City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, at six o'clock I will call the September 8th meeting of the mayor and council to order. If you'll all stand, we'll have the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Councilman Bridges, would you do the honors of our invocation? Sure.

Let us go to God in prayer. Dear God of heaven, thank you God for this day. Lord, thank you for this beautiful city. Thank you for this maring council. Father God, Lord, just give us the courage and the understanding as we lead this community, Lord, and do it in your son Jesus Christ's name. We all do pray. And let every heart say, "Amen." Amen. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Do we we don't have any citizens comments today? Okay. All right. Um, so you have the minutes of our last meeting. Do I have a motion to approve? So move. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second.

Have a motion and a second. Is there any additions or corrections? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I.

Any oppose? Same sign. Hearing none. Motion carries. Uh the next item on our agenda is our mayor and council comments. [snorts] I'm going to do something a little different tonight. I'm going to be first. Um, I [laughter] hope everybody had a great Labor Day weekend and um, safe and the beautiful weather we're enjoying. We have lost a very well, we've actually lost two very vital people in our community lately. One being Mr. Jim Gil, the second one being Miss Juel Mashurn. Miss Mashpurn was the city clerk here for 40. I say city clerk. She was the city clerk. She was the finance officer. She wore every hat in the city. Um and she passed away. And today I was privileged enough to get to go to her funeral, her celebration of life. And um it was really uh and Councilman Ugam was there too. And she was very active. And if there ever had been a true servant, it was Miss Juel. And that was talked about a lot today. When I became the city clerk and Bowen, she was my mentor. She and I used to travel together to meetings and things and I learned so much from her and she was just she was always the same. No matter what, she was always the same. And I just want to say and and we will do something at some point, but um I just want to say that we were so blessed to have her here and she was just an icon um in her church, in her civic organizations, in the community, and also to the city of Carolton. So, just

remember this family in your prayers and also Mr. Gil's family. Um, and I hope that um we can all remember her legacy that that she left here and what she did for our community. All right, Council Lady Bridges, would you like to make your comments? I just wanted to say this is the best city I ever served in [laughter] and I just thank God for it because when you hear other stories in other cities, it makes you grateful for the city that you serve and thank you Lord and Amen. [laughter]

That's all I got.

Councilman Ug like to add something about Juel. Uh Uh they had a a I'd like to add something about Juel Mashburn. Jules's middle name or maiden name was music and I I thought about that Jules sang in the choir at her church for over 40 years. Um, and it typifies Juel Music Mashburn and her uh conviction and dedication to things that she believed in. Uh, if she was involved in something, she gave 100%. But one thing that uh stood out was they had a a nice painting or photograph of of Juel, a large one, and she's got a great smile on. And one of the speakers commented that Juel was always always had a smile. And I'm going to work on that. I'm going to try to smile a little bit more just in memory of Juel. I'd like to welcome our junior council members and every all our guests here tonight. Uh I know our city had a great concert last was it Friday night? Thank you. And uh of locals live and it's awesome the local musical talent we've got here in our town. And somebody said there's a band coming up this weekend.

What's the name of it? Romantics. Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones.

The Romantics. the romantics are going to be here this weekend. And if I could uh add one more thing, I I'm getting a lot of comments or questions about when we're going to start on the beautifification project on Maple Street and is [clears throat] it going to happen? Has it been postponed? Has it been called off? it it it is uh still in progress and in in the in the late planning stages, but uh things are rolling ahead. We're going to I know pave all of Maple Street and really do our best to beautify Maple Street and that end of town. So, hang with us here a little bit longer.

And we did get confirmation that we did get our $9.2 million grant. So, that that's another thing that helps. And I'll just add too, um, Taste of Carolton will be the last Thursday in this month, the 25th. So, come on downtown and enjoy all the great food. All right, Councilman L Better.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, I had the privilege today to play in the chamber golf tournament and, um, it was a great day. Perfect day for golf and perfect day to be outside and do something uh fun. And um Ryan Owensby, a big shout out to her. She's the newly appointed president of the Carol Carol County Chamber and she's already two weeks in doing a great job and her staff was just wonderful today. So big shout out to her. I had the pleasure of playing with one of our Carol Carlton police officers, Officer Justin Cardell, Kyle Shepard, our city building inspector, and a former coach of uh the Carolton Trojans, Coach Raven Teague, and we just we really had a great time together. Um, if you if you run a business or if you uh know anyone that does, uh, please encourage them to join the chamber and take part in the activities that the chamber continues to put put out there for all of us and um, participate in that golf tournament because it was a really good time.

Thank you.

Okay, Council Zeta Gibbs. Good evening. Um, well, I had an interesting day today that I really enjoyed. I had the opportunity to speak to a freshman political science class this morning about local city government. And considering that it was a Monday and it was 9:00 a.m. I do think I held their attention. I really enjoyed it. But uh I was very interested because I was asking around and in just that class at West Georgia we had someone from Germany, from France, from Puerto Rico, from quite a few different states. So I just thought that was really exciting. Um you know, some were here for sports and others were just literally came to West Georgia. So I thought that was great. Just great. All right. Well, thank you all. It's um we had the pleasure of um having lunch with our new University of West Georgia president, Dr. Michael Johnson, and he is um very glad to be here and is looking forward to keeping our um partnership going and we're excited about that. Okay, Mr. Brooks.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um just uh like I said, it's been a great summer. We've done a lot of had a lot of good events, concerts downtown. uh movies, locals live, our concert series, as was mentioned earlier. We got one more uh big concert left and that's with the Romantics. Um Taste of Carolton, Mayor Case has already talked about. We've got the half marathon coming up. We're in full swing now for fall and even winter. Our Christmas parade applications went out this past week. So, uh that's that's where our marketing and events team is. That's where their head is now is what's what's next. The half marathon will be September 27th. Um we last year uh we also is like the class you were talking about. We had international runners last year. I'm sure they come just to run that half marathon or they could have already been in the area. But um a lot of different states represented. That's a big event. I know uh Miss Connorly and and April Saunders and their teams do a great job putting that on. Art festivals coming up. Halloween on the square. uh football games will start being played at the AMP and um like I said the Christmas parade applications went out today and just want to reiterate um for everybody that you know we have implemented after last year and the the close calls and the chaos that we had we've implemented the policy of not handing out anything from the floats and the trucks and the and but we're going to have stations set up at in the square and up and down Bradley Street and Rome Street with candy and hot chocolate and and things of that nature. Um and then we're bringing ice skating rink back this year too at Christmas time and it's going to be bigger and better than last year. Absolutely. So just a lot of good things going on and we're proud that we can offer this to our community.

Thank you, Mr. Brooks. Okay, the next item on our agenda is approval of agenda items for consideration. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda items for consideration? So made. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Have a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Same sign. Hearing none. Motion carries. Our first item uh on the agenda for consideration is a resoning request. Miss Connelly. [snorts]

No. No. I there we go. Here we go. The only reason that you have a request at 415 Dixie Street. The request is to res office institutional to C2 general commercial. The request is uh basically it's currently used or previously been used as an office. So it's set up with a parking lot and um it's developed as and they're wanting to convert that to a store. They may still have some office and office functions there. C2 does both. [snorts] The planning commission review this request at their August meeting. They did recommend approval for this particular request for the following conditions. Back signage wall freestanding shall not be permitted. Accent lights are permitted as long as they do not use colored bulbs. Uh number two, the use of rope lighting or neon lights is neon lights in the windows is also prohibited. And number three, this is in our local historic district. So any uh improvements for signage or building improvements um would be would require a certificate of appropriateness and that was approved or recommended for approval 7 to zero. I believe the applicants here if you have any questions.

Okay. Um, before we get into anything else, I need to read. Some of you may not have um previously attended a zoning or public hearing on a resoning request. No person in attendance shall speak unless formally recognized. Upon rising to speak, each person recognized shall state their name and home address. Speakers must not employ tactics of intimidation, profanity, or threats of violence in their comments. All comment shall be directed to the mayor and council, not to the petitioner or those in opposition. In accordance with Georgia law, each side, not each individual, is allowed 10 minutes [snorts] of of time of public input. This means that all those speaking in favor of the request have a total of 10 minutes and all those speaking in opposition of the request have a total of 10 minutes. Time devoted to questions and answers that the elected officials may ask should not be counted against any time limitations. Since we do have limited time, please try to avoid restating what another may have already stated. The applicant shall be allowed to speak first in order to present the application. Others may then speak indicating their support for or opposition of the application. The applicant will then been allowed time for rebuttal. Rebuttal must be limited to points or issue raised by opponents to the application at the hearing. Okay. Um [snorts] so Mr. Miss Hesterly, would you like to come forward and tell us about your Yes. [laughter] My name is David Hesterly, 171 Spence Road, Carolton, Georgia. And we're going to take this existing [clears throat] facility,

no structural changes. Uh no no altercations on the outside site development, but we're going to use it as is with some interior cosmetic stuff. And my wife's going to open a antique gift shop, so Okay. All right. questions. We don't have any. All right. Thank you. Thank you, David. Is there anyone here to speak in opposition of this request? Okay. Hearing none, do I have a motion to approve the resoning request with the stipulations stated in the planning commission's recommendation? So move. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second.

All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Same sign. Hearing none. Motion carries. All right. Thank you. The next item on our agenda is municipal court public defender appointment. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh, as you we discussed at our work session, uh we are currently in search of a public defender. Uh Mr. Eric Abney is attorney here in the community. He's already doing on an interim basis. And uh um you see the memo from Chief Richards after speaking with Judge Mecklin. would like to uh for you guys to approve making Mr. Abney the uh uh appointing him to that position of public defender. Okay.

Do I have a motion to appoint Mr. Abney as the public defender for the city of Carolton Municipal Court? I'd like to make a motion that we uh approve Mr. Abney. Okay. Do I have a second? Second. Have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposition? Hearing none. Motion carries. Thank you. Okay. The next uh item on the agenda is Carol County IGA, which is the infrastructure and work fees for sheriff's office replacement and jail modernization project. Mr. Brooks.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Madam Mayor. This is we discussed this in our work session as well. This contract is pretty much identical to the one that we entered into or this IGA is pretty much identical to the one that we entered into with the county for the county admin building. Um and um as they construct the new uh jail and uh sheriff's office um we uh they've asked us to enter into an agreement with him here which we we've talked about. the key points, I won't read the whole thing, but the key points was that uh we'll wave the storm water management requirements um for the site and project on the basis that it's already an existing site to the uh amount that we can. I mean, they still have to adhere to all the uh codes and and restrictions in terms of of pushing water to somebody else's site and things of that nature, but we'll we'll wave that. We wave the water and sewer tap fees. Um it'll be a it would be a wash pretty much anyway because they're going to get credit for the tap fees that they already have there. Um we'll wave the permits and fees and inspections. They obviously they do that for everything in the county. So they'll do it for their own building. The only permit we will issue will be a land disturbance permit. And that will ensure us to be able to hold the contractors and subs that are doing the work over there to our standards in terms of erosion control or or you know tracking mud out in the streets or just the cleanliness and professionalism of the of the site. And then the big thing um is we got the cost estimate from Bass and Associates who we all use or Georgia and West, excuse me, George and West who we all use and and trust and have great relationship with and the our hard co obligation um for the relocation of the sewer lines and to ensure that the proper infrastructure uh storm water water is is uh adequate would be $750,000. Um, Miss Griffith has had this, we both had this IGA for quite some time. We just didn't execute it with the splast

agreement because we wanted to iron get through that. And then um then we we're bringing this to you now. Again, we talked about it in our work session, but that's the that's the nuts and bolts of it. Those those points that I just covered with you. All right. Do you do I have a motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement with Carol County as it relates to the infrastructure work and fees for sheriff's office replacement and jail modernization? So move. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Have a motion and second. Is there any other discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I.

Any opposed? Same sign. Hearing none. Motion carries. Okay. The next item on our agenda is redevelopment authority appointment. Mr. Brooks.

Yes. We have uh Dr. Kelly was on a redevelopment authority, president of the university. He [clears throat] left and went to uh Arkansas and Dr. Monga was uh interim president and we he served on the redevelopment authority in his time here. Um and now he's gone and Dr. Johnson has been uh named the new president. um and we felt it was important to keep the president of the university on the redevelopment authority as a community member and uh what the university having such an impact on the community. So this memo is asking that you guys appoint uh Dr. Johnson to uh to uh take the place of Dr. Monga uh as on the redevelopment authority.

Okay. Do I have a motion to appoint Dr. Michael Johnson as a member of the redevelopment authority to replace Dr. Ashwani Manga. So move. Have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. And any opposed? Hearing none. Motion carries. Okay. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? So moved. Okay. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Same sign. Hearing none. Meeting.