Called Council Meeting
August 9, 2006
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Tipton with Councilman Ray leading in prayer.
Councilman Strozier reported that Harry Jue with the City of Savannah had contacted him regarding the proposed water/sewer maintenance agreement between Bloomingdale and Savannah for areas south of I-16 as discussed in the meeting held several weeks ago. After reviewing a similar agreement with Effingham County, Mr. Jue determined that it was much more complicated and detailed than he felt Bloomingdale or Savannah would want to consider. Mr. Jue suggested that a general agreement to provide their assistance in times of emergency, similar to a mutual aid agreement, be prepared for execution by both cities. This type agreement would allow us to install meters and make minor repairs, but if a major problem occurs we could call on assistance from Savannah. Attorney Dickey stated that he was familiar with the Effingham County agreement and he did not feel Bloomingdale would want a similar one with Savannah. Council agreed to proceed with a mutual aid type agreement with the City of Savannah regarding water/sewer maintenance issues for areas south of I-16.
Mayor Tipton reported that the Planning & Zoning Commission currently has one regular member vacancy and two alternate member vacancies and based on the lack of attendance by some of the current members, he felt we should proceed with appointments for these positions. Councilman Rawlings reported that he had received a request from Susan Kendryna several weeks ago to be considered for a position on the Planning & Zoning Commission and he would like to have her appointed as a regular member to fill the vacancy due to the resignation of Tiffanie Deal. It was noted that requests had also been made by Buddy Wellmaker and Randy Slater to serve on the commission and Councilman Rawlings had suggested Tony Clements. Councilman Strozier expressed a desire, as a Planning & Licensing Committee member, to meet with prospective members to get to know them a little better and find out their ideas about the City’s potential growth as well as to discuss with them their role as commission members. Councilman Strozier indicated that he felt this should be done prior to their appointment to the commission. Councilman Myrick also expressed a desire to meet with prospective members and stated that he planned to get more involved in the commission meetings. Councilman Strozier stated that he also planned to start attending the meetings on a regular basis. Mayor Tipton stated that he had read Ms. Kendryna resume and talked with her about her desire to serve on the board and would like to see the council proceed with her appointment as soon as possible, if not tonight, at least by the next meeting. Councilman Rawlings advised council that he felt the current members needed to receive more training. The Mayor asked if anyone had expressed a desire to pursue training and Councilman Rawlings stated that they did not know if there were any funds available. Mayor Tipton asked if he had recommended anyone to attend and Councilman Rawlings stated that he had attended some training, but had not requested funding for any other members. Councilman Ray stated that he would like for the committee members to have an opportunity to meet with the prospective members and make a recommendation back to council. The Mayor stated that he felt the meeting should be set up as soon as possible. Councilman Rawlings asked that the office staff take care of scheduling the meetings and notifying the applicants and he stated that he would be available on Tuesdays. It was noted that although the Planning & Zoning Commission meets next Tuesday, the committee could meet with the potential members at 6:30pm. After continued discussion on this issue and indications from the Mayor that the regular position needed to be filled before the next Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, Councilman Myrick made a motion to appoint Susan Kendryna to the commission. Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Councilman Myrick expressed his concerns about proceeding with the request for bids on the design phase of Stagecoach Road without knowing if funds were going to be available to do the paving work. Councilman Myrick stated that since the referendum was scheduled for September 19th on SPLOST he wondered if we should wait until we knew the results of the vote before proceeding with the bids. Mayor Tipton stated that until we had the design plans we would not be able to get prices and felt we should proceed with this phase so we could find out the estimated cost. The clerk was instructed to proceed with the advertisement for bids on the engineering costs for the design phase only of Stagecoach Rd.
Mayor Tipton advised council that the City needed to finalize their list of capital projects, in order of priority, to be included in the resolution and intergovernmental agreements for the upcoming SPLOST referendum. Council was advised that Bloomingdale had been allotted $3,000,000 for their local projects, but were reminded that the City must be prepared to fund projects as included in these agreements even if there should be a shortfall in SPLOST collections. After a brief discussion, council agreed to the following list: 1) Drainage; 2) Local Street Improvements; 3) Public Safety Projects; and 4) Other capital projects included in the City’s approved CIP plan. Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the submission of this information to Chatham County, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Councilman Ray made a motion to adjourn into executive session to discuss the possibility of future land acquisition, possible litigation and for attorney/client discussions. Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes. After the conclusion of the executive session, Councilman Ray made a motion to return to the general session, Councilman Waller seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes. Councilwoman Winn made a motion to approve the execution of the affidavit as required by the Open Meetings Law, Councilman Rawlings seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes. A copy of the signed affidavit is attached to the original minutes.
Being no further business, Councilman Waller made a motion to adjourn at 9:00pm. Councilman Rawlings seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton and all council members were present at the meeting.