COUNCIL MEETING

June 19, 2003

 

 

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rozier with Councilman Ray leading in prayer.  The minutes of the May 15, 2003 council meeting and called meetings of May 19th, May 27th, June 2nd and June 9th were reviewed.  Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve said minutes, Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Mayor Rozier recognized Randy Walker who was appointed to the position of Court Administrator for the Bloomingdale Municipal Court at the May 15th meeting and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

 

Council was advised that copies of the update to the proposed Inmate Service Fee Agreement with Chatham County had been distributed for their review.  Attorney Gerard outlined some of the most important aspects of the agreement in the letter attached to the document.  The Mayor asked that the Public Safety Committee and Interim Chief Roy Pike review this agreement and present a recommendation on its approval at the next meeting.

 

Councilman Ferman Tyler reported that the work on the Bloomingdale Pump Station Rehabilitation is still underway.

 

Councilman Ferman Tyler stated that he had received information from Thomas & Hutton Engineering regarding the repair/replacement of the bridge at Wildcat Dam Road and these options were discussed by council.  The options included the following:  1) Repair of the Bridge Supports:  Work would consist of the installation of new timber piles and pile caps to re-establish foundation support of the bridge superstructure.  Piles would be installed on either side of the bridge and new bridge pile caps positioned underneath the existing deck.  The probable project cost, including engineering fees, would be $38,000; 2) Replace Existing Bridge:  Work would involve the removal of the existing structure in its entirety and replacement with new 30 feet long by 12 feet wide timber and concrete, 2-span, structure with piles, caps, abutments, and deck members to accommodate 5 ton vehicular traffic.  The probable project cost -  $97,000; and 3) Replace Existing Bridge with new 45 feet long x 12 feet wide clear span concrete structure to accommodate the proposed Hardin Canal Improvements by the County:  Work would involve the removal of the existing structure in its entirety and the installation of new piles, caps, abutments, and deck members.  The probable project cost - $123,000.   Councilman Tyler pointed out that with the drainage improvements, including replacement of this bridge, that have already been approved by the county for the Hardin Canal he did not feel that it would be practical to spend even the $38,000 to repair this structure when the plan was to replace it within the next couple of years.  Councilman Tyler recommended that Attorney Gerard notify the county of the City’s concerns.   Mayor Rozier also questioned using tax payer’s monies to repair the bridge at this time and stated he would get with our county commissioner to discuss the matter. 

 

Attorney Gerard reported that he had been in contact with Steven Sheer, the City of Pooler’s Attorney, regarding the amendment to the Bloomingdale/Pooler Waste Water Treatment Facility Agreement.  Attorney Sheer has agreed to recommend that Pooler simply delete the paragraph in Pooler’s proposed third amendment obligating Bloomingdale to provide land suitable to receive all of Bloomingdale’s sewer effluent at no cost to Pooler since this issue could be resolved under the terms of the original agreement should the acquisition of land become necessary in the future.  Attorney Gerard stated that this matter was on hold until Pooler’s council could address the attorney’s recommendation.

 

Council was informed that a deed of dedication on Perry Road has been prepared by Attorney Gerard for execution by the property owners if council is interested in acquiring this roadway as a City street.  Council was advised that they needed to determine what will need to be done to the roadway and/or drainage before it becomes a City maintained street.  Council discussed the matter and the Mayor asked Councilman Waller if he was aware of any drainage problems.  Councilman Waller stated that there is one area that drains slowly, but for the most part the roadway stays clear of water.  Councilman Ray pointed out that before the City accepted the road, we should require the property owners to provide documentation from an engineer that it drains properly and the City should make sure it meets our current requirements.  Several council members voiced their agreement for this action.  The Mayor stated he would get with the owners and advise them of this information.

 

Attorney Gerard reported that he has prepared quitclaim deeds conveying portions of the Old Stagecoach Road to the Richard Meyer and Frank Oetgen families in exchange for receiving right-of-way deeds from those families for the new eighty foot (80’) wide road and he is waiting for these documents to be signed.

 

Mayor Rozier recognized Willard Phillips who was at tonight’s meeting to discuss execution of a proposed agreement with the City to allow him to dispose septic tank waste at the lift station.  The Mayor advised Mr. Phillips that the City had received a copy of a letter sent to Dennis Baxter, Pooler City’s Administrator, by John Winn, Pooler’s Sewer Superintendent, regarding Pooler’s policy of not accepting any sewer that comes from an unknown source (septic tank trucks) and/or unknown concentration of septic sewer at the Pooler/Bloomingdale treatment plant.  In Mr. Winn’s letter he points out that the style of treatment at the current plant is not set up to endure the strain of shock load from an unknown source, much less known sources since the plant is a nature system not one of mechanical control.  The Mayor informed Mr. Phillips that since Bloomingdale’s waste was treated at this facility, the City could not give him approval to dispose of the septic tank waste at the lift station, however, once the new system is up and running, there may be a possibility of reaching an agreement at that time.  Council was advised that a fee needed to be set for the loads that had already been disposed of at the lift station under the temporary agreement that was approved on April 3rd.  Councilman Myrick proposed a $60 per load fee since this would be less than both the City of Springfield and the City of Savannah; however, Mr. Phillips stated he felt this was too high.  Mr. Phillips stated he should only be charged the monthly residential fee for each load.  Councilman Ray pointed out that there was some additional time that would have to be charged to cover the cost for City workers to meet him at the lift station and wait for him to dispose of the septic tank waste.  Councilman Johnson asked Mr. Phillips if Springfield charged him the same rate as their residential rate and Mr. Phillips stated they had a flat rate, but since he was a resident of Bloomingdale he felt he should be given a price break.  The Mayor asked Mr. Phillips how much he felt he should be charged and Mr. Phillips stated he felt that $50 per load would be reasonable.  Councilman Waller made a motion to charge Mr. Phillips $50 per load for the loads that he has already disposed of at the lift station.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Mayor Rozier stated that he had talked with representatives from International Paper and they had advised him that their plans for presenting information to the county regarding Bloomingdale’s annexation of their property was going as planned, but they did not expect to make this presentation until September or October.

 

Councilman Tyler reported that he had received bids from three engineering firms to provide the engineering consulting services for a Comprehensive Storm Water Management Plan for the study, design and construction phase.  Councilman Tyler suggested the general services committee, along with Attorney Gerard, be allowed to review the bids and prepare a recommendation for a presentation to council at the next meeting.  Council agreed that this would probably be the best way to handle the bid review.  Councilman Tyler stated he would get with the committee members to set a date for the meeting and Attorney Gerard reminded Councilman Tyler that the committee meeting would have to be advertised.  Councilman Tyler advised Attorney Gerard he would provide him with a copy of the bids for him to review prior to the committee meeting.

 

Attorney Gerard advised council that he had obtained additional information regarding the drug screening services of Health Awareness Enterprises and Concentra.  Attorney Gerard pointed out that although Health Awareness Enterprises requires the execution of a contract, it is not an exclusive contract so we can also use Concentra.  After a brief discussion, Councilman Tyler made a motion to utilize the drug screening services of both companies.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.  Attorney Gerard stated that there have been recent U.S. and Georgia Supreme Court opinions which question whether a government’s random drug screening of all employees violates one’s right to be protected from illegal searches and seizures, so he suggested that the Mayor and Council reconsider their decision to implement random drug screening for all City employees and limit such random testing to those employees in safety-sensitive positions such as police officers and operators of heavy equipment.  After discussing his recommendation, Councilman Tyler made a motion to modify the substance abuse policy to limit random drug testing to those employees in safety-sensitive positions.  Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Councilman Johnson reported that Sharon Johnson had painted the storage containers at her place of business located at #1410 W. Hwy 80 and was in the process of obtaining the permit for the second container.

 

Mayor Rozier recognized Tommy Hunter, owner of Hunter Auto Repair, who had been subpoenaed to appear at tonight’s council meeting to address questions that have been raised about the business activity taking place at #6 E. Hwy 80.  The Mayor pointed out that vehicles had previously been parked on this property with “For Sale” signs on them, but no license had been issued for an auto/truck sales business.  Mr. Hunter stated that, at this time, there was no auto/truck sales business being operated from this location.  Mayor Rozier advised Mr. Hunter that this property is zoned C-1 and auto/truck sales are allowed only as a “conditional use” that must be approved by council prior to the issuance of an occupational license.  Mr. Hunter assured the council that he would seek approval from council before starting the business and hoped to have his application presented for the July 17th meeting.  Mr. Hunter was advised that in order to be placed on the July 17th agenda, his application must be submitted to the City Hall no later than Friday, July 11th.

 

Council was advised that Attorney Gerard had notified David Hicks that he had sixty (60) days to remove the mobile home located at #1301A East Hwy 80 since it is a non-conforming use in this R-1 zone and it has been vacant for over sixty (60) days. 

 

Councilman Tyler stated that after reviewing documents regarding the City limits of Bloomingdale, it was apparent that the bridge on Osteen Road at the Little Ogeechee Canal was not in the City of Bloomingdale and recommended that Attorney Gerard notify the county of the City’s findings.  Council agreed with his recommendation and Mayor Rozier asked Attorney Gerard to advise the county of the City’s position on this matter.

 

The Mayor recognized Councilman Ferman Tyler and his wife, Ginger, who had requested to be placed on tonight’s agenda to discuss the annexation request he submitted at the May 15, 2003 council meeting for their property located on Osteen Road.  Councilman Tyler stated that he had contacted the other citizens in the area regarding their interest in coming into the City and found that some were interested, but others indicated they had not considered the option before now.  Councilman Tyler asked for council to approve the annexation of his property and pointed out that the bridge at the Little Ogeechee Canal was not included in his request and should have no bearing on this issue.  Councilman Tyler reminded council that before the annexation could be finalized, the county would still have to give their approval.  Councilman Johnson suggested council wait until the annexations proposed by International Paper for areas to be incorporated into Bloomingdale and into the City of Savannah are approved by the county before addressing Councilman Tyler’s request.  Councilman Tyler stated that he did not want to wait until this issue was resolved because he was planning to fight the annexation of the International Paper property by the City of Savannah because he was opposed to it.  Councilman Wedincamp questioned why the City needed to wait on the Savannah/International Paper issue to be resolved before addressing Councilman Tyler’s request since both annexations would be creating islands in the City.  Councilman Johnson reminded council that if the Savannah/International Paper annexation was approved, the City had been assured of water and sewer services being run to the areas owned by International Paper proposed for annexation into Bloomingdale.  Mayor Rozier stated that if council approves the annexation of Councilman Tyler’s property it would give the City a starting place in that area and he felt additional annexations would follow.  Councilman Myrick stated that Councilman Tyler had addressed his questions about the annexation with the information he had obtained from the other property owners in the area and determining that the bridge on Osteen Road at the Little Ogeechee Canal was not in the City.  Councilman Tyler pointed out that the City would not incur any additional expense with the annexation of his property since we already answer many of the fire and police calls and the garbage service is already available.  Councilman Tyler also stated that he would be providing his own water and sewer service.  Mayor Rozier asked for a motion from council regarding the request for annexation.  Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the annexation as requested by Councilman Ferman Tyler of his property located on Osteen Road pending approval by Chatham County.  Councilman Wedincamp seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.  Councilman Tyler abstained from voting.  Attorney Gerard pointed out that the City would need to determine the zoning for this property and council agreed it should remain the same.  Attorney Gerard advised council that before the annexation was finalized, the property would still have to go through the City’s zoning process.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

 

Mayor Rozier presented a request from Alton & Barbara Griffin to obtain a permit to erect a metal building on their property located at #1111 East Hwy 80 for use as a garage/storage building.  The building will be 30’ wide x 60’ long x 12’ high.  Since the structure will be over 500 sq. ft. of enclosed area, council must approve issuance of the building permit.  Councilman Tyler asked where the building would be located on the property and Mr. Griffin informed him it would be behind the swimming pool.  Mr. Griffin stated that this would be an open building with no walls, but although his initial plans did not indicate there would be bathroom facilities, he has decided to install one in the building.  Councilman Tyler advised Mr. Griffin that since this was a separate structure, it would require the installation of a second grinder pump.  Mr. Griffin expressed concern about the additional cost and decided that based on this information, he would not install the bathroom at this time.  It was suggested that if Mr. Griffin wanted to prepare the foundation for the possibility of adding a bathroom in the future, this would be alright, but it would be with the stipulation that no fixtures would be installed without obtaining the second grinder pump and paying for the additional inspections required by the ordinance.  The Mayor reminded Mr. Griffin that the building could not be used for living quarters or overnight guests and Mr. Griffin stated he understood these stipulations.  Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve the issuance of the building permit requested by the Griffins for the garage/storage building with the stipulations outlined above.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

The council was advised the City has received a request for an occupational license for a BBQ take-out restaurant at #1304A Hwy 80 from Dennis Baxter.  Council was informed that the building that will house the restaurant was constructed on property owned by Randy Wood as an addition to his guitar shop and was approved by council in February, 2002.  When he made his request to council for the building permit, Mr. Wood mentioned that his future plans included renting one section of the building to another business, however, when he obtained the building permit he indicated it would be used as shop space.  Council was advised the property was zoned C-1 with a restaurant as a permitted use, but since there had been a change in the original building permit that was issued, council would need to authorize the issuance of the occupational license to Mr. Baxter at this location.  After a brief discussion, Councilman Tyler made a motion to issue the occupational license for the BBQ take-out restaurant as requested by Dennis Baxter at #1304A Hwy 80.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

The Mayor reported the City has received a request from Donna Paul Polk for permission to install a culvert along the unopened portion of Walnut Street so she can access the back of her property that is located at #205 Cherry Street.  Since the unopened portion of Walnut Street is not actually City property, questions were raised about issuing the permit for the installation of the culvert because the City may appear to be giving her permission to travel across private property to access the back of her lot.  Council discussed the request at length.  Attorney Gerard advised Ms. Polk that if the City approved the issuance of the permit for the installation of the driveway pipe, there would be no guarantee that she would be able to access the property by traveling on the unopened portion of Walnut Street.  Ms. Polk stated that she understood the City’s position on the matter, but felt that she could work something out with the adjoining property owners for access.  The Mayor pointed out that the driveway pipe would have to be installed by City crews at Ms. Polk’s expense and she stated she was willing to pay the cost of its installation.  Based on Ms. Polk’s understanding that issuance of the permit for the installation of the driveway pipe did not commit the City to guaranteeing her access to the back of her property, Councilman Johnson made a motion to issue said permit.  Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Council reviewed a request from VA Gattis for a refund of her $100 rental fee for use of the community building.  Ms. Gattis had rented the building for a birthday party for her mother, but due to family illness, the event was not held.  City policy requires a 30 day notice for a refund of the rental fee when someone cancels unless we are able to rent the building to another party, however, in this case, the City was not notified the building was not going to be used on the May 11th rental date until the following Wednesday, May 14th and could not have rented the building even if we had received an inquiry.  Mayor Rozier pointed out that council needs to decide whether or not the rental fee should be refunded since there was no prior notice that the building was not going to be used.  Although council members expressed their concern that there was no prior notice, they felt that the reasons for canceling the event were legitimate, so Councilman Waller made a motion to approve the refund.  Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

The Mayor presented a request for a recombination of two lots on Adams Road from Kenneth Wayne Brigdon, Sr.  These two lots are part of a minor subdivision approved by council in October, 2002.  The request is to enlarge Lot #2 from one acre to 1.96 acres thereby reducing the size of Lot #3 from 3.08 acres to 2.12 acres.  Both lots will still meet the City’s minimum lot size requirements and the Chatham County Health Department has approved the changes.  Council reviewed the plat as presented by Mr. Brigdon.  After a review of this information, Councilman Tyler made a motion to approve the recombination.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Citizen Wayne Dotti who lives at #503 Oak Street advised the Mayor and Council that he has some major drainage problems at his residence and wanted to find out if the City has any plans to look into correcting the problems.  Mr. Dotti pointed out that there used to be a ditch behind his property that helped with the drainage, but over a period of years the ditch has flattened out and is no longer as effective as it once was.  In addition to the reduced efficiency of the ditch, there have been fences and pools installed in its path and these are blocking the water flow.  Fett Burke, General Services Supervisor, pointed out that the ditch had been installed by the developer, Robbie Bland, to drain to the end of the property.  Mayor Rozier advised Mr. Dotti that he had driven around various streets in the City and found that some of the standing water came during times when the floodgates were closed, but when the tide changed and the gates opened, the water seems to drain very rapidly.  Mr. Dotti stated that his yard continues to hold water, even after heavy rains have ceased.  Council questioned whether or not there were easements in place for the ditch behind Mr. Dotti’s property but no one knew for sure.  Councilman Tyler pointed out that steps needed to be taken to obtain the necessary right of way to handle the maintenance of these type ditches if the neighbors were willing to provide them to the City.  Councilman Wedincamp asked Mr. Dotti if his neighbors would be agreeable to provide the access the City would need to do the drainage work and Mr. Dotti stated he felt sure they would since many of them were supposed to attend tonight’s meeting with him to present the problem to council.  Councilman Wedincamp advised Mr. Dotti that he would go back by his property to see what it would take to help with the problem until the City could begin implementing a drainage plan.  Councilman Johnson pointed out that even with a drainage plan we will still have problems as the City continues to grow.

 

Mr. Dotti advised council that he was concerned about the accuracy of the maps that had been provided to the “911” dispatchers because he had called twice last year with emergencies and the ambulance had problems finding his residence.  Roy Pike, Interim Chief, stated that Bloomingdale was one of the only municipalities that still responded when emergency calls went out through the “911” dispatcher and the officers usually were at the scene before the emergency vehicles.  He also stated that, when necessary, the officers would lead the emergency vehicles to the residence.  Mayor Rozier asked Interim Chief Pike to contact the county to make sure they had the most up-to-date information available for Bloomingdale.

 

Mayor Rozier reported that GMA is requesting that the council appoint Mayor James A. Neal, Chairman or Mayor Jay Powell, Vice Chairman as the City’s agent and proxy to attend the annual meeting of the membership of the Georgia Municipal Employees Benefit System, Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Fund and Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency to be held on Sunday, June 22, 2003 with full powers to vote on behalf of the City.  After a brief discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to make said appointments.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Council was advised that the clerk’s office has been contacted by the Property Tax Division of the Department of Revenue regarding the City’s millage rate for tax year 2003.  Once the rate has been set, council will need to authorize the Mayor to execute the appropriate paperwork to submit the information to both the State of Georgia and to the Chatham County Board of Assessors.  After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to set the millage rate for the City of Bloomingdale for 2003 to 10mils.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.  Councilman Waller made a motion to roll back the millage rate from 10 mils to zero.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.  Councilman Ray made a motion to submit this information to the State of Georgia and to the Chatham County Board of Assessors.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Mayor Rozier presented a request for the City’s financial participation in the Daimler-Chrysler Impact Analysis study that would be performed by the Coastal Georgia RDC.  The Mayor pointed out that a cash match of 25% of the cost must be provided by the participating agencies with Bloomingdale’s share being approximately $451.  Mayor Rozier suggested the monies be taken from his contingency fund since these monies were already in the budget.  After a brief discussion, Councilman Johnson made a motion to provide funds of up to $451 from the City of Bloomingdale to assist in the cost of the study.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

The council was advised the City has received notification from the Department of Community Affairs that they have determined the Short Term Work Program update of the Solid Waste Plan complies with the Minimum Standards and Procedures for solid waste management and council must approve a resolution adopting the Short Term Work Program.  Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the adoption of the Short Term Work Program, Councilman Wedincamp seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

The Mayor reported that he had been advised by MPC that the City’s proportionate share of the total program cost for the preparation of the 2003-2004 Annual Report for the City of Bloomingdale Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Discharge Permit (NPDES Permit) will be $9500.  The MPC will provide program administration, water quality analysis, and public education and outreach and report this information on our behalf to the EPD.  Mayor Rozier advised council that the City needed to authorize the inclusion of the $9500 fee in its 2003-2004 budget.  Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the $9500 fee and include it in the 2003-2004 budget.  Councilman Wedincamp seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Council was advised that the City’s current auditing firm, Whitfield & Butler, have notified the City that they will conduct the City’s audit for the year ended June 30, 2003 for a fee of $5060.  This is an increase of $460 over their fees for 2001 & 2002 with the main reason for the increase being additional audit reporting requirements mandated by the State of Georgia which requires more man hours to complete.  Councilman Waller made a motion to approve the proposal from Whitfield & Butler to conduct the City’s 2002/2003 audit for a fee of $5060.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Councilman Tyler reported that the water/sewer committee is recommending the City amend its grinder pump installation policy to require the use of a light/buzzer system that must be purchased from the City at a current cost of $299.  Councilman Tyler explained that this would provide a uniform system for all new construction since we currently had no control on exactly what type light or buzzer system was being used.  After discussing the matter, Councilman Tyler made a motion to amend the City’s policy to require the purchase of the light/buzzer system from the City for use on all construction using City sewer service permitted as of June 19, 2003.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Council reviewed a recommendation from the Bloomingdale Recreation Executive Board to renew the terms of Enid Cuffy, Melanie Burke and Drenda Randell with their terms to expire on June 30, 2006.  Councilman Ray made a motion to approve said renewals.  Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.  Council was advised that Brian Drescher did not want to remain on the board.

 

Council considered a recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission to renew the terms of Tommy Bragg and Glenda Key with their terms to expire on June 30, 2007.  Councilman Johnson made a motion to renew the terms as recommended, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Mayor Rozier recognized Wayne Tipton, Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, who advised council that the commission had heard a presentation from Arnold Goodstein of Summerville Homes regarding a possible residential development in the northwest portion of the Morgan Tract.  The presentation included a request for the commission’s consideration of the rezoning of the tract for this development and the reduction of the lot size requirement from 15,000 sq. ft. to approximately 8,000 sq.ft.  Mr. Tipton stated that they discussed greenspace and playground requirements as well as concerns about the impact this development could have on the availability of services to other parts of the City.

 

The Mayor advised council that a work session needed to be scheduled to begin preparation of the 2003-2004 budget.  Council agreed to hold the first work session on Monday, July 14th at 6:30pm.  Council was also advised that since the 2003-2004 budget will not be completed by July 1, 2003, they needed to approve a resolution authorizing the expenditures of funds needed to operate the City until its adoption.  Councilman Ray made a motion to approve said resolution, Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Mayor Rozier announced that the Bloomingdale Lion’s Club has invited Dr. Michael Zoller, a local Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist, to be the guest speaker at their June 26th meeting and the public is invited.

 

The Mayor also reminded everyone that the Annual “Patriotic Celebration” will be held on June 29, 2003 at Taylor Park from 6:00pm until 9:00pm.  Food will be provided by the Bloomingdale Recreation Department as a fund raiser. If it rains, the program will be moved to the Bloomingdale Alliance Church.

 

Councilman Johnny Myrick made a motion that council adjourn into executive session to discuss a personnel matter.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

A copy of the signed affidavit as required by the Open Meetings Law is attached.

 

After the executive session was completed, Councilman Tyler made a motion to return to the general session.  Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

Councilman Myrick reported that the names of the five (5) finalists for the police chief’s position had been released to the news media on June 11th and the City must wait at least fourteen (14) days from that date before appointing a chief.  Councilman Myrick made a motion that council hold a called meeting on June 25, 2003 at 6:00pm to discuss the appointment of the police chief.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Councilman Wedincamp advised council that he wanted to present to council some information regarding the possibility of leasing out the City’s garbage truck, but since matter was not on the agenda, he was advised that he needed approval from council to address the issue.  Attorney Gerard asked if this was an emergency situation and Councilman Wedincamp advised him that the person that wanted to lease the truck was in need of one right away and needed an answer tonight so he would know whether or not he would have to look for a truck somewhere else.  Based on this emergency situation, Councilman Wedincamp made a motion to add the discussion of this matter to the agenda.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.  Councilman Wedincamp introduced Barry Anderson with Waste Systems of Savannah who expressed his interested in leasing the 1995 Ford Garbage Truck from the City for use in his garbage business.  Mr. Anderson stated he had recently lost one of his trucks due to a fire and was in desperate need of a truck to use right way.  Council discussed this request at length.  Attorney Gerard pointed out that the City would need a release of liability on the vehicle while it was in his possession and would need to be named as additional insured on his insurance policy.  Council agreed that the City’s identification plaques should be covered or removed from the vehicle and that Mr. Anderson should be responsible for all repairs and maintenance of the vehicle during the lease period.  Councilman Wedincamp suggested the lease be on a month to month basis and the City would be able to terminate the agreement at anytime.  After additional discussion, it was agreed to lease the truck to Mr. Anderson for a fee of $750 per week with the details of the lease agreement to include all

of the stipulations outlined above as well as any other information deemed necessary by Attorney Gerard and the City.  Mr. Anderson stated that he would agree to these terms.  Councilman Wedincamp made a motion to approve the lease of the 1995 Ford Garbage Truck to Barry Anderson.  Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Councilman Tyler reported that the water/sewer committee had discussed the renewal of the uniform agreement with Cintas, but he wanted Attorney Gerard to review the document before its final approval.  Councilman Tyler stated that the only change in rates included about a 15 cents increase for the laborers with a $43 charge per employee to change from green uniforms to blue ones.  Councilman Tyler pointed out that the term of the agreement would be for three (3) years.  Since the current agreement does not expire until August, Councilman Tyler recommended council delay action on the agreement until Attorney Gerard has had an opportunity to review the document and council agreed.

 

Councilman Tyler announced that Engine 11 was out of service and he would present cost estimates for its repairs at the next meeting.

 

Councilman Tyler questioned whether or not we had received any information from Republic about their changing the logos on their garbage carts because there were several in the City with different markings and the maintenance department needed to know this information in order to spot carts that were not being leased through the City.  Mayor Rozier asked the clerk to contact Mr. Childers to find out what kind of carts were going to be placed in the City.

 

Councilman Tyler asked the clerk how many businesses were operating from the old trucking business on Highway 80 because it was his understanding that if another business opened in the second building they would have to install additional bathroom facilities.  The City Clerk reported that when this was discussed by council it was agreed that if anyone other than Mr. Joyner opened a business on the property another bathroom would have to be installed, but the occupational license applications submitted by Mr. Joyner all showed him as a partner in these businesses, so at this time, he was meeting the requirements outlined by council.

 

Councilman Tyler asked if the City was still requiring dumpsters at construction sites and was advised that this policy had not changed.  The Mayor asked him to provide Diane Proudfoot with the sites in question and she could check with the contractors to make sure the dumpsters were in place.

 

Councilman Tyler expressed his concern about the supervision of the community workers that were being sent to the City.  He stated that he had discovered that one of his part-time employees, who is also a City employee, was supervising workers at his place of business while she was working for him.  Councilman Tyler stated that when he was informed of this, he had advised her to immediately have them return to City Hall.  Councilman Myrick advised council that the supervision of these workers had been worked out through the police department with Interim Chief Pike and he did not understand why they would even be at City Hall without adequate supervision.  Interim Chief Pike stated that this was the first he had heard of this situation, but would check into the matter and make sure that the procedures that had been set up and approved were followed.

 

Councilman Tyler reported that at the request of several citizens, a training class will be held at the City Hall on Tuesday, July 1st at 7:00 pm to provide information regarding methamphetamine labs.  Interim Chief Pike stated this was the first he had heard of the class and asked who would be conducting it.  Councilman Tyler stated that CNT would be doing the training.

 

Mayor Rozier stated that he was planning to make a trip to Atlanta to discuss the City’s water situation with Governor Purdue and would like to be able to have a backup plan in place if he was not able to convince the Governor to help us to get our permit increased.  The Mayor wanted council’s approval to pursue a lawsuit against the EPD and asked Attorney Gerard if he would contact the attorney that handled Richmond Hill’s case to see if she was interested in handling one for Bloomingdale.  Attorney Gerard stated he would get this information and provide it to council at the next meeting.

 

Council reviewed the accounts payable.  Councilman Ray made a motion to pay the bills.  Councilman Johnson seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

 

Being no further business, Councilman Waller made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:35pm.  Councilman Tyler seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.

                                                                    

The Mayor and all council members were present at the meeting.