Stung by "slumlord" accusations from news media outlets last week, Augusta Commissioner Betty Beard used it as a jumping point Monday to revive the debate over inner-city revitalization and the downtown trade, exhibit and event center, thought to be on hold until after the June 16 sales tax referendum.

Ms. Beard said she takes full responsibility for conditions at her childhood home on Boyd Lane, a dilapidated structure where two brothers living rent-free told reporters last week they have no running water or electricity.

Her take, however, is that there are thousands of houses like it in the Laney-Walker neighborhood and that the commission doesn't need to wait any longer to take on the problem.

"You go and look," Ms. Beard said. "You will feel that you're in a Third World country."

She came to Monday's Finance committee with an agenda addendum -- approving the issuance of bonds, bank loans or both to kick off Laney-Walker and Bethlehem redevelopment.

Her motion to approve couldn't get a second initially because she offered no dollar amount, and Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Mason said he needed specifics. She finally settled on $7 million, and he seconded. The vote fell 2-2, with committee chairman Joe Bowles and Commissioner Jerry Brigham dissenting. Now the issue goes to the full commission the same day as the special purpose local option sales tax vote.

Mr. Bowles said he cast his firm no vote because inner-city revitalization and the Reynolds Street TEE center are supposed to be tied together. He read a quote from City Administrator Fred Russell out of a transcript from an August 2007 commission meeting, when a 6-0 vote approved the TEE center's site and operating agreement, with a $1-a-night hotel fee being used to fund TEE center operations and revitalization projects in Laney-Walker and Bethlehem.

"I would recommend," Mr. Russell said in 2007, "that part of this be an agreement with the (Augusta) Riverfront LLC as a signed document and that be done in coordination with the bonding document so it's all one package. So it's not a bait and switch. ... Unless all that's in place as one package, I would not recommend it to you."

"It's all one package," Mr. Bowles said Monday, "and we don't have a TEE center."

The issue has had the commission divided along racial lines since May 5, when a vote on a funding structure proposed by Mr. Russell failed 5-4-1.

Voters approved $20 million for the TEE center in 2005's SPLOST package. The commission approved it almost two years later after Commissioner Don Grantham garnered a sixth vote from Ms. Beard by offering the hotel fee arrangement.

But the price has swelled. An architect backed out, saying it would take twice what voters approved in SPLOST. Now it's estimated at $38 million, and Mr. Russell's proposal had an assortment of bonds and revenue streams making up for the cost difference and paying for a $17 million parking deck.

Black commissioners say that they have too many concerns about the elevated cost to approve the project but that because the $20 million is on hand the inner-city portion of the deal can go forward. White commissioners say that without the TEE center the hotel fee might be illegal because it's not being used to promote tourism.

The issue went on the back burner after the commission voted 7-2-1 on June 2 to let Mr. Russell take some steps forward, such as having schematic designs drawn up, developing a timeline for inner-city projects and finalizing the operating contract. Mr. Russell told the panel he wouldn't have the tasks completed before the SPLOST vote.

Ms. Beard contended Monday that there are enough historical sites in Laney-Walker to justify use of the hotel fee.

"It's time to let us have some of those funds," she said.

As for the house on Boyd Lane, Ms. Beard said after the meeting that she'll evict her tenants -- one of whom is expected to be cited this week by the License and Inspection Department for shoddy upkeep -- by Friday. She'll then board up the house and donate it to Paine College, something she planned to do before last week's "slumlord" stories, she said.

Ms. Beard said she'll do the same with all of the houses in Laney-Walker and Bethlehem owned by her or her late husband, former City Commissioner Lee Beard.

Ms. Beard says she has collected only $520 from the brothers since October 2007. She said she didn't evict them sooner because she was afraid thieves would strip out the doors, windows, siding and copper wiring if the house was vacant.

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