Full VideoAgenda
College Park City Council
September 3, 2024

30 findings from a chaotic council meeting where $2.8 million passed without debate, officials cut each other off mid-sentence, and residents pleaded for elected leaders to 'get along'

Source: City of College Park Official YouTube
Meeting Briefing

The September 3rd council meeting was a master class in municipal dysfunction. Council rubber-stamped $2.8 million in spending through a consent agenda that buried everything from $771,000 garbage trucks to a $277,000 golf course renovation. Mayor Broom repeatedly cut off council members mid-sentence, with Councilman Gay snapping 'don't be a bully' when she interrupted Councilwoman Arnold. The meeting devolved into procedural chaos when Gay tried to force an unposted executive session for mystery city manager interviews that 40% of council knew nothing about. Meanwhile, residents lined up to beg their elected officials to stop the infighting and 'get along' — with one speaker directly calling out Gay for being on his phone during public comment.

Financial Scandal
1A
$2.8 MILLION
NO DEBATE
1:24:26
$2.8 Million Consent Agenda Rubber Stamp
Council passed nearly $3 million in spending without a single question or debate.
1:24:26 – 1:27:05
1B
$183K
NOT BUDGETED
1:36:24

Mystery $183K Tractor Purchase Not Budgeted

Staff admits $183,500 tractor purchase wasn't budgeted but council approves anyway.
1:36:24
2A
'OUT OF ORDER'
SILENCING TACTICS
1:34:52

Mayor Cuts Off Council Members Mid-Sentence

Mayor repeatedly rules council members 'out of order' and cuts them off during debate.
1:34:52
2B
'DON'T BE A BULLY'
COUNCIL MELTDOWN
2:14:27

'Don't Be a Bully' - Gay Snaps at Mayor

Councilman Gay tells Mayor 'don't be a bully' after she cuts off Councilwoman Arnold.
2:14:27
3B
'PROBLEMS WITH WOMEN'
DIRECT ACCUSATION
53:23
Resident: Gay 'Has Problems with Women'
Young resident directly calls out Councilman Gay's treatment of women during public comment.
53:23
4A
40% CLUELESS
ON MANAGER HIRE
2:24:54
40% of Council Unaware of Manager Interviews
Mayor admits she and Arnold had no notice of city manager finalist interviews scheduled that night.
2:24:54
4B
'FIX IS IN'
MAYOR'S ACCUSATION
2:25:27
Mayor Questions if 'Fix Is In'
Mayor publicly suggests city manager hiring process may be rigged.
2:25:27
Power Plays & Dysfunction
3A
ON THEIR PHONES
WHILE CITIZENS SPEAK
53:23

Resident Calls Out Officials Looking at Phones

Young professional tells council 'you guys are looking down at your phones like I see you right now.'
53:23
3C
'GET ALONG'
RESIDENTS BEGGING
53:52

Residents Beg Officials to 'Get Along'

Multiple residents plead with council to stop fighting and work together.
53:52
3D
'TAKING BUSINESS ELSEWHERE'
ECONOMIC EXODUS
50:47

Business Owner Taking Business Elsewhere

Young business owner says city dysfunction is driving him to take his business elsewhere.
50:47
5A
'NO COST'
BLANK CHECKS
1:00:07
No Information on Consent Agenda Items
Resident points out consent agenda lacks basic cost information for major purchases.
1:00:07
6A
NO COST INFO
DRONE PROGRAM DIES
1:29:09
Drone Program Fails for Lack of Financial Info
McKenzie opposes drone program because council wasn't given total cost information.
1:29:09
7A
36 MINUTES MISSING
MINUTES SCANDAL
1:57:41
Missing August 9 Special Meeting Minutes
Mayor reveals 36-minute gap in special meeting minutes and 10-minute audio silence.
1:57:41
8A
$99K UNKNOWN
SAFETY DELAYED
1:41:15
License Plate Reader Funding Unknown
$99,000 safety equipment request gets tabled because nobody knows where money comes from.
1:41:15
9A
NO MOTION
AUDIT REQUIRED
1:51:24
Audit Contract Gets No Motion
$109,000 audit contract dies for lack of motion despite legal requirement.
1:51:24
10A
NO PROCUREMENT
STAFF EXODUS
1:53:32
Procurement Staff Gone - No RFPs Possible
City has no procurement staff to handle bids, creating operational crisis.
1:53:32
11A
31% DECLINE
POPULATION CRASH
50:47
College Park Population Drops 31%
Resident reports city lost 2,000 people between 2010-2020, a 31% decline.
50:47
12A
CONSENT ABUSE
GMA VIOLATION
1:00:39
Resident Challenges Consent Agenda Use
Resident cites Georgia Municipal Association rules on improper consent agenda usage.
1:00:39
13A
'PERSONAL ATTACKS'
SOCIAL MEDIA WAR
47:08
Residents Defend McKenzie Against Attacks
Multiple residents speak in defense of councilwoman facing 'personal attacks' on social media.
47:08
14A
'NOT PAID'
QUID PRO QUO?
1:03:28
Granville Law Firm Denies Quid Pro Quo
Law firm representative denies allegations they were paid by McKenzie for community events.
1:03:28
15A
NO NOTICE
STREET CHANGES
1:21:48
John Calvin Avenue Residents Not Notified
Email reveals residents weren't told their street was becoming one-way for school parking.
1:21:48
16A
PENDING LAWSUIT
FINANCE DIRECTOR
1:17:38
Interim Finance Director Has Pending Lawsuit
Digital comment questions hiring finance director who has litigation with another city.
1:17:38
17A
IMPROPER ADJOURNMENT
QUORUM GAMES
2:27:00
Meeting Adjourned Despite Available Quorum
Mayor adjourns meeting when councilwoman goes to restroom, despite her stating she'd return.
2:27:00
18A
AIRPORT DISPLACED
REUNION HONOR
1:14:30
College Park Family Reunion Praised
Resident honors council for supporting annual reunion of families displaced by airport.
1:14:30
19A
CIVILITY OATH
FORMAL REQUEST
2:18:09
Arnold Requests Civility Oath Implementation
Councilwoman formally requests strategic retreat and code of conduct after dysfunction.
2:18:09
20A
'LOCAL FIRST'
VENDOR DEFENSE
2:12:52
Gay Supports Local Business First Policy
Councilman defends decades-old practice of using local vendors, calls out criticism.
2:12:52
21A
PUERTO RICO TRIP
TAXPAYER EXPENSE
1:59:50
Mayor Reports Puerto Rico Trip
Mayor traveled to Puerto Rico for National League of Cities symposium on taxpayer expense.
1:59:50
22A
MOTIONS DIE
NO SECONDS
1:35:54
Two Ordinances Die for Lack of Second
City code amendments fail when no council member will second the motions.
1:35:54
23A
'LOST ELECTION'
SOUR GRAPES
55:57
Resident Calls Out Former Allies
Brandy Herd accuses former McKenzie supporters of turning against her after losing elections.
55:57
24A
MINUTES CHAOS
WRONG MEETING
22:40
Minutes Corrections Confusion
Council gets confused about which meeting minutes they're correcting in multi-minute mix-up.
22:40
25A
8 MINUTES
AGENDA CHAOS
11:56
Agenda Modifications Create Confusion
Multiple agenda changes and objections create 8 minutes of procedural confusion.
11:56
26A
$277K GOLF
ZERO DISCUSSION
1:24:58
Golf Course Gets $277,000 Without Discussion
Quarter-million dollar golf course green reconstruction passes in consent agenda silence.
1:24:58
27A
700 vs 72
SENIOR RELIEF
2:05:37
Senior Citizen Tax Relief Highlighted
McKenzie reports tax exemption expansion will help 700 households instead of 72.
2:05:37
28A
CAPITOL COMPARISON
SAME SPIRIT
1:16:02
Resident Warns About Capitol-Style Behavior
Brady Evans compares council chamber disruptions to January 6th Capitol behavior.
1:16:02
29A
'LOVE & HONOR'
POSITIVE MESSAGE
1:06:50
Dr. Chulu Promotes 'Love and Honor'
Resident gives 3-minute speech about love, honor, and council accomplishments.
1:06:50
30A
VOTE CONFUSION
PROCESS FAILURE
2:28:05
Executive Session Process Concerns
Meeting ends in confusion over whether executive session vote was properly conducted.
2:28:05