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HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION AGENDA
July 27th, 2020
The July Work Session Meeting will be held at 6:00 pm in the Upstairs Training Room at City Hall
1. Call to order
1.1 Invocation – Amy Barrett
1.2 Pledge of Allegiance
1.3 Mayor’s Introductions of Guests and Announcements
1.4 Approve the Agenda as distributed
2. Old Busines
2.1 Mayor’s Report
3. New Business
3.1 Ethics Committee Appointment – Al Fickle
3.2 Container Home discussion
3.3 Moratorium Extension
3.4 Alcohol Ordinance Update
3.5 Consent Agenda
3.5.1.1 Minutes from the July 7th City Council Meeting
3.5.1.2 Minutes from July 27th Work Session
3.5.1.3 May Financials (Not available as of today)
4. Police Report
5. Economic Development Update
6. Executive Session
7. Adjournment
HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION MINUTES
July 27th, 2020
The July Work Session Meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm in the Upstairs Training Room at City Hall by Mayor Liz Ordiales. Present in addition to the Mayor were Council member Anne Mitchell, Patsy Owens, Amy Barrett, Jay Chastain, and Nancy Noblet. Staff present were Economic Development Director Denise McKay, Police Chief Paul Smith, and City Clerk Bonnie Kendrick. Also present was City Attorney Thomas Mitchell.
The Invocation was given by Councilmember Amy Barrett and was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. There were no guests and no announcements.
Motion to approve the agenda as distributed by made by Councilmember Amy Barrett, seconded by Councilmember Jay Chastain with all in favor.
In Old Business, the Mayor presented her report which included information on the COVID-19 statistics (Towns County has 101 positive tests but still only one death, Union County has 176 with 6 deaths). The Mayor has closed City Hall to the public; however, the staff is still working, and we will take appointments as needed. Postings on the door direct those needing entrance to call the office. She is also encouraging the use of the bank draft option for water bills as there is no contact. The draft comes directly out of the customer's account and is applied to the account – there is no manual entry. The state has implemented a new initiative “I’m In”. It is a safety promise – more info can be found at GeorgiaSafetyPromise.com.
Billing Technician Marta Izquierdo and Meter Reader Tim Grader have done an excellent job with the high usage reports – this month there were 29 on the report and 9 legitimate leaks. The Bell Creek Road leak was exceptionally large – approximately 220,000 gallons. ServLine Insurance continues to pay the difference in the average monthly charge and the total cost for these leaks.
The new truck for the Water Department has arrived and is has the City logo. Carl Grizzle, water superintendent is the current driver of the vehicle. The storms this year have been very intense with several trees falling. The Water Department comes out night or day to remove the downed trees from the roadways. The safety grant money was received this week. We were reimbursed for sidelights for the Police Chief’s car, and vehicle lights and halogen night lights for the Water Department.
We received the Broadband City designation this week, the one-way street at Trailful Outdoors has gained 5 regular parking spaces and one handicapped parking spot. DOT has provided the one-way signs. Lloyd’s Landing silt fences can’t come down until we have grass so it will be a little longer before we can put the picnic tables there and open the area. At that time the signs will be turned to face the incoming traffic. The kayak ramp is still 60 – 70 days out.
The Mayor received a letter from a citizen address to the Mayor and Council expressing support for all that is being done in the City. Music on the Square has been postponed until August 15 due to the Governors's executive orders. While we are able to socially distance if the music is on the Square, if we have inclement weather (which we have had a great deal of this year), we are not able to socially distance at the Senior Center. That being the case, Mardi decided not to put the bands through coming out only to find they can’t play if the weather is bad. Some of the bands are traveling from as far away as Asheville, NC.
Mayor Ordiales asked if the Council had any questions on the TurfCare quote to do work on the Square. Councilmember Anne Mitchell expressed concern about the chemicals. Twelve speakers have been wired and installed on the Square thanks to the work of Robert Loiacano and Steve Harper, each of whom donated their time and expertise to the project. Economic Development Director Denise McKay initiated the project and there is now the ability to have music on the Square that can be heard at any point on the Square.
The Mayor unveiled the “Project Galvanized”. This project has identified 9 areas that still have galvanized pipes to bring water to homes. These areas are in line for replacing these older galvanized pipes. The first area will be Thurman Drive and the Water Department will work through this area and move on to the others until all are replaced. The Water Department currently has only 2 open work orders so this work will begin soon.
The Water Treatment Plant intake is sinking. The indication is that one of the floats has been damaged causing it to become waterlogged and no longer floats. It will need to be lifted in some way and will be expensive to repair. Randell Thomas is working with several vendors to determine the best approach to the fix. Two options so far are to put balloons under it or to use a barge, lift the float and secure it at the correct level to the deck.
The Moonshine Cruiz-In is the week from Thursday, July 30 through Sunday, August 2nd at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. There will be no formal program on the Square, but the drivers have been invited to bring their lunch to the Square to enjoy between the two cruises. The parade of cars will begin at 5:15 pm on Thursday. The Downtown Development Authority will have a First Friday Nights event beginning on Friday, August 7th from 5 – 10 pm There are 14 vendors lined up, there will be live music, we will promote wearing masks and social distancing, but because of the hours, we don’t expect to have any issues with the ability to social distance.
Beginning on August 11th, Census takers will begin visiting non-responders to the 2020 Census. Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Towns County are currently at 42.8%, 54.1% and 45.5% respectively. The Census drives how much grant and federal monies the City will receive so every person counts. Your census is CRITICALLY important ESPECIALLY now. The Mayor encourages EVERYONE to complete their census. If you have not received the invitation, you can get to www.2020census.gov and complete the census online.
In New Business, Susan Phillips has moved to Pennsylvania which has left an opening on the Ethics Committee. Since Susan was the Mayor’s appointee, Mayor Ordiales has asked Al Fickle to step into the role to finish out Susan’s term and he has agreed. He will be here at next week’s Council meeting to take his oath.
Patrick Guilfoil is working on putting a container home on North Mountain Drive and is asking what the City will require in order to accomplish that. Two 40-foot containers and 1 20-foot container will be place together to form a dwelling which will be used as a part-time Bed and Breakfast as well as a family home. Concerns voiced by the Council were in terms of getting the containers up the road, potential for damage to the road, and the containers themselves. The containers are used, and the concern was what they had been used to ship in the past. It was also mentioned that the County has difficulty getting a fire truck up Mountain Drive and that may be an issue if it is to be used as a B & B. Mr. Guilfoil was called to speak with the Council and address the concerns. The containers have been used to ship 1 time and nothing hazardous or any plants were in the containers so the safety of the structure to the occupants or the surrounding environment is nil. Mr. Guilfoil assured the Council that the vendors hired to move and place the containers will be insured and that if any damage were done to the roadway, it would be repaired. The company that will move and place the containers will drive the road prior to the move and assess the ability to do the work, but Mr. Guilfoil feels very certain that they will be able to do the work. He did, however, state that due to the nature of the move, it may be necessary to block the road for a certain period to maneuver the trucks and crane. The Council thanked Mr. Guilfoil for his time and the information he provided to clarify the issue for them.
The Sewer moratorium is set to expire in August and will need to be extended. Mr. Mitchell suggests extending the moratorium for 90 days and use the time to make the moratorium an ordinance which will require two readings. Mr. Mitchell will have a first read of the ordinance ready for the August Council meeting next week.
Council members Patsy Owens and Amy Barrett and Economic Development Director Denise McKay gave an update on the Alcohol Ordinance. They have reviewed several other cities’ ordinances to get the best ordinance possible. They have given the changes/updates to Attorney Mitchell for review and changes and expect to have a final version to the Council in time to do the first reading at the September Council meeting. The petition to allow a package store in the City did not receive enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot, but the Council wants to have the ordinance in place when and if it does happen. Councilmember Anne Mitchell questioned the number of signatures required to place the question on the ballot. The last census indicates the City has 907 residents. The Elections Board has 809 registered voters in the City. Councilmember Anne Mitchell thought that the number might not be accurate and Councilmember Nancy Noblet indicated she knew several voters, still on the registry when she was campaigning, were deceased. Attorney Thomas Mitchell will investigate how deceased voters are removed from the registry.
The consent agenda for the August Council meeting will consist of the minutes of the July 7th City Council Meeting and the minutes of July 27th Work Session. Since the May financials have not been received from the bookkeepers, due in part to the tax filing deadline being extended to July 15th, they will not be on the consent agenda.
In the Police report, Chief Paul Smith informed the Council that last Friday, the department had Taser training with the Towns County Sheriff’s Office. Last week, along with 400 police chiefs all over the state, Chief Smith attended training in Savannah. Socially distanced, each participant had a 6’ table to him/herself in the large convention hall. If the Council will approve, there is the possibility of adding a “technology fee” to each ticket issued. This fee can be used by the department for the technology needs of the department. Right now, Court Clerk Jennifer Garner uses an older laptop for entering data during court. This computer has become temperamental, requiring multiple reboots on court day to work. It should be replaced with a newer, faster computer and the technology fee could be used for that purpose. Asked if Blairsville has a technology fee, Chief Smith indicated he did not think so, but that the City of Helen does. Attorney Mitchell said that if our ordinance states our fee schedule is separate, it can be acted on without ordinance by adopting a new fee schedule. Attorney Mitchell also indicated the fee schedule should be reviewed on an annual basis.
In the Economic Development report, Economic Development Director Denise McKay advised the Council that the grand openings of Hob Nob and (re)opening of Trailful Outdoors have been attended by the DDA. The Mural project is set to begin the first week of August. The work on the Paris Business Center grant ($500k) is progressing. The DDA/City will need an architect to put together the plans and Ms. McKay is working on a (RFQ) Request for Qualifications for the architectural work. The operations plan – also a requirement of the ARC Grant, the committee is working to develop the plan. The committee consists of a retired Marine Colonel, Tony Land, who will be the Director of the business center. Joe Ruf as the SCORE representative and Steve Harper, Chairman of the DDA, are assisting. The grant period is for 3 years but must demonstrate that the center will remain open long after the three year period has ended. An agreement has been reached with Tony Land where he will manage the center for 20 hours per week, 40 weeks a year, and in exchange, he will be provided private space in the facility.
The DDA has formally adopted its 2020/2021 work plan. The plan will be submitted with the ARC Grant application and the Rural Zone Application. The work plan identifies a façade grant program, to be funded through donations received from Mayors Park and Lloyds Landing. Having incentives is a component of the Rural Zone application.
The Rural Zone designation application is in progress. The City applied last year but was not awarded the designation. If it is received it will provide for several tax credits which will be attractive to investors. Credits can be layered and can be received for up to 5 years.
Also, in the Economic Development report, the JDA had its first meeting and has elected officers; Vicki Constantinides is the Chair and Joe Ruf is the Vice-Chair.
Asked about DDA training for Chairman Steve Harper, Denise McKay indicated that training this year is taking place online and there is a yearly training requirement. Monica Callahan may come, or we could again go to Madison for additional training. Training for Steve Harper will take place August 7 – 8.
Motion to enter executive session to discuss potential litigation was made by Councilmember Amy Barrett, seconded by Councilmember Jay Chastain with all in favor.
Motion to adjourn from the executive session was made by Councilmember Nancy Noblet, seconded by Councilmember Jay Chastain with all in favor.
Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Councilmember Anne Mitchell, seconded by Councilmember Amy Barrett with all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.