The Conyers City Council will hold its spring retreat this Wednesday, April 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Carriage Room at the Georgia International Horse Park, located at 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway in Conyers. The session is open to the public.
The city has confirmed that the regularly scheduled April 1 work session, which would have been held at 6:00 p.m., has been canceled. The retreat replaces it entirely. Residents who would normally attend the evening session should be aware of the change.
I obtained the full agenda and it covers significantly more ground than the city's social media highlights suggested.
The Mayoral Assistant Item Returns
Scheduled for 11:00 a.m. is the tabled funding request for $8,000 to add a contract mayoral assistant to the Mayor and Council's budget. Council voted on March 15 to table the item and send it to the retreat for further discussion before a potential vote at a later meeting.
I have been reporting on this proposal since it first came before council. The debate has never really been about whether the mayor needs support — several council members have acknowledged that it may be a reasonable request. The deeper questions have been about process and accountability.
Council members pushed back on approving the funding without a formal job description, defined contract terms, a clear reporting structure, or an answer to a basic question: does this person work for the mayor, for the full council, or within the city's administrative framework?
Those questions remain unanswered heading into Wednesday. What happens at the retreat will determine whether this comes back for a vote at a future council meeting — or gets shelved entirely.
A Sunshine Law Briefing — And Why That Matters
Scheduled for 9:30 a.m. is a Sunshine Law overview covering Georgia's Open Meetings Act, Open Records Act, executive session rules, quorum requirements, and what legally constitutes "city business."
Georgia's Sunshine Laws are the foundation of open government in this state. The Open Meetings Act requires that any gathering of a quorum of a government body to discuss public business must be open to the public with proper advance notice. The Open Records Act — the law I use when filing public records requests — guarantees public access to government documents unless a specific legal exemption applies.
The fact that council is receiving this briefing at the same retreat where they are discussing a position whose oversight and accountability structure has been questioned by multiple council members is worth noting. Whether that is coincidence or a direct response to concerns raised in recent public meetings, I do not know. But it is a detail I will be watching.
I will also note: the retreat itself is subject to the Open Meetings Act. Because a quorum of council is present and public business is being discussed, it must be open to the public. A retreat does not exempt elected officials from that obligation.
Winter Retreat Topics — A Broader Governance Conversation
Also on the 11:00 a.m. block is a discussion of topics carried over from the winter retreat. The agenda lists them as: HOAs and rentals, vetting developers and business accountability, vendors at events, consent agenda and agenda process, employee training, the housing authority, and resources for people experiencing homelessness.
The "vetting developers and business accountability" item stands out. I have been closely watching how Conyers and Rockdale County handle relationships with outside consultants and developers — and that item signals council is having an internal conversation about accountability standards. I will be paying close attention to how that discussion unfolds.
Executive Session at 4:15 p.m.
The agenda lists an executive session beginning at 4:15 p.m. Under Georgia's Open Meetings Act, council must publicly announce the specific legal reason for entering executive session before closing the doors — whether that is personnel, litigation, or real estate. The public is entitled to hear that announcement. I will be there for it.
Budget, Millage Rate, and Other Business
At 2:00 p.m., council will take up budget and millage rate discussions — directly affecting every property owner in Conyers. No specific proposals have been released publicly ahead of the session.
At 2:30 p.m., council will conduct a mock council meeting, which appears to be a training exercise, likely connected to the morning's Sunshine Law overview.
At 3:30 p.m., council will discuss town hall policy and the LCI Grant.
At 4:00 p.m., council will consider Ordinance 1470 — a request for a special use permit to establish a bed and breakfast in the downtown district and downtown edge subarea, presented by Director of Planning and Inspection Services Scott Gaither.
What I'll Be Watching
Wednesday's retreat is one of the more consequential sessions council has held in recent months. The mayoral assistant debate has exposed real tensions over process, oversight, and how this council operates — and the retreat is where those tensions either get resolved or deepen. The broader governance topics on the agenda suggest council is doing some genuine internal reckoning about how it functions.
I will have full coverage following the session.
The retreat runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Carriage Room at the Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers. The regularly scheduled 6:00 p.m. work session has been canceled. The retreat is open to the public.
CJ Lester is the founder and publisher of CJ Lester Investigates, an independent accountability journalism outlet covering the City of Conyers and the City of Oxford, Georgia. Tips and records requests can be submitted to cj@cjlesterinvestigates.com or by calling (470) 996-6915.
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