HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION AGENDA

April 23^rd, 2018

The April Work Session Meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall Upstairs Training Room

1. Call to order
   • Invocation – Kris Berrong
   • Mayor’s Introductions of Guests and Announcements
   • Motion to Adopt Final Agenda as Distributed.
   • Taylor Cornett – Towns County Speech Winner

2. Old Business
   • Mayor’s Report
   • Serv-Line Wrap up – Approval at CCM
   • Clean Sweep 
   • Receipt of Minutes from April CCM – Approval at May 1^stCCM
   • New Tree Ordinance – Approval at CCM
   • New Pay Scale Newspaper process

3. Police Department Report 
4. New Business
   • Ordinance for Employee Retirement Contribution
   • Property Tax Collection
   • Climate Control 
   • February Financials – Approval at CCM
   • Contract for probation Service – Approval at CCM
   • GA Surplus Property Application – Approval at CCM
   • Consent Agenda
   • Dates for Work Session in May – May 21^st–Tour of ORJ

5. Motion to Adjourn

HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION

Minutes
April 23^rd, 2018

The April Work Session Meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Liz Ordiales. Present in addition to Mayor Liz, were City Council Members Anne Mitchell, Kris Berrong, Amy Barrett, Nancy Noblet and Patsy Owens.  Also present were City Attorney Thomas Mitchell, Police Chief Paul Smith and City Clerk Bonnie Kendrick.

Council Member Kris Berrong gave the invocation which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Mayor Liz welcomed back Liz and Joe Ruf who have been traveling.

Motion to amend the final agenda to include the receipt of the revised minutes of the March 23rd Work Session and remove Taylor Cornett’s speech was made by Anne Mitchell and seconded by Nancy Noblet. Taylor was not able to attend the meeting because the Towns County Girls Soccer Team is at the State Competition.

Old Business:

Mayor’s Report included new features on the City website (Citizen Complaint form and Calendar of Events) and the Rotary sponsored Meals of Hope.  The Meals of Hope will prepare 50,000 meals for Towns County citizens in need through the Food Pantry.  When the Rotary Club found that 48% of the students at Towns County Schools are on the free or reduce lunch program, they stepped up to fund Meals of Hope which will assist our community over the summer months when school is not in session. Mayor Liz encouraged the community to help package those meals at the Towns County Recreation and Conference Center on Saturday, April 28^thfrom 9:00am – noon.

Also included in the Mayor’s Report; the UGA Small Business forum is forming to help and support business owners in the community.  Email will be going out to business owners shortly. CourtWare training took place at City Hall and 6 hour Flagging Training will be attended by the Water Department.

Four 501©3 non-profits qualify for the new charge code designation. These non-profits will see a 40% reduction in their monthly water/sewer bill.

Mayor Liz is asking for help with the float for the parade on July 20^thand announced that the City of Hiawassee is a destination on the Tour of Honor map.  The fire hydrants in the city are going to be painted and when the City flushes the hydrants, they will wrap the bonnet with a reflective, colored tape that will indicate the gallons/minute (Blue [highest], green, orange, or red [lowest]). Magnolia Senior Living has erected a sign near where they will be building a facility (near the Dollar General in Young Harris).  Because Magnolia was building a facility that would use the City’s wastewater system, we were able to get a $600,000 grant for the Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion.  

Mayor Liz also handed out the list of Music on the Square talent we will see this summer and updated the Council on the progress of “Flicks on the Square”.  There will be a $3000. Investment (rear projection, speakers and Blue Ray player), and the rights to play the movies will cost $250 - $350, depending on the movie chosen.  Mayor Liz is hopeful that the movie cost may be sponsored by businesses or individuals.

The Strategic Planning group will meet again on May 16^th.  This group is working with GMA/UGA to define what the City of Hiawassee wants to be – so far, the consensus is we do not want to be Asheville, Helen, or Gatlinburg.

Chief Paul Smith gave the Council an update on Project Car Seat, a 3 day training that Officer Jordan Guffey attended, the newspaper ads for the Mayor/Council pay scale and the City Hall Office hours is currently running.  Mayor Liz gave an update of the tour, she and Wastewater Treatment Plant operator Clint Royce attended of the city of Jefferson Wastewater Treatment Plant.

It is will regret that the tree on the Square next to the Appalachian Trail sign will be taken down next week.  The tree is decaying from the inside and is becoming a liability.  

Mayor Liz will be representing the City of Hiawassee as the 3^rdVice President of GMA and the City has hired Jordan Lingerfelt in the Water Department working with Carl Grizzle and Ryan Osborn.

In other old business, Serv-Line Insurance contract approval will be voted on at the May 1^stCouncil meeting next week ($1.80/month residential; $2.50/month commercial), Clean Sweep was approximately 40 bags of trash off the City streets.  Council will be voting on the minutes of the April Council meeting as well as the March 23^rdrevised Work Session minutes and the new Tree Ordinance.

Chief Paul Smith gave the police report for March.  Drug arrests are down and, at a citizen question, the Chief indicated that there is no data to suggest any difference in break ins as there is very little of that type of crime in the City.

New Business:

In New Business, Mayor Liz is working on an Employee Retirement Contribution ordinance and has requested quotes from Raymond James, Edward Jones, and GMA on a 3% City Match to Employee contribution plan.

A discrepancy was found in the property tax collection while reviewing maps used to locate water lines, values, meters, pumps, etc., where some City properties were not being assess the City tax. Mayor Liz is working with Bruce Roger, Tax Collector’s office to collect on those properties identified for the 2017 year. Mayor Liz informed the Council that she owns one of the properties identified was owned jointly with her sister and that she will be paying for the 3 years back taxes that City Attorney Mitchell indicates we have the right to collect.

Climate Control is a topic close to the heart of Vernon Dixon, MD who paid a visit to Mayor Liz to enlist her help.  At this time the Mayor’s office is unable to assist Dr. Dixon but encouraged any of the Council who felt so moved to contact him.

February Financials approval will be voted on next week at the City Council Meeting as well as the Contract for Probation Services and the Georgia Surplus Property application.

City Clerk, Bonnie Kendrick presented a request to consider using a consent agenda for Council meetings in order to streamline the process of voting on routine, non-contentious items such as the monthly financials and meeting minutes for the prior month’s Council meeting and the prior week’s Work Session minutes.  However, it is important for the Council to know that ANY item can be removed from the consent agenda and will be voted on separately. Attorney Thomas Mitchell recommended the use of the consent agenda because the Hiawassee Council uses the work session for much of the discussion needed.  

Because the date for the May Work Session would normally fall on Memorial Day, the Work Session will be held on May 21^st. The Mayor has arranged a tour of Old Rock Jail which is scheduled to open on May 19^th. The tour will begin at 5:30 pm and the City Council Work Session will begin in the City Hall Training Room after the tour.

Darryl Rich announced that on June 16, 2018 at 8:30am, the Stand for the Flag, Kneel for God ride will assemble on the Square to begin their 48 mile escorted ride.   

Motion to adjourn was made by Anne Mitchell, seconded by Patsy Owens, with all Council in favor.  Meeting adjourned at 7:04 pm.