The ACC Mayor and Commission held a Special Called Session and an Agenda Setting Session Tuesday night.
Commissioners passed a resolution to require masks in government buildings and discussed possible enforcement measures regarding the governor’s decision to allow that restriction.
With new policies and an influx of new students who are likely not aware of practices in Athens, Commissioner 22:01 Tim Denson wanted to implement tough enforcement of state and local ordinances to set a standard.
“I push for us to have the absolute most stringent enforcement that we can in the first few days of campus being open so that we can really show this is important,” according to Denson. “We mean this, this is the law and that’s going to require us to writing some of these tickets and definitely going into these bars, every single night especially on the weekends. At least for these first couple of weeks to show that we mean business.”
One notable exception to the governor’s mask measure, local governments cannot require masks in polling places, something Commissioner Melissa Link felt strongly about.
“I think that really important for folks to know and all the more reason to make sure that we get absentee ballots out there,” Link said. “I know personally I will not go into any establishment where masks are not required. That would keep me from the polls.”
Commissioner Russell Edwards says the commission also approved funding to aid in absentee voting.
“That Athens Mayor and Commission approved an appreciation of $80,000 directed to the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections to help facilitate the mailing of absentee ballot applications to all voters in the Athens area who have not yet requested one,” according to Edwards.
The meeting can be seen on the county’s YouTube channel.
