Official Minutes of Council Meeting August 20, 2009
approved by City Council 9-17-09
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Tipton with Councilman Ray leading in prayer. Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the adoption of the draft copy of the minutes of the July 16, 2009 council meeting with no changes, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes. Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the agenda of the August 20, 2009 council meeting. Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Under administrative and committee reports, Councilman Myrick stated that the dirt at Taylor Park for the new ball field had been spread and plans were being drawn for additional bathroom facilities at the park. Councilman Strozier reported that the sewer department was reporting problems with excessive grease going into the grinder pumps and in the last couple of weeks some sewer lines and grinder cores had to be replaced. Councilman Strozier noted that previous newsletters had included warnings about pouring grease down drains, but the problem was still occurring. After a brief discussion, Attorney Dickey was asked to look into preparing an ordinance that would allow for the recovery of expenses related to this type situation that would include residential and commercial structures. Councilman Rawlings expressed his appreciation to Bobby Oglesby for his help on the new field at Taylor Park. Mayor Tipton also thank Mr. Oglesby for his work and reported that plans were underway to update the scrubber system for odor control at the lift station.
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Tipton stated that work was underway on the proposed FY 2009-2010 budget, and the projected adoption date was September 17, 2009. It was noted, however, that if any delays should occur in the process, the adoption of the budget might need to be extended until October 15, 2009. After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to allow for the extension of the adoption date to October 15, 2009, if necessary, and to hold a public hearing for citizen input on the proposed budget on September 10, 2009 at 6:00pm. Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Mayor submitted a request from Crossroads Construction, Inc. for payment for the clearing/grading work performed at Taylor Park for the baseball/softball field. Mayor Tipton pointed out that the payment request was $12,533 and was approximately $700 less than the original estimate. It was noted that this project is being funded from the 2003/2008 SPLOST monies. Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve payment of the $12,533 as requested, Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton recognized Pastor Mark Minter of the Bloomingdale Fellowship Church of God of Prophesy who presented a request for the approval of the placement of a modular unit on their property located at #1501 E. Highway 80 to be used for their children’s ministry. Pastor Minter stated that Colonial Gas had donated the unit to the church and he explained that they planned to place it on a permanent foundation, install siding on the unit, and make it handicap accessible. Mayor Tipton advised the pastor that the zoning of the church property did not allow for this type structure and the Mayor asked council if they felt the matter should be passed on to the planner. Several councilmembers agreed that since the property was not zoned for this type construction there was really no need to send this to the planner and it was noted that if the City made an exception for the church, there could be problems denying other requests in the future. During the discussion, it was also pointed out that since there would be children using the building, the safety codes would require the installation of sprinklers. David Swain, a member of the church, advised Pastor Minter that with the costs involved for the units compliance with building codes it would probably be more economical to construct a building on site to meet the needs of the church. After this information was discussed with other church members present at the meeting, Pastor Mark Minter advised council that the church was withdrawing their request for the placement of the modular unit on the church property. Pastor Minter thanked the Mayor and Council for their time and the church being allowed to address them on this issue.
Kalawatie Bhimull submitted a request for the issuance of a well permit for his property located at #306 Conaway Road. Council was advised that the City does not supply water service to this portion of Conaway Road. After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the issuance of the well permit, Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton presented a request from Scott Ballard, Manager of Arrow Exterminators, Inc. for council’s approval for the issuance of an occupational license to operate the office of his business at #103 E. Highway 80. Mr. Ballard is also seeking permission to place an 8’ x 10’ portable storage building on the property for the lock up and storage of the chemicals used in the business. Mr. Ballard stated that his company had operated this type business in Savannah for about 10 years and they felt that putting a location in the Bloomingdale area would provide better access to their customers. Mr. Ballard assured council that their operation meets all state regulations in regards to the handling and storage of the chemicals. Council was advised that copies of his records would be provided to Fire Chief Tyler as required by the state. After this discussion, Councilwoman Winn made a motion to approve the issuance of the occupational license for the exterminating business to operate from #103 E. Highway 80, Councilman Strozier seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Council discussed a request from Mike Wedincamp for an extension of the temporary permit for the operation of the open-air produce stand at Jimmy Deloach & Highway 80. Councilman Myrick asked if Mr. Wedincamp was going to continue the sale of the produce through the end of the year and Mr. Wedincamp advised him that those were his plans. Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the extension of the temporary permit for the open-air produce stand for the sale of fruits and vegetables until December 31, 2009. Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton submitted a request on behalf of the developers for the acceptance of the lift station, acreage, and easements serving the New Hampstead project off Little Neck Road. After a brief discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the acceptance of the items as requested, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
City Council discussed the approval of a $5.00 increase, per inspection, in the fees paid to the inspector for building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical inspections retroactive to July 1, 2009 with the cost to be covered by an increase in the cost of building permits. It was noted that the inspector had not received an increase since the late 1990’s. After a brief discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve the $5.00 increase as outlined above retroactive to July 1, 2009. Councilwoman Winn seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Councilwoman Winn presented a proposed design for the Veterans’ Memorial to be constructed on the City-owned property located at the corner of Cherry Street and U.S. Highway 80. Ms. Winn stated that the memorial would be in the shape of a pentagon with recognition of all branches of the military on the sides of the monument. The names of local citizens serving in each branch of the military and those killed in action would also be included on the monument. Ms. Winn advised council that she wanted to get approval of the proposed design before securing prices. After a brief discussion, Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the proposed design, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
The Mayor presented a request from Bobby Oglesby for the issuance of a clearing, grubbing & grading land disturbing permit for Phase I of the subdivision on Stagecoach Road prior to the submission of the plat to the planning commission. It was noted that although the developer had received a copy of the approval of the LDA from the state, the City has not yet received the notice. After discussion of the request, Councilman Strozier made a motion to approve the issuance of the LDA provided the City receives its copy of the state’s approval letter prior to the issuance of the permit. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Councilman Myrick made a motion to adjourn into executive session for the discussion of land acquisition with Councilman Ray seconding the motion. The motion passed with six affirmative votes.
At the conclusion of the executive session, Councilwoman Winn made a motion to return to the general session and execute the signed affidavit as required by the Open Meetings Act. Councilman Waller seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
The accounts payable were reviewed with Councilman Ray making a motion to pay the bills. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Being no further business, Councilman Waller made a motion to adjourn at 8:15pm. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with six affirmative votes.
Submitted by City Clerk, Sandra Jones
Mayor Tipton and all councilmembers were present at the meeting.
Note: Section § 50-14-1 of the Official Code of the State of Georgia Annotated requires that the minutes shall, as a minimum, include a description of each motion or other proposal made, and a record of all votes. These minutes meet the minimum requirements. However, in an attempt to provide as much information as possible to the citizens, the recording clerk has included additional background data and discussion on the subjects presented to council. The statements of individuals are not verbatim and may be summary in nature.