Office of the Mayor

The Honorable Rufus Davis

City of Camilla, Georgia

Bennett Adams, City Manager

City of Camilla
30 East Broad Street
Camilla, Georgia 31730

February 27, 2017

Mr. Adams,

I hope that you are well. I am writing to inquire with you regarding a couple of items that have been
directed my way. The first has to do with a resident that reached out to me regarding unleashed pets and the traffic
on Goodson Road. The resident must utilize a wheelchair to get around and reports being sometimes threatened by
unleashed animals and fast traffic.

I mentioned the pet issue during the last council meeting; and I am advising the resident to contact Animal
Control. I have also spoken with Animal Control and they are willing to help. The residents second concern is
whether the City can erect caution signage on Goodson Road, signifying that there are persons in wheelchairs in the
area. I understand that there are several (two or more) persons in wheelchairs; and the signage might help drivers
exercise a higher degree of caution in the area.

Finally, I would like to inquire about the retirement of Police Chief, Ray Folsom. I certainly intend to
thank him for his service and for the very amicable, respectful and professional manner in which he has conducted
himself and his office during the entire time I have served as Mayor.

The above being said, I have received numerous inquiries from residents regarding our next Police Chief;
the qualifications; the hiring process; and recruitment timetable. It is my understanding that Chief Folsoms
retirement is effective as of March 10, 2017, 10 days from now. A few questions I have and have been asked are:

a) will Chief Folsom serve until his successor is hired;

b) will a search firm be used to help recruit as wide an applicant pool and the best candidates possible;
c) will you make the hiring decision solely yourself (which is your authority) and, if so, will you rely on
(or allow) input from a committee, the council or the community;
d) will the council or public be involved in the hiring process in any other fashion;
e) is there anything you will do to specifically ensure that a certain, minimum, number of applicants are
qualified and interviewed;
f) who will conduct and/or participate in the interviews;
g) can members of the public engage in the process with you and, if so, how; and
h) what is the anticipated or current salary for the position

I am proud that Camilla is a safe place to live and raise a family. And, I appreciate the vested interest of
the public and city officials alike in ensuring that our incoming Police Chief will extol the virtues of the community
in every way; that he or she will promote citizen engagement; and continually strive to maintain and exceed the
very highest levels of public safety, security and confidence.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to receiving and sharing your responses.

Kindest regards,

Mayor Davis