Augusta approves new funds for cutting medians

Yahoo

18-04-2025

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The median off Meadowbrook Drive is not cut by the city, but by Venessa Saford's husband. So she's keen on keeping them cut in the city.
'Yes, especially on the south side of Augusta. It looks really bad. They need to go ahead and fix it. I don't appreciate living over here and seeing it crazy,' she said.
The city is targeting medians like Windsor Spring, Greene Street and Fleming. In all, more than three dozen medians approved to be cut every two weeks at a cost of $350-thousand dollars.
'Now that we're kind of recovering from Hurricane Helene, it's time to get back to the normal business, making sure the appearance of our city is taken care of,' said Mayor Garnett Johnson.
The city first started this program of cutting the medians for two years and using federal Rescue Act funds, but those dollars are all spent, and the program wasn't budgeted this year, so the city is now using its own tax dollars, including $250-thousand dollars out of contingency.
'So, the money is coming out of contingency, what I mentioned. I'm not happy with that, I believe there is certainly the opportunity to create more efficiencies with the grass cutting,' said the mayor.
The city could end the grass cutting in the medians, and keep the money in contingency, the mayor says that's not an option but says streamlining all city mowing under one roof is.
'We have to have a call for the reestablishment of some form of public works department, so all the grass cutting is centralized under one area. You will see that push come soon,' Johnson said.
The city's push now though is cut these highly visible medians, even though the money was not included in the 2025 budget.
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