Town Council - Regular Meeting

you know, that that's kind of the trick to this thing and and we we have to to sit here and discuss it because of the back politics that that's involved on these. You know, I mean, I I know this council does not want to raise any taxes any more than they absolutely have to either. Um, but you know, I just I just hate that we have to. We haven't even bring it up on our agenda. of maybe some towns, I know towns, but maybe some towns that have done those huge fund balance and not passing along to the to the citizens in certain ways.

This excuse me, this does include not just restricting property taxes, but also just lots of different reforms to the policies about taxing. And some of it does have to do with tax and exempt status for affordable housing. So there could be some of those portions of it that that go through, but I represent the League of Municipalities kind of assurance that we're not going to it it's probably not going to do away with our ability to lay the taxes, but because they're fighting pretty hard about that, but there are some parts of it that we make. Do we have any input at all of representatives or senator?

I have not yet. So we don't know if yet I don't read it yet. I I would think that once he receives all of these because I think pretty much every municipality in Johnson County seeing this this month the first

I mean I I guarant and the reason I say that is because they have they obviously have more knowledge than just us reading um you know what what what we have in our in our packet you know that's that's one thing of course I'd be curious to know what they do I do know that um BDS carried two nights um panel discussion on this and I the mayor of Clayton is now the president of the league this year and he was on one of those discussions and from what I understand um it's hit maybe hitting the municipalities a little bit more than it is to the counties but it's going to if it goes through if we don't their own um it it's going to hit us with the so we need to back the lead when they're logging for us

and if you, if you notice the last couple paragraphs in the resolution, you're not um you're not urging them to not pass a bill with all of these reform issues. You're you're basically urging them to make sure that they preserve your authority to letting tax the property taxes which provides revenue and that if they do if they do some sort of reform that would affect that that it wouldn't that that would provide some kind of sustainable alternative for municipalities. So, like I said, there are other parts of the reform that's being brought forward that do not have to do with waving taxes. Um, but the resolution specifically speaks to us being able to keep that.

I just I read every word that that I was I received. I I just, you know, read so much and get more confused to read. I'm just I'm just not I'm just I I don't looking at it from one point of view and and that's that's where the league ought to be. That's what they're there for. Um but but I don't know, you know, there's not enough information out there to know what the what the potentials are as far as Okay. Are they on the street? They can't go so much per year, you know, over a number of years. I mean, there's no particulars about this. It's just, oh, state committee, but I hadn't seen any particulars on, you know, what what they may be trying to restrict. I know they have, you know, Georgia think in there. Um, but I'm not I don't know. I don't I don't have that information. I don't think I don't think that they've got those two. They're just they're just going to presenting it and starting to talk about it.

Well, here's my concern. Here's my own concern is we we vote on this resolution. We vote on this resolution. We pass resolution that goes to the league and they they know we're going to be responsible. But if we do that and we tie our our name, our cap, this council to to that of whatever it's really I I just I don't see how it's really about channels like us. I I just I just don't I think it's more I I think it's more

the resolution would name any um so it would that's the way we would so it would mean that it would affect us just like

well I think it's included count um you know when you have a tax revaluation and you you back it down to where where it's higher than it was before the tax reevaluation you do a numbers car dealership numbers down and and you're sitting on on on all this ton of money, you know? I I I just I mean I I don't know enough about it to deal with it. But and that's my problem. I don't want to tie us in with the resolution that that we can one day be tied to and we don't have all the information right now other than lead. So basically all this resolution is saying is that we are passing this resolution to ask them to protect the right that we have to pay for tasks. That's basically all it's saying. I mean, we're not saying that we won't visit be anything else or we won't but we want them to protect our life and that's basically that right,

right? So again, the last two paragraphs of the resolution says that you're resolving that the town of Wilson Hills respectfully urges the general assembly to preserve the municipal property tax authority and avoid legislation that would significantly reduce or restrict this essential revenue source without providing a sustainable and equivalent alternative. So whatever is decided, even if they make decisions about county taxing authority, this resolution is saying that we would like for them to keep our authority the same or provide an equivalent solution. So that's not all. I mean, we're not saying we're going to put our name on something and we're going to be guaranteed that this is what we're going. We're just asking them to leave the fact that we le taxes were. So I mean the resolution is not broad. It doesn't cover a lot of the other stuff that they were talking about, but this is just samples that Right. And the second part of that also said that that we would request that any proposed changes to the property tax system, which could be municipal or family, would be carefully evaluated to ensure that municipalities retain the ability to adequately fund public safety, infrastructure, and other essential services. So again, if they come up with some sort of reform that gives us an alternative to that revenue, we're we're just trying we're just trying to make sure that we keep the revenue that we've got so that we continue to fund the services that we need to to service the citizens of the town. Mayor, I'm going to go ahead and make a motion make a motion that we adopt the

resolution in support of preserving municipal property tax authority and protecting property tax funded services. Any more discussions? All in the second item on our agenda is the call for a public hearing. It's a res resolution following the town of some new charter change and um this is something that you've been discussing to change the charter from a mayor council of government to council manager questions answer those have any comments about this resolution we thought that for three months This would be calling for public hearing that would be at motion that we talk about here um for the resolution against him to uh to consider and change the ordinance of town administration administrator

at our next um meeting. What I'm going to add just want to make sure I may as we're considering to adopt the resolution of calling. Well, that's what I need to say. Yeah,

we are adopting the resolution that calls for the public hearing on our April meeting. Motion made by Councilman Brown, second by Counciloman. Any more discussion? All in favor?

All voted. Next item that was added to the agenda is um the Jonathan County Development Board every two I think it's every two years. Is that right, Mr. Caroline? every two years or every three years asks for the representatives of the town to um review the applications for the member on the board that represents town Wilson's m um council member Carolyn Ding has been on it past mayor JC T was on it this time um Miss Dining has reapply and they have also received a second application from John Stoall who lives on Little Creek Church Road in Clayton. And the board of commissioners always asks for the council members to review these give them a recommendation of who you would like to represent on that board. You're not voting to appoint this person. you're inviting to recommend this person to a job.

I've read I've read personally both applications um and thought about it and it didn't have too much value. I'm going to recommend on my side that we car represent motion made that we recommend to the county commissioners Carol as our representative second council seconded by council woman if there is any more discussions all in favor The next item on the agenda is a policy amendment to the municipal personnel policy. And if you'll remember back on March 19th, one year ago, today um in 25 you passed or you changed the policy to allow the police department to receive overtime rather than time. And now that the police department is pretty much on their way to full staff on all shifts, you would like to remove that from the following station. I'd be happy to answer any questions about that. We put it on put it back on, but now we're looking to take it off and it's just a budget decision. I make a motion that we amend the article three section two times compensation time. Do I need to read this whole thing?

You don't need to. Just make a motion to approve motion made by Councilman Brown to approve the second. All in favor?

All one last item just as an update. The city council chamber renovations are almost complete. This will be our last meeting at pool and um the work session next Monday 23rd will be in the new chambers. We'll have the AV crew from the company installed there. Make sure we get all those worked out. And then our first regular meeting will be next April next the next meeting will be a meeting. So that will be the new June. Um we are looking at doing the OB house on Monday, May the 4th. And so we would send out we'll be sending out information. Okay. The next item is a call for a public hearing on the UDO and y'all have a copy of the changes to be made and we're not discussing the changes tonight. We are calling the public hearing because these are things that need to be looked at, reviewed. If you have any questions, call Indie so that when we get next month at our public hearing, we can discuss all the items that you have questions about. And I have some I will tell you right now, but we need to make sure that we read it. And if you want to call Wendy to get more detail of what the board said or what we didn't say or how this would

come to us, but we are just calling for the public hearing tonight so that we can discuss everything openly at our April. Make a motion that we call public hearing from April 20 6:30 at the town regular scheduled council meeting held at Wilson's town hall 40

I motion is made by Councilman Brownley to call for public hearing on April meeting discussion. All in favor? All the next time you're able to call public hearing for a special application here. We need to call for public hearing at our public special use permit for 15 glad and crescent. Make a motion call for a vote here on Monday, April the 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at town's regular scheduled council meeting Carol at Wilson's Hills Hall 483 Adam Wilson Wilson made by Councilman Brown second by Councilman McA discussion all in favor I

vote.

The next item is an appointment for a new board member and Miss Charlotte is with us tonight if y'all like to meet her. She wants to take Miss. So this is her application. looking to see how it there. Thank you. Thank you so much for your service. Motion made by Councilman Dr. Sec. Um all in favor.

All opposed. Thank you Charlotte for Yes. Thank you. Next on the agenda is comments on council. Yeah, I just want to thank you Mr. once again for stepping up to the plate like that. We certainly are you in from the cottages where you are you live in the cottages?

No, sorry. Wilson's ranch on Wilson. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Yeah, thank you once again. Thank you very much. And um even before we start next next month, I I did have half a day to spare this week and I read through the uh the UDO as modified. I know we're not going to talk about but I just want to say thank you to the planning board for jumping in on this and Wendy. It's going to be a big deal. We're going to have a lot to talk about next time. So thank you all for joining and thank you for being here tonight. I appreciate it. You have your mind.

On the subject of plan board. Um, Miss Riley had asked me to get a copy of the absences for the last 12 months for the planning board and I have sent you to pull that together for me. Um, that's what you have in front of you. We actually got numerous applications for that one seat that you guys just sealed. And you wanted to know if we had any that had missed more than three meetings and I did not think we did, but after see you pulled this. We do have one. Y'all were asked y'all asked for the information. So what you do with it is that your pleasure and that way I know what I need to do to be the people.

Well, I think you have to pay more to think. Yeah, I agree. I think I think planning board needs to this is their board and you know they need to you got the council appoints and so we would be working at the direction of the council on whatever your decision was on that I'll just suggest that yeah you and the planning board need to get together if somebody needs to be removed then we would Now, let's not let's not dwell and carry this thing out for months. Yeah,

we made the rule. We got to stick by. Okay. Thank you for this information.

Anyone else? Anyone else have any comments? It is now Senate. Anyone wishing to address please come forward. So wish me forward. Everybody, I make a motion that make a motion that we're going to close session 143- 318 1. Perfect. made by Councilman Brown second by Tim session. Um, thank you. No. Outside. Do you need this?