City Council Meeting
September 21, 2006
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Tipton with Councilman Strozier leading in prayer. The minutes of the August 17, 2006 meeting were reviewed with Councilman Myrick making a motion to approve the minutes. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the agenda of tonight’s meeting, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton recognized Joe Buck, a candidate for President of the Savannah-Chatham School Board, who outlined his qualifications and his platform. Mr. Buck stated that one of his goals would be to educate our students for jobs within the community and offer them hope for a brighter future.
The Mayor welcomed Julie Gerbsch to the meeting.
Councilman Myrick recognized Joe Young as the Citizen of the Month for his 30+ years of dedicated service to the Bloomingdale Recreation Department. Councilman Myrick thanked him, on behalf of the Mayor, Council and citizens, for helping to change the lives of many kids by his positive influence in our community sports programs.
Later in the meeting, Mayor Tipton introduced Douglas Andrews, a candidate for Recorders’ Court of Chatham County, who provided information on his background and qualifications for the position. Mr. Andrews stated that the court system must provide fair treatment to everyone and wanted to make sure that the citizens of the county had a choice in deciding the best person for this position.
OLD BUSINESS:
The Mayor reported that the City’s groundwater withdrawal permit had not yet arrived and he had not been able to contact EPD Director Carol Couch, but would continue to pursue a response from her on our request.
Councilman Myrick reported that the Mayor, members of the General Services Committee, elected officials and representatives with Thomas & Hutton Engineering had met with property owners concerning Phase I of the City’s Master Drainage Plan and the engineers were reviewing the comments from these citizens. Councilman Myrick pointed out that this option would provide immediate relief to the drainage problems of many of the City’s citizens.
Councilman Myrick advised council that the property owners at #242 & #256 Wallace Drive had cut their grass and moved some of the abandoned vehicles and felt they were making an effort to comply with the City’s directives. Councilman Myrick suggested we continue to monitor the situation and discuss their progress at the next meeting and council agreed with his suggestion.
Councilman Myrick asked Chief Gossett for a report on the business operation at #68 Cheyenne Road. The Chief stated that the department had been monitoring this situation and did not observe any vehicles coming or going from the property except those being driven by the occupants of the residence. Chief Gossett advised council that he did not feel there was a problem at this time, but would inform council if this changed in the future.
Mayor Tipton reported that with the passage of the SPLOST 2008-2013 referendum the City will be able to pursue some very important paving and drainage projects and thanked everyone for their support.
Council was advised that the City of Pooler has submitted executed copies of the revised water/sewer agreements between Bloomingdale and Pooler for service to the AMB site for Bloomingdale’s approval. Mayor Tipton stated that action on the agreement will be taken after the executive session.
Attorney Dickey stated he was working with EMC Engineering on the agreement for their firm to review the plans and oversee the AMB project on behalf of the City and should have this available at the next meeting.
The Mayor reported that the City had not received any additional information from Ellis Phillips regarding the subdivision on Moore & Hickory Streets and this matter would be tabled until he submitted the letter from his engineering verifying that the changes recommended by EMC in their letter dated January, 2005 had been completed. It was noted that once the letter has been submitted, our engineer will do a site inspection. Also, Mr. Phillips has to submit a $20,000 letter of credit and his final subdivision fees. Councilman Rawlings advised council that Mr. Phillips reported he had been getting bids for the paving work, but it had been too wet to do anything.
Councilman Myrick advised council that the problems with the overgrown conditions and the accumulation of debris in the back yard of the residence at #157 John Carter Road have been resolved.
Mayor Tipton reported that the City has received the contract from the Department of Transportation for the base and paving of Church & Lynn Streets. Councilman Ray made a motion to allow Mayor Tipton’s execution of the contract, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Council discussed the need to hold a public meeting to discuss the paving plans with those citizens living on Church Street and the meeting was scheduled for October 12, 2006 at 6:30pm.
The Mayor recognized Greg Caudell who had submitted a request on behalf of Don Paul Enterprises for the City to consider their rezoning request which was tabled at the July 20, 2006 meeting. The request was to rezone an 88± tract on the south side of U.S. Highway 80 between Jimmy Deloach Parkway and Stagecoach Road as a mixed use commercial development. The current zoning of the property is RA-1, Agricultural and the proposed zoning is C-1, Central Business District, approximately 400’ deep along the front and I-1, Intensive Industry, in the rear of the property. The rezoning request was recommended for approval to council at the July 20th meeting by the Planning & Zoning Commission. However, due to concerns by Chatham County that development of the property may interfere with Phase II of the Jimmy Deloach Parkway or the interchange at Highway 80 council tabled the request to allow the developers an opportunity to meet with Chatham County to resolve these issues. Mr. Caudell introduced Don Shaw who was also present at the meeting to discuss this request with council. Council discussed the request and some expressed concerns about the I-1 zoning district proposed for the rear of the property and the potential traffic problems that could occur with commercial traffic near the current intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and Jimmy Deloach Parkway. Council was assured that although there were three driveways currently existing for this property the plan would be to use the driveway located on the eastern end of the properties. Council was also advised that the developer would not have any problems with eliminating the I-1 zoning and changing it to a commercial district. Mr. Caudell stated that he would prefer a C-2 zoning district for the property in the rear with a C-1 zoning for the front 400’. It was noted that if the property was rezoned as C-1/C-2 with a PDOD (Planned Development Overlay District) zoning, the council would be assured that the traffic issues and development plans were addressed. The developers were advised that a PDOD zoning would require that development plans would have to be presented and approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Mayor and Council prior to the development of the site. Mr. Caudell asked if this type zoning would require that the rezoning request go back through the Planning & Zoning Commission and public hearing process and the Mayor asked Denise Grabowski for her input on this question. Ms. Grabowski stated that since this was a more restrictive zoning classification than the original request, she felt the Mayor and Council could approve the change, but the requirements of the PDOD zoning would still have to be met before the zoning was final. Attorney Dickey stated that the rezoning request would be “with conditions” that the development plans were presented and approved by both the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Mayor City Council. The Mayor recognized Commissioner Dean Kicklighter who stated that the plans show the development on the property at least 450’ from the requested area for the parkway and he was satisfied with the plan presented by the developer. Commissioner Kicklighter noted that although county staff may still have some questions about the plan, in his opinion, it was alright. Commissioner Kicklighter stated that his concern was the protecting of the interest of property owners and would push the county to make a move towards finalizing their plans for the development of this area. After additional discussion, Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the rezoning “with conditions” of the 88± tract on the south side of U.S. Highway 80 between Jimmy Deloach Parkway and Stagecoach Road as a mixed use commercial development with a C-1/PDOD zoning approximately 400’ deep along the front and C-2/PDOD zoning for the rear of the property. The motion was seconded by Councilman Ray and passed with five affirmative votes.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mayor Tipton opened the bids from engineering firms for the design work for Stagecoach Road. Bids were received from Thomas & Hutton Engineering, Stephenson & Palmer Engineering, and EMC Engineering. The Mayor stated that the bids would be submitted to Attorney Dickey for his review and recommendation to the General Services Committee with this information to be presented at the next meeting.
The Mayor opened and presented to council the bids for surplus items advertised for sale by the City. After reviewing the bids that were submitted, the following action was taken by council:
1) 1973 Plymouth Barracuda - $15,001 submitted by Valli Gapac – Councilman Strozier made a motion to accept the bid, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
2) 1988 Honda Accord - $125 submitted by Mike Collins – Councilman Ray made a motion to accept the bid, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
3) 1988 Chevrolet Camaro - $125 submitted by James Sikes – Councilman Ray made a motion to accept the bid, Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
4) 1993 Chrysler Concorde - $750 submitted by Sidney Williams – Councilman Strozier made a motion to accept the bid, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
5) 1995 Ford Econoline Van - $125 submitted by Sidney Williams – Councilman Myrick made a motion to accept the bid, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
6) 28’ Marathon 5th Wheel – no bid
7) Badger Yamaha 800 CM3- 4-wheeler – no bid
8) Loco-Motion Mud Buggy w/trailer - $300 submitted by James Sikes – Councilman Ray made a motion to accept the bid, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
After a brief discussion, Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the acceptance of the next highest bid on these surplus items, provided the minimum bid is met, if the highest bidder did not purchase them within the required length of time. Councilman Myrick seconded this motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Ray made a motion to re-bid item #’s 6 & 7 with a minimum bid of $25 each or a minimum bid of any fees required by the DA’s office (whichever is higher) and the motion was seconded by Councilman Rawlings. The motion passed with five affirmative votes.
Council discussed a request submitted to the City by Louis Diaz, General Manager of Republic Waste Services of Savannah, for a six-month extension of the 4% fuel charge that was added as an addendum to the Residential Solid Waste Services, Collection and Disposal Contract between the City and Republic Waste in November, 2005 and renewed in April, 2006. The proposed extension would be effective October 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007. Council was advised that Steve Hart was present at tonight’s meeting to discuss this request with council. Councilman Myrick stated that although the City has had some recent problems with the garbage service, he felt that positive steps have been taken to handle these problems. Mr. Hart assured him that Republic will stay on top of these situations in the future. Citizen Denise Dixon stated that she lived at #1205B Highway 80 and her garbage has not been picked up in a couple of weeks. Mr. Hart stated that he would see that her garbage was collected tomorrow morning. Councilwoman Winn stated that she had no objections to an extension of the fuel charge, but did not want to see the recent problems we have had to continue. Mr. Hart stated that with the addition of another truck on this route and sometime three trucks assigned to Bloomingdale, he felt service would improve. After this discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve a six-month extension of the 4% fuel charge to be effective October 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor recognized Marie McElroy who presented council with concerns related to the drainage problems at her home on Ash Street and in the surrounding areas. Mrs. Slater also stated that she is having problems at her residence as well. Councilman Myrick advised them that council is working diligently on a Master Drainage Plan for the City and implementation of Phase 1 of the plan should begin the end of this year or the first of next year. Councilman Myrick asked Fett Burke to meet with him to look at the drainage in this area to see if there was anything that could be done to give some immediate relief.
Council was informed that the City has received the following requests for home occupation licenses and they have the option to waive the public hearings:
1) Mark Waller is requesting a license to operate a home construction business from his residence located at #225 Adams Road. The business will have two employees and there will be no outside traffic related to the business coming to the residence. Since Mark Waller was not present at the meeting to discuss the license with council, Councilman Myrick made a motion to table the request until the next meeting. Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
2) Denise Dixon is requesting a license to operate a fence company from her residence located at #1205B Highway 80. There will be two employees, but no outside traffic related to the business coming to the residence. Councilman Strozier asked if this was the same type business she had operated in the past and she stated that it was, but she had failed to renew the license in a timely manner. Councilman Myrick made a motion to waive the public hearing requirement and issue the license, Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
3) Denise Dixon and Mark Faulk are requesting a license to operate a patio/deck construction business from their residence located at #1205B Highway 80. The business will have two employees, but no outside traffic related to the business coming to the residence. After a brief discussion, Councilman Strozier made a motion to waive the public hearing requirement and issue the license, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton stated that the Department of Transportation had submitted for council’s consideration a proposed list of roadways for the Speed Ordinance in the City of Bloomingdale and a copy of this request was submitted to Chief Gossett for his review and confirmation that the information is correct. Chief Gossett reported that the ordinance was in order. The clerk noted one change that will need to be made is in the spelling of “Cregor” Street. After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the first reading of the Speed Ordinance with the change in the spelling of Cregor Street. Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Strozier made a motion to dispense with the second reading of the ordinance, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Strozier made a motion to adopt the Speed Ordinance with the corrected spelling of Cregor Street, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was advised that a request had been submitted by John Humphries on behalf of the Richard T. Turner Lodge for their consideration in the waiving of the building permit fees for the construction of a new lodge on property donated by H.B. Waller located at #705 Bloomingdale Road. The building inspector has agreed to do the inspections at no charge which would leave a balance of $35.00 due to the City. Councilman Strozier made a motion to waive the building permit fees, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. It was noted that the lodge would be required to meet the site plan requirements and building codes for the structure as required by City Ordinance.
Mayor Tipton presented a request for a well permit from the Richard T. Turner Lodge at #705 Bloomingdale Road. Although there is no City water service available at this location, City Ordinance requires the approval from council for the issuance of individual well permits within the City. Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the issuance of a well permit provided they met the ordinance requirements, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
City Council was informed that the Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department has requested the use of the Bloomingdale Community Building for October 9, 2006 for their rotational hosting of the Chatham County Fire Chief’s Association’s quarterly meeting. They are also requesting consideration of the waiving of any fees associated with the use of the building. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm and include a meal. The Mayor and Council are invited to attend. It was noted that Councilman Rawlings had made arrangements to hold the Historic Society meeting at the City Hall on October 9th to allow the fire department use of the building. Councilman Myrick made a motion to allow the Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department use of the Community Building at no charge provided the fire department assumes responsibility for the cleaning of the building after they use it. Councilman Rawlings seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council discussed a request from Mayor Tipton to approve the distribution of his yearly compensation for FY 2006/2007 in the amount of $3,000 to the Bloomingdale Community Benevolent Fund. The City’s auditing firm has advised us that this needed to be approved by council each fiscal year. Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the Mayor’s request, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor reported that the City has received a request from GMA to participate in the Mayors’ Annual Christmas Motorcade by providing gifts to the Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah. The City has been donating $200 in gifts for this program for several years. Councilman Ray made a motion that we participate in this program with $200 in gifts to Georgia Regional Hospital, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton requested that after the October 15, 2006 deadline for submission of applications for the City Administrator’s position that the Personnel Committee review said applications and narrow down the applicants for consideration by council. Councilman Ray made a motion to approve this process for the review of applications, Councilman Rawlings seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Councilman Rawlings provided the following recommendations/reports from the Planning & Zoning Commission’s September 19, 2006 meeting. Councilman Rawlings reported that the rezoning requests from Jessie Kujawa and Herbert Black had been tabled until the October 17, 2006 meeting and a public hearing will be held on October 17th at 7:00pm to receive citizen input on a rezoning request from Ruth Stephens. Council was advised that a workshop will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 to discuss proposed changes to the sign ordinance.
Mayor Tipton advised council that he is requesting consideration in designating U.S. Highway 80 as a Commercial Zoning District. The Mayor recognized Denise Grabowski, the City’s zoning consultant, who explained that by designating Hwy 80 as a Commercial Planned Development Overlay District, it would make the rezoning of individual properties much easier and would allow, with some restrictions, commercial development of this main corridor through the City. Mayor Tipton stated that the City is getting more requests for the development of Hwy 80 as commercial properties and if we can put this zoning in place it will allow the City more control over the developments. Citizen Bobby Thompson asked some questions regarding the zoning of his property that took place about 30 years ago, but Mayor Tipton advised him that he did not have specific details about this matter. It was noted that the City went through a comprehensive zoning a few years after it incorporated in 1974 and public hearings were conducted prior to approval of the plan. The zoning of most of the properties along Highway 80 was consistent with their usage at that time. After discussion of the Mayor’s request, Councilman Rawlings made a motion to start the process of designating Highway 80 as a Commercial Planned Development Overlay District, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was informed that the billing for the Occupational Taxes is normally mailed out in December for the upcoming calendar year and if council is considering a change in the rates, there must be a public hearing prior to the approval of the change. The Mayor asked the Planning & Licensing Committee to review our current rates and bring a recommendation to council regarding any changes. Councilman Rawlings asked that a meeting of the committee be held as soon as possible and one was scheduled for October 12, 2006 at 5:30pm.
Mayor Tipton stated that Attorney Dickey has provided documents to the Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department on the transfer of property to the City, but there has been no response from the Board of Fire Commissioners on execution of the paperwork.
Mayor Tipton submitted a request for council’s approval to reimburse the payment of water/sewer reconnection fees totaling $40.00 paid by Geary Lewis for his residence at #408 E. Moore Street from the Mayor’s Contingency Fund for FY 2006/2007. Mr. Lewis is in the military and had the services disconnected when he left to go overseas. Councilman Rawlings made a motion to reimburse these monies to Mr. Lewis, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Council was advised that a request has been submitted by Joey Jones to construct a machine shop on his property located at #803 Bloomingdale Rd. The shop will be an extension of the business he currently operates from #801 Bloomingdale Rd.; however, since a machine shop is a “conditional use” in a C-2 zone, council must approve the issuance of the permit. Councilman Strozier asked if the buildings would be connected and Mr. Jones stated that there would probably be a fork-lift runway between the two buildings. Being no further discussion, Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the “conditional use” permit for Joey Jones at #803 Bloomingdale Road and to issue the building permit once he has submitted the items required by the City. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Councilman Ray made a motion to adjourn into executive session for attorney/client issues, land acquisition discussion, litigation and personnel issues. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. After completion of the executive session, Councilman Ray made a motion to return to the general session, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Ray made a motion to execute the affidavit as required by the Open Meetings Law, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. A copy of the signed affidavit is attached to the original minutes.
Councilman Ray made a motion to execute the revised water/sewer agreements as presented by the City of Pooler between Bloomingdale and Pooler for service to the AMB site. Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
After a brief discussion, a budget workshop was scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 6:30pm.
Mayor Tipton reported that this concluded the items presented prior to the council agenda deadline of Friday, September 15, 2006.
There were no committee reports.
After a review of the accounts payable, Councilman Ray made a motion to pay the bills, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Being no further business, Councilman Myrick made a motion to adjourn at 9:45pm, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Jones, City Clerk
Mayor Tipton and Councilmembers Myrick, Rawlings, Ray, Strozier and Winn were present at the meeting.