Arena board's time is ending

A bill to restructure the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority went through changes before its passage Friday, bumping up the current board's demise by a month and banning all sitting members from being immediately reappointed.

The end-date adjustment was made at the request of state Rep. Hardie Davis, D-Gracewood, who says he didn't want to drag out the transition and have the authority in limbo for three months.

A private company making an upper-management change wouldn't operate that way, he said.

"Those decisions happen speedily," Mr. Davis said.

The first version of the bill, which passed in the House early last week, called for current board members' terms to end June 30 and new members' terms to start July 1.

The final version, amended in the Senate and kicked back to the House, says current members are finished at 11:59 p.m. on the day the bill becomes effective, and "this Act shall become effective on May 31, 2009, or upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval, whichever last occurs."

Gov. Sonny Perdue's deadline to sign or veto bills is midnight May 13. With the governor unlikely to override a local bill, May 31 should be what "last occurs."

Still, there's a chance current terms could spill into June. The legislation also suggests that board members may stay in place until their successors are chosen, and it directs Augusta Commission members and legislators to name a new board "as soon as practicable on or after the date this section becomes effective."

Another last-minute change was made at the request of Augusta Commissioner Don Grantham, who wasn't happy about language that required authority members appointed by the commission, but not those named by the legislative delegation, to sit out for a year.

Now all members, present and future, "may be reappointed only after taking at least a one-year break between appointments."

The changes came amid criticism that the authority's board had become ineffective and embarrassingly quarrelsome, although a member who resigned last week, Donnie Thompson, said he believes legislators punished them for refusing to hire a high-priced consultant in December.

Under the new structure, the 12-member board will be shrunk to seven members -- three appointed by the five commissioners from each of the two super districts and a chairman, appointed by the legislative delegation, who votes only to break a tie.

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.