APRIL 9, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. - CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING

CITY GOVERNMENT

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE MAYOR AND ALDERMEN

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

The regular meeting of the City Council was held at 2:06 p.m., in Council Chambers.  Chairman Nick Palumbo called the meeting to order.  He then recognized Alderwoman Linda Wilder, who introduced Alderman Kurtis Purtee, to offer the invocation.  Upon arrival, Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz asked the Clerk to call the roll.  The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States was recited in unison.  

PRESENT:  

Alderwoman Carolyn H. Bell, At-Large, Post 1

Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely, At-Large, Post 2

Alderwoman Bernetta B. Lanier, District 1

Alderman Detric Leggett, District  2

Alderwoman Linda Wilder, District 3 - Vice Chair

Alderman Nick Palumbo, District 4 - Chairman

Alderwoman Dr. Estella Edwards Shabazz, District 5 - Mayor Pro Tem

Alderman Kurtis Purtee, District 6

ABSENT:

Mayor Van R. Johnson, II

ALSO, PRESENT:

City Manager Jay Melder

Assistant City Manager Taffanye Young

Chief of Staff Daphanie Williams

City Attorney Bates Lovett

Clerk of Council Mark Massey

Deputy Clerk of Council Gwendolyn Jones

Ald. Palumbo moved to adopt/approve item #1, seconded by Ald. Wilder and Ald. Leggett.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #2, #3, and #4, seconded by Ald. Wilder, Ald. Miller Blakely, and Ald. Leggett.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #2, #3, and #4, seconded by Ald. Wilder, Ald. Miller Blakely, and Ald. Leggett.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #2, #3, and #4, seconded by Ald. Wilder, Ald. Miller Blakely, and Ald. Leggett.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz introduced City Manager Melder to present the 2025 Employee of the Year Winner.  He was joined by the Employee Engagement Team's Chair, Megan Kerkhoff (Municipal Archives), and other members.  City Manager Melder announced Fire Captain Trevor Jaha as the 2025 Employee of the Year Winner.  

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz and Ald. Palumbo presented an official proclamation recognizing the Month of April as Savannah Safe Digging Month, to Water & Sewer Planning Senior Director James "Jim" Laplander, his team/staff, and the Georgia 811 members who were present.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz declared the alcohol hearings open for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10.

No speaker(s).

a.  Ald. Purtee moved to close the alcohol license hearings for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10, seconded by Ald. Bell and Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

b.  Ald. Leggett moved to approve agenda item #7, seconded by Ald. Wilder and Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz declared the alcohol hearings open for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10.

No speaker(s).

a.  Ald. Purtee moved to close the alcohol license hearings for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10, seconded by Ald. Bell and Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

b.  Ald. Leggett moved to approve agenda item #8, seconded by Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz declared the alcohol hearings open for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10.

No speaker(s).

a.  Ald. Purtee moved to close the alcohol license hearings for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10, seconded by Ald. Bell and Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

b.  Ald. Leggett moved to approve agenda item #9, seconded by Ald. Wilder and Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz declared the alcohol hearings open for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10.

No speaker(s).

a.  Ald. Purtee moved to close the alcohol license hearings for agenda items #7, #8, #9, and #10, seconded by Ald. Bell and Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

b.  Ald. Leggett moved to approve agenda item #10, seconded by Ald. Wilder and Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Miller Blakely stated she wanted to let the community know that this is not an ordinary brewery.  She stated that the beer is delivered and the owner of the business packages it.  Ald. Miller Blakely stated her earlier concern was that the brewery was so close to a home and no one had actually spoken to the homeowner of that property.   She stated that she was just informed that it was a different type of brewing system that would be in that space and parkng will be available for that particular homeowner.

Ald. Leggett stated that the homeowner's driveway would be painted so that she would be able to access her home from Habersham Street.  He stated the applicant has made himself available to have a conversation with the homeowner.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz declared the zoning hearing open for agenda item #11.  See related item #12.

Speaker(s):

• Subhashi Karanarathe, MPC representative
• Josh Yellin, representing the petitioner

a.  Ald. Wilder moved to close the zoning hearing for agenda item #11, seconded by Ald. Purtee and Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 6-0-0.  Ald. Miller Blakely and Ald. Leggett were away from the dais during the vote, and Mayor Johnson was absent.

b.  Ald. Lanier moved to reopen the zoning hearing for agenda item #11, seconded by Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 6-0-0.  Ald. Miller Blakely and Ald. Leggett were away from the dais during the vote, and Mayor Johnson was absent.  The hearing  was reopened, thereby allowing the MPC representative and the petitioner to speak.

c. Ald. Palumbo moved to close the zoning hearing for agenda item #11, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 6-0-0.  Ald. Miller Blakely and Ald. Leggett were away from the dais during the vote, and Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved (to approve agenda item #12) that the first reading be considered the second and the ordinance placed upon its passage and passed, seconded by Ald. Purtee and Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 7-0-0.  Ald. Miller Blakely was away from the dais during the vote, and Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Lanier moved to deny item #13, seconded by Ald. Wilder and Ald. Miller Blakely.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Lanier stated she was glad that we, as a council, as a city government, have finally placed some attention on economics as it pertains to marginalized and low-wealth communities.   Ald. Lanier expressed that she recently became aware of this item and had some concerns.  She stated that as policymakers and leaders in Savannah, we have a constitutional responsibility to create policies that are going to benefit our citizens, especially in this particular area, for people who are not necessarily able to speak up and out and uplift themselves.  Ald. Lanier stated that, for this matter, she thinks the council has to put some guardrails in place to facilitate the enormously important problem/condition in our city, and she wants to be part of the conversation.

Ald. Lanier stated that when she looked at this particular item, there was a grant that had been secured, and that was a good thing.  She stated she wished the council knew a little bit more about it.  Ald. Lanier expressed that the council did not have an opportunity to have a discussion to impact the criteria that would be considered in putting this bid together.  She stated the council might want to alter this bid, the criteria, or the scope, and thinks it is going to require more conversation, more deliberation, and more input from the council to say how we need to proceed with this matter.

Ald. Lanier expressed her concern about the bids received and the two bids that were considered.  She stated we considered two bids, and from those two, there was a gap in between what was bid, one coming in at $62,000 and the other one at $121,000.  Ald. Lanier stated that there was such a wide gap that it was questionable in the quality of the work or the scope of the work.  She asked if we do not pass this today, what would be the procedure or the process that we would take as far as putting this back out to get some more bids to go out further, spread a wider net, on this.  City Manager Melder responded.  Ald. Lanier stated she knows she is not the only one concerned about this and not the only one who has high poverty in their district, but if price were our driving criteria for making this decision, even that is a problem.

Ald. Wilder asked the City Attorney how we could come back and open it for additional people, and if we would be liable.  She further asked the City Attorney to explain what the process would be should this occur again, and how this shapes into the council voting on the City Manager's recommendations.  City Attorney Lovett stated that the council could deny or not authorize the City Manager to execute, and then could instruct him to go back out for bid again with no liability.  Ald. Wilder stated that she knows this is a time issue, and she appreciates Team Savannah for considering somebody locally, but she thinks the council wants to have input for something as important as this.

Ald. Miller Blakely asked how much the grant was and if the amount was for the whole program. (Yes, $100,000.)  She further asked if the city was going to add more to that. (Yes, we are using our staff capacity and other resources as well.)

Ald. Bell stated that if she understood Ald. Lanier correctly, what interested her was the talk about civic or community engagement and having local participation, even in the discussions before the staff designs the scope of the RFP.  Ald. Bell asked Ald. Lanier, if her statement summarized what she was talking about, which was the lack of not only council participation in this discussion but civic engagement as well? Ald. Lanier responded.  Ald. Bell followed by stating "you are wanting more local engagement, participation from folk who worked in this area, folk who have been sensitive to the needs in this whole process before we go out for bid nationally." (Yes)  Ald. Bell stated she understands that delaying the vote today would maybe delay the process a bit, but she does not necessarily feel like it would be detrimental to the process.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz stated that when she was going through her agenda, she too had questions about this, and like one of her colleagues, Ald. Wilder, she too, noticed that the details she was looking for to answer her questions were not there.  She further stated she was clear and on the same page with Ald. Lanier, in reference to this particular item.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #14 and #15, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #14 and #15, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Leggett moved to approve item #16, seconded by Ald. Palumbo, Ald. Wilder, and Ald. Miller Blakely.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Leggett stated he wanted to get some clarification on item #16, and he thinks item #15 was married to the same conversation.  He asked if we had already performed the remediation of the mold that was in the entire gym area (at W.W. Law).  City Manager Melder responded.  Ald. Leggett asked, with the facilities maintenance portion, will that address the outside, the pressure washing, the updating of the paint, or anything on the outside?  City Manager Melder responded.  Ald. Leggett asked if this was for all the labor and materials for painting the W.W. Law Community's gymnasium interior, and if we were going to do that portion before we do the floor. (Yes)

Ald. Leggett stated he still wanted some more information about the Eastside Concerned Citizens.  He expressed that he wanted to make sure everyone knows just how important that information was and how important it was, not only to the community around, but to everybody who is sitting on the dais, and that it was historical.  Ald. Leggett thanked City Manager Melder and staff for the effort in trying to locate a lot of the materials.  He stated that he felt some kind of way for Freddy Patrick to have put that much effort into something of that magnitude for it to be discarded the way it was.  Ald. Leggett further expressed that he just wanted to make sure that the council had a conversation about it.  City Manager Melder responded.

Ald. Wilder stated that we championed having the basketball court named after our friend, Freddy Patrick.  She asked that when the basketball court is painted, let us know so that we can have the family come and celebrate the reopening.  In reference to the Eastside Concerned Citizens, Ald. Wilder stated there were some pictures that we took off the walls.  She stated that some of them were not in the best condition, but some of the residents asked for them, and she would like to make sure that they got them.  City Manager Melder responded.

Ald. Miller Blakely stated she was looking at the agenda, and she did not see all of the individuals who applied for this particular contract.  She stated she would like to know the names of those individuals and requested the information from the City Manager.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #17, #18, and #19, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #17, #18, and #19, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve items #17, #18, and #19, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to continue/postpone item #20 until April 23, 2026 Council Meeting, seconded by Ald. Purtee.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve Settlement #1, authorizing the City Attorney's Office to settle the claim (employee vehicle crash) of Rodney Floyd for $37,000.00, seconded by Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve Settlement #2, authorizing the City Attorney's Office to settle the claim (employee vehicle crash) of Olivia Martin for $50,000.00, seconded by Ald. Wilder.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Palumbo moved to approve item #23, seconded by Ald. Lanier.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Ald. Wilder moved to approve item #24, seconded by Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

Following additional announcements made by the Mayor and Aldermen, Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz adjourned the regular meeting at 3:26 p.m.

Mark Massey, Clerk of Council

Date Minutes Approved: ______________________

Signature:                                                                  

The video recording of the meeting can be found by copying and inserting the link below in your URL:

https://savannahgovtv.viebit.com/?folder=ALL.