WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Less than a week after we revealed Warner Robins elected officials violated their own city code mandating four additional public budget hearings, they failed to reach a quorum for the expected budget vote Monday night.
The fiscal year 2020 officially began July 1, but without an approved budget, the city will have to rely on fiscal year 2019 funds to hold them over.
City spokesperson Mandy Stella said only three elected officials were available. Four are needed for a quorum.
Mayor Randy Toms, and Councilmen Daron Lee and Larry Curtis were available Monday, according to Stella.
She said council members Keith Lauritsen, Tim Thomas, and Clifford Holmes were all out of town. Carolyn Robbins was also not available. Stella speculated her absence was due to health issues -- as it has been in other recent council absences -- though she did not know for sure.
Of the four, so far only Thomas and Lauritsen have responded to our request for comment.
He said pushing the vote back wouldn't affect the city's day-to-day operations and that the reserves from the 2019 budget would cover all necessary spending until then without causing a problem.
Thomas said he's on a family vacation in Hilton Head this week and "promised" his family he wouldn't cancel any of their plans to be present for a council meeting.
He said, "every year that I've been on council, I have gone on vacation, left my vacation, drove (to Warner Robins)...went to the council meeting, got in my car and drove back."
Thomas did admit recently he has called in to the early July meeting instead of physically driving to it, but said he has been present every year in one form or another since he was elected to council.
This year, he said he committed to his family and he would skip the meeting entirely to be with them. It's "not fair to the family" to break plans, he said.
Thomas called himself "the hardest working councilman" and said he deserves a week with his family.
Without naming him, Thomas also pointed a finger at the mayor, saying he should have given council the budget for evaluation much earlier.
"We were presented the budget late," he said.
Thomas said he informed Mayor Toms of his expected absence "early last week."
In a text message, Laurtisen said he is also on a family vacation. The councilman said it has been planned "for months" and had to be this week because it's "the only week of the summer (his son) doesn't have (football) practice."
According to Mandy Stella, the delayed vote will not affect city services.