City Council - Regular Meeting

[Music] like to call this meeting of the city council mayor and council meeting June 5th 2017 to order. Um if you please rise for the pledge of allegiance led by me and then remain standing for the invocation led by Mr. Police Chief Joel Richards. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let's pray. Father God, we love you. We just thank you for another great day of life. God, I thank you for this great city of Carolton. And tonight, just ask you to bless the citizens of this community. you bless the workers and u bless this governing body as mayor and council as they come together to make some very difficult decisions that affect a lot of people's lives. We thank you most of all for your son Jesus. We pray in his name. Amen.

Amen.

That brings us down to number four. Uh citizens comments. Does anybody have anything they want to bring to the council? Um please limit your comments to three minutes.

Uh Mr. Mayor and uh Tim, if you don't mind, before they do that, I would like to ask about the uh noise ordinance issue. Do uh my constituents need to stand now or do they need to wait until we I had asked the city attorney to look at our ordinance to see if it had teeth to address this issue. If you don't mind me taking a moment, I'll talk about all the things we have done. Uh as you know, Councilman Bird, you've called me. I would not be afraid to say 15 times about this issue. Text on the weekend, text in the night. We've sent people out in the middle of the night. We've sent people from engineering. We've sent people from operations uh over there. And uh we even and I think at some point we'd like to have Tony Richardson address all of this. We even had a 7-day noise study performed by an outside consultant and they put uh sound meters in your neighborhood. They put them near the industries. They put them near the railroad. And I think they even put one on one of our plants just as a baseline number. But uh I guess at this point we are not 100% sure that that the exact source of the problem. We do know there's sound there. We do know it's unpleasant to some of the people in your neighborhood. I had asked Chuck to look at our ordinance to see if it had enough teeth. I had asked him to rewrite it. Uh he has rewritten it where we could actually put a DB limit on it, but honestly I'm not comfortable naming that number tonight. uh we were we were considering using the HUD uh limits on housing and the study that we had showed that we were under those limits. So that's not going to make people happy uh to only use those HUD limits. We also ask um we we met with Southwire and I know they are building enclosures around some of their machinery. We have met with uh and I've met with Southwire also and then we met with some people from OS off OFS which is the old fitel and a number of times and they're building

some enclosures. Uh I know there's a gentleman here from OFS. I don't know if he's prepared to speak or not but uh yeah let's let him speak. I think my constituents would love to hear from him. And just to Tim just to uh I guess interject if you will and to bring everybody up to par on the issue here. Um, the Cottages of Carolton is the neighborhood where I live and um, we uh are pretty much backed up on the property of Southwire and of FS. I don't know how many feet we are apart. I think it's a point. 06 miles or something to that effect from each of those. What what's happening is all day long there's a grinding noise that we experience in our homes and we cannot sleep. I suffer from now from um, what is it? is it uh insomnia and my neighbors are also suffering as well and they are here and we've met with Southwire. The first person I called I I called Marcel I think in January maybe February and just asked her like do you hear that noise at night that's grinding and shaking our homes? Do you hear that? And she said it's Gerald. It's driving me crazy. I'm up too. She and I met and then she kept calling me telling me about it every night. And then I I thought you know what let me call Laura Richards. I called Laura Richards about it and then I met with Southwire and Marcel and a few of our residents um homeowners over there met with Southwire as well and Southwire agreed as you said to build an enclosure to uh help muffle the noise coming from them and Marcel has named the source of the noise at Southwire. And then I per I mean I feel like some kind of private investigator or something. But anyway, I go out at like 1, two, three, four, five, six in the morning in my car and in my PJs over to OFS to search to see if I could find what it was. And I was allowed into um the gate of the company. Uh when I first went over, it was in cold weather. I think that was probably in February as well. They took me inside and show

showed me a machine called the Electra Saver 2. And it was so loud and just so obnoxious. And uh months later, I met with uh an official from OFS at my house at 4:30 in the morning to hear the noise. And um I I think that that individual determined that it wasn't bad enough to her to do anything about it. But we have to change our ordinance, our ordinance, our noise ordinance for industries in Carolton so that our residents can have peace and so they can sleep. These are hardworking taxpaying citizens. These are people who are some of them on medication. It's basically a retirement community where I live. I'm not retired. I actually leave every day and go work. But a lot of them are there all day long. We're talking about holidays. We're talking about Christmas Day. We're talking about Easter. Our houses feeling like an earthquake is underneath them. And it's a piercing noise that just won't go away. I sleep now to Lullabi music, but uh it it does not do any good at all. And I know they're all up all night long and and we're we're really suffering. And so, as an elected official, um I want to do my part moving forward to make sure because we're going to probably build something else out that way again. But moving forward, I want to do my part. Amen. And I'm going to fight this tooth and nail. I'm not going to stop until something is done. I promise you that. I really am not going to stop. I want these people to get sleep and I want to get sleep myself. It is annoying. It's atrocious. I don't know any other word for it. But we are all at wit's end over it. And I hope OFS will cooperate with us the way Southwire has in quailing, eliminating, and inc and building enclosures and structures to stop this terrible, terrible noise. And again, I will fight it for my constituents, for

myself, even for my pets who are suffering as well. But I think um Tim if you will I think Marcel Roy wanted to speak and the rest of the residents as well from ma'am if you'll come up to the podium and state your name your address and my name is Marcel Roy and I live at 255 Katherine Court. And these are some of my neighbors of which I have 12, myself included, 13 including Gerald and one woman on Plowshare Road and M Clearary. And um I'd like to introduce them. This is Jean Davidson. She lives on Jamie Court. Melanie Cook lives on Katherine Court. And Sarah Huff lives on Katherine Court. And um I've been a resident um in Kajes of Carolton since December of 2002. And I started um logging the amount of noise coming from Southwire in October of last year. I've called the police to my home in the middle of the night. I have the verbiage from the current um sound ordinance that says it shall be unlawful for any person to make continue or cause to be made or continued any excessive unnecessary or unusually loud noise or any noise which annoys injures or endangers the comfort repose health peace or safety of others within the limits of the city. I have not been able to sleep a good night's sleep since October of last year.

Ma'am, and I know the sound comes from the a um Campfill APC system at Southwire. We've gotten some compliance with Ben Sha um Ben Schaefer. Is that right? Pascal.

Pascal, I'm sorry. and they plan on building an enclosure. But at OFS, the machinery is the Whitlock resin handling system. I have taken digital sound readings with a um recognized digital sound meter that when I went to a meeting with Southwire, he actually offered me a job because he said he's never seen anybody so thorough. But it's very frustrating to have to have this noise in the background when it wasn't existing until around October of last year. And then finally to be told many things one way or the other. And by law they're not supposed to be producing this level of sound from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 1000 p.m. to 10 a.m. two days a week. That would these businesses for half their working day on two days a week and almost a third on the other five. I want to know why they're allowed to operate with impunity and break the law of the city and not have to deal with any repercussions up until the point of us being driven

crazy crazy. I mean, if I can make a demonstration of the sound if you would like. No, I just want to You made a a point. I want to might have not heard you correctly and I'm sorry. Did you say you have called the Carolton Police Department? Yes. Have they ever investigated it? Yes. They came to my house. Well, let me hold on. What did they tell you after they investigated that they couldn't enforce this the ordinance? I was told that it's a civil matter. That the police Carolton police told you that?

Yes. police officer came in my house after midnight one night that I tried to lay down and this annoying people have likened it to a jet engine idling it I register at the back of my house 68 dBs I have a chart that's put out by the company this ext meter that says 68 is equivalent to the sound of speech at one foot

but if you would like to try and sleep with someone speaking or making this awful noise within one foot of your bed. You try and man know too that we're not talking about an intermittent noise. We're talking about a constant screeching roar that will not go away like ever ever ever like all day long. It's just No, I understand. Did Did you show the police officer this ordinance? I mean, was he unfamiliar with the ordinance? I didn't I didn't find the ordinance until I looked it up. Okay. Um because I called the health department, the uh Carolton uh county health department, Carol County Health Department. I've called the EPA. I've called OSHA. OSHA only applies to the workers inside, right?

And I have the minutes of our meeting with Southwire and they recognize the level of the sound. Um at the meeting was um Ben Pascal and the operations manager Derek. I've spoken with John McCoy there and Lakesha Wilson. I believe everything you're saying. It sounds horrific out there. Did Did you talk to the city? The only person you talked to is No, I did speak to Tim, but then we got a meeting and then why hasn't it been enforced? Well, honestly, we don't know the exact source. We do know the source. Well, that then good.

We do know. And I was told by you through Gerald that two people had met me and given me a tour and I couldn't identify it. We've identified Kim, you should just go out there, have the police write a citation, let let the companies come in and defend themselves. We can certainly do that. That is we defend people all the time in criminal court. That's what this ordinance

understand and and you and I were going to meet one day in Southwire. And I'll tell you that I went there at 8:30 in the morning with Lakesha Wilson who is a liaison for Southwire and we were standing outside and John McCoy came out with hearing protection in. Well, I don't understand. I said, "Take out your hearing protection." They've offered in the interim until they build their enclosure. They've offered to buy all the residents that are disturbed by the noise, white noise machines to sleep with or ear protection to sleep with, but I wear ear protection and I get an excruciating headache because they expand in your ear in the middle of the night and I'm sufficiently suffering and

and I'm tired of trying to find solutions to this mess, right? I'm tired of texting Tim. I'm tired of going back and forth with all these different people. Something that not must be done. Something will be done. It's going to be done tonight. And they're here. Y'all get up here and come up here and explain us what y'all going to do. I went to I went to OFS on Easter. Let's pass that resolution now. M. I don't know if we can put on the agenda. I I went to OFS on Easter. I actually had gotten in touch with you on Easter and asked you if you were

Easter day. We spent our Easter day putting up with this crap. Let's get OFS up here now. Maybe I I think we need to be fair. Let's let them tell us like Southwire told us. Hold on, man. Let's let them tell us like Southwire told us what they're going to do. Southwire has been compliant. Southwire has been cooperative and apologetic to us. OFS has told me in my own yard, "Well, I'm sorry. I don't see what the problem is. It doesn't hurt me at all." Do y'all have a plan in place, sir? Do you have a plan in place to stop this nasty noise? Don't sit back there and say that it's not y'all because it is y'all. I've been inside the gate before you told your security officer to arrest me or whatever you told them to do when I come back out there again cuz I saw him running for phones as soon as they saw my car pull in. Whatever's happening, what is a solution to help these people and to stop this noise? Could you come up here and tell us that? And I may be you can't come up here. Oh, so you don't have a solution.

And I I the I have a woman that I know her husband's an engineer

and it's not funny. You can sit back there and laugh all you want to. He's an engineer and he said these resin handling systems which are drying and vacuuming the pellets that coat the wire, the fiber optic wire and the wiring that um Southwire manufactures. They run at a decibel level of anywhere from 90 to 100 dBs. at night. They've lowered it a little bit marginally at Southwire by reventing it. But even from the minutes that we spoke about at our meeting, they said they can't enclose it within their factory because it would make their debt workers deaf. And the Whitlock resin handling system that's operating at the back end of their building. I've gone over to printed specialties and these people are trying to eat their lunch at lunch tables and it is like a buzzsaw sound that you cannot I can't even tell you and it comes through at night. I've I've gone and I've videotaped it at night. I believe I sent you the videotape. You it it vibrates your body. I have a neighbor who just bought her house who couldn't be here today because she's ill. Um, she's wondering if she might need to sell her house because she wakes up and she is agitated by the sound. And also Jean and I and several of the other neighbors, there's an odor that's coming also from these manufacturers and it smells like a corn chip odor. And Paul, the engineer who worked for Print Pack and Star Packaging, which are also companies that use these resin handling systems, they said that odor is from plastic melting. And you know, I I I want to live here

because I like Carroll County and I like the city of Carolton. My daughter received a great education. I've been enjoying the green belt. I really want to live here. I don't want to move and I don't like it when my neighbors say they might have to resort to moving because their health is being affected by not getting good sleep every night. But I would like to know what we're breathing.

So, we have a couple of problems that didn't exist when I moved in because when I moved in, uh, OFS wasn't operating at the location they are now. and um Sony was uh sort of operating or not where Southwire is now. And I'm concerned. Marcel,

um first of all, my apologies to everybody at the cottages and and the surrounding areas. Um Mitt and I are going to draft a resolution for the next city council meeting. He's my co-sponsor on this. And uh we're going to instruct Joel uh through this. and met tell me when I'm wrong because I'm not a lawyer. I'm an artist. But we're going to instruct the Carolton Police Department to go out and site OFS and anyone else who violates the sound ordinance based on your call to 911. And then when we come back, we will look at officially next month changing this law and changing this ordinance to suit not only the residents of Carolton, but to to sue everybody. I'm sorry, to sue everybody and make sure they follow whatever the ordinance is. And anytime they get outside of that, we just need to call 911 and have them cighted. And let's do that until the cows come home. You got me? Don't stop. All right. And if I have to use my voice, all right, to get louder to let everybody here, cuz there there's some more people who y'all know that we can call. I'll call them. I've been very nice about this situation, too. But I'm not gonna be nice anymore. We're gonna do this, though. That's the first step, I think, in the right direction to help people who pay our salaries and the people who elected us to sit up here and represent them. Y'all are hardworking taxpaying citizens. You have contributed to our society. You're retired now. The rest of your years should be lived in peace and quiet. And I will do all I can while blood is running through warm through my veins to make sure that you can sleep at night. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else on any subject, not just this subject? Seeing no one, we'll move ahead. Um item number five, the minutes. Um need a motion to approve and accept from the May first meeting.

I mot make a motion that we approve uh the minutes. I have a motion and a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries. Item number six, approval of agenda items for consideration. Need a motion and a second. I'll make a motion to approve the agenda as presented. I have a motion. I'll second.

Have a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Um, get us down to 61, Miss Stutard. [Music] First item on your agenda is an annexation and resoning request by James Edy at 191 Old Breamman Road. He is requesting reszoning and annexation to from county commercial to the city of Carolton commercial. Um in essence to obtain access to city sewer for that property. Uh you may uh recall this particular property is basically an island. Um oftent times if someone is asking a request to be served by city sewer and we have a situation like this, we will request that they go ahead and annex in. And this is one of those scenarios. They do not propose any development beyond what is there at this time. The planning commission uh reviewed this request last month and they recommended approval unanimously 7 to zero.

Any discussion on this guys? Looks pretty cut and dry to me. It was the shortest planning commission meeting in history I think.

Wow. So it's just for infrastructure reasons that they want. Okay. I'd just like to say if you don't mind, Mr. Mayor, that it's real important that we kind of try to continue this as a policy. I know there's no opposition to doing this tonight, but just uh if we don't have people annex in for sewer, then they have no incentive to do that. We also miss out on their not only their taxes, their business license, and so we we spend a lot of money on uh you know, public safety and and all the support of a city. So, it's important when these opportunities are here to have people in XN that we do that. Any more discussion on this item, gentlemen? Hearing none, I assume you're ready to vote. All in favor? Make a motion.

Oh, does anybody here want to speak against this? Seeing none, do I have a motion? So move. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. Any more discussion? All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries. Resolution 07216, hotel motel tax ordinance. M stutter.

The resolution that you have before you is the final followup to the adoption uh and the subsequent approval by our state legislature and then the signing by the governor in May of our increase of our hotel tax from 5% to 8%. Uh, I'm available if you have any questions. Uh, this is just a direct reflection of what we've worked on for many months. Make a motion we adopt resolution 07-26. 2016 have a motion. Do we have a second? Have a second. Any more discussion? All in favor? Please raise your hand. Motion carries.

I think there was actually a typo on the agenda. Uh I think the resolution is 0720 2017. Okay. Just clarified.

Number three, ratification of tax collection contract with Carol County. Mr.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You should have in your packet a proposed contract with the Carol County Tax Commissioner uh for the uh billing and collection of city property taxes uh for the uh 4-year period uh ending December 31st, 2020. Um the proposed agreement uh calls for a billing rate of $9 per parcel. Um and this uh rate would include uh the uh the billing, the printing, the mailing, the collection of city taxes. It would also include the filing of five phase, uh the handling of tax sales for delinquent properties, non-payment of taxes. Um we have been in this agreement with the Carol County Tax Commissioner since 1994. It's been a very productive agreement. um they have done a great job for us. Um at the increase rate, our current rate is $6 per parcel. Um this rate has been in effect since 2001 and prior to that it was um $4 per parcel from 1994 to 2001. So, just like some of the issues that we're dealing with here at the city, um their tax customers, they increase exponentially each year and they're doing a lot more workload with the same people. And so, uh I do feel like the increase is justified. Um, I think based at this new rate, probably the annual bill would be somewhere between 80 and $100,000 per year. But I can assure you that's money well spent because um number one we don't have the resources or training uh to handle the the legal implications of um handling delinquent properties tax sales and uh the number of people that we would have to hire cashiers u and uh billing specialists to handle

the generation the billing the payment we could not do that for $100,000 a year. And so, uh, Vicki, let's see. In the time I've been at the city, I'm on my third tax commissioner. They've all done a great job for the city, and, uh, I would recommend that you, uh, approve this agreement. Jim, how much is the increase? What was it before this? It's It's from $6 to $9. It's $3 a parcel. Jim, I have a few questions. Yes, sir. And you may or may not know in 1994, he used to do this. um used to perform this task for the city.

It was done internally by uh the city clerk and uh basically everything was manual uh manual tax cards, manual billing, manual collection and processing. And when we started this agreement um with the the county, it was made uh initially available through a government efficiency grant. And um that's how we started this agreement with them. Are there companies out there that perform this, like third-party companies that do this instead of the county? I'm I'm just a little shocked that $9 per parcel, that's a lot of money to me. Um, I would think they could do it for less than $9 per parcel. There are, but I don't know the specific names and locations of those companies.

Um, and you didn't investigate. I mean, one thing that Tim Grizzard does a good job before we buy any vehicle or do anything, we go out and try to get competitive bids. You didn't even try to see what other cities were doing. Well, no. And I guess I guess that our rationale on that was um local tax commissioner and and especially um the enforcement of delinquent leans and and tax sales. Um we we just been doing that with them for a long time and it worked well. I I guess I'm a little lost with delinquent tax sales because delinquent tax sales is going to be county. I don't know why the city has to even be I mean there's I've I've I do a lot of work with delinquent tax sales and I never see the city anywhere in delinquent tax sales. It's just the county who

well you know who Let me finish. Yes sir. Who do the five phase? Yes sir. And then they do the tax sales. Sure.

I never see the city doing anything. So I'm kind of at a loss. You keep talking about the city can't handle that. Well, you know, when a um tax bill on on parcel becomes delinquent, um most of the time, it's been my understanding that if somebody in the city, they're delinquent on their county bill, that includes their city taxes as well. And so they they we've always understood that they've handled the tax sale to for county taxes as well as city taxes on a part par partial property. Man, I can tell you that um one reason the number didn't scare me is and I and I have not run the number on this in a long time, but it cost about five bucks to process a water bill and that's something we're doing every month. And to look at something that was only done once a year, I knew the overhead would be higher. So, the number didn't seem terribly high to me. Now, we could look the also um and I'm and Marty's a good friend, Marty Smith. I'm certainly not criticizing what he's doing, but he came to us with this what, Jim, about three or four weeks ago. Yes. I think what he's got is a new finance man that is really running his cost on everything and so they determined that this was their actual cost. So again, you know, my judgment on it, it it passed the smell test because again of what it cost us to process a water bill. U it didn't seem like a huge number. So um with that said, we could certainly go look. We just need to look quickly if we're going to do that.

Well, you're saying it's $5 per water bill? Yes, sir. Per month. Every month. Yes, sir. And this is but this tax bill goes out one time. Yes, sir. And the collections go to the county. It doesn't come to the city. Yes, sir. That's correct. I just I don't $9 just seems high to me. Oh, that's all. We could have Leman Stevens come forward and show us the numbers. One thing he's excellent at is is running those costs and he could show us the actual numbers.

And the other thing, you know, it obviously, you know, consolidated bill. So, it's got the county tax, the city tax, the city school tax. Everything is consolidated. And then, uh, when somebody makes the payment, Vicki and her staff, they break it out and distribute the proceeds to the individual government entities. What about What about the other municipalities in Carol County, Villa, Temple, Mount Zion, Bowen? Are they using the county as well? They are. Now, I think Bowen, they build their own taxes, don't they, Libby? Are you familiar with that? Yeah. Is the county charging them $9 a parcel, too? I think it's a uniform rate.

Freeman's the only one I know that bills their own and they do their own delinquent sales. Yes.

Any more discussion? [Music] I have a motion to accept.

I'll make a motion to accept the ratification of tax collection contract with Carol County at the new negotiated rate of $9 per person. I have a motion. Do I have a second? I'll second. That's not saying I'm going to vote for it, but just to put it on the agenda, put it on the table. All right, sir. Um, all in favor of Can we have a debate? Debate? Yes, sir. Go ahead.

Real quick, Tim, I I agree with you. Time is of the essence. Um, I am just curious if there are third party administrators out there, lack of a better word. I don't know if Chuck knows of any sort. Um, I'm just curious. the city attorney, we've always done it through contract with Carol County. So, we we've never, to my knowledge, at least I haven't been asked to explore what other options might be available, but I think that probably explains why you haven't seen the city of Carolton involved in in the tax sales because by contract that's included as part of the service that the county provides to us. But the short answer to your question is is no. I've not been asked to look at that. Um I I still I I fail to see when there's a someone pay their tax bill, the county is the one that's going to bring they're the they're going to be the one that puts the FA on. They're going to be the one that does the tax sale. Um so I guess I should have made a motion to table this and see if Tim wanted to do an investigation just to see so I can feel better, but

be glad to do that if you like. Well, there's a motion. The motion's here. I second it. Any more discussion? All in favor of um ratification of tax collection contract with Carol County, please raise your hand. All against 3 to one. Motion carry. Can we put something in the agenda that we look for next year though if we

I mean I know the tax bill is getting ready to roll out right now. So

Chuck, we're getting on you now. Green belt donation and development agreement.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As probably everybody in the room knows, through the product of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, uh, the Carolton Green Belt is now completed. Uh, there was the official opening back in April. Um, all of the property is either currently owned by or subject to leases running in favor of the city of Carolton. what you have before you tonight. And there has been there have been even through late today some changes to the proposed agreement, but I'll circulate the latest version of this. But what is before you is the approval of a donation agreement by the friends of the Carolton Green Belt LLC to the city of Carolton, which I'm calling sort of the turn the keys to the city or turn the keys over to the city kind of document. Um there are of course contracts and all that were led and for those of you that don't know a lot of the heavy lifting for the green belt was done by a nonprofit group formed for that purpose called the friends of the Carolton Green Belt and that nonprofit group entered into a series of contracts with various providers and all for bridges and concrete and all that kind of stuff. Essentially what this does, Mr. mayor is it just um turns over to the city all of the rights and liabilities associated with the green belt moving forward. Um so that we essentially have the responsibility for maintaining the green belt but at the same time we also have rights of recovery if it turns out to be you know any issues with products that were used to construct the green belt and that kind of stuff. So the purpose behind this agreement is essentially to hand over to the city all of the rights, obligations, responsibilities, liabilities to the green bell.

I'm assuming you're saying warranties on the products. That's right. Everything comes to the city. Lock, stock, and barrel. Chuck, I read this thing a lot and I I see it's been rewritten now. So,

in the and just by way of explanation, the the version that was in your packet was one that was presented to us by the friends of the green belt and it was a hold over from a prior quote unquote master agreement that the city had entered into with the friends of the green belt that set forth how we move forward with the construction of the green belt. And there were some provisions in that agreement in the proposed agreement that was in your packet that frankly didn't make sense given the fact that the green belt has been constructed. So what you have tonight is a revised version that takes out those things um and I think more accurately reflects where we are in the in the process which is a completed green bell.

Okay. Um I see paragraph five. As part of the fundraising efforts, the friends shall retain all naming rights in perpetuity for portions of the green belt for which the friends donate funds and services including without limitation trail heads, mile markers, pocket, so on and so forth. So are we saying there they're going to have the right to name certain areas, the benches? I I think with respect to things that funds or services that are donated um for the green belt moving forward or things that were uh funds and services that were donated in the past. So in theory there could be something that's on the green belt now that the friends may want to have named uh for someone that contributed those funds or those services. And I suppose moving forward I I thought about that language. I I think it's at least theoretically possible that we could have a situation where there might be future fundraising efforts for some purpose that the friends might do on behalf of the city, whether it's a new trail head or a new something that they would want to reserve the naming rights to or they would want to have the naming rights to. That was the one section that um draw my drew my attention as well. Just the u naming rights in perpetuity for all portions of anything that was donated, which is for the most part the entire thing that's been built.

It it's certainly a lot of what's been built. Now, some of the green belt was built on property that was already owned by the city or acquired by the city and was not necessarily donated. Some of it was stuff that the city purchased. And I believe the same is true for for some of the construction work that was done on the green belt. So it's not it was not all done by donation, but certainly there is a substantial portion of it that was done by donation. And my fear isn't that we're going to have uh corporate sponsors all along along the whole thing. The whole green belt is absolutely beautiful. It looks fantastic. Um but it definitely drew my attention um just having that on there. Who who who who told you to put this language in there?

It was in the draft that was presented to us by the attorneys representing the friends of the green belt. Have you had any discussion with them over this particular language? I have not. And if you go back to paragraph well not go back to paragraph one just so I understand this and I I understand my the predecessors of this or the prior administration did all this but did did the did the friends own certain tracks of land? I thought everything was owned by the city. The

dirt everything is owned by it's either owned property owned by the city or by easements that run in favor of the city. I I view this Met it'll make more to you, but I I view this more as sort of a quick claim deed, if you will. What whatever interest the friends of the green belt has in the green belt by virtue of this agreement is now turned over to the city. You say, what are those interests? They primarily are going to be things contractual rights that the friends might have uh by virtue of contracts they entered into. Just by way of example, some of the bridges on the green belt are pre-fabricated bridges. So they they were brought on site, they were installed. Um let's say that something happened with the bridge and it fell down or something. This in my view gives the city the right to pursue for example those contract rights that right now run in favor of the friends of the green belt.

So is that just using that as an example is that group dissolved now? I don't believe they're dissolved and I wouldn't anticipate them being dissolved and and I can't rule out the possibility that there might be you know further work done by the friends of the green belt um at the request of the city. So, it's not necessarily meant to end the relationship, but to, as I said, to turn the keys over for the green belt to the city. Whatever interest they have in it as we sit here today, which interest apparently the interest they still have is they get to name everything perpetuity.

I'm not I'm not defending it. I'm, you know, I'm just tell telling you what the document says. Uh but yeah, I mean I think they retain that right for portions of the green belt for which the friends donated funds or services. I I don't read that provision to mean that they have exclusive naming rights, but they retain naming rights. We could say this merges into that quick claim. Are they going to actually sign a quick claim deed? No. No.

Well, I mean, we haven't asked them to. Seems feasible to me. Any more discussion? Gor hearing? None. Do I have a motion? Uh, Mr. Mayor, what number is that? Oh, number four. Four. I move we approve the green belt donation and development agreement as presented to us tonight. Have a motion. Do I have a second?

I have a second. Any more discussion before we drop the hammer on this one hearing? None. Like to say one thing. I'm very excited to get the keys to this green belt that the city of Carolton's finally really getting it. This is extremely exciting. It is. Um, and so thank you to the friends group. Um, this is this is really quite exciting. I I agree. I think it's exciting. But I do want to know that we're losing the naming rights. I mean, we will not have those because it says the friends shall retain all naming rights. So, we're losing that for future. If we ever want to name something out there, I guess we can go to the friends and ask them. Yes.

Justice to them. It also it says for anything that they've donated that doesn't mean that we can't ourselves put up things. Yeah, that's how I read it. It says um as part of its fund raiseing efforts, the friend shall retain all naming rights in perpetuity for portions of the green belt for which the friends donates funds or services. And then it lists some things like the trail heads, the mile markers, the pocket pocket parks, benches, and other park amenities. So I I read that to mean things that were contributed or donated by the friends and not to the exclusion of the city. So if y'all want for example to name something Connorly Causeway then

you would be within your rights to do so. But if some civic group in town want to put some benches out, they could go to the friends situation do that and Lions Club, the Kowanas Club, somebody that want to do some bench situations. So they would come to us, not to the friends, right? They go to the friends.

Oh, they go to friends. If if I want to buy a bench and put out there and name it after my dog, I have to go to the friends of the green belt in order to do that. Right. I I don't I think you could, but I think you could also go the city. Erica, do you have thoughts on that? I mean, again, I don't think this is meant to preclude the city from taking a donation or a gift and then naming something after whoever makes the donation or gift to the city. Uh the donation typically currently and and we intend to continue to process that donation through the Community Foundation of West Georgia fund for the green belt. And so you would do it through the friends of the Carolton green belt and then we would process that and then put your bench up. So th

this provision I think was meant to be more forwardlooking and and to leave open the possibility that there might be future fundraising efforts that were done by the friends to benefit the green belt and to allow for the possibility that they would then be able to control the naming rights for those fundraising. Logistically they typically come to the city first just because it's a city park. And now let me ask another question and we may have answered this already but will the green belt be under the Carolton Parks and Recreation Department now like terms of maintenance? It currently it currently is uh it is part of the uh it's basically a line linear park uh within the parks and recreation department.

Uh it fits in with their park system. Uh just they just went through their planning efforts and it's part of that included in that and it will continue that. So awesome. Any more discussion? Hearing none, I assume we're ready to vote. All in favor of this. We just we haven't voted on here. Went back to discussion. Okay. I'm sorry about that. We have a motion in a second, but we went back to discussion. All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries. Chuck, you're up again. from Harry Morgan building lease for the Carolton Board of Education.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. If you recall at your December meeting, um mayor and council approved the transfer of the Harry Morgan property um or the Harry Morgan building property to the Carolton Board of Education. Um that property if you recall the discussion was developed with two grants. One from the Department of Community Affairs a community development block grant and the other from the US Department of Health and Human Services. We've been working for the past few months to try to get um the property released from those grants or at least the repayment obligations under those grants. uh the transfer of that property in theory at least would would would could trigger a repayment obligation. We recently learned from the the Department of Community Affairs that they have approved the transfer and have agreed that it won't re-trig won't trigger the repayment obligations. We are still waiting to hear from the Department of Health and Human Services. So what the school system has asked that in the interim we just go ahead and lease the property to them, move forward with the transaction with a view towards um getting the approval from HHS and at some point thereafter we would deed the property to the city school system. But this would be something to be put in place in the interim so they could go ahead and start making preparations to uh use the use the school use the building

in this upcoming school year for this upcoming school year. And again, it's going to be an alternative school. Correct. Am I am I right about reminding us the No, it it's it is what is commonly referred to as the Burwell program, but but it's a program for special needs special needs students and it benefits the city schools, the county schools, and even Herd County schools.

This is something I want to know. I mean, we're talking about naming things after people tonight. Let's put in this somewhere that they have to maintain that Harry Morgan name because I think that name is important to somebody. I think it's kind of maybe it's a little ludicrous to name a building Burwell when originally that building was in the town or the community of Burwell which is why it has that name. And then there's a certain stigma a stigma that goes along with that as well. Um so I hate to see the Harry Morgan name just go under like that after that after such an honor for such a great person that I've heard you know wonderful things about. I don't personally know Harry Morgan, but I think if this man is if his life warrants naming a building after him, I certainly would hate to see us drop that name.

Some of the documents I saw, and it's been a while, there have been a lot of iterations on this, but some of the documents I saw from Cathy originally had that requirement. So, I think they want to see that before they transfer unless that is changed. So it could be something like I mean I don't I know they can name it what they want but Harry Morgan Center for Behavioral Educational I don't know what you know what I mean it though I mean I wouldn't want anybody to name something after me and then take my name down while I'm still alive. You know what I mean? repairs to the building will be

everything is the responsibility of the leie or in this case the school system under the lease. I know this is very important for the school system to get ready for the school year this coming up August. So they're trying to revel about getting moving with this. So yes, I understand it's coming out of um old um Alabama Street. Mhm. Any more discussion on this? Oh, let me ask the old Alabama Street School. What's the plans for it? Do you know? I don't under the original proposal and it it would carry forward with this Cathy would take title to that property. Okay.

Recall Gerald that the um the Cathy has a reversionary interest in this property. So once the lease expires it the property goes to to Cathy. So that interest that reversionary interest had to be acquired and the the county has agreed to contribute money to that effect and the school system is going to contribute money to that effect that this is all being done without any any money being committed by by us by the city. Thank you.

Any more questions? I'd like to make a motion that we approve the Harry Morgan building lease for the Carolton Board of Education.

Second. A motion and a second. All in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Thank you very much, gentlemen. Mr. Richardson, vehicle bid award, recreation, parks, maintenance department.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, the uh parks and facilities division of the recreation department has currently budgeted $33,000 for the purchase of a one-tonon regular cab four-wheel drive truck with a utility service ped. Quotes were requested from local vendors and compared to the state bid list for this type vehicle. The state bid list is Allen Vigil Ford at $34,348. We received a bid from Walker GMC for $34,93361. And we received a bid from Scott Evans Dodge in the amount of $33,695 and was the lowest bid. We did not receive bids from the other two vendors. So, at this time, city staff recommends to award this purchase to Scott Evans Dodge, the low bidder, at $33,695. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a point. If you're curious why the operations manager taking bids on a wreck department vehicle, in years past, we had confusion where different departments were calling different vendors and one day they might hear from the water department and the next day they might hear from the rec department. and that created confusion and we found that Tony had a particular expertise in vehicle bids. So he handles that for everyone unless it is a specific public safety kind of vehicle. So that's why you're seeing Tony present this.

Thank you sir. I was wondering that one myself. Um any discussion guys? You're our expert on acquiring vehicles. Is it good to go? Uh Tony, is this going to be a Is this diesel or gas? It's gasoline. Gas. Good deal. Uh um I'm all good. Um, have a motion we accept.

I'll make a motion. Oh, I'll make a motion to uh accept Scott Evans Dodge bid and purchase the 2017 Dodge Ram. Second. A motion and a second. Any more discussion? All in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries. Uh Joel vehicles purchase police department. I've got a supplement to his memo purchasing his vehicles. He did originally and I don't have my memo. I think we gave it to leave it when we did it.

Second. Joel had originally he had bought a Dodge Charger back January or February of this year. Uh was very happy with the product. Uh we originally sent out in the package for the purchase of three more. Uh we determined that it would take until October to receive these vehicles. So we really need to go ahead and purchase four. So the supplement I just gave you is to up that purchase. And Joel, if you don't mind, I'll just go through it.

We have determined it's on on these police vehicles, it's better to go to the state contract holder, which is um the people in Winder. I'm looking for it. Um, Akin, Ford, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler. Uh, that's enough that represents enough brands. Certainly, the purchase price of these vehicles is $27,131.75. The total purchase price then for Ford would be $18,524. That's for a 2018 Dodge Charger Pursuit. These vehicles are especially made for police work. They're specially equipped. And Joel, you need to describe the screens and the computers in the back and those sort of things that come with them.

You know, it's the same one we talked we come before you in February that we're buying. It has the end dash computer with it, so we don't have to buy a separate computer, computer mount. It's got the ambush alert. The one we got did not have it, but these new ones will have an ambush lot alert. So, if an officer sitting stationary and somebody comes up to him, it will notify him that there's somebody approaching the vehicle. Um, we've not bought new cars in two years. And quite frankly, Tim Chris just told me that we've got 10 cars between 115 and 140,000. So, this is just going to kind of be putting a band-aid on it. But Tim did say now we'll just go back to what we used to do, putting four in the budget every year. That's how we've survived. We've uh increased our revenue due to fines. Uh the drug fund revenues increased. And frankly, uh, if we don't fund this out of splast in future years, this is funded out of splass, but if we don't fund it out of splot in future years, we actually think the general fund can carry it. But Joel has worked well with us. I know this was something Walt wanted to do is something I wanted to do. We want to push these cars beyond 100,000 miles. And he's pushing them to 120, 140, that sort of thing. So, we are getting more life out of them.

So, we buy two, we're going to retire. I mean, by by four, we will retire. But when we buy four, we will retire in four. Okay, TM, I'm just curious two two questions. Question one, what happens to the retired vehicles? And then question two, the last paragraph you said that we have found that the public safety vehicles better to purchase from the state contract holder due to their intimate knowledge of the options available in these vehicles. I'm just curious what that that language means compared to other dealerships.

Well, a couple things. One is we'll auction off the old ones. Okay. And uh I there's an auction company that the sheriff uses. We found that works well for public safety. Uh sometimes we run our own auctions, but um we tend to auction one time a year for machinery like out of uh public works, but for public safety, these these things come out on a rotation. We don't want to sit and hold them nine months. So we send them to the auction that the sheriff uses. We'll keep two because every three years every officer has to reertify in what's called EVOC, emergency vehicle operation course and pit precision mobilization technique. We do that in the parking lot at Six Flags. So we obviously don't want to take good cars out there to do that because they pretty much have to come back on a tow truck.

But then you take some of the old pit cars out of service. So when four come in, four come out unless we were adding staff. That's correct. What was your Oh,

the intimate knowledge. Well, I was talking to Chris and he because we try to buy local and he had bought local before and missed out on some options that neither he nor the local dealer knew were there and this the the company that did the state contract knew about these options and they were things more available. So, we realize that we as much as we like to buy local and we you know you can see that we do every chance we get, it's probably a mistake with these vehicles. We need to go to the folks who who deal with this kind of vehicle all the time. These are more specialized. They're more specialized vehicles. They're not just buying a truck over here. I want to know how Akens got so lucky. You know what I mean? You feel me? Wow.

You know, for those who don't know, there is a state bid list. There's a state procurement department and they bid out all kinds of things and police cars is one of the things they do. And it'll, you know, I've seen I've not bought that many police cars in my life. I bought a lot of dump trucks and service trucks and back hose and it'll be you know somebody around Atlanta. It could be somebody as far south as Valdasta and again these this company's at Winder. Well, I'd like to say thank you for uh looking at more costefficient vehicles instead of just going with Taho or going with something else like that. Um, I know you guys take care of your vehicles and um, I appreciate all that.

And, and speaking of that, Joel, and I back you 100%. But could you explain cuz sometimes I get calls saying, "Hey, I saw a police car sitting in front of Walmart and it was running." And I was in there for 45 minutes. I came out and it was still running. What's the idea behind it? Probably there on a shoplift under arrest. We do that about three or four times a day. And you've got a $5,000 dash cam. You've got a $4,000 laptop computer in addition to your sirene console and radio and a $5,000 radio that if you leave that car and it gets to 110 degrees in there, your whole system shuts down. So, we do that to protect the equipment. How about leaving your phone in the car?

Yeah, I left my phone in the I don't know what that's called. What it's dashboard and it said, "Please place phone in cooler area, too." Yeah. So, good. Yeah. They got about over $20,000 worth of equipment right there in the in the front compartment. And I I promise you I'm asked that question. Oh, listen. I I get asked it all the time, too. Yeah, Tim's asked me that numerous times. They think you're wasting money and all this stuff. Well, the little gas that it wastes is a lot better than having to replace camera systems. And that's what I it tells us is you got to keep these things cool. Now we know.

Any more discussion? I'd like to make a motion we approve. Have a motion, a second. Any more um discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please raise your hand. Motion carries. Congratulations, y'all. Tam Croft Street Wooden Bridge project update.

Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. I mean, obviously this project is done. Libby, if you wouldn't mind, did we give you those photographs to put up? Uh, I want you to at least know all that had to be done to that bridge and I want you to know the final bill. I know we've been reporting it to you every month, but in case you didn't find it in your package, uh, we were required to replace, we started off with a cross beam uh, on one of those top trusses. We wind up replacing more cross beams, more columns, and if you can see the concrete under the apron of that bridge, uh we had to do helicil tiebacks into the bank. This is things that the railroad made us do. Uh those tiebacks were over $1,000 each. We had to put steel matting down. We had to play place shotcrete on top of the steel matting. And uh I'm not proud of this fact, but I want you to hear the number. The total final bill on this bridge repair was $215,700. And you know, that's not The only good news about it is it's repaired, right? And it should last a long time and hopefully we won't have to touch it again. Uh Libby, if you would get a couple of if you could get one of the surface cuz we even redeck the bridge while we had the permit and we found that we could actually get creasso treated lumber. I thought that was illegal, but it is actually legal for railroad bridges. And so, uh, if you would like a breakdown on any of this cost, uh, the decking was $51,000. Uh, the hardware itself was $7,400. And the guys working on it would be allowed to work two hours and then called off because a train was coming or mobilized and waited and then sent away. I know we were shut down an entire week. So, uh, it's a beautiful bridge and they did a great job. Uh, the insurance alone was $12,000. Uh I'm just I just want you guys to know uh I don't want there to be you know I want to fully disclose what we spent and again it's been in your

package but I thought it's enough money and it was a frustration enough frustration to the public that I wanted to be very clear the amount of time and work that went into this bridge. U and again it's a beautiful job. It should last a long long time. But uh I wanted to disclose that to you,

Tim. Man, I think the cross street bridge is I mean it's a jewel in the crown. But um I I just wonder how much more I ask actually two questions. How much more would or less would it have been to go with like a traditional like non-wood bridge? Does it have to be wooden? And did we go with wooden because of charm or did we go with it because of utilitarianism or whatever the word is? I'm not noted for charm. Uh so I Oh, honestly, we talked about putting a a concrete steel bridge there and if we change the bridge, the railroad would make us raise it, I believe, 8 ft. Oh.

Uh and if we do that, the approach ramps will be so steep to taper out. We would be blocks away. So, it just it just wouldn't work. We would literally be buying people's homes to make it work. And for the record, too, I like it and I think it's a lot of fun. And I've I've always loved going that bridge since I was a little kid. So, any more questions, Mr. Jim? FYI 201617 budget amendments.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have presented for your consideration um seven budget amendments to the current FY17 budget. Um I'll just briefly go through those. Um amendment proposed amendments uh number one and two uh relate to the class reclassification of salaries in the finance department and the wreck programs division that were improperly classified in the original budget. Um that happens from time to time things Jim real quick. What do you mean classification? The account number was wrong. I'm they were identified in the wrong department and we're putting them in the right department. Okay.

Yes, sir. Um amendment number three um is u moving electricity. You know uh when we approved the budget last year um the um recreation department budget. Um it says to transfer electrical utilities from recreation department to general administration for the arts center. We had originally budgeted um the arts um electrical utilities and recreation and um the reorganization of the arts from recreation to um community development that was done subsequent um to the budget being prepared. And so we're trying to get a um budget for electrical utilities for the arts um out of the recreation into general administration. Also, when we approved the budget last year, we were just opening the um police evidence building right behind us. We did not have a good handle on the estimated amount of what the electrical utility for that facility would be. Um based on where we are, uh at this point in time, we're estimating that the electrical consumption on that building is approximately $18,000 a year. So, um we are funding that by this proposed amendment. Amendment number four um relates to the mayor and council increased uh travel and training expense of $15,000. Amendment number five, um this is where it gets really interesting and kind of uh yeah, interesting in my opinion. Uh, amendment number five is uh to record the insurance uh reimbursement revenue and the associated expenditure

um for the recreation maintenance barn that was destroyed by fire in October of last year, $400,000. Amendment number six, same scenario, recording the insurance reimbursement revenue and the associated expenditure related to the fire station that was destroyed um by the tornado in April of this year. That's $300,000. Um that building uh is an old prefab concrete building. It was built in 1970s approximately. Um it's insured for $300,000. And so we're presenting this amendment for what we expect to get reimbursed. Um Tim, you probably know more about this.

Stop you real quick just to make sure nobody gets concerned over that. We met with the insurance company. They're going to pay a lot more than $300,000 on that bill and the way our insurance is written. But Jim is doing this amendment because of what is expected to come in in this fiscal year. Correct. And just while I've got you stopped, we do these amendments because as you know, we take our audit very seriously. Uh pre until your administration, the audits had not been present had not been presented publicly in a long time. We present those publicly and these amendments keep us from getting dinged where uh if something's in the wrong category. If there's more revenue and more subsequent expense, right? Uh if we don't do these amendments, we'll be dinged in the audit. So that's what that's why he's going through these um amendment number seven. Um in April um we had a traffic accident over on Alabama Street that um damaged um several headstones in the cemetery. And um this likewise is recording the insurance revenue reimbursement and the associated expense of u repairing the damage uh to our graveyard, the headstones. So, we have to pay for the damage that that person

No, sir. We have already been reimbursed by that person's insurance company. Okay, I got you. Good. Yes, sir. We had to expend it out. We got the money coming back. Got a wish in the wash. Uh, it's amazing. We haven't had I can't ever recall until now ever processing an insurance claim for fire, tornado, and graveyard damage, and we've had one of each in six months. So, it's just one of those years. Is that the damage that you see on Alabama right there at the red light where there's a whole bunch of Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, when will that be repaired?

So, are they car recarving exact replicas of those marble headston? What are we going to do with the I don't want them. Never mind. I was about to ask what are we doing with the old stuff and we are already in receipt of the check from that person's insurance company. So we're ready financially. Is that all of them? Jim. Yes, sir. Any questions? We have a motion to accept.

Whoa, hold. Why? Why are we making a motion to accept the amendments? We're not voting on this. This just FYI and you need to approve these amendments. This is modifying budget. Well, hold on. Um, if we wish to amend the budget in July, do we have to publish it now? I mean, can we make changes to the budget in July? Do you understand what I'm asking, Chuck? If you are after the the fiscal year end, which is June 30th, the auditors will ping us for these issues. That's why we ask you to amend it the last month so that

Okay. So, we're amending the the fiscal 2016 2017. Okay. I'm sorry. I was thinking we were doing 1718. I was like, "What?" Okay, we're just cleaning up this year. Okay, I'll make a motion we adopt amendments 1 through seven as outlined. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Have a second. Any more discussion? All in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Jim, you're up again. Item 10, FY 217 2018 budget public hearing.

Does anyone need a an extra copy of the budget? Um, does everybody have their copy that we sent to y'all or do y'all need an extra copy?

I got somebody in the audience, we have a few copies here if you'd like to get that. Look. [Music] As we start off discussing the budget proposal for the FY1 1718 year, as I do every year, I'd like to thank my fellow department heads. Um, most of us have been working together for a long time. Um, and they do the hard work. Um, and they always uh submit the information to the finance department in a very orderly form and they they um they do their research and they make my job a whole lot easier and I I just always want to thank them for their their hard efforts in that. Um you have presented before you the the main operating budgets for the city, the general fund, the water sewer fund, the sanitation, also the hazardous materials fund, um the hotel motel tax fund, and the drug seizure fund. We'll start off in discussing just general fund highlights. The general fund that we are proposing, submitting to you for your consideration, totals just over $25.1 million. It's an increase from the current year budget of approximately 2.2 million, 10%. Uh we would like to emphasize that uh once again we are submitting this uh proposal with uh no millage rate increase uh proposed and uh we're proud that we have continued that streak since 1993 of no millage rate increase. Um this is a budget that plans and attend anticipates for projected growth and

development within the city. Uh the last few years uh we slowed down during the recession. We stabilized and now we're starting to see things pick up. Um number of customers, business activities, things we're trying to promote within the city. Uh but with that um comes the need for sometimes additional personnel to help manage that growth and uh provide the services that our citizens are accustomed to. And that's what we're attempting to do with this budget. Large part of this budget increase is related to new positions that will help the city as I said effectively manage growth and development as it comes our way. One area where uh we are proposing new positions is in our community development uh department. We have proposed a new marketing director. that individual would be responsible for marketing the city in terms of events and venues making the city uh more visible. Also in community development we are proposing the addition of a codes enforcement officer. Um up until this year we have been able to combine the building inspector and the codes enforcement position. uh during the recession years when things have slowed down, that individual was pretty effectively able to do both of those jobs, but is uh construction and development have increased. It's becoming increasingly difficult for that one person to do both of those jobs. And so we're recommending um splitting that and and putting that into two positions. In our public safety department, we are um proposing two new school resource officers to be allocated to the Carolton City School System. Um part of that those salaries will be reimbursed by the Carolton City School System.

Jim, I know we've talked about that before. Are we talking They already have one officer? Correct. Yes, sir. This So, we're going to add two more to make it three. Yes, sir. Okay.

It's just one more. Um, in addition to the SRO's, we're um budgeting for two new uh police officer positions and then we're also budgeting for one additional municipal court clerk. Uh we've talked about the management of the municipal court function um in several different arenas the past year. Um the case load is increasing. uh the number of people that come through each week is increasing and um it's getting harder for the existing number of clerks to handle the increased case load. So, we're we're hoping to help that with the addition of a new clerk. Um in the public works area, we're proposing the addition of a new heavy diesel heavy equipment mechanic. Um the mechanic that we currently have on staff, he services the fire trucks, the garbage trucks, our heavy diesel equipment. He has saved the city a lot of money by being able to repair in-house rather than farming out to dealerships, repair facilities, but he's overwhelmed. We had two or three departments during the budget process tell us that he has more work than he can physically get done. and we had two or three departments tell us recommend that we look at hiring an additional mechanic for the garage. And so that's what we're attempting to do here in this budget. Um would like to make the point and emphasize that these budgeted positions will not be filled unless absolutely needed. We're we're putting them in the in the budget for planning purposes. Um considering the projected growth, it may come later rather than sooner. And if it does come later, we won't fill the positions and incur the expenditures.

Jim, I'm sorry to interrupt you. While we're on that subject, I would like to uh re-emphasize um a statement that I made in February and a request that I made to the city to remember in hiring these new people and creating these new positions. Let's seize the opportunity to diversify our city staff. um especially those people in key positions uh the hiring firing positions. Uh I was challenged on uh the comment that I made uh via social media

um saying that there were people uh employed by the city of Carolton. I'm not talking about general positions. I'm talking about those positions where they are department heads or where they can hire and fire. Let's remember to um to implement uh more diversity. And when I say diversity specifically, I'm referring to people of color in those positions. Thank you. We we'll we'll note that and do that. Please do. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you.

Also, this budget, we are proposing a pay increase and it's a blended pay increase, a 1% cola, uh cost of living, and then another 2% uh merit base based on performance review of the employees. Those two elements combined would average a 3% pay increase. And also in this budget from a personnel standpoint, we are uh projecting an increase of 7% in our group health insurance expense. And this comment I'm fixing to make. It not only applies for the general fund, but the water fund and the sanitation fund as well. Um, Miss Faith Puland, our human resources director, she has been diligently working with our health insurance provider to look at options for cost savings. Um, they have some promising leads. We feel uh confident that uh they're going to return some options to us that can uh generate annual cost savings up to $500,000 a year on our health insurance plan. But the issue is we're not going to get our new rates until November. And so out of abundance of caution, we feel like that we we need to air on caution and keep that 7% in the budget just in case. Um also in the budget, um as in every year now for three or four years, $1 million to cover the cost of paving and street repairs throughout the city. Um that's a much needed item. Um now going to requested positions and expenses. I just want to make a remark about cost cutting and this relates to faith and human resource department as well. Um she has made some changes that are going to result in approximately $100,000 in cost savings to the city on an annual basis. U one of the first things she did

regarding payroll, she changed our pay cycle from weekly to bi-weekly and um with our current provider ADP that generated a cost savings of $50,000 a year on an annual basis. So, we're not doing that in-house. Now, I thought we were going to do it in house.

Yes, that was my next comment. Okay, you're fine. We we are going uh from ADP to in-house payroll. Um we have um they're on their schedule. We're going to start the conversion, the implementation, training in August and September. And we will go live October 1st with in-house payroll. And that's another $50,000 a year cost savings. And so, Faith and her crew has been working very diligently. And um I want to tip the hat to her and give her the credit on that as well. Um before we move on to the um comments and highlights of the water fund, um any comments or question regarding general fund? Jim, I want to point out that the district attorney asked us to consider funding a special district attorney or assistant DA to handle gang and drug. Joel, am I saying this right? We put the money in the budget. It will not be spent unless it comes back to you with a contract with the DA. I know he asked us to fund part and the county to fund part. And so that is in the budget, but it would not be spent unless a contract is brought back to you to approve.

What What percentage are we paying of that? Well, I put a I put a wag in there of $100,000. again that we're we're a ways from reaching that point. What I was told I know what was originally proposed was us pay 50 and some other entities pay 50 but for for one D ADA. Yes, sir. Well, I can promise you when I was an ADA we were not making $100,000. I I realize that, but I I assumed it was benefits and then what other expenses he would have. But again, what that this this is there to cover it in the budget, but it would would not happen without your specific approach. Are other municipalities participating or is just the city of Carolton and and

this we put it in the budget? Again, it won't be funded unless you approve it and we don't know what they're doing at this point. I just wanted to have it in the budget so we didn't have to amend it later.

In the budget for new positions, we have um purchasing directors and agent. um those um responsibilities have been in under each of the departments. Is that correct? Um will the those responsibilities will shift then to that new director and uh um purchasing buyer as well? Um having said that, are there specific positions in um certain departments in any department that that's their primary role that we could shift those positions into that uh role without having to increase the budget?

Absolutely. What it it's going to cost a little to make the transition and Jim has got a lot on his plate right now. He's taken on a lot more than he did. billing that answers to him now and and basically anything that has to do with money is coming under his purview. Uh and so we really think that there are people in positions in other departments that could be transferred to do this job and answer and they will either answer to Jim or to faith. I see this happening in the latter half of the fiscal year. There's just too much on our plate right now to try to make this kind of change, but we wanted again to include it in the budget. I think it's appropriate to bring it under one central umbrella, but just wanted to see if there were people already um working for the city that could do the job.

Certainly believe that there are and again go back to the same thing I said about vehicles. Uh you know, we'll have one department buying paper towel from a certain company and another department buy it from another company or we'll have one department doing HVAC with certain maintenance group, another department doing it with a different maintenance group. Whichever is the better group is who we need to use. And if it makes sense for them to be different, we'd leave them different. But if it makes sense for them to be the same, we just think there's going to be some savings when that's consolidated. Everybody ready to move to water fund? The proposed water fund budget um totals 19.5 million. It's a $3.9 million increase over the current year budget, approximately 26%. Uh, this budget includes a 3% um rate increase. And I will say even with a 3% rate increase, we are among the lowest water and sewer um rates of surrounding jurisdictions. So, we're still a very good deal compared to those people around us. Uh this budget um proposes to fund major infrastructure upgrades to our water filter plant, our wastewater treatment plant. Um we're looking at the water filter plant of improvements of approximately $2.5 million. An improvement to our wastewater plant of uh $2 million. and then our ongoing repair and maintenance of water sewer uh distribution lines of uh $1.5 million. Um besides our operating revenues, uh these upgrades and repairs we anticipate will be funded with a loan that we're going to um get through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. Um

the budget calls for debt issue proceeds of 4.9 million but based on our debt service coverage ratio um we can borrow up to 8 million and very s comfortably service um that debt. This money that Jifa um offers under this loan program is going to be at an interest rate of approximately um 1.8%. uh certain segments of this loan if we um demonstrate energy savings uh could be as low as 0.8%. So it it's it's a good deal for us to use this money to um to fund these um capital upgrades. Um would like to make the note that these projects will not be able to be completed all in one fiscal year. they're going to span multiple years because there's just too much work to get done in a 12-month period. Um, also, you've heard us talk about the water sewer um, debt service coverage ratio. What that ratio is is where you compare net income of the water fund to the annual debt service expense. And an acceptable ratio is anywhere from 1.2 to 1.5. and our debt service coverage ratio is just over nine. So, we're in very, very good shape with the finances that we have to manage debt. Our debt is very, very low. Um, we we owe just over $6 million in total. And um um compared to other uh utility systems our size, we we have minute debt compared to others. And

Jim, again, if I could interject, apologize for continuing to interrupt you. I just want to make sure we're clear on these things.

Uh we have $6 million in the bank in the water fund. The last time I looked, that may have varied a little bit one way or another. We arbitrarily try to not go below 3 million. Uh and again, that's a number Jim and I agreed to a long time ago. Uh certainly we could operate if we only carried threequarters of a million, but I guess what I'm trying to say is we're cash flush. But when you can borrow money and we could these projects will take long enough we could probably pay them as we go and not incur any debt. When you can borrow money for 1.8% and in some cases point8 it doesn't make sense to pay to spend your reserves. Uh I think we've proven ourselves that we're very careful with money particularly with these utilities. Uh but we've got some things we've got to do. I know Tony presented some upgrades to the plant uh in recent meetings. uh he's got some barcreen work to be done and then we've got some ongoing work to do at the water plant and then we're also planning to do that uh settling pond which will take several years. Uh so again this is a very very conservative way to fund this and something we can very well afford and we're proposing the rate increase because our our rates are so low and this offsets that debt that and we paid off debt. Jim, when did we pay off the debt on the

May of 2016? Okay. So last year we paid off debt too. So that debt service uh money is available. But anyway, this is a very conservative approach. Uh similarly to hiring people, we will not take we will not borrow it if we don't need it. Uh but it makes more sense when you can borrow it at this rate to borrow than to spend. Any comments regarding the the water fund? Questions? Moving on to the sanitation fund. The sanitation fund that we're proposing is uh 6.2 million. That's a $1.1 million increase, 22% from the current year budget. Um like the water fund, it includes a 3% rate increase. Also like the water fund, our garbage rates are very, very low compared to surrounding jurisdictions. And so that is something we're very proud of. Majority or a good part of this uh budget increase is to fund uh new vehicles. Um we're in dire need of two new garbage trucks and one new street sweeper. All of those combined uh will be approximately $590,000. These will be funded through the uh GMA capital lease pool. Um, I would say this about the equipment. Um, like Joel and like Jimmy, Mike Green, he runs his equipment until it can't run anymore. And, um, he takes very, very good care of his equipment. And, uh, when he says something's worn out, needs to be replaced. You can take his word on it. It needs to be replaced. And so, um, we're proposing that the replacement of those those equipment items.

Jim, may I interject about the worn out vehicles? Yes, sir. I support that as long as it doesn't cause the employees to have to work harder because of outdated um equipment and vehicles. I just want to go on record for saying that. Duly noted. Yes, sir. Yes. Thank you.

Um the other thing um we're managing, it's not a big increase each year, but our landfill fees, as our tonnage continues to go up, we're having to budget a little more each year for landfill. And um as our city grows commercially, residentially, that will be something that we have to look at and fund each year. Um hotel motel tax fund, you've already um u taken action on that. Um it it totals $720,000 for FY uh 2018. as a result increase of 280,000, the result of uh increasing that tax rate from 5% to 8%. Um this money and this fund um it funds our contractual obligations to the convention and visitors bureau, the chamber of commerce. Also, it will fund tourism, the green belt, the arts center renovations, and the branding initiative. anything to promote tourism and bring people into the city of Carolton to spend money and this will be spent and handled out of the hotel motel tax fund.

Question about that. Um the convention and visitors bureau, what's the difference between that and the city tourism line item?

Let me see. Now the are you looking at your uh individual budget Roy on the hotel motel the the um account number 572010 the it's appropriation to the CBB that is the contractual appropriation that that we pay in other words their percentage cut of the hotel motel tax that we collect collect each month goes to them. And the same thing uh the contractual percentage obligation um that the Chamber of Commerce gets of of the hotel motel tax that we collect each month. Now, I think this is what you're asking. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the the top part of uh the hotel, motel, city tourism, product development, tourism, concerts, movie, um those are items where we have control to spend internally as we as you appropriate, as you choose for us to spend. and and whereas the bottom parts the other costs those are those are contractual commitments to seat um convention and visitors bureau and the chamber of commerce. Yes sir. Um the haz hazardous materials uh budget it's only $3500. Um, basically our hazmat unit, um, member cities and governments that, um, we service, you know, it's a regional operation. They pay $500 in dues each year a piece to the city. And then the $3,500 um we buy small equipment, repair and

maintenance of equipment, some training, and then um every once in a while if we go into a big call and get service revenue for a spill cleanup or something like that, um we we put that in this account as revenue, too. But we don't ever budget for that because we simply don't know. A major spill where you have uh revenue, you you just can't predict when that's going to happen. and it's so few and far between. We just don't ever budget for that. Um likewise, the drug seizure fund, the very last fund, we always conservatively estimate $100,000 a year in seized revenue. And then Joel and them use that for equipment purchases, training, supplies, repairs, and maintenance. Um there again, it's it's it's almost impossible to estimate how much we're going to have in drug seizures each year. So we we That's kind of a wag to be lack of a better term. Um I think that's it as far as the the funds that's presented to you. So um as you know this is a public hearing. No formal vote will be taken. Uh vote scheduled um at your next meeting on u July the 10th. Jim, one other thing I want to point out, and again, I guess this is more for public benefit than even the elected officials because they've heard me say it so many times, but our sanitation fund, our garbage pickup is what funds our paving in this city. And most cities don't make money at all on their garbage. Our rates are lower than everyone else. And yet, we make money, enough money to pay for all the paving that you see. Um, and that takes some time and it's a great aggravation to people. And it's the milling and the uh the months that we wait to put down paving, but it's it sure looks good when it's done. And I think you could look back not too many years ago when we weren't doing that.

Yes, sir. And so very thankful for the work that the sanitation workers do. Those guys hanging on the back of the trash truck are literally paying to pay for pave our roads, their sweat. Amen. Paying for that. And we were very much appreciate that. Amen. Thank you. Um, that being said, can we work on the potholes a little bit? Absolutely. I want to go tell me where they are and we'll get them. I Oh, we've got a good contractor for that, Macintosh special out of Whitesburg. If you know where they are, we'll get him.

Same thing we've talked about in February about the valve bodies and the manholes. And I'm getting a lot of people talking to me still about that situation. We haven't really got into that, raising them up and grouting them in. So, Maple Street seems to be really bad and Austin and Person and just spots. We've started the utility work under Maple between the railroad and 27 so we can prep for paving that at a future date. Tim, that's Carol County Library Board appointments.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We've got three open positions as uh that the city appoints for the Carol County Library Board. Two expire June 30th, 2017. That's Miss Kyle Bohannan. I saw her in the audience earlier. uh and Miss uh and Robin Collins. Uh also, Miss Shirley Vassie uh is on that board. It looks like her term actually expired back in 2015. And uh yeah, if I'm reading that right. So, she needs to be all three would like to be reappointed. All three are eligible. And so unless you have other uh people you'd like to consider, if you want to take a month and consider or if you want to reappoint these people, uh they're willing to serve. I move we reappoint the three uh library board uh commissioners, Kyle Bohannan, Robin Collins, and Shirley Vassy.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. Any more discussion? I've had the pleasure working with most of these folks on the library expansion project going forward and I think they're welld deserving. So y'all ready to vote or everybody in favor please raise your hand? Motion carries. Thank you very much gentlemen. Takes us down item number 12 executive session. I'll let uh Chuck walk us through the process of going into executive session, but we've got a couple of real estate matters we need to discuss that are coming up. We just need a motion and a second and a vote to go into executive session to discuss real estate matters.

Make a motion that we go into executive session to discuss the real estate matters. Second. All in favor? Motion carries. Thank you very much. We're going upstairs. Okay. All right. If y'all want to stay, you can. But, you know, we're probably gone a little while. And Joel, Jimmy, Tommy,

we have snacks. For real. Is that food? That snack machine like

I'm sorry, man.