MEIGS, Ga. (WALB) — Two Meigs city officials have resigned within days of each other. City Manager Rhonda Brown submitted her resignation Oct. 13, and City Attorney Thomas L. Lehman submitted his resignation the same day, effective October 16.

City manager resigns, cites hostile environment

Brown said a hostile work environment and a dysfunctional city council led to her decision to step down. Her last day of employment is Oct. 27.

Brown served as Meigs city manager for two and a half years. She said she was recruited by council members who cited her role as mayor pro tem in the city of Pelham.

Brown said she initially declined the position because she knew “the history of Meigs,” but later accepted after praying about it, saying she wanted to help the city move away from what she called a corrupt history.

Below is Rhonda Brown’s resignation letter:

Accomplishments cited in resignation letter

Brown said her resignation letter lists accomplishments during her tenure, including:

• Writing five policies that were adopted by the council, after the city previously had no policies and procedures in place, and adding a procurement policy required by the state
• Creating a fee and permit schedule as a new revenue source, in addition to existing water and tax revenue
• Starting a code enforcement department, though she said it “never got off to a good start” after one code enforcer resigned for medical reasons and a second quit after two days, which Brown said was due to harassment from a council member
• Securing Georgia Environmental Finance Authority funds for water infrastructure improvements, an 8.1 million dollar loan of which 75% has been granted, along with other grants totaling around $10 million
• Recovering more than $100,000 in unpaid city property taxes in a tax sale dating back to 2018
• Filing an insurance claim for vandalized police cars and getting all vandalized parts replaced
• Writing a water use agreement to prevent the Housing Agency and others from taking advantage of the city without paying
• Recovering funds owed to the city from other agencies

Brown’s resignation letter also states the city passed its fiscal year 2025 audit after a history of failed audits, which she said positions the city in good standing with the state and allows it to continue receiving state assistance after being threatened with a funding cutoff.

Brown’s letter additionally cites grant work during her tenure, including approval of $5,000 from BRACE for the Keep Meigs Beautiful program, $1 million from CDBG for water improvement, more than 6 million dollars from GEFA for water improvement, and more than $40,000 from LMIG for road repairs. A $50,000 T-Mobile grant for playground equipment was not approved.

Brown’s letter states she contacted all downtown business owners by email, phone, and letter to negotiate the sale or contribution of properties to the city for downtown development, which she said did not succeed. She said a presentation to the council about painting sidewalks and facades downtown also did not move forward. She said she procured a new sidewalk from town to Dollar General and put in a request to the Georgia Department of Transportation for signs, lights, and construction at the intersection of Highway 111 and Highway 19.

Brown’s letter states the city coordinated with contractors, architects and engineers to renovate City Hall, but could not afford architectural and engineering fees of 8% to 15% of the construction subtotal.

Brown said since the back taxes were recovered, residents have been paying property taxes on time.

Cites council dysfunction, documented violations

Brown said council members have not discussed city business with her during her tenure. She said she documented charter violations, malfeasance, code violations, conflicts of interest, and an open meetings act violation over two and a half years.

Brown said personal attacks during council meetings, including from a community member, contributed to her decision to resign.

Transparency concerns

Brown said she believes there are transparency concerns within city leadership. She said she saw a screenshot in which a council member’s family member wrote, “I’m glad she’s gone. Let’s take our city back.”

Brown calls for state-mandated training

Brown said council members have not attended government trainings during her two and a half years in the position. She said she believes the state should mandate training for city council members and other elected officials.

“When you have people in government that are not knowledgeable of government, they don’t really know how to serve their community,” Brown said.

Brown said she would like residents to consider electing officials who are knowledgeable and have the community’s best interests in mind.

City attorney also resigns

Thomas L. Lehman, who served as Meigs city attorney, submitted his resignation to the mayor and council on October 13. His resignation is effective October 16.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve as the city attorney and wish you the best in the future,” Lehman wrote in his resignation letter.

I reached out to Mayor Cynthia Anderson of the City of Meigs via email and called the City to address these claims and have not heard back.

Below is Thomas L. Lehman’s resignation letter:

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