Land bank idea rejected in 3-3 vote

Published 11:13 am Monday, June 19, 2023

As it stands, Milledgeville City Council authorizing an agreement with the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners to establish and participate in a land bank is out of the question.

But the idea may not be permanently dead just yet.

The topic will be back on the agenda for discussion by city council members and the mayor at the June 27 council meeting, slated for 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

City council members could decide at that time to take another vote on the proposal and approve it, or they could decide to vote it down once again.

During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, government leaders rejected the proposal in a 3-3 vote by the six-member governing body.

Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan attended a portion of the city council work session but was unable to stay for the regular action session of city council because she had to catch a flight to attend a national conference and represent the city of Milledgeville.

The mayor, under the city charter, would normally have broken the tie vote, but since she was not present, the tie was deemed a defeat of the motion to approve the land bank resolution.

Alderman Steve Chambers, mayor pro tem, led the meeting in the mayor’s absence.

Before the motion and a second to it, Chambers asked City Clerk Bo Danuser to read aloud Resolution R-2306-20 by caption.

“A resolution to establish to create the Baldwin County Land Bank; to approve a land bank contract pertaining to the creation and operation of the Baldwin County Land Bank; and for other purposes,” Danuser said.

Chambers then called for a motion to adopt. A motion was made by Alderman Walter Reynolds. Alderwoman Denese Shinholster made a second to the motion.

Moments before the vote was called for, the newest member of city council sat down. Alderwoman Shonya Mapp was late because she was attending a meeting of the Baldwin County Board of Education.

Those casting a vote supporting the land bank resolution were Chambers, Reynolds and Mapp.

The other three members of city council, Shinholster, Jeanette Walden and Dr. Collinda Lee, cast no votes.

“OK, we have a 3-3 tie, and so the resolution does not pass,” Chambers said after the vote.

After an executive session where city leaders discussed a personnel matter, Reynolds suggested city council reconsider the land bank proposal.

“There’s some language in there that I really want to talk about,” Walden said. “I’ve got to feel secure. My reason for voting no was that I don’t want one little group of people getting the land everywhere. To me, that’s just not fair. I want to make sure that we’ve got verbiage in there that’s not going to let that happen.”

Reynolds told Walden that the resolution would authorize the mayor to enter into an agreement but that it would have to still be finalized.

“If those terms are not met, then the mayor could just not sign the agreement,” Reynolds said.

City Attorney Jimmy Jordan said he would like to know what specific language Walden was looking for in order to approve it.

He said he’d like clarification of such language.

“That’s why it may be better to put it on another agenda,” Jordan said.

Reynolds said he would be “very interested” in reviewing the proposed resolution at a later date, if that was the will of the full city council.

Reynolds then withdrew his request to discuss the matter further or to have even taken another vote concerning the fate of the resolution a second time Tuesday night.

City Manager Hank Griffeth said the resolution would be placed back on the city council agenda for Tuesday, June 27.