August 3, 2022
There’s a lot more to say about Tuesday night’s five-plus hour Athens-Clarke County Commission meeting, but here’s a rundown of how the commission voted on many key issues. Click here for background.
The commission approved:
- A resolution instructing ACC police to reduce fines for marijuana possession. The original proposal said $1; however, including state-mandated fees, the fine will now be $35. It does not affect UGA police, the Clarke County Sheriff’s office or Georgia State Patrol, which are not under the ACC government’s control. Commissioner Ovita Thornton opposed the resolution, calling marijuana a “gateway to other drugs.”
- A resolution instructing ACC police to make abortion-related arrests their lowest priority, in light of the Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision and the state’s six-week abortion ban going into effect.
- A road safety pilot project that will temporarily change Prince Avenue from four car lanes to three with a center turn and add bike lanes between Pulaski Street and Milledge Avenue, where Prince becomes a state highway. A vote on making it permanent will be held in November.
- A second bond issue for the Classic Center arena, with commissioners Mariah Parker, Jesse Houle and Melissa Link voting no.
- A plan to transition the ACC government to 100% clean energy by 2035 and the county as a whole by 2050.
Check the next issue of Flagpole for more.
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