OCTOBER 23, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. - WORKSHOP and CITY MANAGER'S BRIEFING

CITY GOVERNMENT

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE MAYOR AND ALDERMEN

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

The work session was held at 11:05 p.m., in the 2^nd Floor Media Room.  Chairman-Alderman Nick Palumbo called the meeting to order, then recognized Alderman Kurtis Purtee to offer a prayer. 

PRESENT:  

Mayor Van R. Johnson, II, Presiding

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-Bryan, 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

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

City Manager Melder provided a brief overview of the workshop agenda and introduced James Whitfield, Co-Founder of Be Culture, who walked City Council through a presentation about the City's equity framework.

Following the presentation, there were questions and comments from members of the City
Council:

Mayor Johnson thanked the City Manager for the presentation.  He stated that for us, equity is not a dirty word, and he stated our GPS, our strategic plan, is not only filled with our intentions but also with our methodology about how we want this city to be.  All has to mean all.  He also thanked the council for supporting it because nowadays it seems like a radical concept that all would be all.  He stated that we will just be radicals, and as an ode to Dr. Otis Johnson, radicals is not a bad word either.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz stated that it was a great segue when Mayor Johnson mentioned (former) Mayor Dr. Otis Johnson, who is leading the Racial Equity And Leadership (R.E.A.L.) Taskforce.  She thanked Mayor Dr. Otis Johnson for leading the taskforce and Mayor Johnson for bringing the work that they have been doing nationally for some years to Savannah and putting the action behind it so that we could have clear guidance, a blueprint, and a framework for how we are moving now and how we are moving forward into the future.   Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz expressed thanks for including our Mayor and Council by having one-on-one conversations for the documentation to be what we know and believe our community and constituents would want for the betterment of the city. 

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz referenced the presentation slide that talked about equity building blocks and standard business hours.  She stated that some people may need access after business hours and asked what the thought pattern was in reference to the standard business hours. Mr. Whitfield responded. 

Ald. Purtee stated the four guiding principles that he looks at when we make decisions, at least about his district, are accessibility, connectivity, equity, and opportunity.  He stated he was thrilled that they are discussing equity.  It is not just a buzzword; it is a guiding principle, and it is how we operate.  Ald. Purtee stated that it is pleasing to see that our community engagement has been spread out between different hours throughout the day.  He stated he has heard from his constituents that they would like to see at least one nighttime meeting.  Some of them feel like reaching out via technology is not enough, and some would like to come to city council meetings.  Ald. Purtee further stated that it is not that they cannot join online, it is just sometimes they would like to be here to voice their opinion.  He stated that as we move forward in the next coming weeks, he would appreciate some thought behind that.  Ald. Purtee expressed that it is not, personally, for him but for the folks he represents.

Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated we tried (a nighttime council meeting), it did not work, and it created a hardship for staff who had to work during the day; so, we need to consider that too.  She thanked Mr. Whitfield for his presentation and stated she wants to personally know from the third district the traction, movement, and end results.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan asked how we get to where we need to be, and what we do now to make sure that you are moving forward on this, and it is just not going to be a presentation or something on the shelf that we do not move on.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that inclusion is very important.  Sometimes it is like Interpol because our constituents do not know what is going on, and then, we give them too much information to consume at one time.  She stated that this is a lot of information, and so now, we need timelines.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that she wants to be able to tell her constituents that you heard the GPS and this is where we are going to go from ABC.  She expressed that end results, movement, and timelines are what are important to them.

Mayor Johnson stated that he wanted to add to Ald. Purtee's point.  He stated we can certainly explore the accessibility of our meetings.  Mayor Johnson stated it came to his remembrance that that was actually part of the reason why the City Manager and he started Savannah At Night, and the whole thought about that was that we would bring city government, all of our chiefs and department heads, to a place to be able to speak directly to those individuals.  Mayor Johnson stated that we could look at how to expand that.  The next one will be on November 5th, the State of the City, and afterwards, Team Savannah will be there for the purposes of engaging the residents in a way that they may not be able to do during a council meeting.  He stated that obviously, being heard is only during public hearings, and those are legally defined. 

Ald. Bell stated she listened to the discussion and wondered if it is more important that we avail services after hours versus the formal meetings after hours, because, as Mayor Johnson, indicated there is really not an opportunity provided for engagement during a public meeting.  She referred back to what Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz mentioned earlier in this discussion when she talked about services being offered after standard business hours.  Ald. Bell mentioned a change that the current Sheriff instituted at the jail, which gave the legal community access to the jail after hours, so that they would be able to meet with their clients.  She stated that it was an example of where we are going beyond standard business hours of the standard framework to make sure the folks who would benefit from that particular act are provided the opportunity to access services.

Ald. Miller Blakely thanked the City Manager for the presentation and stated it was very informative.  She asked City Manager Melder if we were going to do some type of program for employees who are in the management/supervisor positions when it comes to being equitable to our employees, especially in our sanitation department and in departments where you have lower echelon type of employees working.  Ald. Miller Blakely stated she receives a lot of phone calls about the equity disseminated in departments that do not go around to everybody, and asked if there will be some kind of process where these individuals, who are in positions of authority, find out the same information that was given to council--will they be able to get this information as well? City Manager Melder responded. 

Mayor Johnson added to the City Manager's statement by stating that the council made it clear about what the new world order is, and the City Manager and his team have embodied that as well.  He further stated that now it has to become a culture change through the organization, which sometimes takes a little bit of time.  Sometimes it takes the movement of people to be successful elsewhere if they do not accept or are not willing to embody the same view of equity as this council has.  Mayor Johnson stated that we have to continue to trust the City Manager and the team to continue to make sure that it is throughout the organization.

Ald. Leggett stated that the task has been given to us (council) to tell you what is going on in our communities and how we could be more inclusive within our communities.  He stated the presentation highlighted that all of the communities we represent have differences: where they live, how they live, and where they work.  So we wanted to make sure that everybody's thoughts and what they are going through in the community were brought into one framework.  Ald. Leggett stated that he appreciated you guys even asking us (council) or asking the neighborhood association presidents, what their residents, their portion of the residents, because we (council) have 20 plus thousand people in our districts, but each neighborhood association president has a more intimate relationship with people, street to street. 

Ald. Leggett stated that when we start talking about our lower-level employees and people who are boots on the ground, he did not want to talk to any directors and managers.  He stated that he would like to talk to the people who are actually digging in the ground or who can tell him what is going on, the history of what Savannah is, because they are moving dirt and bricks.  These are the actual people who see what is going on; they live here.  Ald. Leggett stated to the point of a lot of people around this table, those are the people who are being shifted when we start talking about gentrification, and how we, as their representatives, are going to bring their voices to the table.   He stated this is our opportunity to bring their voices to the table and how GPS is going to keep them here when we start telling people from other places to come to Savannah, see what Savannah is about, see how we are growing, and how we are attracting some of the best talent.  Ald. Leggett further expressed that we want to make sure that the talent we have here is actually benefiting from a city that we are growing, building, and highlighting to everybody else.  He expressed his thanks for the presentation and for highlighting the portions of the process that people did not know about.

Ald. Leggett stated that every time we go into our communities, it is a unique experience.  So, as we use those experiences, we do not always have to have a nighttime meeting, but we can have an opportunity to have satellite meetings with our neighborhood presidents.  Ald. Leggett further stated that a good thing about this council is that we can, under the City Manager, have an opportunity to be unique to meet the needs of our community in different ways.

Ald. Lanier stated that she may represent most of the marginalized people in the city based on demographics and based on the U.S. census, and so, she would place three distinct levels in the first district:

•   Across the river, where the hotel is coming up near the convention center, that is probably the higher end of the demographics.
• Out near the county line, you have the Highlands, and that is more of a middle class, and they are concerned about quickly sliding down that scale, and
• In West Savannah, ten (10) neighborhoods are considered mostly low-wealth communities.

Ald. Lanier stated she believed in the process and expressed her thanks for the work.  She stated that she knew and respected the fact that we had the R.E.A.L. Taskforce and that they had done a lot of work.  Ald. Lanier noted that she did not know how many people from the middle (Gullah Geechee) corridor had an opportunity to serve or if their voices were heard from because she did not have the opportunity to recommend anyone for the taskforce.  She mentioned the community advisory group, and asked if that is a group we (the council) assign someone to.  City Manager Melder stated he believed that the council had a hand in forming that group.  Ald. Lanier agreed and stated that we probably had an appointee on that.  She further stated that was a concern and described a cartoon that depicted equity as opposed to equality. 

Ald. Lanier stated that when she was elected and started in 2020, she came with twelve (12) different equity policies that she wanted to see implemented because of her lived experience and the people she represents.  She stated she was the person who had a problem with our strategic approach, which was outdated and did not serve and provide the benefits to the people that she served.  Also, from that community benefit strategic approach, she was pushing for a community benefit ordinance that would lead to a community benefit agreement.  This community benefit strategic approach is what we see in Savannah GPS, by any other name.   Ald. Lanier stated that this is a great thing because we are moving in the right direction there, and she appreciated that.  However, in that middle corridor, those ten (10) neighborhoods, six (6) of those suffer from environmental injustice.  She further stated that she is not seeing that enough in this city, the voice that represents those people.  Ald. Lanier stated that no one has really come and said, "Let's do the work" to show the suffering and the health conditions of these people based on all of this nasty industry--what is in the air and water.   She stated that she knows we have an opportunity in this process to bring those issues up, but it needs to be such a driving concern.  Ald. Lanier stated that wherever you have the most problems, there you have the most opportunities. So, we are looking forward to engaging in this work, but we are going to have to make sure that we utilize this work in an equitable way because community development is going to be the biggest thing that is going to impact the residents that she serves.  She expressed that when we make it better for the least of these, the people at the top are going to benefit.

Ald. Lanier stated that, so now we need to be thinking about development, community development, and economic development, and we have opportunities right now to create better conditions instead of more industrial development that is already killing folks.  She stated we need to be looking at community development-- The Eastern Wharf, Western Wharf, and the Weeping Time property.  When you look at the community benefit strategic approach, you have to consider ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development).  Ald. Lanier stated we have these wonderful assets. We are Gullah Geechee people; we built the city, we made the bricks, and we laid the bricks. So, we now need to take those assets and create community wealth not only for the people but for the entire city.  She stated we have the WaterWorks building and the Weeping Time property where 429 enslaved men, women, and little baby Valentine were sold.  And now, we want to put a homeless shelter, a warehouse, and trucks on that property.  Ald. Lanier stated we can put something there that would uplift the people in that community as an asset in this city and region, and we could make it a destination because people want to know about the history.  She further stated that these are things we need to talk about, work on, and are the things that are going to bring us the equity that we strive for.

Mayor Johnson stated that the equity framework is a method, a destination, a path, and a journey.  The purpose of the framework is important because we have to be able to influence and change things that we get to influence and control.  He stated that he thought it was very important for us because there are some things we do not control, legislatively or legally.  Although it is really good to talk about those things and certainly bring light to them, he thinks it is very important that the framework keeps us focused on the things that we directly influence and control.  Mayor Johnson further stated that even with the R.E.A.L. Taskforce, the goal here was the five areas that affected Savannahians and some things we could not control, for example, education or environment, but we lifted those things because they affected folks.  Hopefully, by creating opportunities with those entities that address those things, we will be able to affect positive change in those areas.  Mayor Johnson thanked Dr. Johnson for his work and coming off the bench some years ago to create the R.E.A.L. Taskforce and the transformative report that gave us a path forward.

Mayor Johnson stated that before the presentation on the Construction Management At Risk, that he wanted to lift up a quick and simple thought.  He stated that life is changing in this world as it relates to contracting and procurement.  We are hearing things; we are seeing things; it is all over the place.   Mayor Johnson stated that obviously the City Manager and the City Attorney will keep the council briefed as legislation changes or federal regulations change, and we trust you all to keep us (the council) within the letter of the law, but within the intent of our intentions as they change.  He expressed that every day seems to be different, and he just trusts that you all (the city manager and city attorney) will keep us informed as this process continues to evolve.

Mayor Johnson deferred to City Manager Melder to proceed with the presentation.  City Manager Melder introduced Real Estate & Capital Projects Interim Senior Director Cristy Lawrence and Economic Development Senior Director MarRonde Lumpkin-Lotson, who presented the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) overview. 

Following the presentation, there were questions and comments from members of the City
Council:

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz referenced the initial work that she brought to the council in 2014 to develop the ordinance for the Savannah Business Opportunity (SBO), and working through that and getting more of our minority women business-owned enterprise businesses involved at that time.  She stated that they had to convert over in between 2015 and 2016 to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) ordinance, and our SBO ordinance was developed and voted on during that administration at that time.  Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz stated that it is very important for our public to understand and not get so uncomfortable with what is going on nationally in reference to bringing this home locally.   She thanked the City Manager and the City Attorney for continuously keeping their hands on the pulse of this serious work.   Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz read the SBO policy statement and goal, and stated that for businesses in our City, do not get nervous about what we are doing here in the City of Savannah, but we are talking reality, and we will inform the community as we get the information moving forward. 

Ald. Bell referenced the total project dollars for DBE and local DBE participation in the snapshot for 2024, and asked Sr. Director Lumpkin-Lotson to explain or talk about how she and her office monitor the DBE and the local minority participation.  Director Lumpkin-Lotson explained the process.  Ald. Bell asked if Economic Development's internal records would include, for each project, the names of the local participating minorities as well as minority participation in general, not just the reports that the CMAR or whoever is presenting to you. (That is correct.)

Ald. Wilder-Bryan asked if all of the capital projects that we (the council) have been voting on started out with CMAR.  City Manager Melder explained that CMAR is a procurement strategy and delivery that we have just begun to use more frequently in the last year and a half or so, and are going to use it for specific projects, mostly those that are more complex projects and vertical construction.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that there are several things that CMAR is supposed to put in place, and her vote has determined that those things were not in place because we have had cost overruns and have had to negotiate different things.  She stated she was thinking that from this definition, it is called at risk because they are supposed to take care of the majority of risks of cost overruns, design errors, missing details, or unexpected conditions.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that not only have we been in suit because of this, and asked if this was going to eliminate some of the things they have experienced on this council that they had to vote for because of cost overruns. (Yes)  Ald. Wilder-Bryan referenced the presentation's notation of the use of three to five people on staff to review the CMAR proposals, and asked who determines, from the administrative staff, the three to five people, and what is the prerequisite and the knowledge base to determine who is going to get this project.  City Manager Melder replied by stating that the procurement staff and the sponsored department will collaborate to pick the reviewers, and (the prerequiste and knowledge base) will change based on the project.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan asked if there was some framework to make sure they are consistent in how they determine who gets these awards, because we are seeing and talking about the same people getting the awards all the time.  How do we change that based on equity and the things that we have been talking about today?  City Manager Melder responded.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that just for her edifice, she would like to see two of our CMAR projects.  She stated that she would like to see if there is a comparison on how that particular contractor or person was chosen, and if there are any inconsistencies or consistencies in how they were chosen.

Ald. Miller Blakely asked Sr. Director Lumpkin-Lotson the following questions:

• Who was the person in the City who oversaw DBE participation? (Salimary Mojica Ravelo)
• How often does she go on these sites to actually see that DBE participation is taking place?
• Does she also make sure that the number of DBE participants under that subcontracting company is actually there on site?

Ald. Miller Blakely stated that the reason she asked was because during the arena process, that was not the case, and that is why there was so much questioning and many meetings about DBE participation.  

Ald. Miller Blakely asked Sr. Director Cristy Lawrence, if CMAR typically self-performs physical construction.  Ms. Lawrence stated that typically, they do not self-perform.  They just manage their subcontractors.  Ald. Miller Blakely asked City Manager Melder if the I & D project was a different type of project than any other projects that we have here in the City--is it a special project?  City Manager Melder stated that it is a CMAR procurement just like other CMAR procurements.

Ald. Lanier stated the Construction Management At Risk concept is not new, and it is good to see that the City has our person at the table managing all of the moving parts because that is what this is all about.  She stated that, as it relates to our overall bidding process, she was so glad that we had the equity piece prior to this because she was not feeling comfortable about this process as far as equity.  Ald. Lanier stated that she thinks we need to be a little bit more transparent when it comes to the subjective parts of the process.  The interview seemed like that is where the numbers always get skewed and go awry when it comes time for these 'subject matter experts' and the interview part to have a personal subjective opinion on these contractors, because all of a sudden, it is going in different directions.   Ald. Lanier further stated, as far as tangible and concrete parts of these proposals, you cannot deny those; numbers are numbers, and they speak for themselves.  The tangibles are the tangibles, but the non-tangibles are the subjectives and are where we are having a problem.   Ald. Lanier stated that she was glad that we are now entering into a more equitable environment, so we can start watching these things.  She stated that because of the technicalities, she does not know how we will put more transparency in that part, but we have to work on some things.  Ald. Lanier stated she was trusting that you all (City Manager Melder and staff) will be able to work that out under our new Savannah GPS process. 

Ald. Lanier stated that she and Carolyn Ellen were hired by local contractors  to research (Minority Women Business Enterprise) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) programs in 2014, and they came up with a policy on MWBE and WBE.  She stated that Carolyn and she submitted that work to the local contractors, and they gave it to Ald. Dr. Shabazz at the time because she was interested in that subject.  Ald. Lanier stated that right now, she knows we need to revisit that work.  The numbers look pretty good, but she is sure there is some more work we can do because we wanted to make sure that we could create some prime contractors in our process.  Ald. Lanier noted that we had talked about that in 2020, but we have not done that.  She stated that we were going to partner with some primes and subs and come up with and help build capacity because that was always a problem. 

Ald. Wilder-Bryan congratulated Ms. Lumpkin-Lotson on her scores increasing.  She asked Ms. Lumpkin-Lotson to tell this council what we need to do to get on a fast track.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan asked where the gap/problem for not having more of an increase in the DBE program, and what we need to do to encourage more participation in this plan.  Ms. Lumpkin-Lotson stated that there is a need for more minority firms to become certified, and that is our way forward, because the more we have certified, the more it will improve and strengthen the program.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan asked if  there is anything else that can be done other than people wanting to come and actually being participants.  (Continue to be consistent in the message so that participation continues to be consistent.)  She asked City Manager Melder if it was a way to use  Channel 8 (Savannah Government Station) to encourage participation, and to do more marketing since we have a new marketing director.  (Yes)

Ald. Bell thanked City Manager Melder for staging the presentation and Sr. Directors Maronda Lumpkin-Lotson and Cristy Lawrence for presenting.  She stated it was quite insightful, she requested it, and she could tell from the response that the council seemed to have benefited from it as well.  Ald. Bell thanked Alderwoman Wilder-Bryan for asking for a walk-through of a couple of the projects.  She stated that she thinks, for the money that we are spending on CMAR projects, it is extremely important that we, as council members, understand the process going forward.  Ald. Bell stated she understood that it is important for specific projects because it removes the risk from the City in terms of cost overruns, but she was really keen on questioning the monitoring of the participation.  She stated she does not want us to just take the Construction Manager At Risk reports and/or his/her word to be what we are relying on, and we are paying accordingly, but she wanted to make sure there are some boots on the ground. Ms. Lumpkin-Lotson concurred by stating that they are having conversations with the subcontractors as well as the prime.  So, that communication goes forward.

City Manager introduced Savannah-Chatham County Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Stephanie Kaple and Assistant Chief of Police Robert Gavin to present the Urban Camping Ordinance update.

Following the presentation, there were questions and comments from members of the City
Council:

Ald. Lanier stated that this is not easy work and thanked the presenters for the work they are doing.  She mentioned that she received about four (4) phone calls that she would say were complaints that she did not bring to City Manager Melder because she realized that this is not easy and it is a process.  Ald. Lanier stated that she thinks everyone involved has to get a little bit accustomed to how we are going to proceed in this area, but we do want to try to treat people well and respectfully as we do this work.

Ald. Bell thanked Ms. Kaple, and she thanked her colleagues for approving this ordinance since she brought it to the council, and we got it approved.  She stated she could not stop there because someone asked a question: So after they are arrested, what then?  Ald. Bell stated she did not plan for this to be one of my pet initiatives on council this year, but she could not turn her back on it.  She stated there is another bright light that Ms. Kaple and AC Gavin probably have not been told of, and that is the faith-based community in this city has come together and has decided to be a partner in the work--above and beyond what they are already doing.  Ald. Bell stated that they met in September, and they are trying to not only get them to provide feeding centers or clothes, but also to provide money to support.  She stated that they asked each of the churches to include homelessness in their 2026 budget, and whatever the amount may be, she knows it will be helpful.  Ald. Bell stated that we still have an opportunity to engage them even more, and so, we have their attention and they are willing to step up to the plate.  

Ald. Miller Blakely noted that we have five day centers, and asked City Manager Melder how much money the City donates to these day centers.  She stated that the reason she has asked is that it takes a lot of time, energy, and effort.  Ald. Miller Blakely stated that she actually worked with Come as You Are Ministries, and she knows that those people need a lot of help financially.  She spoke to someone at the Dive, and they need resources; they need financial backing.  

Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that, against her better judgment, she did vote for this, but she felt some anticipation and some anxiety about this, especially when we came to this property.  She stated she is not going to feel that we can move forward on this. Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated she would like to see a chain of custody because that is what is important.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that six (6) arrests for urban camping, and asked what time of day (they were arrested).  She stated that she wanted to know what time because that is important, and she would bet that those arrests were made during the hours that we do not have available assistance for them.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan expressed that another issue is that most of the people who are homeless actually have mental health issues.  She asked AC Gavin the following questions:

• Out of those citations, were they evaluated by the H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach Patrol Enforcement) Unit?
• As they go through the criminal justice system, what is the median time frame that they actually stay incarcerated?
• Were those arrests actually attached to felonies, or were they all misdemeanors?

Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that the property room from the rescue that goes to the sheriff's department, she would like to see the chain of custody of the actual property, because that is what is important to her.  She stated that we are saying homelessness is something that we need to address, and she voted for that because we do.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan further stated that we are saying that we have all of these partnerships and that you guys are doing a great job with the partnerships, but what about the homeless people and their property?  She stated that she wanted to make sure that these arrestees, who are homeless, are getting adequate attention because the sheriff's department recently had a death, and they were homeless.  Ald. Wilder-Bryan stated that people talk about the visibility, and asked what has changed downtown since we enacted this city ordinance. AC Gavin and Kaple provided a response. 

Ald. Leggett stated that, as we all know, next month, there is going to be a potential halt on food stamps for a lot of individuals in our community. So, we will find a way to work together to help some of our homeless in our community.  He stated he wanted to make sure that he highlighted that if we could, we would come back to get another update from our community partners. (Yes)  Ald. Leggett asked that when we come back, they could get an audit on all of those different processes.  He stated that he was talking about when individuals enter this process, or they go into a homeless authority, or into one of our partners.  Ald. Leggett stated that he also wanted to highlight that he had to call Code Enforcement for one of our institutions because they had a high infestation of bed bugs, that people were complaining of being robbed of their personal effects, and asked if our homeless were being asked to pay to stay in certain places.   Ald. Leggett stated he received an email from CAT and wanted to highlight an incident involving an officer in the northwest precinct and a homeless individual. He stated that CAT is working with their homeless partners to address the homeless issues that we have, but he wanted to highlight most of all that the people that we are saying we represent, those are the people we have to be very sensitive to because of mental health issues, and also because they deserve some type of decency.

Ald. Miller Blakey expressed her concern regarding a lot of trash left behind by homeless individuals standing in the median on major thoroughfares.  She asked Ms. Kaple if there is a way to convey a message to them to clean up where they stand.

HELD.  At 1:27 p.m., Ald. Purtee moved to hold an executive session regarding real estate and litigation, seconded by Ald. Wilder-Bryan and Ald. Palumbo.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was away from the dais during the vote.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz recessed the work session for the executive session to be held on the 3^rd Floor in the City Attorney’s conference room, which began at 1:35 p.m.  All members were present, except Mayor Johnson.  Also attending were City Manager Jay Melder, City Attorney Bates Lovett, and Clerk of Council Mark Massey.

Ald. Palumbo moved to adjourn the executive session/workshop, seconded by Ald. Bell and Ald. Lanier.  The motion passed unanimously, 8-0-0.  Mayor Johnson was absent.

There was no City Manager's update held.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Shabazz adjourned the work session/executive session at 1:54 p.m.

Mark Massey, Clerk of Council

Date Minutes Approved:                                                     

Signature:                                                                       

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

https://www.youtube.com/@cityofsavannah/videos