On the agenda: Covington 08/03/2026 Meeting — Flock Camera (Aug 3)

REGULAR MEETING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY OF
COVINGTON, GEORGIA, AUGUST 3, 2026, 6:30 PM.
Mayor Fleeta Baggett presided with Mayor Pro-tem Jared Rutberg, Council Members: Charika
Davis, Dwayne Turner, Anthony Henderson, Travis Moore, and Kimberly Johnson, City Manager
Tres Thomas, Deputy City Manager John King, City Clerk Audra Gutierrez and City Attorney Frank
Turner, Jr.
Reverend Dr. Royeese Stowe gave the invocation.
Mayor Baggett led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America.
Covington Police Chief Brent Fuesting discussed CPD’s Flock Camera Policy.

1.

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Motion made by Council Member Rutberg, seconded by Council Member Davis to approve the
minutes from the Regular Council Meeting held on July 6, 2026.
Motion carried unanimously with council member Moore abstaining from the vote due to being
absent from the previous meeting.
******

2.

Motion made by Council Member Moore, seconded by Council Member Turner to approve
licenses for off-premises consumption for:
Bar Oscar
Neighbors Market Covington

1113 Floyd Street
6234 Turner Lake Road

Motion carried unanimously.

3.

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Motion made by Council Member Moore, seconded by Council Member Turner to approve a
license for Personal Service Beer and/or Wine License application for:
J Nails Spa

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2159 Pace Street

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Motion carried unanimously.

4.

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Motion made by Council Member Moore, seconded by Council Member Turner to approve the
purchase of a Massey Ferguson MF55.145 from Young Blood Tractor for $174,812.00, for the
Transportation Department.
Young Blood Tactor
Wade Tractor
Siak Enterprise

$174,812.00
$218,878.96
$245,565.00

Motion carried unanimously.

5.

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Motion made by Council Member Moore, seconded by Council Member Henderson to approve
the initiation of a Future Land Use Map Amendment from IND (Industrial) to COM (Commercial)
and a Rezoning from the current zoning district of M-2 (Heavy Industrial) to CM (Corridor MixedUse District) for the property located on Hazelbrand Road, Tax Map & Parcel # C098 001A.
Motion carried unanimously.
******
Gregory Road resident Tamichael Jones spoke of his concerns regarding data centers and their
effect on property values, environmental impacts, quality of life and noise pollution.
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A Public Hearing was held at 7:13 PM regarding an ordinance amendment for Gasoline Stations
with or without convenience stores.

6.

Motion made by Council Member Rutberg, seconded by Council Member Moore to approve the
1st reading of an Amendment for Gasoline Stations with or without convenience stores with the
amendment to remove fiber siding from the list of approved building materials:
“AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF COVINGTON, GEORGIA, TO AMEND THE
COVINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE, ENACTED AND ADOPTED ON THE 16TH DAY OF OCTOBER,
2001, AS AMENDED BY PREVIOUS AMENDMENTS, TO ALTER CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF
TITLE 16 OF THE SAID CODE OF ORDINANCES TO AMEND SECTION 16.08.010
(DEFINITIONS) OF CHAPTER 16.08 (INTERPRETATIONS AND DEFINITIONS), TO AMEND
SECTION 16.16.020 (PERMITTED USES) OF CHAPTER 16.16 (STANDARD ZONING
DISTRICTS), TO AMEND SECTION 16.20.330 (GASOLINE STATION AND GASOLINE
STATION WITH CONVENIENCE STORE) WITHIN CHAPTER 16.20 (SUPPLEMENTAL USE
PROVISIONS), TO REPEAL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.”

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Motion carried unanimously.
******

A Public Hearing was held at 7:48 PM regarding a planning and zoning ordinance amendment to
Sec. 16.12.020.D. regarding the Covington Planning Commission Appointment and Terms.
Nytravious Smith asked for clarification on recommended training courses.
Ernie Smith inquired about the council’s faith in the planning and zoning department to review
applications and give recommendations.
7.

Following a lengthy discussion, a motion was made by Council Member Davis, seconded by
Council Member Rutberg to table the 1st reading of planning and zoning amendment to Sec.
16.12.020.D. regarding the Covington Planning Commission Appointment and Terms, and be
placed on the 08/17/2026 agenda to be re-addressed after a work session.
Motion to table the item carried unanimously.
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Mayor Baggett called for a recess from 8:02 PM-8:11 PM.
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A Public Hearing was held at 9:05 PM regarding the 1st reading of Ordinance 16.20.195 draft Data
Center ordinance.
Eric Johansen spoke in favor of the proposed ordinance for data center but against the
recommended noise level recommendations and offered to come to any data center work
sessions to field questions.
Maurice Carter spoke against the combined energy use of data centers.
Bill Couch, from Sustainable Newton, commended employees of the Planning and Zoning
department for all their hard work. He said he believes the city and county should work to align
their data center ordinances. He believes the high and low frequency noises levels should follow
the recommendations of the WHO. He believes the water restriction is not adequate for forever
chemicals.
Monica Darrah spoke about her concerns for data centers and their impact on employees of the
center.

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Nancy Shultz commended the work put in by the Planning & Zoning Department as well as the
Planning Commission. She made recommendations on some of the verbiage used in the 1 st
reading.
8.

Motion made by Council Member Rutberg, seconded by Council Member Turner to approve the
1st reading of Ordinance 16.20.195 draft Data Center ordinance with the following amendments:
-Change the distance from 1000 feet to 2 miles.
-Require Decommissioning Bonds that will be required to be re-evaluated every 5 years.
-Increase public meetings from 1 to 2.
-Change the word “may” to the word “shall” and include a timeframe where needed in
Section O, 5 & 6 and Section P.
“AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF COVINGTON, GEORGIA, TO AMEND THE
COVINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE, ENACTED AND ADOPTED ON THE 16TH DAY OF OCTOBER,
2001, AS AMENDED BY PREVIOUS AMENDMENTS, TO ALTER CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF
TITLE 16 OF THE SAID CODE OF ORDINANCES TO AMEND SECTION 16.08.010
(DEFINITIONS) OF CHAPTER 16.08 (INTERPRETATIONS AND DEFINITIONS), TO AMEND
SECTION 16.16.020 (PERMITTED USES) OF CHAPTER 16.16 (STANDARD ZONING
DISTRICTS), TO ADOPT SECTION 16.20.195 (DATA CENTER) WITHIN CHAPTER 16.20
(SUPPLEMENTAL USE PROVISIONS), TO REPEAL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES.”
Motion carried unanimously.
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Mayor Baggett called for another recess from 9:30 PM-9:36 PM.

9.

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Motion made by Council Member Henderson, seconded by Council Member Turner to approve
of a Memorandum of Understanding for ESRI Software License Agreement for GIS with the City’s
share of $120,300.00, or $40,100.00 annually over a 3-year term.
Motion carried unanimously.

10.

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Motion made by Council Member Turner, seconded by Council Member Moore to approve
entering into a 120-month agreement with Axon for continued access to critical public safety
technology solutions in the amount of $4,033,496.79, with a savings of $1,618,708.53 over the
life of the contract.
Motion carried unanimously.

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11.

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Motion made by Council Member Henderson, seconded by Council Member Rutberg to approve
levying the 2026 Millage Rate at 6.173 mils.
Motion carried unanimously.

12.

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Motion made by Council Member Johnson, seconded by Council Member Rutberg to approve 1st
reading of an amendment to Ordinance 2.06 Ethics.
“AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF COVINGTON, GEORGIA, TO AMEND THE
COVINGTON MUNICIPAL CODE, ENACTED AND ADOPTED ON THE 16TH DAY OF OCTOBER
2001, AS AMENDED BY PREVIOUS AMENDMENTS, TO ALTER CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF TITLE
2 OF THE SAID CODE OF ORDINANCES TO AMEND SECTIONS 2.06.080 (COMPLAINTS) AND
2.06.090 (BOARD OF ETHICS) OF CHAPTER 2.06 (CODE OF ETHICS) TO REPEAL CONFLICTING
ORDINANCES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.”
Motion carried with Rutberg, Johnson, Moore, and Turner voting in favor of approving. Council
members Davis and Henderson voting opposed.

13.

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Following a very lengthy discussion, a motion made by Council Member Rutberg, seconded by
Council Member Turner to table initiating a text amendment to Section 2.11 – Administrative
Duties and Powers to require that hiring and promotion recommendations for Executive,
Supervisory, and Department Head positions be conducted through an independent human
resources recruitment firm. The recruitment, screening, and recommendation process for these
positions should be outsourced to an independent HR firm to ensure an impartial, transparent,
and merit-based selection process, and be placed on the 9/1 agenda to be re-addressed.
Motion to table the item carried unanimously.

14.

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Following a lengthy discussion, a motion made by Council Member Henderson, seconded by
Council Member Davis to table initiating a flat rate late utility fee for eligible senior’s account or
65 and older and be placed on the 08/17/2026 agenda to be re-addressed.
Council Member Turner exited the meeting at 10:34 PM and returned at 10:38 PM.
Motion to table carried unanimously.
******

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15.

Motion made by Council Member Rutberg, seconded by Council Member Johnson to approve to
require applicants/outside entities to pay for city-contracted services when initiated by the
applicant/outside entity without funding approval by staff departments.
Motion carried unanimously.
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Ms. Rosie Crawford expressed concern for her stormwater bill and runoff on her property. She
spoke of utility bill concerns. She inquired once again about when the CRB board will be filled.
She was glad to hear information is being given about data centers and looks forward to hearing
more at upcoming meetings.
Ms. Diane Gaither-Howard expressed concerns about late fees for seniors.
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Council Member Moore addresses Ms. Crawford’s comment offering to meet after the meeting
with recommendation for flood insurance.
Council Member Turner announced that he will be hosting a bi-weekly run called the “Turner
Trail” beginning this Saturday at 8 AM behind 1113 Usher St. He announced that he will be
hosting a townhall meeting. He thanked his wife for her support and her encouragement to
return to the meeting. He expressed disappointment towards the mayor and council for being
disrespectful.
Council Member Rutberg is looking forward to receiving the additional information that the
council requested from staff. He thanked everyone.
Mayor Bagett apologized to Council Member Turner for her outburst and thanked him for
returning to finish the meeting.
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Being no further business meeting, the meeting adjourned at 10:57 PM.

________________________________
Fleeta S. Baggett, Mayor
_________________________________
Audra M. Gutierrez, City Clerk

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