The City of College Park has yet to respond to the Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office following an inquiry into two oddly-scheduled city council meetings back in June, with one being held nearly four hours away.
The June meetings were a special-called meeting, concerning the city’s Destination Marketing Organization, or DMO. Officials were considering changing the DMO after partnering with the ATL Airport District for a little over a decade.
DMOs help market cities, boosting their appeal to attract more tourism. Around May, some city council members became aware that the contract with the ATL Airport District would end a month later, on June 30.
Over the last fiscal year, the ATL Airport District brought in about $177.8 million in economic impact.
“The Airport District also does something a standalone College Park DMO cannot: it markets the region. Fairburn, South Fulton, Union City, and Hapeville are all partners,” wrote College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom in a June meeting preview.
“Marketing as a region is how we can make a strong case for large conventions and major bookings at the GICC and Gateway Arena. Pulling College Park out of that regional identity doesn’t make us more prominent. It makes us less competitive.”
As June came, so did the proposed legislation to enable a change in the city’s DMO. Two ordinances to create governing standards and funding policy guidance came across the dais, with both getting council approval during a regular meeting on June 15.
A special-called meeting was scheduled for 11 p.m. that same day to select a vendor as the new DMO after the city had opened proposals for services. It was unclear who called the meeting, so the council didn’t convene.
The search for a new DMO continued, with official vendor recommendations from the city manager coming in on June 25, five days before the end of the former DMO’s contract.
“The Council had a limited window in which to act. Delaying the decision would have left the City without a DMO on July 1, potentially disrupting tourism marketing efforts as College Park prepares for opportunities associated with major economic development initiatives,” Councilwoman Jamelle McKenize said in a statement sent to WABE.
The move to find a new DMO has faced criticism from the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association, leading to an official complaint to the Hotel-Motel Tax Performance Review Board.
Still, the city promptly issued a notice of a special-called meeting on Sunday, June 28, during the annual Georgia Municipal Association Convention in Savannah, GA. The 33-minute meeting led council members to select Destination Must Visit Tourism Alliance, Inc. as the new DMO.
GMA officials say city meetings can be held outside of their jurisdictions as long as the requirements of the open meeting laws are met, including proper notice and a posted agenda at the meeting site.
Some residents chose to attend the coastal meeting with the livestream showing them standing along the walls of the conference room. Other residents, like Elizabeth Lester, watched the meeting from home in College Park.
“It made no sense. There were no questions about the organization, about who they had worked with …about how the process was run. They had no questions on a major decision like this. That’s a problem,” Lester said.
The mayor did not attend the meeting due to other convention duties as the GMA President. She took to Instagram a day before to address the matter, citing her lack of involvement and encouraging residents to attend. She’s also posted other videos on the matter.
However, the two June meetings were called into question by the attorney general’s office after College Park residents filed complaints shortly before the Savanah meeting. A letter sent to the city’s attorney stated, “It does not appear that the city’s actions fostered public transparency.”
“The special meeting was publicly noticed, livestreamed, and conducted in accordance with the procedures established by the City. As with any governmental action, individuals have the right to question those actions, file complaints, or seek judicial review. Those rights are an important part of our democratic process, and I respect them,” said Councilman Roderick Gay in a statement to WABE.
The city attorney, Winston Denmark, was given 10 business days to reply to the AG’s letter sent on June 30, making his response due by July 14. But as of July 13, a spokesperson for Chris Carr’s office said they have yet to receive a response.
WABE contacted the City of College Park’s city attorney for comment, but has yet to hear back.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate for Georgia Senate District 36, Katie Corkren, has filed a lawsuit against multiple city officials and four city council members. She’s alleging officials violated the Georgia Open Meetings Act and Open Records Act.
