Sheriff Pat Labat told the Fulton County Commission in a letter that he planned to attend their Oct. 2 meeting to discuss budget needs and outstanding invoices.
Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said he wanted to remind his fellow commissioners that a state Senate subcommittee recommended that they meet with the sheriff weekly. “At some point we need to probably consider their recommendation,” he said.
The special Georgia Senate subcommittee of the Public Safety Committee released its recommendations on Aug. 23.
Arrington read Labat’s full letter, which mentioned seeing Chairman Robb Pitts at a local restaurant a few weeks ago. The sheriff also said his staff had submitted items for the commissioners’ agenda that were removed without telling anyone on his team.
Pitts said Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whitmore was not present at Wednesday’s meeting to respond to claims items from Labat’s staff were left off the commission’s agenda.
Commissioner Bob Ellis said the commission discusses financial matters and public taxpayers’ money in public, not via proxy, letters, or at breakfast meetings.
“The root cause of the issue is yet to appear before us, to take accountability and get these matters addressed. That’s what the problem is. So, hopefully, he will be here [on Oct. 2],” Ellis said.
Pitts said discussing items at meetings or public forums doesn’t prevent commissioners from having conversations before or after a meeting about those items. Pitts said he removed two items from the commissioners’ Wednesday meeting agenda – discussions on the Sheriff’s Office outstanding invoices and the inmate phone and jail commissary contracts – at the sheriff’s request. They will be back on the agenda for the Oct. 2 meeting.
Vice Chair Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said she wanted to go on record that she needs a priority list of Fulton County Jail needs from the sheriff. She said it’s in the best interest of the public for Labat to meet with the commission board.
