area is already “super congested” and adding restaurant will increase traffic in area.
(I1a4) Agreement to Participate in the Georgia Hospital Signing System Approve: Yay 4, No 0
Schlachter: Hospital nearing completion. In order to have signs on Interstate, we have to enter agreement with GDOT. They are responsible for signs on their roads and we’re responsible for signs on our roads.
Melear: Pointed out that this agreement supersedes local signage ordinance but she thinks that’s an appropriate Variance.
Items Added at the Meeting
(I2a) Reappointments of Development Authority (Mark Herbert, Rick Tulle, Stan Shepard) with terms ending 12/31/2029. Approve: Yay 4, No 0
Johnson: These people are all up for reappointment to the Development Authority.
Susan Warren: Added at the meeting to give comment. Questioned whether adding the Development Authority appointments to the agenda during the meeting complied with Georgia’s Open Meetings requirements. She compared the addition to previous library agenda amendments and argued agenda additions should only occur during emergencies.
Duncan: Acknowledged appointments overlooked earlier in the year. It should have been brought to the board in January.
Susan Warren: Argued that public should have been properly noticed of the addition of the agenda item because it wasn’t an emergency.
Duncan: He didn’t have a problem with it.
Susan Warren: It’s circumventing requirements under the Open Meetings Act, similar to how it was circumvented with the Library [Guidelines] previously.
Public Comment:
Lindsey Brantley: Requested improvements to Rezoning process by increasing notice from 15 days to 30 days, and adding Board of Commissioners Meeting info to rezoning signs. Used Hall County as an example.
Duncan: Directed to Schlachter, discussed concern about if the date of the meeting gets moved, it creates a problem with the sign. Interested in what Hall County does.
Schlachter: We order the signs. After application received, signs get ordered, and typically put out on Wednesdays to meet the necessary 15-days. Here’s the concern though and happy to look into what Hall County does. Also, directed public to the website. There are 6 right now on website that won’t go in front of Planning Commission until August, so they are advertising it.
Brantley: My complaint isn’t about the information available online. It’s about the signage. In the last 14 months, I’ve noticed people swarm the meeting on the sign but not the meeting in which the final vote is taken, like tonight. The Pickle Ball parking lot might be the exception to that. We want to see you all though (indicates towards commission) because we elect you and you make the final vote, not the volunteers. Those are volunteers on the planning commission, or are they paid employees?
Duncan: No, they’re appointed.
Brantley: They’re appointed by you but they’re not the ones that the decision is on…
Melear: They are a recommending body.
Brantley: That’s right. So I feel like the crowd needs to show up to this meeting, and not just to the planning commission meeting. That’s my issue. I know online is up to date but people respond to the signs.
Duncan: She mentioned stickers, so maybe if there are stickers like an overlay on the sign….
Brantley: Argued that right now it just has the planning commission date on it. If you add the commission meeting date on it and that date changes, you could slap a sticker on it and you’re not having to order a new sign.
Melear: But if you see a date on the sign, and you show up, but it was postponed or changed, you’re going to be kinda mad, right?
Brantley: I’m just asking for a good faith effort. A lot of people just want more time and information. And some people rely on and plan attendance based on the signs. We could go back and forth about who is responsible about knowing the process and information. I feel like an olive branch from you all to the community, especially with all the things sliding through, notifying us to the best of your ability would feel like an olive branch to us.
Carraway: I wouldn’t be opposed to that if it can be done.
Lee Muns: Presented a proposed Model Data Center Ordinance and Development Framework on behalf of Citizens for Open Governance. Asked ahead of time to go over allotted 5 minutes. Spoke for about 12+ minutes.
Adjourn