Augusta zoning rewrite gets more funding for maps, meetings and outreach

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta’s long-delayed zoning rewrite is moving ahead, but only after city leaders agreed to spend more money to finish the work and give residents another chance to weigh in.

City commissioners voted 7–3 Tuesday to approve nearly $70,000 in new funding for consultants White & Smith, LLC to complete a full update of Augusta’s zoning ordinance — a document that hasn’t been comprehensively rewritten since 1963.

The item had already been referred from the July 21 commission meeting without a committee recommendation after commissioners could not reach an agreement.

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The new money covers two big gaps left when the original contract was cut down in last year’s budget:

• Public input that got negotiated away: Planning Director Chiquita Cameron told commissioners the original zoning rewrite deal included eight public engagement meetings. When the contract was trimmed from about $450,000 to roughly $327,000, four of those meetings were cut. Residents later complained they didn’t even know the rewrite was happening, including at a June meeting at Diamond Lakes. Cameron is now asking to buy back two of those meetings, along with a new community survey and more outreach work. More than $34,000 of the new funding is tied to that engagement push.
• Key maps the city says it cannot produce on its own: The earlier cuts also removed the Official Zoning Map and Future Land Use Map from the consultant’s scope. The new amendment restores that work, plus additional map and land-use analysis. A cost sheet given to commissioners puts the total amendment at $68,368, including mapping, community workshops, zoning text revisions and adoption support.

Cameron said the $68,368 is an upper limit, not a guarantee.

“Will they need the whole $68,000? Probably not, but I’m asking up to that point,” she told commissioners.

Commissioners Tony Lewis, Tina Slendak and Brandon Garrett voted against the additional funds. Commissioner Don Clark was absent.

Two money moves in one vote

The zoning item bundled two separate financial actions. The first is up to $68,368 in new 2026 capital funds for additional work.

The second is a $127,493 carryforward of unspent 2025 budget money that did not automatically roll into 2026.

Cameron said the carryforward covers work already completed, with invoices now coming in. Staff stressed the two amounts are separate pots of money.

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What changes in the new code

Cameron highlighted that some of the work now being added was never in Augusta’s 1963 zoning code.

One key change: the current code does not require the city to notify nearby homeowners when a property is proposed for rezoning. Cameron said consultants were first told that kind of notice wasn’t needed, but she is now directing them to add a notification requirement into the new ordinance.

The rewritten ordinance also ties into Augusta’s separate push to regulate data centers, which has drawn heavy public interest. Data center rules are being handled through a separate ordinance, but both efforts are moving on parallel tracks.

What happens next

With the new funding approved, the zoning rewrite is now on this timeline:

• August 2026: Two-day community workshop series with meetings focused on downtown, commercial/industrial areas and residential neighborhoods.
• September 2026: Public review draft of the zoning ordinance released, along with an executive summary. Online public review and comment period opens.
• September–October 2026: Work sessions with the Planning Commission and Augusta Commission.
• October 2026: Final review draft prepared.
• November 2, 2026: Adoption hearing before the Augusta Planning Commission.
• November 17, 2026: Adoption hearing before the Augusta Commission.

Also in commission

Commissioners also handled several other items.

MACH Academy and NGO cuts

As a new school year begins, a group of families urged Augusta commissioners Tuesday to restore funding for MACH Academy, a local tennis and youth development program. MACH Academy lost its city funding in the 2026 budget, dropping from $217,800 to zero.

Parents told commissioners the program does more than teach tennis — it provides mentorship, life skills and a safe space for children.

They said funding cuts have already forced fewer practice days and limited travel to tournaments, affecting current students and future scholarship opportunities.

One longtime participant, Alana Thomas, said the program changed her life.

“I’ve been attending MACH Academy since I was five, and it has given me a lot of opportunities, like being able to travel all across the country. I got a full-ride scholarship to play at Florida A&M, and to also play high-level tournaments, but now that the funding has been cut, I haven’t been really able to practice many days, I haven’t been able to travel a lot to different tournaments,” Thomas said.

Despite the reduced funding, MACH Academy President and CEO Michael Harden said the organization remains committed to its mission.

Commissioners heard from five people in total — one parent, three current students and Thomas, who is now in college.

Commissioners did not respond from the dais and took no action Tuesday to restore funding.

MACH Academy is one of several nonprofits whose city funding fell to zero under the FY 2026 budget. The program has previously faced funding challenges at both the state and local level.

More money for housing audit firm

Commissioners approved, without discussion, up to $50,000 in additional work for Cherry Bekaert, the auditing firm already conducting a forensic accounting investigation of Augusta’s Housing and Community Development Department. The expansion includes $26,000 for 130 hours reconciling federal expenditures and $5,000 for travel.

Cherry Bekaert previously received a $74,700 budget increase in December 2025 when the review expanded into a forensic accounting investigation. A prior audit identified nine findings tied to weak financial oversight — including no reliable general ledger, commingled funds and no formal process for federal grant reporting. A separate Office of Inspector General investigation into the department, requested by commissioners in April, is still ongoing.

Homelessness and housing partnerships

Commissioners approved two added agenda items — a partnership agreement between Augusta and United Way as co-applicants for grant funding through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs under the Georgia Rehoused Collaborative, and a memorandum of understanding between Paine College, the City of Augusta and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Both passed without discussion.