8/4/2025 Meeting Preview

You’ll see below some of the agenda highlights for our first meeting in August. I’ve added information from the council agenda memos and background on items that may be of particular interest, along with my thoughts on those issues. You can watch our meetings on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Our meetings are typically on the first and third Mondays of the month. Workshop session begins at 6:00 pm; regular session begins at 7:30 pm; executive session, if necessary, takes place at the conclusion of the regular session.

You can access the full agenda packets here.

We welcome your attendance at our meetings and public comment is available near the start of the meeting, before any actions are taken. You can speak in person at the meeting or submit an e-mail with your name, address, and comment or remark to pcomment@collegeparkga.com no later than 7:30 pm on the evening of the meeting. The City Clerk will read your name, address and comment into the official record. If you have feedback for Mayor and Council directly, you can e-mail us.

WORKSHOP SESSION

1. Presentation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2024 by external auditors Banks, Finley, White & Co.

Our audit was due December 31, 2024. It was completed July 15, 2025 and then revised and reissued three days later on July 18, 2025. I have had serious concerns about the pace of this audit as our credit rating, state funding and other important items depended upon its completion.

The findings in the audit make it clear: we have work to do. One of the most important steps we can take is stabilizing our staffing. Right now, many positions in our finance department are filled by temporary workers. That lack of continuity and institutional knowledge has made it harder to maintain consistent processes and controls.

The city manager has directed each department to strengthen their standard operating procedures, and I believe that focus will be critical to improving our outcomes in future audits—particularly for our new fiscal year that started on July 1, 2025.

Unfortunately, because we received this audit at the start of FY2025-2026, we can't amend any of our practices for the fiscal year that just ended. Based on where we are in the cycle and the timing of these findings, I would anticipate similar issues being reflected in the FY2024-2025 audit that is due at the end of this year. Still, this is an opportunity for us to get better—and I believe we will.

3. Presentation of Wonderland Experiential Learning Center Program Proposal for the Wyatt Recreation Center. This is sponsored by Councilwoman Arnold from Ward 3 Community Enhancements located in Ward 3.

Wonderland is a program that originated in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a focus on providing experiential learning opportunities in STEAM subjects for children. Its organizers have partnered with professors and students at Purdue University to create new educational experiences for grade school students—an approach that has strong potential.

If this is an initiative the governing body wishes to support, I believe it’s essential that we commit to evaluating its impact at the end of the first year. Before we consider additional funding, we need to ensure the outcomes are measurable and that the data supports continued investment. If we are going to stand behind an initiative, we owe it to our community to confirm it delivers results.

REGULAR SESSION

8. Consent Agenda

As I’ve noted before, “[a]ccording to the Georgia Municipal Association’s Handbook for Mayors and Councilmembers, a consent agenda can be a useful tool when a governing body has a lot of business to cover. It typically includes noncontroversial items or those previously discussed and needing final approval, such as permit issuances, street closures, or bill authorizations. While a consent agenda can save time, it should never be used to bypass public participation or stifle open dialogue.”

We regularly utilized consent agendas in 2023. The items on the consent agenda were part of the workshop session for discussion and then approved in the regular meeting. Any member of the body could pull an item off of the consent agenda in the regular session for individual consideration. This process ensured each elected official understood the business at hand before a vote. This hasn’t happened with the use of consent agendas in 2024 and so far in 2025.

Additionally, for FY2025–2026, each member of the governing body has been allocated $900,000 in community enhancement funds—$500,000 designated for capital projects and $400,000 for non-capital expenditures.

Unlike the formal budgeting process undertaken by staff—where every dollar is tied to a specific line item—I and my colleagues did not go through that level of detail when these enhancement funds were allocated. As a result, some of the items being funded through these accounts are appearing for the first time on the consent agenda without any prior discussion.

In the spirit of transparency—and to ensure you have a real opportunity to weigh in on how these public funds are used—I believe that any community enhancement expenditure not specifically identified in the adopted budget should appear in the Regular Business section of the agenda, not the Consent Agenda.

As this fiscal year continues, I will provide quarterly updates detailing how your community enhancement dollars are being spent. You deserve to know where and how your tax dollars are being invested.

B. Consideration of and action on a request for the renewal of a Professional Services Agreement between the City of College Park, GA and Southern Capital Strategies and Partners (Lobbyist Services) in the amount of $119,999.88. This item is requested by Lindell Y. Miller, City Manager. This is a budgeted item. FUND: Consulting Services - G/L #100 1300 52 5510.

C. Consideration of and action on a request for the renewal of a Professional Services Agreement between the City of College Park, GA and A.R. Long Company, LLC (Lobbyist Services) in the amount of $72,000. This item is requested by Lindell Y. Miller, City Manager. This is a budgeted item. FUND: Consulting Services - G/L #100 1300 52 5510.

Prior to our contracts with these two firms, the city spent $5,000 per month on state lobbying services. In the 2025 legislative session, our lobbyists focused on preventing the state legislature from changing our charter and passing the senior homestead exemption legislation that will be on the ballot this November.

E. Consideration of and action on a request to approve the City Attorney Contract. This item is requested by Lindell Y. Miller, City Manager.

This contract has no cap on fees. However, we have $900,000 budgeted for legal expenses. We spent over $1.4 million in FY 2024-2025. I think each bill should go on the consent agenda for approval and payment. Some of my colleagues and I disagree on this point. At the very least, when we exceed the budgeted amount, any overages should come to the governing body for approval and a budget adjustment should occur.

H. Consideration of and action on a request for approval for Kemi Construction Inc. To install drainage structures within the Dr. Subrenia Miller Willis Park playground areas to prevent flooding in the surrounding areas of the park, in the amount of $68,000.00. This is a budgeted item. This agenda item is being requested by Highway, Streets and Storm Water Superintendent, Raymond Cotton, Fund: Community Enhancement Account # 100-1100-54-7182 This will service Ward 2.

While I don’t have a specific objection to installing drainage at the park, this is one of several community enhancement projects that was not clearly identified during our budget process.

Both the lack of prior discussion and the nature of the expenditure suggest this item would be more appropriately placed under Regular Business, where it can receive the full attention and review it warrants.

(Correction: In an earlier comment I made about this agenda item, I referenced this expenditure as coming from the non-capital community enhancement fund for Ward 2. I was incorrect. This item has been properly attributed as a capital expense.)

P. Consideration of and action on a request to approve to Piggyback Contract for Radarsign LLC. The agenda item is being requested by Councilman Joe Carn of Ward 2. The amount for these items is $10,671.00. This is budgeted item for Capital Improvement/Community Enhancement FUND: G/L 100-1100-54-7182.

This is another item that did not come up during our budget discussions. Since this request is not coming from our public safety staff—specifically the police department—I have some questions about how and where these three radar signs will be deployed across the city.

Real-time radar feedback can certainly help calm traffic, especially in areas with higher speeds, but I believe our public safety professionals are best equipped to determine where these devices will have the greatest impact. I hope their expertise will help guide any deployment decisions moving forward.

9. Regular Business

B. Consideration of and action on a request to consider waiving the business license penalties/interest fees in the amount of $61,229.00 for City of Atlanta Department of Aviation. This item is being requested by Sabrina Walters, Inspections Operations Manager.

From staff: “The City of Atlanta is required to pay occupational taxes to College Park on its proprietary activities at the airport within the city limits, including activities like parking, rentals, fuel storage fees, water service, etc. Occupational tax certificates expire annually on December 31st . Renewal applications and occupational taxes payments must be submitted by March 31st of the following year, otherwise late fees are incurred at 10% plus 1.5% each month until paid. Atlanta paid its 2025 occupational taxes in the amount of $249,914.00 on June 6, 2025, and was assessed a late fee in the amount of $61,229.00. Atlanta is now seeking a fee waiver from the City for such amount.”

Staff’s recommendation is to deny the request to waive the penalties and interest fees. From a review of the e-mail discussion between staff at the City of Atlanta and the City of College Park, there seems to have been some issues regarding the use of our online business portal that may have led to at least part of the delay in payment. I look forward to the discussion so we can determine a proper resolution of this issue.

C. Consideration of and action on a request to consider waiving the business license penalties/interest fees in the amount of $28,176.00 for Unifi Aviation LLC (North and South Terminal). This item is being requested by Sabrina Walters, Inspections Operations Manager.

From staff: “Unifi provides ground aviation in both the North and South Terminals at the Airport. Unifi mailed its renewal applications for occupational tax certificates on August 16, 2024, to former Occupation Tax Revenue Administrator Belinda Wilder and again to current Administrator Kesha Clark on September 18, 2024. Administrator Clark asked for additional information to process the application. However, Unifi was unable to gain access to the City’s portal to upload its applications and process payment until after the June 30, 2024 grace period expired. After gaining access in April 2025, Unifi filed its 2024 applications and paid the requisite fees, but the City’s portal rejected the applications and payments for 2025 due to a processing error. Unifi was finally able to submit the 2025 applications and payments on June 11, 2025. Shortly thereafter, Unifi requested a fee waiver for the late payment penalties in the amount of $28,176.00 ($14,088.00 for Unifi Aviation North Terminal and $14,088.00 for Unifi Aviation South Terminal) due to its difficulties with the City’s portal.”

There is some conversation in the e-mail chain about some of this company’s late fees being waived back in 2024, so I want to make sure we are consistent in our words and our actions. Again, I look forward to the discussion.

F. Consideration of and action on a request to approve a Professional Services Agreement with Andrew Hicks Sr. with Quantum Security Intelligence LLC, as the Community Affairs Liaison Officer in the amount of $36,000. This is a budgeted item. FUND: Community Enhancement Ward 2 G/L 100-1100-52-7282. This item is sponsored by Councilman Joe Carn.

Quantum Security Intelligence was paid $2814.00 ($1407.00 in May 2025 and $1407.00 in June 2025) by the city ”to provide professional neighborhood security consultant services to the City by working directly with the City’s citizens to enhance security within their community by providing advice and services related to security assessment, risk mitigation, and implementation of security measures.” The company was to “work with homeowners’ associations (HOA) and citizens to develop and train comprehensive security strategies and integrate security technologies.”

To date, I have not seen any deliverables associated with the funding we allocated in the last fiscal year. Without documentation of outcomes or progress, it’s difficult to assess the effectiveness of the work or determine whether continued investment is warranted. However, the scope of services for this new contract is much broader and includes services that would not, in my opinion, require a professional to complete them, including promoting “neighborhood awareness…to celebrate the diversity and resilience of College Park.”

Scope of Services, Quantum Security Intelligence, LLC

G. Consideration of and action on a request to Ignite Resource Center Professional Services Agreement for $50,000.00 (FY 2026). This is a budgeted item. This item is being requested by Christa Gilbert, Interim Director of Human Resources and Risk Management. FUND: General Fund (G/L 100-1100-52-6170).

While the goals of this organization are laudable, I continue to have concerns about the lack of documented outcomes. I have raised these concerns in the past. We have not received consistent reporting or measurable data that speaks to its actual impact in several years. Deliverables have not been clearly outlined or shared, and that makes it difficult for us to assess the value of our continued investment.

Moving forward, I believe we need greater transparency and accountability to ensure public funds are being used effectively. I hope we can work toward a more collaborative and results-driven approach.