Walthourville council considers City Hall revamp

Walthourville’s city council has hired a consultant to examine how much the city pays its employees, as well as to recommend ways to make City Hall more efficient. 

The council also has passed Walthourville’s first-ever property tax of 12 mils, projected to bring in an estimated $1,003,036 based on the city’s 2025 tax digest.

Consultant to suggest cuts

At a Nov. 6 special called meeting, the council and Mayor Sarah B. Hayes heard a presentation from DeLisa Clift, a consultant for Global Business Development Strategist, LLC, to do a study on city employee pay and compensation. It also hired GBD to make recommendations for City Hall operating procedures, combining two separate proposals.

GBD had developed a $21,000 “Proposal to Provide Operational Efficiency and Revenue Optimization Services” on May 6, 2025. That document pitched “a strategic evaluation of The City of Walthourville’s current municipal operations to identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising essential services, and to uncover new revenue streams.”

A $12,000 “Compensation Study Proposal” dated October 2025 would “identify gaps and opportunities  for improvement, ensuring competitive compensation that aligns with best practices and enhances employee satisfaction.”

Ultimately, the council voted to pay Clift $21,000 for both projects. The Current GA has requested a copy of the contract. At publication Monday, Hayes said the city attorney was in the process of drafting it.

In recent meetings, the council also has discussed the possibility of eliminating part or all of its employee health coverage. The city pays 100% of its employees’ health insurance premiums. Walthourville is insured through the Georgia Municipal Association, which provides coverage to its member cities.

Councilman Patrick Underwood had been adamant that the city stop paying all employee insurance, saying the city couldn’t afford it. The council is considering a range of possible cuts other than the 100% Underwood has demanded. At publication, Underwood told The Current GA that the council is considering paying only 75% and 50% of costs, meaning that the city would either split insurance premiums with city employees or that employees would pay 25% towards insurance, “but we’re still negotiating.”

A battle for control 

On July 22, the council passed a censure resolution, which does not have the force of law but states the council’s opinion that Hayes has failed to perform her duties as mayor. That resolution is toothless because the city charter provides for any sitting mayor or councilmember to be brought before Liberty County Superior Court for failing to do their job, or for deliberately engaging in an illegal act. If convicted, the guilty party has to pay a $100 fine and is removed from office. 

The council has not filed such charges, according to the Clerk of Superior Court’s online records.

After an Oct. 17 town hall, Councilmembers Bridgette Kelly, Mitchell Boston, Underwood, and Luciria Lovette told The Current GA said they feel Hayes exerts too much control over City Hall.

Under the city charter, Walthourville’s mayor serves as executive officer, similar to the CEO of a corporation.

Council member Bridgette Kelly said city leadership remains divided.

“So it’s council against City Hall, and the mayor is part of City Hall,” she said. “And my personal opinion, we’re not going to be able to get a whole lot done with our current City Hall staff.”

Asked how the city could afford to hire new staff, Kelly said, “Our people are well-paid. If we allegedly get rid of them, we can hire other people at what they’re being paid.”

Boston said, “When I looked at how much a city clerk makes in a city of our size, about $55,000, tops.”

Kelly said, “Our city clerk makes $100 (thousand.)” Boston agreed. 

How long has that been the case? 

“Until we asked the question,” Boston said. “Because prior to then, we were told that it was a salary…. I wanted to see what was on their W-2, how much did you make from Walthourville last year? And that’s when we saw the truth.”

Kelly added, “Because nobody is salary. Everybody is hourly. And they’re killing us in overtime.”

“I don’t have an issue with what they make,” Kelly said. “I just think that we need to get what we pay for. If we’re paying you, I’m just throwing a number out there, 70 grand, you need to do 70 grand worth of work.”

Boston and Kelly acknowledged City Hall staff attend mandatory training.

City employees are in a difficult position. Because they are supposed to remain non-political, they can’t speak up in many situations. However, it’s clear that city staffers are unhappy with recent council discussions about eliminating or cutting their health insurance by January 1. Several City Hall employees hold one position but do multiple jobs due to short staffing. Walthourville provided city job titles and pay rates at The Current GA’s request.

Elected city officials have the power to create and eliminate positions and to merge departments, and reassign or change duties for a position. 

But the mayor has the power to “appoint, promote, demote, transfer, suspend and remove all officers and employees and to direct and control their work.”

Meanwhile, those city employees are facing the holidays with the threat of what would effectively be pay cuts if they were forced to pick up insurance costs in January — or find work elsewhere.

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