The project management group under contract for a decade to oversee Augusta sales-tax construction projects didn’t pass muster with an Augusta Commission committee Monday, with a vote to extend Heery International’s arrangement failing in a 2-2 tie.
Heery and its two subconsultants, Gallop and Associates, and Dukes, Edwards and Dukes, have received about $9.5 million in fees over 10 years under an arrangement that saw some of the group’s billing rates adjusted annually to more than $200 an hour while plying commissioners with Atlanta Falcons skybox seats and contributions unreported by Heery to Georgia’s government transparency commission.
Mayor Pro Tem Corey Johnson, a recipient of Heery-funded community events, tickets and campaign contributions, made a motion to extend the contract without an annual percentage increase. His motion failed with support from Grady Smith against “no” votes from Commissioners Marion Williams and Wayne Guilfoyle.
City Administrator Fred Russell asked that the group’s $1.6 million extension be approved because of several Heery-led construction projects underway and that the commission examine who, if not Heery, will provide “management services” for an upcoming sales-tax referendum.
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