2026-11-04 - Urban Redevelopment Agency Special Called Session

00:10All right, everyone. Good evening. It is

00:13Wednesday, November 4th, 2026, and we

00:16are here for two meetings this evening.

00:18Uh we're here for a meeting of the urban

00:20redevelopment agency of Athens clar

00:22county which we'll discuss in a couple

00:24of minutes and then we are here for our

00:26monthly voting meeting of the Athens

00:28clar county mayor and commission um uh

00:31just as matter protocol every election

00:34year whether presidential year or

00:36midterm year uh given that uh election

00:39day is on Tuesday we move the voting

00:41meeting to Wednesday so that's uh

00:43standard operating procedure around here

00:45so um for the purpose of the urban

00:47redevelopment agency meeting. I'll go

00:49ahead and ask clerk Howard to call a

00:50roll for us.

00:53>> Link Taylor

00:55>> here.

00:55>> Right.

00:56>> Present.

00:56>> Fisher.

00:58>> Johnson

00:59>> here.

01:00>> Co Pepper

01:01>> here.

01:02>> Meyers

01:02>> here.

01:03>> Thornton

01:04>> here.

01:05>> Hamby

01:05>> here.

01:06>> We have a quarrel.

01:08>> All right. [laughter]

01:10>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. I appreciate

01:11that. Um All right. So um uh this is a

01:15somewhat unusual dynamic uh in some ways

01:18uh we're having two different meetings

01:20on the same topic with the same human

01:23beings and uh so one may ask from a

01:26procedural matter how is it that an

01:28elected body can effectively talk to

01:29itself in the mirror uh over the course

01:32of two meetings to make a thing happen

01:34and the thing that we are going to make

01:36happen is construction of the coming

01:38judicial facility. Um, and so

01:41fortunately we have with us the August

01:44Judge Drake, County Attorney, who's

01:46going to explain for savvy listeners

01:49what we are doing tonight. So I'm going

01:50to turn it over to you, Attorney Drake.

01:52>> Yeah. The the resolution that you as in

01:55your capacity [clears throat] as the

01:57urban redevelopment agency of Athens,

01:59Clark County are being asked to approve

02:00at this meeting is to provide for the

02:03issuance of up to 192.5 million revenue

02:06bonds to finance the construction and

02:08equipping of the new judicial center.

02:11The bonds will have a maximum interest

02:13rate of 5.5%, a maximum annual debt

02:15service of 25 million, and a final

02:17maturity date of no later than no later

02:19than December 31st, 2048. It's important

02:22to emphasize that these are maximum

02:24numbers because we don't know the actual

02:26cost of the project yet. We have an

02:29estimated cost. The unified government

02:31would be responsible for repayment

02:33through the general fund revenues or

02:35other legally available sources. Bond

02:38council has advised that future splash

02:39revenues could also be used if approved

02:41by the voters. The unified government's

02:44full faith and credit would secure

02:45payment repayment meaning property taxes

02:48could be increased if necessary.

02:50Importantly, tonight's resolution does

02:53not authorize the actual issuance of the

02:54bonds. A subsequent vote anticipated in

02:58approximately

02:59uh uh nine months would be required to

03:02authorize their issues their issuance

03:04and establish the financing terms.

03:08In addition, uh during the course of the

03:10mayor and commission meeting, you'll be

03:12a to ask also to approve a resolution

03:15approving this financing framework for

03:17the new new judicial center. Uh

03:22essentially authorizing and approving

03:24the issuance of the revenue bonds by the

03:26urban redevelopment agency. Uh what it

03:29it the resolution that you'll you'll

03:30approve during the commission meeting

03:32will authorize the intergovernmental

03:34contract between the urban redevelopment

03:36agency and the unified government

03:37approve the bond financing parameters

03:39and authorize the documents and

03:41proceedings necessary for issuance of

03:43the bonds and again uh it will clarify

03:46that unified government will be

03:48responsible repayment uh through general

03:51fund or other legally available sources

03:53including future splash revenues if

03:55approved by the voters.

03:57Uh so that is uh and again the

04:01resolution itself tonight does not

04:03author it will not issue the bonds

04:04actual issuance is anticipated

04:07uh in approximately 9 months when the

04:10financing terms will be established. Bob

04:12do you have anything else to add?

04:14>> Uh the only other thing I would add is

04:16obviously that maximum amount of that

04:181925 is for the debt portion of it. As

04:22we've shared with you all the project

04:24estimate is obviously more than that.

04:27That's because we have money already on

04:28hand from previous lost um initi

04:31initiatives and issuances. And so um

04:34certainly want to make certain that you

04:36know at this point you know the the

04:38estimate still remains somewhere around

04:39227 million for the cost of the um of

04:42the judicial center. Um obviously as was

04:46mentioned the debt wouldn't actually be

04:48asked to be issued until about a year

04:50nine months to a year from now. There's

04:52a lot of things that are happening in

04:54between. The design is being finished.

04:55the um construction manager at risk is

04:58being brought on board and ultimately a

05:00guaranteed maximum price is being

05:01established. All of that will happen

05:03before there is a request for the actual

05:06issuance of the debt. So this sets that

05:07stage for it, but as the attorney has

05:10mentioned, it does not actually result

05:11in any issuance. So those are um the

05:14items I had and we'll have an

05:16opportunity to go into more detail on

05:18kind of the other pieces of this when

05:20we're talking about it with the

05:21commission part of it.

05:23>> All right. Uh thank you, Jud. Thank you,

05:25Bob. All right. I'd uh like to ask

05:27Commissioner to make a motion for

05:28approval of this resolution.

05:30>> So move.

05:30>> And and and then there will be time for

05:32questions.

05:32>> So move.

05:33>> All right. I've got a motion from

05:34Commissioner Hami. Is there a second?

05:38>> Second.

05:39>> All right. Got a second from

05:40Commissioner Co Pepper. All right.

05:42Commissioner Hamby, any remarks about

05:44this?

05:44>> Just real quick. I mean, this has been a

05:46long time coming, of course, and I'm

05:47glad management has has found a way and

05:50with the attorney's help and found a way

05:52to help us get the courthouse going. So,

05:56look forward to the next steps that we

05:58have to take in this process.

05:59>> Commissioner Co Pepper, anything

06:00further?

06:01>> No, I agree with Mike with Commissioner

06:03Hammy. We need to get moving forward.

06:04This should have been done several years

06:06ago. Um and we're dealing with the delay

06:10um or the reason of delay is because of

06:12the or I'm just backing up the reason of

06:14the increased cost is we could we've

06:16delayed it. So we need to get moving on

06:17or the cost are going to even go even

06:19higher. So I'm glad we're moving forward

06:20with it.

06:21>> Yeah. And and of course you know we

06:22we've even got a sort of scale of cost

06:25increase and I believe it's something

06:27like uh did we hear it's a million

06:30dollars a month? Uh should we delay

06:33further? Commissioner [clears throat]

06:34Link, you had a question.

06:35>> Yeah. Um So, the manager mentioned the

06:38design is finalized. Is it like

06:40finalized finalized? Are there like

06:43exterior elements that could be revised?

06:45I mean, in light of the incident

06:47downtown today with a vehicle crashing

06:50into and almost collapsing a a building.

06:54I I'm I still have great concerns about

06:56the the glass frontage of a building

06:59like this. Um especially a building that

07:01needs extra security.

07:03>> Yeah. So, the the design is not

07:05finished. The schematic design is what

07:07you all approved. The um part of the

07:09item you'll be doing um at the

07:12commission meeting is approving the

07:13change order that allows the architect

07:15to complete the design associated with

07:16it. Um there are there are certainly

07:20elements that have already been decided

07:21as a result of the schematic approval,

07:23but there's still a lot of design left

07:25ahead of us.

07:26>> Yeah, I'm mostly concerned about

07:27exterior elements.

07:28>> Yeah. And there and there will be in

07:29that design is when you'll start getting

07:31into some of the hardening of the

07:32building and other security provisions

07:33and stuff as well. So, yep.

07:36>> Commissioner Taylor.

07:37>> Yeah. I'm I'm not concerned about the um

07:40schematics of the building. I'm

07:42concerned about the cost of the

07:43building. Um do we know like moving

07:45forward? And I know it's going to be

07:46like a year and nine months, well, nine

07:48months to um issue the bonds and a year

07:52later for something else. But how

07:54expensive is it going to make Athens to

07:58live? because I think that that's a

07:59conversation that needs to be had on the

08:01front end while we're discussing the

08:03moon tree and the location and the glass

08:06in the front affordability also. Are you

08:10are you talking for the

08:11>> I know how much the the building itself

08:13is [clears throat] going to cost but

08:15like um the million dollars a day for

08:18the delay if we don't vote on the

08:20resolution right now but I mean in that

08:23year and nine months um from now how

08:28expensive is it going to be on taxpayers

08:32um

08:33>> so if the the plan currently would be

08:36that if ultimately as we go through the

08:39selection ction of projects that will

08:40make it into the next SPLOS initiative

08:43is that this debt that we're talking

08:45about would be retired through the

08:46SPLAST. So it would be retired through

08:49an existing sales tax that would be

08:50renewed. So there'd be no additional

08:52costs in terms of taxation associated

08:55with it if that's the route that ends up

08:57getting approved both by you all as well

08:59as by the voters through the referendum.

09:02The other options that exist is either

09:05that you don't place all of the project,

09:07all of the debt into the splast and some

09:10of it goes onto the property tax or

09:13splast doesn't pass or there's a

09:15decision not to include the project in

09:16splust at all and it's incorporated into

09:19the into the millage rate and that would

09:21result in an increase in the millage

09:23rate somewhere around 2.6 2.9 somewhere

09:25in that category. So that would be an

09:28increased cost if that's the route that

09:29ends up going. Um, you know, again, I

09:32think everyone's worked under the

09:34assumption that as recently as the

09:36retreat we talked about including the

09:38entirety of the debt service in the

09:40Splast and possibly even a subsequent

09:42SPLOS initiative. If that's the case, it

09:44will be retired completely through the

09:46existing sales tax. Um, so there'd be no

09:48additional tax associated with it. Um,

09:51but I I also feel like it's important to

09:52make sure there's an acknowledgement

09:53that if that does not happen, then it

09:55would require an increase in the millage

09:57rate or an offset in that equivalent in

10:00service reduction. So, in other words,

10:01moving money around from the general

10:02fund and stuff. Does that answer that

10:04piece?

10:05>> Thank you.

10:06>> Thank you,

10:07>> Commissioner Myers.

10:08>> Yeah. Um the follow-up question on the

10:10payback which kind of follows up on what

10:12Commissioner Taylor was asking about um

10:15because the whole thing if if if the if

10:17the splast plan doesn't work or some

10:21costs go crazy and it's tw you know

10:22whatever it's we need to get money uh

10:25from the general fund and I understand

10:27we can cut things but when I was reading

10:28the contract I wanted to make sure that

10:30I understood it said in the event that

10:33the funds aren't available the unified

10:35government shall levy and a add valerum

10:39tax does that mean legally that we are

10:43obligated to like we don't because we

10:45can't have it like a discussion three

10:47two years from now and go like we don't

10:48want to do that I mean is it and because

10:51then there's another thing which I was

10:52like the next paragraph says and if we

10:55don't do that then the fiscal officers

10:57of the United the government are hereby

10:59authorized and directed to set up an

11:01appropriation of their accounts and so I

11:03was like wondering what that meant like

11:05that meant that there was no choice I

11:06said I said it twice because I want to

11:08make sure you understand again we're not

11:11going to be ultimately this is setting

11:13up the mechanism. The vote to really

11:14issue the b bonds will be you know nine

11:17months to a year from now probably more

11:19close to a year like Bob said but once

11:22you issue those bonds you would be

11:25required to raise u you'd either be

11:27required to cut the budget enough to

11:30have the funds available to pay the

11:31bonds or required to raise the

11:33millillage.

11:35What? So we'd have to you you'd be as

11:38probably cut the budget enough and you

11:41couldn't cut the budget,

11:41>> right? I mean, we're talking about 20 30

11:43million a year a year.

11:45>> So even if you had a commission that

11:46said, I I am never going to raise the

11:49millage rate. If this happened, we would

11:53legally forced to raise it

11:55>> or reduce that amount by

11:57>> Yeah. If it shouldn't not be, I'm just

11:59looking at that. I mean, you effectively

12:00would have the option, let's say it's a

12:0220 $20 million annual debt service. So,

12:06you would either have then the

12:07responsibility of removing, if you will,

12:09$20 million of other expenditures to

12:11cover this or you would be because

12:13regardless, your obligation is to repay

12:15the debt. That's the obligation,

12:17>> right? But it wouldn't I don't know like

12:18[clears throat] we'd whoever is here

12:20would have to make that decision.

12:22>> Okay.

12:22>> Correct. And part of the other

12:23discussion you're going to have too is

12:24all of these all these numbers that I've

12:26just shared with you and that have been

12:28shared in all the information makes some

12:30assumptions of what will how much is in

12:32splust 100%. What if it's not 100% it's

12:35less. It also assumes if you know the

12:38debt issuance as as the attorney

12:40mentioned that this is a maximum number.

12:42So if you actually shortened the

12:45repayment time that increases the annual

12:47debt service but lowers the overall cost

12:49associated with it. So when we get to

12:50that point when we know the guaranteed

12:52maximum price that has been arranged

12:54based on the final design, you all will

12:57actually have to make some decisions

12:58about exactly how do you ultimately and

13:01some of that will be done with the 28

13:03splast as well. So there's still a few

13:05variables. This sets the maximum limit

13:07of what can be done and it sets the

13:10stage for the definition.

13:11>> And when is it when when are we making

13:12those decisions?

13:13>> Late 20 27. Oh on splust.

13:15>> No. Yeah. On the

13:16>> on the splust I think the same thing.

13:18fourth quarter 27 I think right

13:20>> the vote I think the vote on the splot

13:23next

13:24>> would be in May of 28

13:26>> but so we'd be making the decision

13:27probably a year from now on that on how

13:30we were going to put together

13:31>> they're by design kind of synced up

13:33together so that you'll know what the

13:34guaranteed maximum price is for this

13:37project and you'll be able to associate

13:40I mean we've given you an estimate of

13:41how much of the anticipated swast would

13:44be used by this project but they should

13:46all come together so that you'll have

13:48that opportunity. You'll know what the

13:49cost is. You know how much splot dollars

13:51would be committed to this and you can

13:53make the commission at that time can

13:54make the decision as to how much of that

13:57they put before the voters in the splice

13:59and how much of it if any they might

14:01choose to look at on the on the millage

14:02rate.

14:03>> Okay. So, we're going to make that

14:04decision assuming we we agree with this.

14:08We're making that decision a year from

14:09now. And then of course in terms of all

14:12things timeline associated, you know,

14:14we're talking about substantial

14:15completion is this project somewhere in

14:17the 2030 range.

14:18>> Correct. Correct.

14:19>> Commissioner Thorn.

14:21>> Thank you, Mayor. I will um be

14:23abstaining um from this vote. I didn't

14:26support this project. I won't be around

14:28when this thing kicks off. So, I will be

14:31in abstension tonight.

14:33>> Okay.

14:35All right. So, I have a motion from

14:36Commissioner Hamby and a second from

14:38Commissioner Co Pepper. All right. We've

14:39already recognized that there will be an

14:40abstension from Commissioner Thornton.

14:42All in favor, please say I.

14:44>> I.

14:44>> Any opposed?

14:46>> Opposed.

14:47>> All right. Please note uh abstension

14:49from uh Commissioner Taylor and

14:52Commissioner Johnson.

14:54>> No, not abstension

14:55>> or excuse me, opposition.

14:59>> Thank you. Thank you. Okay.

15:01>> So, how many folks we got? Let me count

15:03this up.

15:04>> Yeah,

15:05>> it's not an ordinance.

15:06>> No, it's not. We We just need a

15:08majority. I just want to make sure I do

15:09want to make sure. How many we got?

15:10>> So So we have eight present.

15:13>> 52.

15:16>> Okay. All right. Uh can I get a motion

15:18to adjourn this meeting?

15:20>> So moved.

15:22>> All right. Motion to adjurnn from

15:23Commissioner Wright. Is there a second?

15:25>> Second.

15:26>> All right. I've got a second from

15:27Commissioner Taylor. All in favor,

15:28please say I. I.

15:30>> All right. Um technology just needs to

15:33reset very briefly and then we'll begin

15:35our regular session.

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