The hearing for a lawsuit filed against the Statesboro mayor and City Council by a group of local businessmen was postponed due to scheduling conflict with some of the plaintiffs.
      Six men - Earl Dabbs, Charles Olliff, Raybon Anderson, Jody Stubbs, Ray Hendley and Ellis Wood - were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the city, which was filed in the Superior Court of Bulloch County June 29. According to Dan Snipes, the plaintiffs’ legal counsel from the Franklin, Taulbee, Rushing, Snipes and Marsh law firm, the hearing was scheduled for Monday, but due to an inability of some of the plaintiffs to appear, it was postponed until Aug. 31.
      The plaintiff group argues in its suit that four meetings held March 31, April 1, 16 and 19 of this year at the Gateway Pond House violated Georgia law because allegedly the meetings were not properly advertised and minutes of the meetings have not been made available to the public. Dabbs said the group is not looking to overturn council decisions, but simply wants to know the information shared and discussed at the meetings.
      “There had to be some discussion at those meetings,” Dabbs said. “We’re unable to find any agendas or notices of the meeting, so we’re really in the dark. I have great concern when we are conducting governmental business outside of open meetings.”
      According to city officials, the April 1 meeting was the city’s annual budget retreat where department heads make presentations about their budgets for the upcoming year to the members of council. On April 19, the city heard presentations from the Statesboro Arts Council, the Downtown Development Authority and the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau regarding those boards’ use of hotel/motel tax funds.
      On March 31, the council met at City Hall to discuss rewording of the language for an increase in the city’s hotel/motel tax, which was eventually turned down by the council after city hoteliers asked the council not to seek in the increase. However, the group claims there was another meeting held earlier that day at the pond house. There is currently no information about what may have taken place during the April 16 meeting or if a meeting occurred at all.
      Councilman Tommy Blitch said he was present at the April 1 and 19 meetings and is listed on the minutes of the March 31 meeting held at City Hall. He said he was not and would not be involved in any private meetings of the city council.
       “Not to my knowledge because that would have put us in (violation of) Sunshine laws,” Blitch said. “I don’t think we have – that’s my personal opinion – even when we met out at the pond house.”