MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

This agreement is made and entered into as of the date of execution, by and between the

Augusta, Georgia, party of the first part, hereinafter called the COOPERATOR, and The

University-of Georgia-Res-earch-Foun-dation;-Inc.-,h·ereinafter called the·FOUNDATION to--

fund this project to be performed at the University of Georgia (UGA). It is agreed and

understood that UGARF has the authority to contract for performance of this project that will be

subcontracted to UGA. Under subcontract from UGARF, UGA via the Carl Vinson Institute of

Government will perform all obligations ofUGARF under this agreement.

WITNESSETH, inasmuch as the COOPERA TOR is desirous of setting up a cooperative

service with the FOUNDATION and inasmuch as the FOUNDATION is willing to undertake

and conduct such a cooperative service, the purpose of this agreement is to establish the terms

and conditions under which such a cooperative service will be accomplished pursuant to the

conditions herein set forth.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the following mutual promises, covenants,

and conditions, it is agreed as follows:

Section I

The FOUNDATION will:

a. Carry on the cooperative service in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government

substantially as set forth in the attached outline marked "Exhibit A" and made a part of this

agreement.

b. Preserve all of its records bearing upon the amounts payable under this agreement, and

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further agrees that any specifically authorized representative of the COOPERATOR shall, until

the expiration of three years after final payment under this agreement, have access to and the

right to examine any directly pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the

FOUNDATION involving transactions related to this agreement.

c. Expend monies received under Section II, below, for the object of the service in a

manner to be determined by said FOUNDATION. The FOUNDATION is authorized to transfer

funds between various budget categories without specific and separate approval by the

COO PERA TOR. This is a fixed fee contract.

Section II

COOPERATOR will pay the FOUNDATION a fixed fee of $320,I 74.00. No federal

dollars are involved in this Memorandum of Agreement. Upon receipt of the invoices, the

COOPERATOR will pay four equal payments of $80,043.50, with this amount being due on

May 30, 2025, September 30, 2025, December 31, 2025, and March 31, 2026. The invoices

should be directed to Tameka Allen, Augusta Consolidated Government, 535 Telfair St.,

Augusta, Georgia, 3090 l; email: [email protected]; telephone 706- 821-2400.

Section III

The term of this agreement shall be from February I, 2025, through December 31, 2026.

However, it may be terminated by either party by written notice of such intent submitted 90 days

in advance. In the event of such termination the COOP ERA TOR will pay the FOUNDATION a

prorated portion of the upcoming installment consistent with the revised termination date and

will pay the FOUNDATION for all non-cancellable and outstanding obligations related to this

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contract. The FOUNDATION will continue to work on the project until the revised termination

date and will provide to the COOPERATOR interim findings and summary notes that reflect the

status of the project at the time of revised termination.

Section IV

This agreement may be modified at any time by mutual consent of the governing boards

of the parties hereto. Any modification hereto shall be in writing and signed by all pa1iies.

Section V

This agreement may be renewed annually if the COOPERATOR wishes to expand the

scope of the project and extend its time frame, and the FOUNDATION agrees to do so. lfthe

agreement is renewed without other substantive modification, such renewal may be evidenced by

letter of agreement signed by the first party and by the officials authorized to execute the original

agreement on behalf of the second party.

Section VI

Neither party to this agreement will discriminate against any employee or applicant for

employment or against any applicant for enrollment at any school or college or against any

student in his/her course of study or training because of race, color, sex, creed, national origin,

age, religion, veteran status, or disability.

Section Vll

Should the parties to this agreement decide that it would be advantageous to publish the

results of this cooperative undertaking, either party can do so without consulting the other.

Publication by either party shall give proper credit to the other party.

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 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this agreement is entered into on the date of execution.

FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF FOR AUGUST A, GEORGIA:

GEORGIA RESEARCH
FOUNDATION, INC.:

Date: 2/19/25

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 EXHIBIT A
SCOPEQFWQRK
CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS SUPPORT

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government (Institute) will assist the Chatter Review Commission
(CRC) as appointed by Augusta, Georgia (Augusta). As part of its work, the Institute will:

I. Help the CRC identify potential areas in the current charter that warrant updating.
2. Assist the CRC in reviewing sections of the Charter that are proposed for discussion and
revision.
3. Assist with the preparation of meeting agendas, decision support documents and research,
and meeting facilitation; and
4. Draft a new chatter based on the decisions and direction of the CRC.

More detailed information about the responsibilities of the Institute, the CRC, and Augusta are
outlined below.

PROPOSED
IIMEL~~E

The Institute's project team will work closely with the CRC to ensure a smooth review process.
The Institute anticipates that the CRC will need to meet approximately 11 times over the course
of eight or nine months. To meet the objective of delivering a final report and an updated charter
by December 31, 2025, all parties must adhere to the proposed timeline. The proposed timeline
(see below) includes three public hearings and bi-weekly planning meetings with the CRC Chair
and/or executive officers. Planning meetings with the Chair will be held virtually.

The timeline will enable the CRC to complete its work and the Institute to produce a draft chatter
and final report by the end of December 2025. Any changes or delays to the timeline outlined
below may cause a delay in the production of the final report. The timeline and terms of the
contract allow for a 12-month period, after the completion of the report, for the Institute to
provide clarification or consultation to Augusta as it works to implement a new charter.

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February 2025 • Institute project team meets with County Attorney
and Clerk to discuss roles and responsibilities, and
project plan.
• Augusta will appoint CRC members .
• The County Attorney drafts bylaws for CRC .
• Kickoff meeting with CRC members .

March 2025 • Start biweekly meetings with CRC Chair

• 1st public hearing
• CRC meeting (I)
April 2025 CRC meetings (2 and 3)
May 2025 CRC meeting (4)
June 2025 • CRC meeting (5)
• 2nd
public hearing
July 2025 CRC meeting (6)
August2025 • CRC meetings (7 and 8 if needed)
• 3rd public hearing (late August or early September)
September 2025 CRC meetings (9 and IO if needed)
October 2025 • CRC meeting (II, final meeting)
• Final CRC recommendations/comments due by the
end of the month.
November 2025 Institute: draft report
December 2025 Final report delivered by the end of the month.
January 2026 - December 2026 Support as needed

INSTITUTE
RESPONSIBILITIES
I. Project Development; Attend project development meetings with the CRC Chair to
further define the project scope, identify relevant sources of data, and obtain operational
specific data to produce the most beneficial project foundation.

2. ProjectAssjstance;
Attend CRC meetings and related public hearings, and document
discussion, presentations, and public comment for purposes of the final CRC report.
Assist the CRC Chair with meeting facilitations when requested. The Institute will NOT
be responsible for the notification or planning of CRC meetings or preparing the official
meeting minutes. Augusta personnel will provide these services.

3. Research and Interviews; Conduct research and interviews related to the project as
directed by the executive members of the CRC.

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4. DataCollectjon;
Collect data and public input electronically as directed by the CRC
Chair.

5. Findjnus;Review data and present findings.

AUGUSTA RESPONSIBILITIES

I. DataAccess:Augusta will respond to any data and/or interview requests in a timely

manner (within 3-4 business days wherever possible) and will facilitate data collection
and interview scheduling with Augusta, should they be necessary. If response times are
hindered or delayed by Augusta- Richmond County, the study's completion timetable
will be adjusted accordingly.

2. MeetjnuJ,ogjstjcs;
Augusta will provide staff to manage all CRC meeting logistics
including scheduling, agenda posting, securing event space, and communicating the
times and locations to the public.

3. OfficialMeetingMinutes;Augusta will produce the official meeting minutes for all

CRC meetings and public hearings.

4. PressReiatiops;Augusta-Richmond County will be responsible for managing all

press and media requests for information and/or interviews and for providing a press
spokesperson for the project, as needed.

5. OgenMeetinesandOgenRecordsActRequests:Any required compliance with the

Georgia Open Meetings Act or the Georgia Open Records Act shall be the responsibility
of Augusta. The Institute shall cooperate with Augusta, as needed, to respond to Open
Records Act requests.

6. PublicHearings;All public hearings open to citizens of Augusta shall be the

responsibility of Augusta. Augusta shall provide staff to manage all public hearing
logistics including scheduling, posting of agendas, securing event space, and
communicating the times and locations to the public. Augusta shall communicate the
time, date, and location of all public hearings through the official legal organ of
Augusta and other channels of communication.

7. OfficialLee-alVoiceforCRC:The Augusta Attorney serves as the legal

representative of the CRC. The Institute will not opine as to the legality of any
provision or interpret related law. All legal questions will be directed to the Augusta -
Richmond County Attorney.

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 8. Auv:usta Point of Contact: Augusta will be responsible for providing a point of
contact to the Institute to assist in data gathering, document access, scheduling
meetings, and serving as a liaison for any Augusta- Richmond County matters.

DELIVERABLES
The Institute will provide the CRC and Augusta-Richmond County, via the Clerk, with the
following deliverables:

1. An electronic copy (pdffile) of the final report.

2. Institute staff will be available to provide consultation only on the results of the
study to the CRC and Augusta- Richmond County for one year following
submission of the final repmi. Any additional work requests beyond consulting on
the results of the study will require a separate contract.

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