College Park defends Savannah City Council meeting, rejects Georgia Open Meetings Act allegations
The City of College Park is pushing back against allegations it violated Georgia's Open Meetings Act after holding a special City Council meeting in Savannah at the end of June.
On June 30, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office sent a letter to the city after receiving Open Meetings Act complaints from residents. The city was given 10 business days to respond, and CBS Atlanta has now obtained a copy of City Attorney Winston Denmark's response.
Carr's office launched its review after the College Park City Council held a special meeting in Savannah while members were attending the Georgia Municipal Association Annual Convention. During that meeting, council members selected a new Destination Marketing Organization.
Residents who filed complaints argued the city may have violated the Georgia Open Meetings Act by holding the meeting in Savannah.
According to Carr's office, one complaint alleged the public notice did not indicate the meeting would be livestreamed or otherwise made available for remote public viewing. Another resident told the Attorney General's office she traveled to Savannah for the meeting but did not see a notice posted at the meeting location.
While Carr's office said it was "not clear" whether technical violations of the Georgia Open Meetings Act occurred in how the meeting was noticed, the letter concluded that "at the very least, however, it does not appear the city's actions fostered public transparency."
College Park resident Jason Killip said he believes city leaders should be held accountable.
"With the pressure from the AG and everything, they continue to say that they are in the right," Killip said. "There is no accountability for anything that they have done."
In a response dated Wednesday, Denmark called the allegations "meritless" and defended the city's actions.
"Indeed, there was no intent to deceive the public or preclude discussion in deliberate violation of the act," Denmark wrote. "Rather, the city held a publicly noticed, open to the public, and proper special-called meeting on June 28, 2026, at the Marriott."
Denmark also argued that holding the meeting outside College Park's city limits does not violate the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
In the letter, Denmark accused a group of residents of attempting to use the Attorney General's office to overturn political outcomes.
"Finally, as none of the allegations found in the Letter represent a violation of the act, it appears that the Attorney General is asking that the local governing body, which was elected to wield the powers of the City, bend to the will of a certain group of un-elected citizens who are weaponizing the Attorney General after failing at the ballot box," Denmark wrote.
The city has also announced enhanced security measures for elected officials. In a social media post, the city said it has documented an increase in threatening communications, intimidation, harassment and other conduct directed toward City Council members and, in some cases, their families. The city said the additional security measures were implemented after consultations with the police department and city manager.
CBS Atlanta reached out to the city for additional information about the reported threats but has not received a response. However, Mayor Bianca Motley-Broom told CBS Atlanta she did not request additional security and is "not aware of anyone threatening harm to me or my family since my colleagues met in Savannah."
