Transcript

Event transcript
All right, Mayor, can you hold on for one second? 00:00:41
Trying to make sure. 00:00:46
All right, well. 00:00:48
We do have a proclamation. 00:00:50
This month. 00:00:53
I don't know where she's gone. 00:00:54
She was checking the system. 00:00:58
All our people here wear a lot of hats. 00:01:02
So, Lee Black, please report. 00:01:06
To council chamber, she's listening, probably. She probably is listening. 00:01:08
This is like when I. 00:01:14
Used to work at bells and got to use the microphone and call people to the front so yeah. 00:01:16
Maybe she's saying that because she didn't want. 00:01:22
Pretend like she was not hurt. 00:01:25
And just make sure all both of our system. 00:01:28
Here she is. 00:01:31
It does now. Well, good because it's good that it has sound, because I want the world to hear that we have the best Municipal 00:01:35
Court clerk. 00:01:39
In America. 00:01:45
And that is Lee Black. 00:01:47
So we this is Municipal Courts Clerk Week. 00:01:48
So I'm going to read this proclamation and you can be embarrassed, but we are grateful for you and everything you do. 00:01:52
For our courts. 00:01:58
Y'all, I know when I was on City Council, it's kind of mystified that we even had a court. What happened there? But now that I'm 00:02:00
here a little bit more often, I come in and. 00:02:03
See the judge and the court discharging all this activity very quickly and efficiently, and it doesn't. 00:02:08
I know that doesn't. 00:02:14
It's probably more challenging than it looks looks to me when I'm seeing it happen. So we were grateful for you for. 00:02:16
Keeping that legal and keeping it organized so. 00:02:21
Whereas Municipal Court, Kurt. 00:02:23
Court clerks play a significant role in ensuring that municipal courts preserve public safety and promote quality of life in the 00:02:25
City of Watkinsville. 00:02:28
And local municipalities across the state. 00:02:31
WHEREAS the procedures for the Watkinsville Municipal Court operations are set forth by the Uniform Rules of Municipal Court. 00:02:34
And other walls of the state of Georgia. 00:02:39
Whereas more people come in contact with me with Municipal Court clerks. 00:02:41
Than all other city services combined. 00:02:45
And the public impression of the Watkinsville judicial system is largely dependent on the public's experience in Municipal Court. 00:02:48
Whereas Municipal Court clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality, rendering equal service to 00:02:54
all. 00:02:57
WHEREAS, the Watkinsville Municipal Court is committed to the notion that our legal system is based on the principle that an 00:03:00
independent, fair and competent judiciary will interpret and apply the laws that govern us. 00:03:05
Municipal Court clerks act in a manner. 00:03:10
That promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 00:03:12
And whereas it is most important that we recognize the accomplishments and significant role in Municipal Court, the mute. 00:03:16
The municipal courts court play in preserving public confidence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 00:03:22
Now, therefore, I Brian Broderick, mayor of Watkinsville. 00:03:28
To hereby recognize the week of June 9th through 13th, 2025 as Municipal Court Clerks Week. 00:03:30
And further extend the appreciation to our Municipal Court clerk, Lee Black. 00:03:36
And all Municipal Court clerks for the vital services they perform. 00:03:40
And their exemplary dedication to the communities. 00:03:43
They represent and serve. 00:03:46
On this 21st day of May 2025, thank you, Lee. 00:03:47
Here is your proclamation. 00:03:55
Ma'am. Yeah. 00:03:57
Thanks for all you do. 00:03:58
Yeah. 00:04:00
All right, we have a slim crowd here tonight. But for everyone who's watching and everyone who's here, I'll remind you that we 00:04:06
have a hearing loop system in the council chamber. This wireless network is for those with hearing aids. 00:04:11
Signals can be picked up by most hearing aids. The city also has loop receivers for those who still have some difficulty hearing. 00:04:15
Anyone with questions can contact the ADA coordinator. 00:04:21
And our city manager. 00:04:24
To allow the city to make reasonable accommodations, this meeting is being broadcast online via. 00:04:26
A link on the City Council meeting information page of the city website. 00:04:32
This also provides closed captioning. Just click the CC icon in the lower right corner. When the video is posted, the captions 00:04:35
will automatically appear. 00:04:39
And a transcript of the meeting is under the Transcript tab. 00:04:42
Current month's agenda is posted a week before the meeting to allow time to provide comments and writing to the court. 00:04:45
And as I often say, if you have something you want to add. 00:04:50
That's not in a traditional public hearing moment, Council will. 00:04:53
May allow that at its discretion. Wave your hand to anybody who wants to speak. Should come up to the microphone to do so. 00:04:57
With that, we'll move along to the approval of minutes from the April 16th, 2025 regular meeting. 00:05:02
Council, if you've reviewed those minutes, I'll entertain a motion for approval. 00:05:08
To make a motion to approve. 00:05:12
Do we have a second? 00:05:13
I'll second. 00:05:18
We have a second. All right, let's get our mojo here, people. We're going to move pretty quick. We have a motion. We have a 00:05:18
second. Any discussion of the minutes hearing? None. All in favor say aye. 00:05:22
Motion carries approval of the agenda. I do need to make one modification to that agenda. Item 9 will change to. 00:05:27
Public hearing will all be for the general fund, capital and operating budget. 00:05:33
And for the proposed 2025 mileage rate, so it'll be a public hearing on the mileage rate and the budget. 00:05:37
So the item 9 will shift to that. 00:05:43
Are there any other changes to the agenda? 00:05:45
Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion for approval of the agenda. 00:05:49
I make a motion to approve the agenda with the noted change to add the mileage rate as well. That's the motion. Do we have a 00:05:53
second? 00:05:56
Second, all in favor say aye. 00:05:59
Motion carries. 00:06:02
We'll move on to administration. 00:06:03
Manager Dickerson will turn it over to you. 00:06:06
Thank you, Mayor. And just to point out that. 00:06:08
Was an agenda issue, but not an issue with advertising to the public. Public was aware that it would be considered a night just. 00:06:11
Jenna. 00:06:19
Financial reports, so you should have your balance sheet. 00:06:20
Revenues and expenditures are we're taking along our revenues are. 00:06:23
89%, so higher than the 83 we should be at, but again revenues come in. 00:06:29
Throughout the year different ways and so we typically reserve. 00:06:34
Determination of how we're doing until after, you know, until the year finishes. Same thing on expense. 00:06:40
It should be less than 83% and we're at 73%. So we're not spending as much and we'll talk a little bit about that in the budget. 00:06:45
When we get through the budget tonight, you'll see something on that. 00:06:50
Any questions on revenues or expenditures? 00:06:54
I'm sorry, the general fund revenues or expenditures? 00:06:58
OK, Splash 3 report. 00:07:02
So. 00:07:04
We are averaging 74,000 a month on this. We had estimated the. 00:07:05
That revenue projections would be about 78 and we're getting close to that. Remember, we're still early on in this, technically 00:07:10
still have a fair amount of time to go on this. 00:07:15
The they want to point out that. 00:07:19
Our balance is at 1.18 million. Part of that is because we did receive our first. 00:07:22
Reimbursement, you'll see that listed on the lower left hand side, G tip reimbursement, that's for the State Rd. Tollway project 00:07:28
we have going on Simonton Bridge. 00:07:32
The. 00:07:37
That works where we pay the expenses they reimburse us that goes back into the fund at the end of this is for the loan portion, 00:07:38
the 2.25 million at the end when we. 00:07:43
Finish the use of the loan money, then they'll roll that into a monthly payment. We'll start paying that out of this fund and also 00:07:47
out of the T's loss because they're split between the two, so. 00:07:51
But we do have a little bit more than a million in there. We did see. 00:07:56
A significant increase. 00:08:01
Year over year between March of last year and this year and I've reached out to the county and. 00:08:03
Justin Kerouac, my colleague, did not indicate he knew why that happened. So I guess we'll see what happens next month. Maybe it's 00:08:09
an overall increase or maybe it was just a blip on the radar screen. I'm not really sure, but. 00:08:14
Just a reminder of some of the things that's lost. 3 is funding, police vehicles, education facilities, all of our park 00:08:20
improvements which are currently underway. The mayor will talk about some of those tonight. 00:08:26
Resurfacing of roads, the connector, the pedestrian connector and then our signage and improvements to structures and facilities 00:08:31
similar at Thomas Farm in particular. 00:08:37
T's lost. 00:08:43
So T's loss we get 7.77% of. 00:08:44
The uh. 00:08:48
Revenues collected. 00:08:49
Right now we're averaging. 00:08:51
Hang on a second, I got to pull up the right one. 00:08:53
Yeah, that says right. I must have the wrong one in front of me. 00:08:57
Hang on, there we go. So we're averaging 74, I think the other one, I said backwards, sorry. 00:09:00
I had them listed wrong so on spots it's actually 89,000. I said our 84,000, I said 74 because I was looking at the wrong report 00:09:05
in front of me. Cheese boss is at 74,000. 00:09:09
And we budget 78 on SPLOST. I'm going to go back just for a minute to make sure I'm clear on this. On SPLOST, we averaged. 00:09:14
We're averaging 84, almost 85 and we budgeted 64. So that's why you're seeing the extra money and we talked about that when you re 00:09:20
appropriated or appropriated monies that the county anticipates we're going to be receiving. So sorry about that. I had them 00:09:25
reversed in my handout. 00:09:29
On a. 00:09:35
Tea sloths. Like I said, we're at 74. 00:09:37
Right now those projects are. 00:09:40
Pass this, our average is our bank. Our bank balance is a little bit more than 948,000. 00:09:44
Saw a 10% increase again. Not really sure why. They will get some clarification next month. 00:09:50
And then some of the projects, so again the the Somton Bridge, Mulberry. 00:09:57
St. pedestrian connector is split between T's, Boston's lost. 00:10:01
And then right now no traffic efficiency improvements, but there are some monies set aside for that that you guys will have to. 00:10:05
Decide on in the future and then Rd. Resurfacing included some of the stuff at Harris Shoals and on 2nd St. around Rocket Field. 00:10:12
Just a reminder of our fiscal year 26 budget process. We are right in the middle of it we've had today. 00:10:21
Lots of meetings. We had our special called meeting today at 12:32. 00:10:27
Consider the adoption of the 2025 mileage rate that's considered on the calendar year, so. 00:10:32
Assessments are made in January and the money coming comes in at the end of the calendar year, but it's part of our new fiscal 00:10:38
year for 26. We'll talk about that in the budget. 00:10:42
And then we had the work session at 5:00 tonight where the council, it was driven by staff and the council. 00:10:47
An opportunity to ask questions and dig in deep about any of our requests. 00:10:52
And then we have the regular meeting tonight, and in a few minutes the mayor will open up. 00:10:57
Public hearing on for the public, both on the adoption of the mileage rate and the. 00:11:01
The General fund budget. 00:11:06
And at this point, we don't anticipate the meeting tomorrow, right? I've already ignore the 5:00 PM on June 18th. Is that correct? 00:11:08
Yes, and that's my actually that's my error on this probably a copy and paste kind of thing trying to put this in order. But yes, 00:11:14
there is no that is that is incorrect. There is no council work session on June 18th at 5:00 and we have cancelled the 5:30 00:11:19
meeting tomorrow night. I'll make sure that's correct on Oliver. 00:11:24
All of our information going out. 00:11:29
OK, economic development. 00:11:32
Business license fees, those are most of those have come in. There are some that Julie is working with. 00:11:35
Our code compliance and our downtown development director to make sure some of the businesses that haven't renewed, if they're 00:11:41
still operating that they come in. Some of those we know are not operating. So we'll clean that up. 00:11:46
And but we've got a little bit more than $1100 in fees that came in, in the through the end of April. And then on the excise 00:11:52
taxes. 00:11:56
Alcohol and short term vacation rental or hotel motel tax. We're trending a little bit higher than I thought, which is good for 00:12:01
the fiscal year. 00:12:04
A little bit more than 48,000. 00:12:08
Economic development building permits. We had 14 permits for 13 projects, majority of which are over at Trove. 00:12:11
Any questions? 00:12:18
OK. All right. 00:12:22
Carry on, we'll move on to Downtown Development Authority update Mayor Pro Tem Tucker. 00:12:24
All right, so. 00:12:28
On May 6, we had a business after hours women of Watkinsville and it was a wonderful event. 00:12:30
I was able to attend not only as my various roles with the city, but also as a business owner in Watkinsville and. 00:12:38
I met several people who workout of their home that I didn't even know they were businesses in Watkinsville so. 00:12:46
As well as people that I knew operate. 00:12:53
And do great jobs here in our city. So wonderful event. This is something that umm. 00:12:56
Our director Jan put on and is going to do more of these. So if you missed this first one and if you're a woman. 00:13:02
Be looking out for future ones I. 00:13:09
The review process. 00:13:13
Went well. I mean, I don't really know how much to say about that, but I. 00:13:15
We are increasing it very much, just a little bit for some training, a little social media. 00:13:20
And what's exciting is we have decided on a strategic plan partner, I don't know if we have officially done it, if I should wait 00:13:26
till. 00:13:30
OK, now I'm like my brain is fried. 00:13:37
Inspire. 00:13:40
What's our surname? 00:13:42
Inspired by. I didn't know I was supposed to be saying their name tonight. Anyway, it's placemaking. Yeah. Inspire placemaking 00:13:44
and. 00:13:48
They have a really impressive resume. They have been doing this for a while. 00:13:53
And we are really excited about the value that they are going to be bringing to the city. So that process should start very soon. 00:13:58
And that's utilizing the Georgia Power grant, correct? That is coming from a Georgia Power grant. It is. 00:14:05
A tiny amount over a. 00:14:12
37,000 and our grant was for 35. 00:14:15
Umm, and so, and like I said, we're going to start that almost immediately. And there will be. 00:14:18
Public input process. One of the things that they offer, this is just one of the public input things, but they will actually have 00:14:25
a website that people can go to with a map and you can actually click on different sites and leave comments with different ideas. 00:14:31
About things in our downtown. 00:14:37
Zone. 00:14:40
And then other. 00:14:41
Of course, public input because. 00:14:43
It's very important as we're making the strategic plan to know what the community wants. 00:14:44
So I'll be looking out for dates on that coming soon. 00:14:50
And uh. 00:14:54
Get your calendars out and make sure if you haven't yet marked June 14th. 00:14:56
We're having Papa Palooza at Rocket Field and honors of Father's Day. 00:15:00
It is going to be just a lot of fun. 00:15:06
On rocket field, you can see there if you don't, if you are a social media user and you don't yet follow. 00:15:10
The DDA. 00:15:18
For the city, please do that because you'll you'll be informed of these different types of events and if you are, I really ask 00:15:20
that people share them. 00:15:24
That's very, very helpful to get the word out. So please mark your calendar. A great way to just have fun and or celebrate your 00:15:28
death. 00:15:32
And oh, and it's 11 to 5. 00:15:36
All right, that's it. 00:15:39
All right. Thank you, Christine. We'll move on to the Police Department report Chief Arwood. 00:15:41
All right, Good evening. I just want to help on 1st day that it's a blessing to start on my 6th month here and I love it. Love it. 00:15:52
I don't see. 00:15:57
Any any other way of happening. So I hope to be here for years and years and years. 00:16:01
Love it here. We'll start off on the training like normal. 00:16:06
The House of 11/05 I've got some more information and set respondent. I figured we would just meet at the police committee and 00:16:10
discuss this before. 00:16:14
The decisions made. 00:16:18
During this time frame and all this information is actually a week shorter because I prepared just the week before last because I 00:16:20
went on vacation last week and. 00:16:24
Got it all wrapped up but. 00:16:28
House Walker attended the man's report writing class Officer England. 00:16:30
Attend a sexual assault investigations and counter assault tactics. 00:16:36
I went to the Georgia Chiefs 3 day training in Duluth. 00:16:40
So call those classes that are listed there. 00:16:44
Keep us updated on that. And then again, we have the Poskin Attorneys Council coming here to 25th. 00:16:46
To teach a domestic violence class how to investigate. 00:16:53
And a four day drone class here July 21st, so. 00:16:56
If you guys want to see how that works and you're more than welcome to come check it out and spend some time with us. 00:17:00
Is staying involved in the. 00:17:07
Domestic violence thing or or is that more that's more of a children? 00:17:11
Yeah, I attended that today at 1:00 with Oconee County. So it's OK. It's the case is specific to the county, so. 00:17:16
We did a couple interviews, two different sets. 00:17:26
Non certified. We did go forward or going forward with one good candidate. He's local, he's a corrections officer at Clark County. 00:17:29
A great attitude. 00:17:38
We're pretty close to having everything wrapped up where he can actually go take the physical agility test and that'll be his last 00:17:40
step before he gets accepted into. 00:17:44
Basic mandate. The police Academy. 00:17:48
We're continuing. 00:17:51
Looking and as we hopefully get the budget passed and some things added that we can offer. 00:17:52
I really think we may have. 00:17:59
Some more attraction for folks who's. 00:18:01
When I talk to folks, the first thing he asked, What's the pay? What's your retirement? That's usually the first two things, but, 00:18:04
umm. 00:18:07
Officer Stearns left us if if y'all don't know she went to Jasper County. 00:18:10
I just wanted to say, you know, good luck and I wish her the best and. 00:18:15
Hopefully she. 00:18:18
Gets what she's looking for there. She wants to be an investigator. 00:18:19
They have a little bit bigger investigation units, so. 00:18:23
Hopefully that will satisfy her. 00:18:27
ACCDP. 00:18:30
Traffic study on Simonton Rd. 00:18:32
And I haven't put 31 pages of it so. 00:18:35
I'm going to put it together where it's easier to see and show you guys the stats. There's a little lot of traffic over there. 00:18:39
And speeders so. 00:18:47
It's good information. It was conducted May 10th through the 15th and it's for the RFP. 00:18:49
The staff needed to justify that over on Katie Lane. 00:18:56
Police vehicles, I'm sure you guys are aware we have. 00:19:03
For 2017 and they're starting to. 00:19:06
Get the normal wear and tear on them. They're eighty 200,000 miles and. 00:19:10
I don't want it to be where we have this large. 00:19:15
Increase and having to keep these things running, you know so. 00:19:20
At some point, they kind of. 00:19:24
Are not cost effective to keep on the road, right? We put a lot of miles on them, unfortunately. 00:19:26
Community events, we had a bunch of them in this time period, so. 00:19:32
We started at the kids nest and. 00:19:36
It was very difficult to find this name because it was Miss Evelyn's all I knew it by so we did a little Easter egg hunt over 00:19:38
there and apparently she's been in operation over 50 years. 00:19:43
I was pretty cool because A. 00:19:47
Gentleman came back just to witness this. His granddaughter was there. 00:19:49
And said he actually went to the same daycare when he was a child. Yeah. Is that the one on Norton Road? Yes, Yeah. 00:19:53
Sir, the Easter egg hunt on the 19th was great. 00:20:00
We're going to show some pictures here in just a minute and. 00:20:05
Thank Danielle Greer for sponsoring. Some of that would put out 10,000 eggs and. 00:20:08
Revival Baptist Church sent over about 10 volunteers, which was. 00:20:13
So nice to have, right? Because it's a lot of work. It's a lot of. 00:20:18
A lot of walking, you know, and. 00:20:21
And planning and so forth. 00:20:23
Officer Walker attended the library to do. 00:20:25
Little reading in the show and tell the police car the kids loved it. 00:20:28
April 30th we had. 00:20:32
Law enforcement appreciation months for Oconee County School Board put that on force for everybody safety in the. 00:20:34
In the county. 00:20:41
May 3rd. 00:20:43
Cops and Bobbers was. 00:20:44
Excellent. I can't wait the next year to get it going again, I think. 00:20:46
Thomas Farm is a perfect location for it. 00:20:50
Thankfully the UTV come in to be very handy that day because it's a pretty. 00:20:54
Pretty good stretch out there, so. 00:20:58
And then? 00:21:01
One more thing we had was the law enforcement appreciation lunch at hair shows. Daniel Grier put it on. 00:21:03
Made another donation to badges and Benevolence through the golf tournaments. He raised $50,000. Wow, split it four ways through. 00:21:09
Through all the county. 00:21:17
Public. 00:21:19
Law enforcement so. 00:21:20
This is the here, obviously, and there's all the volunteers and all our staff up there. 00:21:22
Our list of kids we had the age groups, you know, split up where. 00:21:28
The big kids wouldn't take all the eggs from the little kids. 00:21:32
I had a pleasure taking the picture with the Easter Bunny down there, but a great turn out. 00:21:36
Cops and bobbers. 00:21:44
Try to get as many pictures as we could, you know, on one page but. 00:21:45
17 fish were caught by one kid. 00:21:50
In that time period. 00:21:53
17 and then the biggest was the little little girl on the bottom here. She called, I think it was 22 inch Bass Tyler's daughter, 00:21:54
yeah. 00:21:58
Great turn out and you know there's some tweaking that we need to do as we keep going forward, but. 00:22:04
Excellent. 00:22:09
All the volunteers, we can't think enough. And then we took a picture with them. Danielle for at the dinner down here where she. 00:22:11
Donated the money to all the law enforcement agencies in the county. 00:22:19
And then going back to our reports last page. 00:22:24
Stats are a little bit lower because it's a week. 00:22:28
Shorter than normal. 00:22:30
But the the arrest and I think I doubled one of them by mistake. I caught that and scratch it down on mine, but. 00:22:32
I put the same one on 4/20 but. 00:22:38
We had 7. 00:22:41
Arresting up three-week period. 00:22:42
Officer Walker. 00:22:45
Three in one day. 00:22:47
So he uh, uh. 00:22:48
He was he was on a roll that day. 00:22:49
Security checks and reports, you know, everything's running consistent with what we have been all year. 00:22:52
A little increase, like I said on the arrest. 00:22:59
Domestics down, which is that's a good thing. 00:23:02
And then everything else, the suspicious calls, alarms and fire medical or similar. And again, that's that's a week. 00:23:05
Less stats. 00:23:12
Any questions? 00:23:15
Questions for the Chief. 00:23:18
Great report as always, thank you for all you do. 00:23:21
Thank you. 00:23:23
All right, we will move to the consent agenda. I'll entertain a motion to approve the. 00:23:25
Consent Agenda The items in the Consent agenda. 00:23:31
I make a motion to approve the items on the consent agenda. 00:23:35
2nd, 2nd. 00:23:39
All right. Any discussion hearing none, all in favor say aye, aye. 00:23:41
Consent agenda is unanimously approved. We'll move to public hearing. 00:23:45
Public hearing is for the recommended fiscal year 2026 General Fund Capital and Operating budget and the proposed. 00:23:49
2025 mileage rate. 00:23:55
Manager Dickerson if you want to provide a brief overview of the. 00:23:58
FY20 6 Budget will then have a public hearing. 00:24:01
OK. I'll try to be as brief as I can. So budget goals, we went through these just about a little bit more than an hour ago, but. 00:24:04
Continue to provide the essential services, specifically public safety garbage collection. 00:24:10
Continuing to work to preserve green spaces and make those accessible by bike and by foot. And so we talked about those investing 00:24:15
in downtown. 00:24:20
Mayor Pro Tem Tucker mentioned the strategic plan for downtown, which is going to be significantly, is going to help us 00:24:25
significantly in that endeavor. 00:24:29
Continuing to improve operational efficiency. Take leveraging technological advancements and. 00:24:34
Cross department collaboration as well as collaboration with our partners. 00:24:41
And then implementing the the Council strategic initiatives as they prioritize at their annual retreat. 00:24:45
Excuse me? 00:24:51
So this is the revenue and expense budget. We are presenting you with a balanced budget. 00:24:52
We will talk a little bit about how we're going to do that, but we are at roughly 3 point. 00:24:59
35 million. 00:25:04
And that is an increase of just a little bit more than $52,000. 00:25:06
Executive summary on the revenues, you'll note the three. 00:25:12
Excuse me. The three largest revenues are local option sales tax at 32%, property taxes at 23% and franchise fees at 10%. 00:25:15
We are very blessed to have a very diversified revenue stream though, you'll see that. 00:25:24
Probably a little bit more than 1/3. 00:25:29
Of the other revenue, well, maybe a little less than 1/3 of the revenues come from a whole bunch of other sources and a lot of 00:25:32
communities only have one or two sources of revenue. So we're very fortunate in that regard. 00:25:37
Talk briefly about the top three revenue streams that are projected for fiscal year 26. 00:25:44
Local options sales tax is the highest we're going to top. 00:25:49
I project we're going to top over $1,000,000 this year. 00:25:52
Over the last five years, we've seen an average increase of 9.25%. I'm recommending, and this past year we saw a little bit more 00:25:55
than 6%. 00:25:59
I'm estimating we'll see about a 5% growth. 00:26:03
Averaging about 84,000, a little bit more than 84 or five in monthly revenues. 00:26:06
You'll see the line chart sort of shows the growth over the years. Obviously local option sales tax, excuse me. 00:26:12
Is affected by the cost of things as well as people's purchasing. 00:26:19
Behaviors. 00:26:23
And I think both those things are in play right now and that's why we're seeing the increases. 00:26:24
Property taxes. This is where we'll talk a little bit about the mileage rate. 00:26:30
So that people are informed, if they have comments to make about that. The net digest for the city, which is determined by the tax 00:26:34
assessor and provided to us by the Tax commissioner, is estimated a little bit more than 274,000,000. That's an increase of a 00:26:39
little bit more than 12 1/2%. 00:26:43
Or $30,000, I'm sorry, $30 million. 00:26:48
Sorry about that. 00:26:52
Over the 2024 property values of that amount about 18 that 18,000,000, more than half of it is. 00:26:54
It reflects an increase in new development and improvements to existing properties. 00:27:03
Currently, the proposed, I'm sorry, the current and the proposed mileage rate that we're recommending for FY20 6 is 2.756 mills, 00:27:07
which is .122 mills higher than the rollback rate, which again is provided to us by. 00:27:14
The Tax commissioner on a prescribed a form prescribed by the state. 00:27:21
So there is no actual mileage rate increase. 00:27:25
So it will generate more money, though, because of those increases in development and improvements to people's property that may 00:27:28
have been reflected as of January 1 of this of this calendar year. 00:27:33
Point out that a home, fair market value of a home and with homestead exemption in 2025 for the property taxes, we're staying at 00:27:40
2.756. 00:27:45
Would be 320 twenty $5.21 for a $300,000 homestead value property and for a non homestead property valued at half $1,000,000 that 00:27:50
would be like a commercial property. 00:27:56
Would be at $551.20 and I've got another slide. 00:28:01
We can show that again. Just a reminder, property taxes are based on the value of the property as of January 1. 00:28:05
We don't see the money, though, until the end of the end of this calendar year. 00:28:11
Like to point out the value of our property taxes. 00:28:16
So someone that has a house that's valued at 300,000 is spending a little bit more than 325. 00:28:19
Dollars a year in city property taxes, but our leaf and limb service and our garbage service at the rate that's coming in of under 00:28:24
the new contract would. 00:28:29
Cost $324.00. That's just one specific service Service provider. 00:28:34
That your property taxes are covering, there's so many other services the city provides and then if you also looked at the value 00:28:40
of our public. 00:28:44
Law enforcement services. 00:28:48
That we estimate per resident that that's a value of $598 a year again. 00:28:50
You're getting so much more for your property tax dollars because we're being able to supplement it with other revenue streams. 00:28:56
Next weeks paper should have the five year history. You've got a little bit more on this one Will. 00:29:04
Tax Biller. 00:29:10
Taxpayer Bill of Rights requires we put this in the paper so you'll the public will see how we have grown, how our tax digest has 00:29:11
grown. 00:29:15
You'll see on here the gross digest and the net digest. The net digest is after you consider exemptions, conservation easements, 00:29:20
all sorts of other exemptions. There's lots of them. 00:29:25
We did see an increase in the exemptions. 00:29:31
From 4 million lat 4.7 million last year to 13.2 million this year. A lot of that has to do also with the exemptions that are 00:29:34
allowed under the House bill to 281. 00:29:38
But the overall the digest increased 12 1/2%. 00:29:44
Again, recommendation is to leave the mileage rate at 2.756, but because of the growth and whatnot. 00:29:48
We will see an increase in revenues of roughly $84,000. 00:29:54
Another way to look at it is the proposed mileage rate. There would be no difference for someone that hasn't made any major 00:29:59
changes to their home. 00:30:02
Had not made any by January 1 of this year or their business. 00:30:06
However, again, most of the increase is going to come from new development. We've got Trove, we've got stuff going on at Wire 00:30:10
Park, other other infill development that's going on or improvements to people's property that might have been captured that's 00:30:15
helping with that increase. 00:30:19
If we did, if the Council did agree to take the rollback mileage rate of 2.63. 00:30:24
Mills, then a home valued at 300,000 with a homestead would see a $14.40 reduction in their property taxes. A commercial property 00:30:30
valued at half a million would see a reduction of $24.40. 00:30:37
The third revenue strip, the third highest revenue stream is our franchise fees. 00:30:47
Those are collected from electrical, natural gas, telecommunications companies that they basically operate within the cities right 00:30:52
away they pay that there is a set amount. The bylaw electric companies pay 4% franchise fee, telecommunications 3% of natural gas, 00:30:57
3% to the city. 00:31:02
And those are received in different ways. I think electrics provided annually telecommunications. 00:31:08
Is provided quarterly and I'm not 100% sure. Natural gas, I think we may get that quarterly as well. 00:31:14
On the expense side, again 3.35 million at 1.6% increase or 50, a little bit more than $52,000 over last fiscal year. 00:31:21
Remind you all we have 21 full time employees, one part time employee. 00:31:30
And police, we provide all of these services. I won't go through all of them, but you know, we. 00:31:36
Provide building permits? Maybe not. 00:31:41
Our people are, we may not deliver those services directly with our employees, but we do have those through contractual. 00:31:43
Relationships as well, so building permits, garbage collection and we have downtown development parks, all of our green space. 00:31:49
That we provide right now we have 2 employees that are working on that and just on parks with our hundred acre park that's. 00:31:56
Stretching us a little bit, but we're working on that. 00:32:03
Professional engineering services are contracted. 00:32:06
And public works and facilities, just to name a few of those. Oh, I do want to point out, so you'll see public works and police 00:32:08
are both at about 25% of the budget, General government at 18. 00:32:14
And general government picks up our professional services, our engineer and our attorney in that number and of course mayor and 00:32:20
council, along with administrative staff, myself and city clerk. 00:32:24
And our executive assistant. 00:32:30
Parts comes in a close 4th after general government at 13%. 00:32:32
So the two largest expenditures in the budget are police and garbage. 00:32:39
Police is actually got it has a decrease. Part of that is a joint decision by Chief Arwood and myself with oversight for the mayor 00:32:44
to reduce the administrative staff. 00:32:48
In the past there have been two people during the day, chief and a Lieutenant or chief and a major. 00:32:52
In the office and there's really just not the need for that much administrative staff. We feel like the need. 00:32:58
There's more of a need in the field. 00:33:03
And there wasn't a need for that person right now. We feel pretty confident at least for this fiscal year and possibly the next, 00:33:05
we should be good. We'll continue to monitor it as the as the community grows, as we get new developments and new. 00:33:11
Additional people that move into the community will continue to monitor that and keep you apprised if we need to look at 00:33:19
increasing that. 00:33:22
Garbage and leaf and limb services this year is a big deal we've. 00:33:25
Renegotiated went out a went out for a proposal on garbage services and council has selected curbside services to provide continue 00:33:28
to provide that services. City is very. 00:33:34
Specific. 00:33:40
The way they actually provide the service, the public's gotten really used to having their leaves and. 00:33:41
Grass clippings suctioned up by a vacuum truck and and their garbage picked up. 00:33:45
From the curb this year we're going to we are changing it up and going to be introducing a 90 gallon roll cart to every resident. 00:33:52
Those will be going out sometime in late June. Hopefully everyone will happen by the 1st of July. 00:33:57
You'll probably see them set up over at the old pipe plant. That's where they're going to assemble. 00:34:03
The royal carts and then and distribute them to the public. 00:34:07
And then that will be provided some continuity and consistency and what you see at the curb, it'll look nice. 00:34:12
It'll we won't have any issues with. 00:34:18
Bags getting torn into. People put their bags at the curb and said put them in containers, it'll just look nicer. 00:34:21
The increase is not just the cost of the roll carts though, there are increases in. 00:34:27
Garbage tipping fees at the landfills that they use and obviously fuel and their personnel. So they're running a service that we 00:34:31
would otherwise run. 00:34:35
So it is going up a little bit. 00:34:39
But certainly a big service for the city and something that the citizens have come to rely on. 00:34:41
Looking at the operating budget as far as expenditures, A personnel contract and other expensive. 00:34:48
Expenditures. So just with our 21 employees, the personnel costs are roughly half of our budget. We add in the contractual, the 00:34:53
garbage, the engineer, the court, the judges, the attorney. 00:34:59
That increases another 20% or close to 70% of what we do is people. 00:35:05
Run and that's. 00:35:09
Very common in local governments. 00:35:11
Some of the major changes. 00:35:15
In the budget and I want to point out that the net budget increase is only 52,000. 00:35:17
For the year. 00:35:23
And so some of these are obviously higher than that, but or maybe just right at that same amount. But the point is, is that. 00:35:25
Some of these things are we've been able to. 00:35:32
Change other, other items in our in our budget to allow for these additional items. So cost of living increase adjustment, we're 00:35:34
talking about a little bit more than 52,000. 00:35:39
Pursuing something that the county did where they the last couple of years, I don't know, they're doing it this year, but in the 00:35:46
last couple years they did a flat. 00:35:50
COLA, a cost of living adjustment for their employees instead of a percentage so that those at the lower end of the pay scale 00:35:54
benefit more than those at the higher end in our pay range. 00:35:58
The highest that sorry, the lowest percentage increase would be 2.2. That would be at the highest salary down to six, down to the 00:36:03
lower salary employees who would see a 6.7% increase in their budget, in their sorry, in their salary based on a $2500 across the 00:36:08
board COLA. 00:36:13
We are also introducing this is a recommendation that came to us when Chief Arwood. 00:36:20
Came on board and something that Julie and I looked at several years ago and we at that time couldn't manage. 00:36:26
Is a defined benefit retirement plan. Right now we have a defined contribution plan, which means the city. 00:36:31
Will match up to a certain amount of the money that city employees would set aside an IRA. 00:36:37
This would actually be a benefit, I'm sorry, defined benefit retirement plan, which would be basically a pension if they left. 00:36:44
After five years. 00:36:51
So the vested amount vest appear would be 5 years. We are as I mentioned in the budget work session, we do not have the final 00:36:53
proposal from. 00:36:56
The GMA provider. 00:37:00
A lot of local government, a lot of small local governments can't provide retirement, and those that do do it through GMA's 00:37:02
provider because they can't by themselves manage it. 00:37:07
A lot of the bigger government, so Coney Clark, you know, State of Winder, Barrow County, they all have programs that they can 00:37:12
self fund. We just don't. So a little bit more information to come on that. We're estimating it'd be $3600 per employee. And 00:37:17
again. 00:37:22
More information to come and we'll provide that as soon as we get that from the marketplace. 00:37:27
We are looking at having to renew our. 00:37:33
Medical, dental, vision in September. I'm sorry, in October, officially October 1. 00:37:36
We have an annual. 00:37:42
Agreement with Angle, which is a. 00:37:44
Subsidiary of Cigna and and then anthem on our dental and our vision, but that comes due. So we'll probably go out the marketplace 00:37:47
in July or August. 00:37:52
And we're anticipating a 15% increase in medical, 5% in dental, no increase in vision. 00:37:57
And that would be from October until July of next year. So it is baked into the budget. It'd be great if it comes back less, but 00:38:04
I'm and I hope it doesn't come back more. 00:38:08
But that's what we're projecting. 00:38:13
On legal and professional, we do have $15,000 set aside again to deal with the additional expenses of some of the open records 00:38:15
request that we are continuing to receive. 00:38:20
We those because of the legitimate nature of the person. 00:38:26
Knows we have to. 00:38:30
Have the attorney review those just to make sure that. 00:38:32
That we are abiding, you know that we are responding correctly to that and and staff does pride itself on being responsive within 00:38:36
the three days that are is required by law and and doing our best to absolutely estimate what the cost of those requests would be. 00:38:43
On parts, we did see an increase, again probably mostly related to Thomas Farm. We've got additional expenses. 00:38:52
For Bush hogging the facility that we contract out for. 00:38:58
Water, electricity for the bathrooms and we're hoping the additional bathrooms will be online before July 4th. 00:39:02
And then just the additional maintenance of 100 acre site green space. 00:39:08
Street lighting we did see an increase of about 8500. 00:39:11
Dollars to cover the street Lancer being added as part of the Simton Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector. 00:39:15
That is the cost to Georgia Power to maintain, to pay for them to be lit up and whatnot. I will point out that the good news is, 00:39:21
is if for some reason somebody veers off and nails one of them, they have to replace it for free. That's our agreement with them. 00:39:27
So they actually own those law. I mean they, they own the responsibility of having to prepare those lights because of the way we 00:39:33
we did it. But the cost of the lights actually was paid for through the, through the loan that we got from G Tip. 00:39:40
And then library, we talked about this earlier. It's a little complicated, but the library services agreement sets aside the 1st 00:39:47
$30,000. 00:39:51
And taxes, the property taxes generated by the Wire park development. 00:39:55
This year we actually did hit 30,000. 00:40:02
I can't, I don't have the number right for me, but we went just slightly over maybe 32 or 33,000 collected and so the first thirty 00:40:06
goes to the library under our agreement and then any the amount over that 10% goes. 00:40:11
Another 10% goes the library and they can use that for operating expenses, and then 5% of whatever's left from that goes into a 00:40:17
capital. 00:40:21
Line item so that in the future if their capital needs since the city owns that building, they can come back with council and ask. 00:40:25
To access those funds. 00:40:32
There's also an increase in our shared expenses that we pay we share with the county for the maintenance of that facility and an 00:40:34
8% increase in the insurance premium. 00:40:39
And then last couple of items, tourism, we've got a $5000 increase in tourism or $5000. 00:40:45
Line item that wasn't there in fiscal year 20. 00:40:52
Five, and that is for the American 250 celebration which will occur next year and there's a lot of information will be coming out 00:40:54
on that, so encourage you to. 00:40:58
Stay in touch with the city's social media as well as the downtown social media to learn more about that. 00:41:03
And then finally, our property and liability insurance did increase about 5 1/2%. 00:41:08
And then? 00:41:14
Let's talk a little bit about capital. So that was all of our operating costs. This is capital we consider a capital item. 00:41:16
Anything valued at $5000 or more, we actually schedule that on our capital improvement program. 00:41:22
And then we fund that and basically it's a tool to help us manage. 00:41:27
Vehicles and. 00:41:33
Facilities, you know, the playground is a good example, the Police Department vehicles. 00:41:35
The public works lawn mowers and things like that. 00:41:41
And we put them actually on a schedule and then we keep it. Each year I look at it and we determine if we can, like we may have 00:41:47
two vehicles come up and we may decide we can't, we don't need both of them. Maybe we can make one push, push it out the following 00:41:51
year. And so we talk about that. 00:41:56
This fiscal year, we're actually talking about replacing one of the 2017 Ford Interceptors. The chief mentioned earlier about some 00:42:01
of those vehicles are getting long in the tooth. 00:42:05
So we'll be replacing that at a. 00:42:09
Estimated amount of 55,000. Keep in mind that will peel off any of our equipment. We cannibalize the old vehicle and put that on 00:42:12
the new vehicle. 00:42:16
And then about 12 1/2. 00:42:21
1000 to replace a. 00:42:23
Because Council burden FY24 to appropriate funds from SPOSS 3. 00:42:26
That means that our net general fund capital account will only be debited at around $17,500. 00:42:31
All right. After I can take questions or you can, I guess you can move on to public hearing. 00:42:41
OK, Before I open the Public Hearing Council, I know we went through this in great detail at 5:00, but do you have any questions 00:42:45
for the manager upon reflection? 00:42:49
OK, hearing none at this point, I'll open a public hearing. And just a reminder, this hearing is. 00:42:54
For thoughts on the capital operating budget or the proposed mileage rate. 00:42:59
And at this point, the hearing is open if you come forward. 00:43:03
We have a limit of three minutes. Comments should be directly related to this item. Speak from the podium. 4 minutes per person. 00:43:07
Excuse me. No debate, argument. Personal attacks are irrelevant discussion. 00:43:12
If anybody wants to speak to the budget. 00:43:18
Come forth. 00:43:20
Looks good. 00:43:21
All right. Thank you. For the record, Kathleen, who still has perfect attendance this year, said it looks good. 00:43:22
All right. At this point, I'll close the public hearing. 00:43:31
Is that all we need to do on budget? 00:43:34
OK, we have no appearances tonight. We have no old business tonight. Under new business. We have a streetlight policy we need to 00:43:36
approve, Manager Dickerson. 00:43:39
All right, so finally got this done hopefully and looking for feedback from you all. 00:43:44
So. 00:43:49
Sort of like we did with our paving management program, we sort of. 00:43:51
In the past would just somebody asked us if they could wanted to put a streetlight in. 00:43:55
We just sort of like, OK, we'll look at it and we budgeted for three or four a year. 00:43:59
In case they came in, now what we're doing is we're actually creating a process, a specific. 00:44:04
Guidelines and some criteria by which people can that. 00:44:09
People being you or the. 00:44:12
Citizens or a business owner? 00:44:14
Could come and ask the. 00:44:16
The administrative staff for a light and so the purpose is to provide the guidelines for installation, evaluation and maintenance 00:44:20
of these streetlights. 00:44:24
Our goals obviously enhance public safety. 00:44:28
Provide consistent lighting centers across the city and manage the request in a transparent and cost effective manner. 00:44:31
Again, a street light is defined as a raised source of light mounted on a pole or a post. Typically found along Rd. sidewalks in 00:44:38
public areas designed to illuminate the surrounding area at night. 00:44:43
Our eligibility criteria that we've identified. 00:44:48
Are and this is how we would look at it. So somebody came in and said they wanted a streetlight on the corner of. 00:44:52
1st St. and. 00:44:58
1st and let's say 1st and 3rd St. then we would say, OK, well let's look at public safety and traffic flow. 00:45:00
Intersections of public streets with documented pedestrian concerns, mid block areas with limited visibility or accident history, 00:45:06
and curves or hills or visibilities reduced at night. 00:45:11
That's those are some of the criteria we would look at. 00:45:16
Pedestrian activity. Areas where regular nighttime activity might occur. Park Schools. 00:45:19
And then bus stops and pedestrian crossings. 00:45:24
Another criteria would be residential streets to those with high density or even some limited lighting. 00:45:27
And then dead and streets are cul de sacs with no lighting. 00:45:33
And then the 4th would be gaps in existing lighting. So if we go more than and we figured 500 feet, I don't, you know, that's 00:45:36
somewhat subjective, but I don't know we're going to go out and measure it. But you know, we don't want them every 10 feet. 00:45:41
We would need to consider, you know, be thoughtful about how we spend those resources. So right now, we've got 500 feet. 00:45:47
The process would be simply again, anybody could come forward, any resident could come forward, Elected official HOA. 00:45:54
Or even staff if we felt like there was one that our police chief said hey, or one of our officers said hey, this is a really bad 00:46:01
spot. We keep seeing accidents. We need to put 1 here. 00:46:05
Then that would that would be submitted. We've got a form that would be completed. 00:46:10
It would be available online at, in person here at City Hall, or simply calling. 00:46:14
The city and requesting 1. 00:46:19
Basic information. The exact location contact. Typically there's a number. 00:46:22
Councilman Thomas may recall there's actually numbers on some some of the polls. If they're owned by Georgia Power, there's a 00:46:28
number on them. 00:46:31
If there's a device on. Yeah, right. 00:46:34
Right. 00:46:38
So we may ask for that or we'll go out and identify that because that's if we end up. 00:46:38
Pursuing or. 00:46:44
Approving this, then we would have to let George Power know where it was so they could put, you know, put something up. 00:46:46
And then the reason? 00:46:51
For the request. 00:46:53
And then once it's submitted, we would acknowledge within five days that we received it, conduct the inspection of it and review 00:46:55
the eligibility criteria within 30 days. 00:47:00
Review public safety data if it's required. Coordinate with the provider. It could be Walt, Nancy, or. 00:47:05
George Power. 00:47:12
And then notify the request or the outcome. 00:47:13
So it would be based on safety. The priorities would be safety, availability, funding and then. 00:47:16
Existing infrastructure, we're not going to go put a poll. We just took down a poll, so we're not going to go add Pulse, but. 00:47:21
We would definitely have to make sure there was some infrastructure in place for those. 00:47:27
And then funding again we budget, I think this year we budgeted for four or five lights and that's you know again a budget is 00:47:32
where she we're shooting for a certain amount. I think this year we haven't, I don't know that we've added any this year. 00:47:38
But I think I budgeted for 3 or 4. 00:47:45
And I think typically they're not very expensive. They're 14 to $15.00 a month. I mean, over a course of a year can add up, 00:47:49
especially if we have 5 or 6 of them, but. 00:47:53
That it'll be based on. 00:47:57
Budget. Availability of budget. 00:47:58
And. 00:48:01
Of course, there's always an opportunity of Christian Lake or White Subdivision or somebody like that had an HOA and they wanted 00:48:03
something that we could, you know, cost share that if needed. 00:48:07
All of our all of our streetlights would be maintained by the public works department or the provider. So depends on which one you 00:48:12
know. 00:48:15
Whether they're on poles that the. 00:48:19
Power company provides or perhaps a poll we put up. 00:48:22
Like a street lamp or something like that. 00:48:25
This is a policy that would actually come back before councils that gives you a little bit more control instead of it just being 00:48:27
administrative. 00:48:30
Policy. So certainly open to suggestions on tweaking this or if you want to start with this and then we need to make changes 00:48:34
later, we can certainly come back. 00:48:38
Before you and do that. 00:48:43
All right, Council, you've heard the policy. We can make suggestions or ask questions to it now, or we can vote to approve. 00:48:45
Set policy. 00:48:53
Do you get, I mean, I know you said you budget for 3:00 to 4:00, but do we get a whole lot of requests? 00:48:57
No, we, we haven't. We had a couple. I think Mayor Pro Tem Tucker had one on Lawana, maybe three years. 00:49:03
Wilson. Wilson. 00:49:10
About 3 or 4 years ago, a couple a few years ago as well. Yeah, we haven't had a lot lately. I think the mayor and I ran into 00:49:12
somebody over on Cedar maybe we talked about doing that, probably revisit that one. 00:49:17
Somebody who was new to the community a couple years ago, I think our middle sidewalk, we did some by the bridge and, yeah, spaces 00:49:23
that people used to not use, obviously, but now they're walking. Nothing, you know, is the sidewalk. 00:49:28
Continue to progress. We'll have decorative lights for most of the new stretch, but you know if we continue that sidewalk on down. 00:49:34
Simonton Bridge Rd. We could have some other requests to anticipate. So there there will be more, but I think that's a. 00:49:41
Pretty safe cadence Budget 4. 00:49:46
It seems very robust and well thought out. 00:49:51
So nothing like like everything else, like everything else you do so, so one question, so it would be approved administratively, 00:49:55
but if it was an exception to the policy, you'd bring it to us, is that correct or would we see and approve the request? 00:50:01
I think with like anything that I approve, it can always be appealed to the council. I don't really have an appeal process baked 00:50:09
in, I mean. 00:50:12
Joe, you may want to lean in on this a little bit, but but basically if if they're not happy with the response I give them and 00:50:15
it's a policy y'all created. 00:50:19
You know, I'd hate to have to keep coming but you know, I think they would probably have to make the effort to appeal to the 00:50:23
council. Hey, we don't like your policy and This is why it because I'm going to follow the policy. 00:50:28
So I'm fine with that. I just want to be clear so if everything goes well, we won't know about it, you'll just take care of it. 00:50:34
But if someone disagrees with your decision, then their next approach would be to come to council and. 00:50:40
Sort of ask us to review that, is that correct? And I'll make an effort when we do get a request if we like, if we were to address 00:50:46
the one over on Cedar or something, then I would include that in you know my weekly communications deal. Hey, by the way we added 00:50:50
this and etcetera. 00:50:55
That's how I would handle it, yeah. I think Council review would be the default position if somebody quote appealed. 00:51:00
We may have some stock appeal verbiage in either the. 00:51:07
Wastewater capacity allocation policy and or the zoning, I'm highly confident we've got something zoning. 00:51:10
If there's a decision administratively, somebody wishes to appeal, there's clear due process procedural verbiage in there that we 00:51:17
can model after. 00:51:21
But you know, you can pass this tonight if you wish and then amend it subsequently if you'd like to add the due process at a later 00:51:26
date. 00:51:29
All right. Do we have a motion? 00:51:36
We have a question. 00:51:38
One question like the 500 feet. 00:51:39
If you try and light up the street that maybe you might back it down to like 300 feet. 00:51:43
Just for thought. 00:51:49
I I would suggest that the emotion, if you want to be that Main Street, you know that section we have like 3. 00:51:51
We have three, maybe even 4 on Main Street from the Golden Pantry up. 00:51:58
Pass your house. Yeah, yeah. I mean, 300 feet, 100 yards. I think that's probably a good distance, actually. You know, because 00:52:03
it's pretty far if you get behind. Most power poles are about 300 feet apart. Most of them. That's the general span. 00:52:10
Make the change. OK, So that's one amendment to the motion. I think that's a good suggestion. 00:52:18
Any other suggestions? 00:52:25
All right. 00:52:29
We have a motion to approve the policy with the change from 500 to 300 feet. 00:52:30
OK, we have a motion from. 00:52:37
Mayor pro team talking Pro Tem Tucker, do we have a second? Second. 00:52:39
We have a second from Councilman Campbell. Any further questions or comments? 00:52:42
Hearing none, all in favor say aye aye. Any opposed? 00:52:47
All right, none opposed. Motion carries unanimously. We'll move to public comments. 00:52:51
This is that time where you can come speak pretty much about anything you want to, as long as you're refraining from debate 00:52:56
argument. Personal attacks are irrelevant discussion. 00:52:59
So if you have something you want to say, come on up. 00:53:04
All right, I'm not seeing anybody. We're going to move on from public comments and go to mayor's report. 00:53:09
We have. 00:53:17
Is it working? 00:53:18
Hopefully by Friday. OK, so we have. 00:53:20
We've installed the rectangular rapid flashing beacon of crop between Stone Shoals and Wire Park. 00:53:22
Hopefully it'll be working by Friday. That was much requested by the neighbors in Stone Shoals. 00:53:28
Who are active, very active, going back and forth to wire park. 00:53:33
We've also replaced. 00:53:37
The Hardin Hill Beacon that was taken out by a student driver. 00:53:40
I'm very glad for that I get beat up. 00:53:44
Monthly at the HOA meetings, yes, so. 00:53:46
We're all we're all glad for that. So that was quite the incident. 00:53:49
So glad that's done making great progress on the Giordani Green. We've had some rain and weather issues that have presented 00:53:54
challenges. I think they'll be. 00:53:57
Finishing up the concrete pour. 00:54:01
Tomorrow, then they'll be able to move along to sod and landscaping. We have the electric and the. 00:54:03
Water, I think underground at this point. 00:54:08
So it's coming along nicely. 00:54:12
This was really cool. 00:54:16
They took the old Grapevine at Thomas Farm Preserve and. 00:54:18
Redid it and lifted it up a little bit. I don't know if any of y'all have tried to get under there before but it was pretty 00:54:22
doggone tight. 00:54:25
But if you like muscadines, this is going to be a real treat. 00:54:29
I know all last summer while we were working on it, every contractor who drove in and out would stop by that Grapevine and get a 00:54:32
handful of grapes before they left. So there's a fantastic fig tree right across the no driveway from that. And we've pruned 00:54:37
around the fig tree and have kind of hopefully we'll see a good crop this year on the fig tree as well, so. 00:54:43
But these are those little things. I mean, so many people are excited about that. So Sharon, thanks to you and the staff for 00:54:49
getting that done. I think that's. 00:54:52
That's going to be really nice and a cool part of the history of the location I'll. 00:54:55
Give credit to Toby Cartilage, our public works director. They found a public works manner. They found the those. 00:55:00
Stones at the board that the posts are sitting on were actually at the back of the block garage. We had to fill in some holes, but 00:55:07
those came out. 00:55:11
And he engineered this and worked with a contractor get it to get it done. I think it looks really good. Yeah. 00:55:14
Way better than what we had. 00:55:21
Yeah, We've also completed the interior demolition in the parts of the old cabin, that old dairy barn that aren't for the 00:55:22
restrooms. 00:55:27
The intent, what we're hopeful to be able to do is to find a partner to open some sort of cafe in that space. 00:55:31
If you can imagine how popular it is out there at night now. If you can imagine having a. 00:55:37
Maybe scoop ice cream while you watch the sunset, having a cup of coffee in the morning. 00:55:40
When you go for a walk out there, maybe even some. 00:55:44
Prepackaged sandwiches or things. So stay tuned for more, but we will probably issue an RFP and be looking for a partner. 00:55:47
At Thomas Farm Preserve, this is the floor in the. 00:55:55
I think the women's bathroom, what will become the women's bathroom that will have a door. 00:55:58
That you'll access from the back. 00:56:01
There's a new concrete pad there. 00:56:03
Again, Umm. 00:56:05
You know, it's, it's pretty amazing. I think we didn't know at the start how much use the park was going to get. 00:56:06
It's not very rare to see a line at the bathroom there now and as we have these other events we were talking about. 00:56:12
We'll we'll just see more of those. So it'll be great to have some more bathroom space up there. 00:56:18
Some progress this month on phase phase three in particular, interestingly. 00:56:25
That's the space. But well, phase two and phase three, there's been some grubbing in the woods. 00:56:32
I don't know if we have photos of that Sharon. 00:56:38
This is phase one. We're continuing to make progress there. 00:56:40
Georgia Power buried the cables this week that allow for street lamps. 00:56:44
And then this is phase two and three where they've cleaned out in the woods, so you can kind of get a feel for that path where the 00:56:48
bridge will be at this point. 00:56:51
Between Mulberry and the park, so that's some. 00:56:54
You know, we all know that's going to be through the end of the year, so work will continue there. 00:56:58
It'll get uglier before it gets pretty, so just be prepared. 00:57:02
George about Did they stub up for streetlights or did they just? 00:57:06
OK, Yep, stubbed up for street. We'd already stubbed the parts. 00:57:10
From the cemetery to Simonton Place as part of our work there. And then they came back and stubbed up. 00:57:13
From where this phase will be back to the end of the cemetery, so. 00:57:18
Yeah, and that'll allow Clint to go ahead and do his work, and then they'll come back and put the lights in, if I understand that 00:57:25
right. 00:57:27
So that's the mayor's report. We'll move on to council updates. We'll start with Councilman Garrett. 00:57:30
OK, Councilwoman Massey, nothing to report. 00:57:37
Councilman Thomas Nothing report. 00:57:41
Mayor President Tucker. 00:57:43
So on Friday night I had the privilege of meeting Beth Malone, who is the new director at OCAF. 00:57:45
There was a reception. 00:57:53
A welcoming her and she has a really impressive bio. Go to Ocaps website and look it up and. 00:57:56
Next time there's an opening or something or. 00:58:02
Open hours please go by and meet her, but I'm really excited about what she will be doing for OCAF. 00:58:05
Which in turn, what will happen for the city of Morgan? 00:58:11
I'm glad you flagged that. She is. She's very impressive and I think going to be a great addition to the community. 00:58:14
Councilman Campbell. 00:58:21
Yes, on Sunday I just happened to drive by Rocket Field and I saw. 00:58:24
The inn saw the baton courts being used. 00:58:28
And so, having never played and didn't know anything about the sport, I decided to stop. 00:58:32
Walked over there and there's quite a few people playing and they're all very friendly. 00:58:37
And I introduced myself and give a little background and. 00:58:41
So they were put in the middle of the game. So they finished their game and then asked me to play in. About that time, Lawrence 00:58:45
showed up. 00:58:48
And so. 00:58:52
He also played and we were on opposite teams. 00:58:53
And that's all. I'm surprised he showed his face here tonight. 00:58:57
No, I'm kidding my team. 00:59:03
And no. So I had a. 00:59:06
Very good players. 00:59:09
Israeli Fund. It's a very fun game. I really enjoyed it. 00:59:10
Then when I got home, I went on. 00:59:14
Googling Baton, now I know why it's not as popular. 00:59:17
Because nobody knows how to spell the talk, so Googling something you don't know how to spell is difficult. But anyway, I finally 00:59:21
found the. 00:59:24
I learned you don't save the balls, he'd say. Bulls. 00:59:30
On Amazon so I was looking at getting some so I can play. 00:59:33
Anyway, it's a great. 00:59:38
Fun, fun sport. 00:59:39
You know, easy to learn. 00:59:41
And it's a good, good afternoon, so I recommend more people checking it out. 00:59:43
Thank you, Councilman Campbell. 00:59:49
We've also had. We had. 00:59:51
Have a lot of cool stuff happening. We had two live music events Saturday night in town. We had a great. 00:59:53
Group performing at Wire Park and then we had a small singer-songwriter. 00:59:59
Event at public a coffee. So this is a great time of year to be in Watkinsville. There's a lot happening. 01:00:03
I know we don't have a big crowd here, but for all the hundreds and thousands who are listening out there, be sure to. 01:00:08
Make the most of this time in Watkinsville. It's great. It's a it's it's really amazing to see how much. 01:00:13
This happening in our little town on any any given weekend, which is great because it's all about. 01:00:18
People coming together and enjoying that time together. 01:00:23
And connecting with each other and very real and. 01:00:26
Meaningful ways rather than being at home and connecting with their digital devices. So it's inspiring to see. 01:00:29
Unless there's anything else, I'll ask for a motion to go into executive session to discuss personnel, real estate, and pending 01:00:36
and threatened litigation. 01:00:39
I make a motion to move into executive session for the mentioned reasons. Do we have a second second. 01:00:43
All in favor say aye. 01:00:48
All right, we'll go into executive session. 01:00:51
And we are still watching. 01:00:53
All right. Coming out of executive session, I'll entertain a motion to approve the committees recommendation related to manager 01:00:58
compensation. 01:01:02
I make a motion to approve the committees recommendation on manager compensation. 01:01:08
Who have a second? 01:01:15
Second, all in any further discussion. 01:01:16
All in favor say aye aye. 01:01:19
Can I have a motion to adjourn please? Second. All in favor say aye. 01:01:21
Aye. 01:01:26
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Transcript

Event transcript
All right, Mayor, can you hold on for one second? 00:00:41
Trying to make sure. 00:00:46
All right, well. 00:00:48
We do have a proclamation. 00:00:50
This month. 00:00:53
I don't know where she's gone. 00:00:54
She was checking the system. 00:00:58
All our people here wear a lot of hats. 00:01:02
So, Lee Black, please report. 00:01:06
To council chamber, she's listening, probably. She probably is listening. 00:01:08
This is like when I. 00:01:14
Used to work at bells and got to use the microphone and call people to the front so yeah. 00:01:16
Maybe she's saying that because she didn't want. 00:01:22
Pretend like she was not hurt. 00:01:25
And just make sure all both of our system. 00:01:28
Here she is. 00:01:31
It does now. Well, good because it's good that it has sound, because I want the world to hear that we have the best Municipal 00:01:35
Court clerk. 00:01:39
In America. 00:01:45
And that is Lee Black. 00:01:47
So we this is Municipal Courts Clerk Week. 00:01:48
So I'm going to read this proclamation and you can be embarrassed, but we are grateful for you and everything you do. 00:01:52
For our courts. 00:01:58
Y'all, I know when I was on City Council, it's kind of mystified that we even had a court. What happened there? But now that I'm 00:02:00
here a little bit more often, I come in and. 00:02:03
See the judge and the court discharging all this activity very quickly and efficiently, and it doesn't. 00:02:08
I know that doesn't. 00:02:14
It's probably more challenging than it looks looks to me when I'm seeing it happen. So we were grateful for you for. 00:02:16
Keeping that legal and keeping it organized so. 00:02:21
Whereas Municipal Court, Kurt. 00:02:23
Court clerks play a significant role in ensuring that municipal courts preserve public safety and promote quality of life in the 00:02:25
City of Watkinsville. 00:02:28
And local municipalities across the state. 00:02:31
WHEREAS the procedures for the Watkinsville Municipal Court operations are set forth by the Uniform Rules of Municipal Court. 00:02:34
And other walls of the state of Georgia. 00:02:39
Whereas more people come in contact with me with Municipal Court clerks. 00:02:41
Than all other city services combined. 00:02:45
And the public impression of the Watkinsville judicial system is largely dependent on the public's experience in Municipal Court. 00:02:48
Whereas Municipal Court clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality, rendering equal service to 00:02:54
all. 00:02:57
WHEREAS, the Watkinsville Municipal Court is committed to the notion that our legal system is based on the principle that an 00:03:00
independent, fair and competent judiciary will interpret and apply the laws that govern us. 00:03:05
Municipal Court clerks act in a manner. 00:03:10
That promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 00:03:12
And whereas it is most important that we recognize the accomplishments and significant role in Municipal Court, the mute. 00:03:16
The municipal courts court play in preserving public confidence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 00:03:22
Now, therefore, I Brian Broderick, mayor of Watkinsville. 00:03:28
To hereby recognize the week of June 9th through 13th, 2025 as Municipal Court Clerks Week. 00:03:30
And further extend the appreciation to our Municipal Court clerk, Lee Black. 00:03:36
And all Municipal Court clerks for the vital services they perform. 00:03:40
And their exemplary dedication to the communities. 00:03:43
They represent and serve. 00:03:46
On this 21st day of May 2025, thank you, Lee. 00:03:47
Here is your proclamation. 00:03:55
Ma'am. Yeah. 00:03:57
Thanks for all you do. 00:03:58
Yeah. 00:04:00
All right, we have a slim crowd here tonight. But for everyone who's watching and everyone who's here, I'll remind you that we 00:04:06
have a hearing loop system in the council chamber. This wireless network is for those with hearing aids. 00:04:11
Signals can be picked up by most hearing aids. The city also has loop receivers for those who still have some difficulty hearing. 00:04:15
Anyone with questions can contact the ADA coordinator. 00:04:21
And our city manager. 00:04:24
To allow the city to make reasonable accommodations, this meeting is being broadcast online via. 00:04:26
A link on the City Council meeting information page of the city website. 00:04:32
This also provides closed captioning. Just click the CC icon in the lower right corner. When the video is posted, the captions 00:04:35
will automatically appear. 00:04:39
And a transcript of the meeting is under the Transcript tab. 00:04:42
Current month's agenda is posted a week before the meeting to allow time to provide comments and writing to the court. 00:04:45
And as I often say, if you have something you want to add. 00:04:50
That's not in a traditional public hearing moment, Council will. 00:04:53
May allow that at its discretion. Wave your hand to anybody who wants to speak. Should come up to the microphone to do so. 00:04:57
With that, we'll move along to the approval of minutes from the April 16th, 2025 regular meeting. 00:05:02
Council, if you've reviewed those minutes, I'll entertain a motion for approval. 00:05:08
To make a motion to approve. 00:05:12
Do we have a second? 00:05:13
I'll second. 00:05:18
We have a second. All right, let's get our mojo here, people. We're going to move pretty quick. We have a motion. We have a 00:05:18
second. Any discussion of the minutes hearing? None. All in favor say aye. 00:05:22
Motion carries approval of the agenda. I do need to make one modification to that agenda. Item 9 will change to. 00:05:27
Public hearing will all be for the general fund, capital and operating budget. 00:05:33
And for the proposed 2025 mileage rate, so it'll be a public hearing on the mileage rate and the budget. 00:05:37
So the item 9 will shift to that. 00:05:43
Are there any other changes to the agenda? 00:05:45
Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion for approval of the agenda. 00:05:49
I make a motion to approve the agenda with the noted change to add the mileage rate as well. That's the motion. Do we have a 00:05:53
second? 00:05:56
Second, all in favor say aye. 00:05:59
Motion carries. 00:06:02
We'll move on to administration. 00:06:03
Manager Dickerson will turn it over to you. 00:06:06
Thank you, Mayor. And just to point out that. 00:06:08
Was an agenda issue, but not an issue with advertising to the public. Public was aware that it would be considered a night just. 00:06:11
Jenna. 00:06:19
Financial reports, so you should have your balance sheet. 00:06:20
Revenues and expenditures are we're taking along our revenues are. 00:06:23
89%, so higher than the 83 we should be at, but again revenues come in. 00:06:29
Throughout the year different ways and so we typically reserve. 00:06:34
Determination of how we're doing until after, you know, until the year finishes. Same thing on expense. 00:06:40
It should be less than 83% and we're at 73%. So we're not spending as much and we'll talk a little bit about that in the budget. 00:06:45
When we get through the budget tonight, you'll see something on that. 00:06:50
Any questions on revenues or expenditures? 00:06:54
I'm sorry, the general fund revenues or expenditures? 00:06:58
OK, Splash 3 report. 00:07:02
So. 00:07:04
We are averaging 74,000 a month on this. We had estimated the. 00:07:05
That revenue projections would be about 78 and we're getting close to that. Remember, we're still early on in this, technically 00:07:10
still have a fair amount of time to go on this. 00:07:15
The they want to point out that. 00:07:19
Our balance is at 1.18 million. Part of that is because we did receive our first. 00:07:22
Reimbursement, you'll see that listed on the lower left hand side, G tip reimbursement, that's for the State Rd. Tollway project 00:07:28
we have going on Simonton Bridge. 00:07:32
The. 00:07:37
That works where we pay the expenses they reimburse us that goes back into the fund at the end of this is for the loan portion, 00:07:38
the 2.25 million at the end when we. 00:07:43
Finish the use of the loan money, then they'll roll that into a monthly payment. We'll start paying that out of this fund and also 00:07:47
out of the T's loss because they're split between the two, so. 00:07:51
But we do have a little bit more than a million in there. We did see. 00:07:56
A significant increase. 00:08:01
Year over year between March of last year and this year and I've reached out to the county and. 00:08:03
Justin Kerouac, my colleague, did not indicate he knew why that happened. So I guess we'll see what happens next month. Maybe it's 00:08:09
an overall increase or maybe it was just a blip on the radar screen. I'm not really sure, but. 00:08:14
Just a reminder of some of the things that's lost. 3 is funding, police vehicles, education facilities, all of our park 00:08:20
improvements which are currently underway. The mayor will talk about some of those tonight. 00:08:26
Resurfacing of roads, the connector, the pedestrian connector and then our signage and improvements to structures and facilities 00:08:31
similar at Thomas Farm in particular. 00:08:37
T's lost. 00:08:43
So T's loss we get 7.77% of. 00:08:44
The uh. 00:08:48
Revenues collected. 00:08:49
Right now we're averaging. 00:08:51
Hang on a second, I got to pull up the right one. 00:08:53
Yeah, that says right. I must have the wrong one in front of me. 00:08:57
Hang on, there we go. So we're averaging 74, I think the other one, I said backwards, sorry. 00:09:00
I had them listed wrong so on spots it's actually 89,000. I said our 84,000, I said 74 because I was looking at the wrong report 00:09:05
in front of me. Cheese boss is at 74,000. 00:09:09
And we budget 78 on SPLOST. I'm going to go back just for a minute to make sure I'm clear on this. On SPLOST, we averaged. 00:09:14
We're averaging 84, almost 85 and we budgeted 64. So that's why you're seeing the extra money and we talked about that when you re 00:09:20
appropriated or appropriated monies that the county anticipates we're going to be receiving. So sorry about that. I had them 00:09:25
reversed in my handout. 00:09:29
On a. 00:09:35
Tea sloths. Like I said, we're at 74. 00:09:37
Right now those projects are. 00:09:40
Pass this, our average is our bank. Our bank balance is a little bit more than 948,000. 00:09:44
Saw a 10% increase again. Not really sure why. They will get some clarification next month. 00:09:50
And then some of the projects, so again the the Somton Bridge, Mulberry. 00:09:57
St. pedestrian connector is split between T's, Boston's lost. 00:10:01
And then right now no traffic efficiency improvements, but there are some monies set aside for that that you guys will have to. 00:10:05
Decide on in the future and then Rd. Resurfacing included some of the stuff at Harris Shoals and on 2nd St. around Rocket Field. 00:10:12
Just a reminder of our fiscal year 26 budget process. We are right in the middle of it we've had today. 00:10:21
Lots of meetings. We had our special called meeting today at 12:32. 00:10:27
Consider the adoption of the 2025 mileage rate that's considered on the calendar year, so. 00:10:32
Assessments are made in January and the money coming comes in at the end of the calendar year, but it's part of our new fiscal 00:10:38
year for 26. We'll talk about that in the budget. 00:10:42
And then we had the work session at 5:00 tonight where the council, it was driven by staff and the council. 00:10:47
An opportunity to ask questions and dig in deep about any of our requests. 00:10:52
And then we have the regular meeting tonight, and in a few minutes the mayor will open up. 00:10:57
Public hearing on for the public, both on the adoption of the mileage rate and the. 00:11:01
The General fund budget. 00:11:06
And at this point, we don't anticipate the meeting tomorrow, right? I've already ignore the 5:00 PM on June 18th. Is that correct? 00:11:08
Yes, and that's my actually that's my error on this probably a copy and paste kind of thing trying to put this in order. But yes, 00:11:14
there is no that is that is incorrect. There is no council work session on June 18th at 5:00 and we have cancelled the 5:30 00:11:19
meeting tomorrow night. I'll make sure that's correct on Oliver. 00:11:24
All of our information going out. 00:11:29
OK, economic development. 00:11:32
Business license fees, those are most of those have come in. There are some that Julie is working with. 00:11:35
Our code compliance and our downtown development director to make sure some of the businesses that haven't renewed, if they're 00:11:41
still operating that they come in. Some of those we know are not operating. So we'll clean that up. 00:11:46
And but we've got a little bit more than $1100 in fees that came in, in the through the end of April. And then on the excise 00:11:52
taxes. 00:11:56
Alcohol and short term vacation rental or hotel motel tax. We're trending a little bit higher than I thought, which is good for 00:12:01
the fiscal year. 00:12:04
A little bit more than 48,000. 00:12:08
Economic development building permits. We had 14 permits for 13 projects, majority of which are over at Trove. 00:12:11
Any questions? 00:12:18
OK. All right. 00:12:22
Carry on, we'll move on to Downtown Development Authority update Mayor Pro Tem Tucker. 00:12:24
All right, so. 00:12:28
On May 6, we had a business after hours women of Watkinsville and it was a wonderful event. 00:12:30
I was able to attend not only as my various roles with the city, but also as a business owner in Watkinsville and. 00:12:38
I met several people who workout of their home that I didn't even know they were businesses in Watkinsville so. 00:12:46
As well as people that I knew operate. 00:12:53
And do great jobs here in our city. So wonderful event. This is something that umm. 00:12:56
Our director Jan put on and is going to do more of these. So if you missed this first one and if you're a woman. 00:13:02
Be looking out for future ones I. 00:13:09
The review process. 00:13:13
Went well. I mean, I don't really know how much to say about that, but I. 00:13:15
We are increasing it very much, just a little bit for some training, a little social media. 00:13:20
And what's exciting is we have decided on a strategic plan partner, I don't know if we have officially done it, if I should wait 00:13:26
till. 00:13:30
OK, now I'm like my brain is fried. 00:13:37
Inspire. 00:13:40
What's our surname? 00:13:42
Inspired by. I didn't know I was supposed to be saying their name tonight. Anyway, it's placemaking. Yeah. Inspire placemaking 00:13:44
and. 00:13:48
They have a really impressive resume. They have been doing this for a while. 00:13:53
And we are really excited about the value that they are going to be bringing to the city. So that process should start very soon. 00:13:58
And that's utilizing the Georgia Power grant, correct? That is coming from a Georgia Power grant. It is. 00:14:05
A tiny amount over a. 00:14:12
37,000 and our grant was for 35. 00:14:15
Umm, and so, and like I said, we're going to start that almost immediately. And there will be. 00:14:18
Public input process. One of the things that they offer, this is just one of the public input things, but they will actually have 00:14:25
a website that people can go to with a map and you can actually click on different sites and leave comments with different ideas. 00:14:31
About things in our downtown. 00:14:37
Zone. 00:14:40
And then other. 00:14:41
Of course, public input because. 00:14:43
It's very important as we're making the strategic plan to know what the community wants. 00:14:44
So I'll be looking out for dates on that coming soon. 00:14:50
And uh. 00:14:54
Get your calendars out and make sure if you haven't yet marked June 14th. 00:14:56
We're having Papa Palooza at Rocket Field and honors of Father's Day. 00:15:00
It is going to be just a lot of fun. 00:15:06
On rocket field, you can see there if you don't, if you are a social media user and you don't yet follow. 00:15:10
The DDA. 00:15:18
For the city, please do that because you'll you'll be informed of these different types of events and if you are, I really ask 00:15:20
that people share them. 00:15:24
That's very, very helpful to get the word out. So please mark your calendar. A great way to just have fun and or celebrate your 00:15:28
death. 00:15:32
And oh, and it's 11 to 5. 00:15:36
All right, that's it. 00:15:39
All right. Thank you, Christine. We'll move on to the Police Department report Chief Arwood. 00:15:41
All right, Good evening. I just want to help on 1st day that it's a blessing to start on my 6th month here and I love it. Love it. 00:15:52
I don't see. 00:15:57
Any any other way of happening. So I hope to be here for years and years and years. 00:16:01
Love it here. We'll start off on the training like normal. 00:16:06
The House of 11/05 I've got some more information and set respondent. I figured we would just meet at the police committee and 00:16:10
discuss this before. 00:16:14
The decisions made. 00:16:18
During this time frame and all this information is actually a week shorter because I prepared just the week before last because I 00:16:20
went on vacation last week and. 00:16:24
Got it all wrapped up but. 00:16:28
House Walker attended the man's report writing class Officer England. 00:16:30
Attend a sexual assault investigations and counter assault tactics. 00:16:36
I went to the Georgia Chiefs 3 day training in Duluth. 00:16:40
So call those classes that are listed there. 00:16:44
Keep us updated on that. And then again, we have the Poskin Attorneys Council coming here to 25th. 00:16:46
To teach a domestic violence class how to investigate. 00:16:53
And a four day drone class here July 21st, so. 00:16:56
If you guys want to see how that works and you're more than welcome to come check it out and spend some time with us. 00:17:00
Is staying involved in the. 00:17:07
Domestic violence thing or or is that more that's more of a children? 00:17:11
Yeah, I attended that today at 1:00 with Oconee County. So it's OK. It's the case is specific to the county, so. 00:17:16
We did a couple interviews, two different sets. 00:17:26
Non certified. We did go forward or going forward with one good candidate. He's local, he's a corrections officer at Clark County. 00:17:29
A great attitude. 00:17:38
We're pretty close to having everything wrapped up where he can actually go take the physical agility test and that'll be his last 00:17:40
step before he gets accepted into. 00:17:44
Basic mandate. The police Academy. 00:17:48
We're continuing. 00:17:51
Looking and as we hopefully get the budget passed and some things added that we can offer. 00:17:52
I really think we may have. 00:17:59
Some more attraction for folks who's. 00:18:01
When I talk to folks, the first thing he asked, What's the pay? What's your retirement? That's usually the first two things, but, 00:18:04
umm. 00:18:07
Officer Stearns left us if if y'all don't know she went to Jasper County. 00:18:10
I just wanted to say, you know, good luck and I wish her the best and. 00:18:15
Hopefully she. 00:18:18
Gets what she's looking for there. She wants to be an investigator. 00:18:19
They have a little bit bigger investigation units, so. 00:18:23
Hopefully that will satisfy her. 00:18:27
ACCDP. 00:18:30
Traffic study on Simonton Rd. 00:18:32
And I haven't put 31 pages of it so. 00:18:35
I'm going to put it together where it's easier to see and show you guys the stats. There's a little lot of traffic over there. 00:18:39
And speeders so. 00:18:47
It's good information. It was conducted May 10th through the 15th and it's for the RFP. 00:18:49
The staff needed to justify that over on Katie Lane. 00:18:56
Police vehicles, I'm sure you guys are aware we have. 00:19:03
For 2017 and they're starting to. 00:19:06
Get the normal wear and tear on them. They're eighty 200,000 miles and. 00:19:10
I don't want it to be where we have this large. 00:19:15
Increase and having to keep these things running, you know so. 00:19:20
At some point, they kind of. 00:19:24
Are not cost effective to keep on the road, right? We put a lot of miles on them, unfortunately. 00:19:26
Community events, we had a bunch of them in this time period, so. 00:19:32
We started at the kids nest and. 00:19:36
It was very difficult to find this name because it was Miss Evelyn's all I knew it by so we did a little Easter egg hunt over 00:19:38
there and apparently she's been in operation over 50 years. 00:19:43
I was pretty cool because A. 00:19:47
Gentleman came back just to witness this. His granddaughter was there. 00:19:49
And said he actually went to the same daycare when he was a child. Yeah. Is that the one on Norton Road? Yes, Yeah. 00:19:53
Sir, the Easter egg hunt on the 19th was great. 00:20:00
We're going to show some pictures here in just a minute and. 00:20:05
Thank Danielle Greer for sponsoring. Some of that would put out 10,000 eggs and. 00:20:08
Revival Baptist Church sent over about 10 volunteers, which was. 00:20:13
So nice to have, right? Because it's a lot of work. It's a lot of. 00:20:18
A lot of walking, you know, and. 00:20:21
And planning and so forth. 00:20:23
Officer Walker attended the library to do. 00:20:25
Little reading in the show and tell the police car the kids loved it. 00:20:28
April 30th we had. 00:20:32
Law enforcement appreciation months for Oconee County School Board put that on force for everybody safety in the. 00:20:34
In the county. 00:20:41
May 3rd. 00:20:43
Cops and Bobbers was. 00:20:44
Excellent. I can't wait the next year to get it going again, I think. 00:20:46
Thomas Farm is a perfect location for it. 00:20:50
Thankfully the UTV come in to be very handy that day because it's a pretty. 00:20:54
Pretty good stretch out there, so. 00:20:58
And then? 00:21:01
One more thing we had was the law enforcement appreciation lunch at hair shows. Daniel Grier put it on. 00:21:03
Made another donation to badges and Benevolence through the golf tournaments. He raised $50,000. Wow, split it four ways through. 00:21:09
Through all the county. 00:21:17
Public. 00:21:19
Law enforcement so. 00:21:20
This is the here, obviously, and there's all the volunteers and all our staff up there. 00:21:22
Our list of kids we had the age groups, you know, split up where. 00:21:28
The big kids wouldn't take all the eggs from the little kids. 00:21:32
I had a pleasure taking the picture with the Easter Bunny down there, but a great turn out. 00:21:36
Cops and bobbers. 00:21:44
Try to get as many pictures as we could, you know, on one page but. 00:21:45
17 fish were caught by one kid. 00:21:50
In that time period. 00:21:53
17 and then the biggest was the little little girl on the bottom here. She called, I think it was 22 inch Bass Tyler's daughter, 00:21:54
yeah. 00:21:58
Great turn out and you know there's some tweaking that we need to do as we keep going forward, but. 00:22:04
Excellent. 00:22:09
All the volunteers, we can't think enough. And then we took a picture with them. Danielle for at the dinner down here where she. 00:22:11
Donated the money to all the law enforcement agencies in the county. 00:22:19
And then going back to our reports last page. 00:22:24
Stats are a little bit lower because it's a week. 00:22:28
Shorter than normal. 00:22:30
But the the arrest and I think I doubled one of them by mistake. I caught that and scratch it down on mine, but. 00:22:32
I put the same one on 4/20 but. 00:22:38
We had 7. 00:22:41
Arresting up three-week period. 00:22:42
Officer Walker. 00:22:45
Three in one day. 00:22:47
So he uh, uh. 00:22:48
He was he was on a roll that day. 00:22:49
Security checks and reports, you know, everything's running consistent with what we have been all year. 00:22:52
A little increase, like I said on the arrest. 00:22:59
Domestics down, which is that's a good thing. 00:23:02
And then everything else, the suspicious calls, alarms and fire medical or similar. And again, that's that's a week. 00:23:05
Less stats. 00:23:12
Any questions? 00:23:15
Questions for the Chief. 00:23:18
Great report as always, thank you for all you do. 00:23:21
Thank you. 00:23:23
All right, we will move to the consent agenda. I'll entertain a motion to approve the. 00:23:25
Consent Agenda The items in the Consent agenda. 00:23:31
I make a motion to approve the items on the consent agenda. 00:23:35
2nd, 2nd. 00:23:39
All right. Any discussion hearing none, all in favor say aye, aye. 00:23:41
Consent agenda is unanimously approved. We'll move to public hearing. 00:23:45
Public hearing is for the recommended fiscal year 2026 General Fund Capital and Operating budget and the proposed. 00:23:49
2025 mileage rate. 00:23:55
Manager Dickerson if you want to provide a brief overview of the. 00:23:58
FY20 6 Budget will then have a public hearing. 00:24:01
OK. I'll try to be as brief as I can. So budget goals, we went through these just about a little bit more than an hour ago, but. 00:24:04
Continue to provide the essential services, specifically public safety garbage collection. 00:24:10
Continuing to work to preserve green spaces and make those accessible by bike and by foot. And so we talked about those investing 00:24:15
in downtown. 00:24:20
Mayor Pro Tem Tucker mentioned the strategic plan for downtown, which is going to be significantly, is going to help us 00:24:25
significantly in that endeavor. 00:24:29
Continuing to improve operational efficiency. Take leveraging technological advancements and. 00:24:34
Cross department collaboration as well as collaboration with our partners. 00:24:41
And then implementing the the Council strategic initiatives as they prioritize at their annual retreat. 00:24:45
Excuse me? 00:24:51
So this is the revenue and expense budget. We are presenting you with a balanced budget. 00:24:52
We will talk a little bit about how we're going to do that, but we are at roughly 3 point. 00:24:59
35 million. 00:25:04
And that is an increase of just a little bit more than $52,000. 00:25:06
Executive summary on the revenues, you'll note the three. 00:25:12
Excuse me. The three largest revenues are local option sales tax at 32%, property taxes at 23% and franchise fees at 10%. 00:25:15
We are very blessed to have a very diversified revenue stream though, you'll see that. 00:25:24
Probably a little bit more than 1/3. 00:25:29
Of the other revenue, well, maybe a little less than 1/3 of the revenues come from a whole bunch of other sources and a lot of 00:25:32
communities only have one or two sources of revenue. So we're very fortunate in that regard. 00:25:37
Talk briefly about the top three revenue streams that are projected for fiscal year 26. 00:25:44
Local options sales tax is the highest we're going to top. 00:25:49
I project we're going to top over $1,000,000 this year. 00:25:52
Over the last five years, we've seen an average increase of 9.25%. I'm recommending, and this past year we saw a little bit more 00:25:55
than 6%. 00:25:59
I'm estimating we'll see about a 5% growth. 00:26:03
Averaging about 84,000, a little bit more than 84 or five in monthly revenues. 00:26:06
You'll see the line chart sort of shows the growth over the years. Obviously local option sales tax, excuse me. 00:26:12
Is affected by the cost of things as well as people's purchasing. 00:26:19
Behaviors. 00:26:23
And I think both those things are in play right now and that's why we're seeing the increases. 00:26:24
Property taxes. This is where we'll talk a little bit about the mileage rate. 00:26:30
So that people are informed, if they have comments to make about that. The net digest for the city, which is determined by the tax 00:26:34
assessor and provided to us by the Tax commissioner, is estimated a little bit more than 274,000,000. That's an increase of a 00:26:39
little bit more than 12 1/2%. 00:26:43
Or $30,000, I'm sorry, $30 million. 00:26:48
Sorry about that. 00:26:52
Over the 2024 property values of that amount about 18 that 18,000,000, more than half of it is. 00:26:54
It reflects an increase in new development and improvements to existing properties. 00:27:03
Currently, the proposed, I'm sorry, the current and the proposed mileage rate that we're recommending for FY20 6 is 2.756 mills, 00:27:07
which is .122 mills higher than the rollback rate, which again is provided to us by. 00:27:14
The Tax commissioner on a prescribed a form prescribed by the state. 00:27:21
So there is no actual mileage rate increase. 00:27:25
So it will generate more money, though, because of those increases in development and improvements to people's property that may 00:27:28
have been reflected as of January 1 of this of this calendar year. 00:27:33
Point out that a home, fair market value of a home and with homestead exemption in 2025 for the property taxes, we're staying at 00:27:40
2.756. 00:27:45
Would be 320 twenty $5.21 for a $300,000 homestead value property and for a non homestead property valued at half $1,000,000 that 00:27:50
would be like a commercial property. 00:27:56
Would be at $551.20 and I've got another slide. 00:28:01
We can show that again. Just a reminder, property taxes are based on the value of the property as of January 1. 00:28:05
We don't see the money, though, until the end of the end of this calendar year. 00:28:11
Like to point out the value of our property taxes. 00:28:16
So someone that has a house that's valued at 300,000 is spending a little bit more than 325. 00:28:19
Dollars a year in city property taxes, but our leaf and limb service and our garbage service at the rate that's coming in of under 00:28:24
the new contract would. 00:28:29
Cost $324.00. That's just one specific service Service provider. 00:28:34
That your property taxes are covering, there's so many other services the city provides and then if you also looked at the value 00:28:40
of our public. 00:28:44
Law enforcement services. 00:28:48
That we estimate per resident that that's a value of $598 a year again. 00:28:50
You're getting so much more for your property tax dollars because we're being able to supplement it with other revenue streams. 00:28:56
Next weeks paper should have the five year history. You've got a little bit more on this one Will. 00:29:04
Tax Biller. 00:29:10
Taxpayer Bill of Rights requires we put this in the paper so you'll the public will see how we have grown, how our tax digest has 00:29:11
grown. 00:29:15
You'll see on here the gross digest and the net digest. The net digest is after you consider exemptions, conservation easements, 00:29:20
all sorts of other exemptions. There's lots of them. 00:29:25
We did see an increase in the exemptions. 00:29:31
From 4 million lat 4.7 million last year to 13.2 million this year. A lot of that has to do also with the exemptions that are 00:29:34
allowed under the House bill to 281. 00:29:38
But the overall the digest increased 12 1/2%. 00:29:44
Again, recommendation is to leave the mileage rate at 2.756, but because of the growth and whatnot. 00:29:48
We will see an increase in revenues of roughly $84,000. 00:29:54
Another way to look at it is the proposed mileage rate. There would be no difference for someone that hasn't made any major 00:29:59
changes to their home. 00:30:02
Had not made any by January 1 of this year or their business. 00:30:06
However, again, most of the increase is going to come from new development. We've got Trove, we've got stuff going on at Wire 00:30:10
Park, other other infill development that's going on or improvements to people's property that might have been captured that's 00:30:15
helping with that increase. 00:30:19
If we did, if the Council did agree to take the rollback mileage rate of 2.63. 00:30:24
Mills, then a home valued at 300,000 with a homestead would see a $14.40 reduction in their property taxes. A commercial property 00:30:30
valued at half a million would see a reduction of $24.40. 00:30:37
The third revenue strip, the third highest revenue stream is our franchise fees. 00:30:47
Those are collected from electrical, natural gas, telecommunications companies that they basically operate within the cities right 00:30:52
away they pay that there is a set amount. The bylaw electric companies pay 4% franchise fee, telecommunications 3% of natural gas, 00:30:57
3% to the city. 00:31:02
And those are received in different ways. I think electrics provided annually telecommunications. 00:31:08
Is provided quarterly and I'm not 100% sure. Natural gas, I think we may get that quarterly as well. 00:31:14
On the expense side, again 3.35 million at 1.6% increase or 50, a little bit more than $52,000 over last fiscal year. 00:31:21
Remind you all we have 21 full time employees, one part time employee. 00:31:30
And police, we provide all of these services. I won't go through all of them, but you know, we. 00:31:36
Provide building permits? Maybe not. 00:31:41
Our people are, we may not deliver those services directly with our employees, but we do have those through contractual. 00:31:43
Relationships as well, so building permits, garbage collection and we have downtown development parks, all of our green space. 00:31:49
That we provide right now we have 2 employees that are working on that and just on parks with our hundred acre park that's. 00:31:56
Stretching us a little bit, but we're working on that. 00:32:03
Professional engineering services are contracted. 00:32:06
And public works and facilities, just to name a few of those. Oh, I do want to point out, so you'll see public works and police 00:32:08
are both at about 25% of the budget, General government at 18. 00:32:14
And general government picks up our professional services, our engineer and our attorney in that number and of course mayor and 00:32:20
council, along with administrative staff, myself and city clerk. 00:32:24
And our executive assistant. 00:32:30
Parts comes in a close 4th after general government at 13%. 00:32:32
So the two largest expenditures in the budget are police and garbage. 00:32:39
Police is actually got it has a decrease. Part of that is a joint decision by Chief Arwood and myself with oversight for the mayor 00:32:44
to reduce the administrative staff. 00:32:48
In the past there have been two people during the day, chief and a Lieutenant or chief and a major. 00:32:52
In the office and there's really just not the need for that much administrative staff. We feel like the need. 00:32:58
There's more of a need in the field. 00:33:03
And there wasn't a need for that person right now. We feel pretty confident at least for this fiscal year and possibly the next, 00:33:05
we should be good. We'll continue to monitor it as the as the community grows, as we get new developments and new. 00:33:11
Additional people that move into the community will continue to monitor that and keep you apprised if we need to look at 00:33:19
increasing that. 00:33:22
Garbage and leaf and limb services this year is a big deal we've. 00:33:25
Renegotiated went out a went out for a proposal on garbage services and council has selected curbside services to provide continue 00:33:28
to provide that services. City is very. 00:33:34
Specific. 00:33:40
The way they actually provide the service, the public's gotten really used to having their leaves and. 00:33:41
Grass clippings suctioned up by a vacuum truck and and their garbage picked up. 00:33:45
From the curb this year we're going to we are changing it up and going to be introducing a 90 gallon roll cart to every resident. 00:33:52
Those will be going out sometime in late June. Hopefully everyone will happen by the 1st of July. 00:33:57
You'll probably see them set up over at the old pipe plant. That's where they're going to assemble. 00:34:03
The royal carts and then and distribute them to the public. 00:34:07
And then that will be provided some continuity and consistency and what you see at the curb, it'll look nice. 00:34:12
It'll we won't have any issues with. 00:34:18
Bags getting torn into. People put their bags at the curb and said put them in containers, it'll just look nicer. 00:34:21
The increase is not just the cost of the roll carts though, there are increases in. 00:34:27
Garbage tipping fees at the landfills that they use and obviously fuel and their personnel. So they're running a service that we 00:34:31
would otherwise run. 00:34:35
So it is going up a little bit. 00:34:39
But certainly a big service for the city and something that the citizens have come to rely on. 00:34:41
Looking at the operating budget as far as expenditures, A personnel contract and other expensive. 00:34:48
Expenditures. So just with our 21 employees, the personnel costs are roughly half of our budget. We add in the contractual, the 00:34:53
garbage, the engineer, the court, the judges, the attorney. 00:34:59
That increases another 20% or close to 70% of what we do is people. 00:35:05
Run and that's. 00:35:09
Very common in local governments. 00:35:11
Some of the major changes. 00:35:15
In the budget and I want to point out that the net budget increase is only 52,000. 00:35:17
For the year. 00:35:23
And so some of these are obviously higher than that, but or maybe just right at that same amount. But the point is, is that. 00:35:25
Some of these things are we've been able to. 00:35:32
Change other, other items in our in our budget to allow for these additional items. So cost of living increase adjustment, we're 00:35:34
talking about a little bit more than 52,000. 00:35:39
Pursuing something that the county did where they the last couple of years, I don't know, they're doing it this year, but in the 00:35:46
last couple years they did a flat. 00:35:50
COLA, a cost of living adjustment for their employees instead of a percentage so that those at the lower end of the pay scale 00:35:54
benefit more than those at the higher end in our pay range. 00:35:58
The highest that sorry, the lowest percentage increase would be 2.2. That would be at the highest salary down to six, down to the 00:36:03
lower salary employees who would see a 6.7% increase in their budget, in their sorry, in their salary based on a $2500 across the 00:36:08
board COLA. 00:36:13
We are also introducing this is a recommendation that came to us when Chief Arwood. 00:36:20
Came on board and something that Julie and I looked at several years ago and we at that time couldn't manage. 00:36:26
Is a defined benefit retirement plan. Right now we have a defined contribution plan, which means the city. 00:36:31
Will match up to a certain amount of the money that city employees would set aside an IRA. 00:36:37
This would actually be a benefit, I'm sorry, defined benefit retirement plan, which would be basically a pension if they left. 00:36:44
After five years. 00:36:51
So the vested amount vest appear would be 5 years. We are as I mentioned in the budget work session, we do not have the final 00:36:53
proposal from. 00:36:56
The GMA provider. 00:37:00
A lot of local government, a lot of small local governments can't provide retirement, and those that do do it through GMA's 00:37:02
provider because they can't by themselves manage it. 00:37:07
A lot of the bigger government, so Coney Clark, you know, State of Winder, Barrow County, they all have programs that they can 00:37:12
self fund. We just don't. So a little bit more information to come on that. We're estimating it'd be $3600 per employee. And 00:37:17
again. 00:37:22
More information to come and we'll provide that as soon as we get that from the marketplace. 00:37:27
We are looking at having to renew our. 00:37:33
Medical, dental, vision in September. I'm sorry, in October, officially October 1. 00:37:36
We have an annual. 00:37:42
Agreement with Angle, which is a. 00:37:44
Subsidiary of Cigna and and then anthem on our dental and our vision, but that comes due. So we'll probably go out the marketplace 00:37:47
in July or August. 00:37:52
And we're anticipating a 15% increase in medical, 5% in dental, no increase in vision. 00:37:57
And that would be from October until July of next year. So it is baked into the budget. It'd be great if it comes back less, but 00:38:04
I'm and I hope it doesn't come back more. 00:38:08
But that's what we're projecting. 00:38:13
On legal and professional, we do have $15,000 set aside again to deal with the additional expenses of some of the open records 00:38:15
request that we are continuing to receive. 00:38:20
We those because of the legitimate nature of the person. 00:38:26
Knows we have to. 00:38:30
Have the attorney review those just to make sure that. 00:38:32
That we are abiding, you know that we are responding correctly to that and and staff does pride itself on being responsive within 00:38:36
the three days that are is required by law and and doing our best to absolutely estimate what the cost of those requests would be. 00:38:43
On parts, we did see an increase, again probably mostly related to Thomas Farm. We've got additional expenses. 00:38:52
For Bush hogging the facility that we contract out for. 00:38:58
Water, electricity for the bathrooms and we're hoping the additional bathrooms will be online before July 4th. 00:39:02
And then just the additional maintenance of 100 acre site green space. 00:39:08
Street lighting we did see an increase of about 8500. 00:39:11
Dollars to cover the street Lancer being added as part of the Simton Bridge Rd. pedestrian connector. 00:39:15
That is the cost to Georgia Power to maintain, to pay for them to be lit up and whatnot. I will point out that the good news is, 00:39:21
is if for some reason somebody veers off and nails one of them, they have to replace it for free. That's our agreement with them. 00:39:27
So they actually own those law. I mean they, they own the responsibility of having to prepare those lights because of the way we 00:39:33
we did it. But the cost of the lights actually was paid for through the, through the loan that we got from G Tip. 00:39:40
And then library, we talked about this earlier. It's a little complicated, but the library services agreement sets aside the 1st 00:39:47
$30,000. 00:39:51
And taxes, the property taxes generated by the Wire park development. 00:39:55
This year we actually did hit 30,000. 00:40:02
I can't, I don't have the number right for me, but we went just slightly over maybe 32 or 33,000 collected and so the first thirty 00:40:06
goes to the library under our agreement and then any the amount over that 10% goes. 00:40:11
Another 10% goes the library and they can use that for operating expenses, and then 5% of whatever's left from that goes into a 00:40:17
capital. 00:40:21
Line item so that in the future if their capital needs since the city owns that building, they can come back with council and ask. 00:40:25
To access those funds. 00:40:32
There's also an increase in our shared expenses that we pay we share with the county for the maintenance of that facility and an 00:40:34
8% increase in the insurance premium. 00:40:39
And then last couple of items, tourism, we've got a $5000 increase in tourism or $5000. 00:40:45
Line item that wasn't there in fiscal year 20. 00:40:52
Five, and that is for the American 250 celebration which will occur next year and there's a lot of information will be coming out 00:40:54
on that, so encourage you to. 00:40:58
Stay in touch with the city's social media as well as the downtown social media to learn more about that. 00:41:03
And then finally, our property and liability insurance did increase about 5 1/2%. 00:41:08
And then? 00:41:14
Let's talk a little bit about capital. So that was all of our operating costs. This is capital we consider a capital item. 00:41:16
Anything valued at $5000 or more, we actually schedule that on our capital improvement program. 00:41:22
And then we fund that and basically it's a tool to help us manage. 00:41:27
Vehicles and. 00:41:33
Facilities, you know, the playground is a good example, the Police Department vehicles. 00:41:35
The public works lawn mowers and things like that. 00:41:41
And we put them actually on a schedule and then we keep it. Each year I look at it and we determine if we can, like we may have 00:41:47
two vehicles come up and we may decide we can't, we don't need both of them. Maybe we can make one push, push it out the following 00:41:51
year. And so we talk about that. 00:41:56
This fiscal year, we're actually talking about replacing one of the 2017 Ford Interceptors. The chief mentioned earlier about some 00:42:01
of those vehicles are getting long in the tooth. 00:42:05
So we'll be replacing that at a. 00:42:09
Estimated amount of 55,000. Keep in mind that will peel off any of our equipment. We cannibalize the old vehicle and put that on 00:42:12
the new vehicle. 00:42:16
And then about 12 1/2. 00:42:21
1000 to replace a. 00:42:23
Because Council burden FY24 to appropriate funds from SPOSS 3. 00:42:26
That means that our net general fund capital account will only be debited at around $17,500. 00:42:31
All right. After I can take questions or you can, I guess you can move on to public hearing. 00:42:41
OK, Before I open the Public Hearing Council, I know we went through this in great detail at 5:00, but do you have any questions 00:42:45
for the manager upon reflection? 00:42:49
OK, hearing none at this point, I'll open a public hearing. And just a reminder, this hearing is. 00:42:54
For thoughts on the capital operating budget or the proposed mileage rate. 00:42:59
And at this point, the hearing is open if you come forward. 00:43:03
We have a limit of three minutes. Comments should be directly related to this item. Speak from the podium. 4 minutes per person. 00:43:07
Excuse me. No debate, argument. Personal attacks are irrelevant discussion. 00:43:12
If anybody wants to speak to the budget. 00:43:18
Come forth. 00:43:20
Looks good. 00:43:21
All right. Thank you. For the record, Kathleen, who still has perfect attendance this year, said it looks good. 00:43:22
All right. At this point, I'll close the public hearing. 00:43:31
Is that all we need to do on budget? 00:43:34
OK, we have no appearances tonight. We have no old business tonight. Under new business. We have a streetlight policy we need to 00:43:36
approve, Manager Dickerson. 00:43:39
All right, so finally got this done hopefully and looking for feedback from you all. 00:43:44
So. 00:43:49
Sort of like we did with our paving management program, we sort of. 00:43:51
In the past would just somebody asked us if they could wanted to put a streetlight in. 00:43:55
We just sort of like, OK, we'll look at it and we budgeted for three or four a year. 00:43:59
In case they came in, now what we're doing is we're actually creating a process, a specific. 00:44:04
Guidelines and some criteria by which people can that. 00:44:09
People being you or the. 00:44:12
Citizens or a business owner? 00:44:14
Could come and ask the. 00:44:16
The administrative staff for a light and so the purpose is to provide the guidelines for installation, evaluation and maintenance 00:44:20
of these streetlights. 00:44:24
Our goals obviously enhance public safety. 00:44:28
Provide consistent lighting centers across the city and manage the request in a transparent and cost effective manner. 00:44:31
Again, a street light is defined as a raised source of light mounted on a pole or a post. Typically found along Rd. sidewalks in 00:44:38
public areas designed to illuminate the surrounding area at night. 00:44:43
Our eligibility criteria that we've identified. 00:44:48
Are and this is how we would look at it. So somebody came in and said they wanted a streetlight on the corner of. 00:44:52
1st St. and. 00:44:58
1st and let's say 1st and 3rd St. then we would say, OK, well let's look at public safety and traffic flow. 00:45:00
Intersections of public streets with documented pedestrian concerns, mid block areas with limited visibility or accident history, 00:45:06
and curves or hills or visibilities reduced at night. 00:45:11
That's those are some of the criteria we would look at. 00:45:16
Pedestrian activity. Areas where regular nighttime activity might occur. Park Schools. 00:45:19
And then bus stops and pedestrian crossings. 00:45:24
Another criteria would be residential streets to those with high density or even some limited lighting. 00:45:27
And then dead and streets are cul de sacs with no lighting. 00:45:33
And then the 4th would be gaps in existing lighting. So if we go more than and we figured 500 feet, I don't, you know, that's 00:45:36
somewhat subjective, but I don't know we're going to go out and measure it. But you know, we don't want them every 10 feet. 00:45:41
We would need to consider, you know, be thoughtful about how we spend those resources. So right now, we've got 500 feet. 00:45:47
The process would be simply again, anybody could come forward, any resident could come forward, Elected official HOA. 00:45:54
Or even staff if we felt like there was one that our police chief said hey, or one of our officers said hey, this is a really bad 00:46:01
spot. We keep seeing accidents. We need to put 1 here. 00:46:05
Then that would that would be submitted. We've got a form that would be completed. 00:46:10
It would be available online at, in person here at City Hall, or simply calling. 00:46:14
The city and requesting 1. 00:46:19
Basic information. The exact location contact. Typically there's a number. 00:46:22
Councilman Thomas may recall there's actually numbers on some some of the polls. If they're owned by Georgia Power, there's a 00:46:28
number on them. 00:46:31
If there's a device on. Yeah, right. 00:46:34
Right. 00:46:38
So we may ask for that or we'll go out and identify that because that's if we end up. 00:46:38
Pursuing or. 00:46:44
Approving this, then we would have to let George Power know where it was so they could put, you know, put something up. 00:46:46
And then the reason? 00:46:51
For the request. 00:46:53
And then once it's submitted, we would acknowledge within five days that we received it, conduct the inspection of it and review 00:46:55
the eligibility criteria within 30 days. 00:47:00
Review public safety data if it's required. Coordinate with the provider. It could be Walt, Nancy, or. 00:47:05
George Power. 00:47:12
And then notify the request or the outcome. 00:47:13
So it would be based on safety. The priorities would be safety, availability, funding and then. 00:47:16
Existing infrastructure, we're not going to go put a poll. We just took down a poll, so we're not going to go add Pulse, but. 00:47:21
We would definitely have to make sure there was some infrastructure in place for those. 00:47:27
And then funding again we budget, I think this year we budgeted for four or five lights and that's you know again a budget is 00:47:32
where she we're shooting for a certain amount. I think this year we haven't, I don't know that we've added any this year. 00:47:38
But I think I budgeted for 3 or 4. 00:47:45
And I think typically they're not very expensive. They're 14 to $15.00 a month. I mean, over a course of a year can add up, 00:47:49
especially if we have 5 or 6 of them, but. 00:47:53
That it'll be based on. 00:47:57
Budget. Availability of budget. 00:47:58
And. 00:48:01
Of course, there's always an opportunity of Christian Lake or White Subdivision or somebody like that had an HOA and they wanted 00:48:03
something that we could, you know, cost share that if needed. 00:48:07
All of our all of our streetlights would be maintained by the public works department or the provider. So depends on which one you 00:48:12
know. 00:48:15
Whether they're on poles that the. 00:48:19
Power company provides or perhaps a poll we put up. 00:48:22
Like a street lamp or something like that. 00:48:25
This is a policy that would actually come back before councils that gives you a little bit more control instead of it just being 00:48:27
administrative. 00:48:30
Policy. So certainly open to suggestions on tweaking this or if you want to start with this and then we need to make changes 00:48:34
later, we can certainly come back. 00:48:38
Before you and do that. 00:48:43
All right, Council, you've heard the policy. We can make suggestions or ask questions to it now, or we can vote to approve. 00:48:45
Set policy. 00:48:53
Do you get, I mean, I know you said you budget for 3:00 to 4:00, but do we get a whole lot of requests? 00:48:57
No, we, we haven't. We had a couple. I think Mayor Pro Tem Tucker had one on Lawana, maybe three years. 00:49:03
Wilson. Wilson. 00:49:10
About 3 or 4 years ago, a couple a few years ago as well. Yeah, we haven't had a lot lately. I think the mayor and I ran into 00:49:12
somebody over on Cedar maybe we talked about doing that, probably revisit that one. 00:49:17
Somebody who was new to the community a couple years ago, I think our middle sidewalk, we did some by the bridge and, yeah, spaces 00:49:23
that people used to not use, obviously, but now they're walking. Nothing, you know, is the sidewalk. 00:49:28
Continue to progress. We'll have decorative lights for most of the new stretch, but you know if we continue that sidewalk on down. 00:49:34
Simonton Bridge Rd. We could have some other requests to anticipate. So there there will be more, but I think that's a. 00:49:41
Pretty safe cadence Budget 4. 00:49:46
It seems very robust and well thought out. 00:49:51
So nothing like like everything else, like everything else you do so, so one question, so it would be approved administratively, 00:49:55
but if it was an exception to the policy, you'd bring it to us, is that correct or would we see and approve the request? 00:50:01
I think with like anything that I approve, it can always be appealed to the council. I don't really have an appeal process baked 00:50:09
in, I mean. 00:50:12
Joe, you may want to lean in on this a little bit, but but basically if if they're not happy with the response I give them and 00:50:15
it's a policy y'all created. 00:50:19
You know, I'd hate to have to keep coming but you know, I think they would probably have to make the effort to appeal to the 00:50:23
council. Hey, we don't like your policy and This is why it because I'm going to follow the policy. 00:50:28
So I'm fine with that. I just want to be clear so if everything goes well, we won't know about it, you'll just take care of it. 00:50:34
But if someone disagrees with your decision, then their next approach would be to come to council and. 00:50:40
Sort of ask us to review that, is that correct? And I'll make an effort when we do get a request if we like, if we were to address 00:50:46
the one over on Cedar or something, then I would include that in you know my weekly communications deal. Hey, by the way we added 00:50:50
this and etcetera. 00:50:55
That's how I would handle it, yeah. I think Council review would be the default position if somebody quote appealed. 00:51:00
We may have some stock appeal verbiage in either the. 00:51:07
Wastewater capacity allocation policy and or the zoning, I'm highly confident we've got something zoning. 00:51:10
If there's a decision administratively, somebody wishes to appeal, there's clear due process procedural verbiage in there that we 00:51:17
can model after. 00:51:21
But you know, you can pass this tonight if you wish and then amend it subsequently if you'd like to add the due process at a later 00:51:26
date. 00:51:29
All right. Do we have a motion? 00:51:36
We have a question. 00:51:38
One question like the 500 feet. 00:51:39
If you try and light up the street that maybe you might back it down to like 300 feet. 00:51:43
Just for thought. 00:51:49
I I would suggest that the emotion, if you want to be that Main Street, you know that section we have like 3. 00:51:51
We have three, maybe even 4 on Main Street from the Golden Pantry up. 00:51:58
Pass your house. Yeah, yeah. I mean, 300 feet, 100 yards. I think that's probably a good distance, actually. You know, because 00:52:03
it's pretty far if you get behind. Most power poles are about 300 feet apart. Most of them. That's the general span. 00:52:10
Make the change. OK, So that's one amendment to the motion. I think that's a good suggestion. 00:52:18
Any other suggestions? 00:52:25
All right. 00:52:29
We have a motion to approve the policy with the change from 500 to 300 feet. 00:52:30
OK, we have a motion from. 00:52:37
Mayor pro team talking Pro Tem Tucker, do we have a second? Second. 00:52:39
We have a second from Councilman Campbell. Any further questions or comments? 00:52:42
Hearing none, all in favor say aye aye. Any opposed? 00:52:47
All right, none opposed. Motion carries unanimously. We'll move to public comments. 00:52:51
This is that time where you can come speak pretty much about anything you want to, as long as you're refraining from debate 00:52:56
argument. Personal attacks are irrelevant discussion. 00:52:59
So if you have something you want to say, come on up. 00:53:04
All right, I'm not seeing anybody. We're going to move on from public comments and go to mayor's report. 00:53:09
We have. 00:53:17
Is it working? 00:53:18
Hopefully by Friday. OK, so we have. 00:53:20
We've installed the rectangular rapid flashing beacon of crop between Stone Shoals and Wire Park. 00:53:22
Hopefully it'll be working by Friday. That was much requested by the neighbors in Stone Shoals. 00:53:28
Who are active, very active, going back and forth to wire park. 00:53:33
We've also replaced. 00:53:37
The Hardin Hill Beacon that was taken out by a student driver. 00:53:40
I'm very glad for that I get beat up. 00:53:44
Monthly at the HOA meetings, yes, so. 00:53:46
We're all we're all glad for that. So that was quite the incident. 00:53:49
So glad that's done making great progress on the Giordani Green. We've had some rain and weather issues that have presented 00:53:54
challenges. I think they'll be. 00:53:57
Finishing up the concrete pour. 00:54:01
Tomorrow, then they'll be able to move along to sod and landscaping. We have the electric and the. 00:54:03
Water, I think underground at this point. 00:54:08
So it's coming along nicely. 00:54:12
This was really cool. 00:54:16
They took the old Grapevine at Thomas Farm Preserve and. 00:54:18
Redid it and lifted it up a little bit. I don't know if any of y'all have tried to get under there before but it was pretty 00:54:22
doggone tight. 00:54:25
But if you like muscadines, this is going to be a real treat. 00:54:29
I know all last summer while we were working on it, every contractor who drove in and out would stop by that Grapevine and get a 00:54:32
handful of grapes before they left. So there's a fantastic fig tree right across the no driveway from that. And we've pruned 00:54:37
around the fig tree and have kind of hopefully we'll see a good crop this year on the fig tree as well, so. 00:54:43
But these are those little things. I mean, so many people are excited about that. So Sharon, thanks to you and the staff for 00:54:49
getting that done. I think that's. 00:54:52
That's going to be really nice and a cool part of the history of the location I'll. 00:54:55
Give credit to Toby Cartilage, our public works director. They found a public works manner. They found the those. 00:55:00
Stones at the board that the posts are sitting on were actually at the back of the block garage. We had to fill in some holes, but 00:55:07
those came out. 00:55:11
And he engineered this and worked with a contractor get it to get it done. I think it looks really good. Yeah. 00:55:14
Way better than what we had. 00:55:21
Yeah, We've also completed the interior demolition in the parts of the old cabin, that old dairy barn that aren't for the 00:55:22
restrooms. 00:55:27
The intent, what we're hopeful to be able to do is to find a partner to open some sort of cafe in that space. 00:55:31
If you can imagine how popular it is out there at night now. If you can imagine having a. 00:55:37
Maybe scoop ice cream while you watch the sunset, having a cup of coffee in the morning. 00:55:40
When you go for a walk out there, maybe even some. 00:55:44
Prepackaged sandwiches or things. So stay tuned for more, but we will probably issue an RFP and be looking for a partner. 00:55:47
At Thomas Farm Preserve, this is the floor in the. 00:55:55
I think the women's bathroom, what will become the women's bathroom that will have a door. 00:55:58
That you'll access from the back. 00:56:01
There's a new concrete pad there. 00:56:03
Again, Umm. 00:56:05
You know, it's, it's pretty amazing. I think we didn't know at the start how much use the park was going to get. 00:56:06
It's not very rare to see a line at the bathroom there now and as we have these other events we were talking about. 00:56:12
We'll we'll just see more of those. So it'll be great to have some more bathroom space up there. 00:56:18
Some progress this month on phase phase three in particular, interestingly. 00:56:25
That's the space. But well, phase two and phase three, there's been some grubbing in the woods. 00:56:32
I don't know if we have photos of that Sharon. 00:56:38
This is phase one. We're continuing to make progress there. 00:56:40
Georgia Power buried the cables this week that allow for street lamps. 00:56:44
And then this is phase two and three where they've cleaned out in the woods, so you can kind of get a feel for that path where the 00:56:48
bridge will be at this point. 00:56:51
Between Mulberry and the park, so that's some. 00:56:54
You know, we all know that's going to be through the end of the year, so work will continue there. 00:56:58
It'll get uglier before it gets pretty, so just be prepared. 00:57:02
George about Did they stub up for streetlights or did they just? 00:57:06
OK, Yep, stubbed up for street. We'd already stubbed the parts. 00:57:10
From the cemetery to Simonton Place as part of our work there. And then they came back and stubbed up. 00:57:13
From where this phase will be back to the end of the cemetery, so. 00:57:18
Yeah, and that'll allow Clint to go ahead and do his work, and then they'll come back and put the lights in, if I understand that 00:57:25
right. 00:57:27
So that's the mayor's report. We'll move on to council updates. We'll start with Councilman Garrett. 00:57:30
OK, Councilwoman Massey, nothing to report. 00:57:37
Councilman Thomas Nothing report. 00:57:41
Mayor President Tucker. 00:57:43
So on Friday night I had the privilege of meeting Beth Malone, who is the new director at OCAF. 00:57:45
There was a reception. 00:57:53
A welcoming her and she has a really impressive bio. Go to Ocaps website and look it up and. 00:57:56
Next time there's an opening or something or. 00:58:02
Open hours please go by and meet her, but I'm really excited about what she will be doing for OCAF. 00:58:05
Which in turn, what will happen for the city of Morgan? 00:58:11
I'm glad you flagged that. She is. She's very impressive and I think going to be a great addition to the community. 00:58:14
Councilman Campbell. 00:58:21
Yes, on Sunday I just happened to drive by Rocket Field and I saw. 00:58:24
The inn saw the baton courts being used. 00:58:28
And so, having never played and didn't know anything about the sport, I decided to stop. 00:58:32
Walked over there and there's quite a few people playing and they're all very friendly. 00:58:37
And I introduced myself and give a little background and. 00:58:41
So they were put in the middle of the game. So they finished their game and then asked me to play in. About that time, Lawrence 00:58:45
showed up. 00:58:48
And so. 00:58:52
He also played and we were on opposite teams. 00:58:53
And that's all. I'm surprised he showed his face here tonight. 00:58:57
No, I'm kidding my team. 00:59:03
And no. So I had a. 00:59:06
Very good players. 00:59:09
Israeli Fund. It's a very fun game. I really enjoyed it. 00:59:10
Then when I got home, I went on. 00:59:14
Googling Baton, now I know why it's not as popular. 00:59:17
Because nobody knows how to spell the talk, so Googling something you don't know how to spell is difficult. But anyway, I finally 00:59:21
found the. 00:59:24
I learned you don't save the balls, he'd say. Bulls. 00:59:30
On Amazon so I was looking at getting some so I can play. 00:59:33
Anyway, it's a great. 00:59:38
Fun, fun sport. 00:59:39
You know, easy to learn. 00:59:41
And it's a good, good afternoon, so I recommend more people checking it out. 00:59:43
Thank you, Councilman Campbell. 00:59:49
We've also had. We had. 00:59:51
Have a lot of cool stuff happening. We had two live music events Saturday night in town. We had a great. 00:59:53
Group performing at Wire Park and then we had a small singer-songwriter. 00:59:59
Event at public a coffee. So this is a great time of year to be in Watkinsville. There's a lot happening. 01:00:03
I know we don't have a big crowd here, but for all the hundreds and thousands who are listening out there, be sure to. 01:00:08
Make the most of this time in Watkinsville. It's great. It's a it's it's really amazing to see how much. 01:00:13
This happening in our little town on any any given weekend, which is great because it's all about. 01:00:18
People coming together and enjoying that time together. 01:00:23
And connecting with each other and very real and. 01:00:26
Meaningful ways rather than being at home and connecting with their digital devices. So it's inspiring to see. 01:00:29
Unless there's anything else, I'll ask for a motion to go into executive session to discuss personnel, real estate, and pending 01:00:36
and threatened litigation. 01:00:39
I make a motion to move into executive session for the mentioned reasons. Do we have a second second. 01:00:43
All in favor say aye. 01:00:48
All right, we'll go into executive session. 01:00:51
And we are still watching. 01:00:53
All right. Coming out of executive session, I'll entertain a motion to approve the committees recommendation related to manager 01:00:58
compensation. 01:01:02
I make a motion to approve the committees recommendation on manager compensation. 01:01:08
Who have a second? 01:01:15
Second, all in any further discussion. 01:01:16
All in favor say aye aye. 01:01:19
Can I have a motion to adjourn please? Second. All in favor say aye. 01:01:21
Aye. 01:01:26