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HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION AGENDA
March 29^th, 2021 6PM

1. Call to order
   • Invocation – Nancy Noblet
   • Pledge of Allegiance 
   • Mayor’s Introductions of Guests and Announcements 
   • Approve the Agenda as distributed 
2. Old Business
   • Celtic Services Inc – Aaron Lawson
   • Mayors Report
3. New Business
   • Budget 2021-2022 – 1^stReading next week
     • Budget hearing April 26^th6PM with Work Session to follow, 2^nd Reading May 4^th City Council Meeting
   • Business License Ordinance Change – 2^ndReading next week
   • Resolution to change the cost of Brewery with Taproom & Package Sales License to $1,250
   • Amendment to Alcohol Ordinance for section 4.15
   • Consent Agenda
     • March 3^rdCity Council Meeting Minutes 
     • March 29^thWork Session Minutes 
     • October Financials – Not received to date

4. Police Report
5. Economic Development Update
6. Executive Session
7. Adjournment

HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION MINUTES
March 29^th, 2021 6PM

The City of Hiawassee March City Council Work Session was called to order at 6PM on march 29, 2021 in the upstairs training room by Mayor Liz Ordiales. The meeting was broadcast over FaceBook Live and was not open to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Present in addition to the Mayor were Council members Anne Mitchell, Patsy Owens, Nancy Noblet, Amy Barrett and Jay Chastain.  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 Council member Nancy Noblet and was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.  Mayor Ordiales welcomed the City’s Planning and Expansion Board (Josh Alexander, Alex Kairney, Ken Pollard) to the meeting as well as guest Aaron Lawson of Celtic Services, Inc.

Motion to approve the agenda as distributed was made by Council member Patsy Owens, seconded by Council member Anne Mitchell with all in favor.

Aaron Lawson of Celtic Management. presented the Council with plans for developing 16 townhouse style units on the property at 200 U.S. Highway 76 (next to Georgia Vision Center).  The property is roughly 5 acres, but the plan is to develop only approximately 2 acres(Upper Left Quadrant) due to the topology of the land.  Consisting of 10 two-bedroom units and 6 three-bedroom units with starting prices of $230,000 and $280,000 respectively and an HOA fee of approximately $100/month.  There are no plans to provide any amenities to the community and some of the projected green space maybe take for parking space.  Mr. Lawson also indicated that the company has “pre-submitted” to GDOT for ingress/egress permission.  Josh Alexander asked what would happen if the units did not sell.  Mr. Lawson indicated that they company would build in phases - one building at a time and the bank will release them to build another after the first one sells. Roof height can be no more than 35 feet due to limitations on fire protection and ordinance regulations.  Mr. Lawson indicated his company will comply with all building codes. Council member Anne Mitchell asked about the possibility of some low-cost housing to be included in the project, however Mr. Lawson indicated that he was not interested in providing it. Questioned about timeline, Mr. Lawson indicated that if approved once the permitting was completed the building would soon follow as they have already secured funding for the project.  The City’s current Planning and Expansion ordinance only allows for 4 units/acre.  City Attorney Thomas Mitchell suggested that variances are normally used when the request is for a permitted use that is not feasible due to some variable such as topology.  Josh Alexander also asked about where trades people would come from and Mr. Lawson indicated the company tries to use local talent where possible but are able to bring in trades people when necessary. There was question on FaceBook about unsold townhouses on the east side of town (Brett Way) however it was noted that the price point for those town houses was much higher ($550,000).  Mayor Ordiales said that the ordinance should be changed so that we have an enforceable document. Discussion around whether to revamp the entire ordinance or to only address the portion that limits the number of units/acre ensued. Economic Development Director Denise McKay addressed the Council asking if they are looking for the density change only in the downtown area or all of the Hiawassee city limits.  Josh Alexander noted that the design would appeal to younger families only (multiple floors/no exterior maintenance).

In the Mayors Report, Mayor Ordiales gave the COVID update – 11 new cases in the last two weeks, a 2% positivity rate.  There is concern about spring break and the possibility of people not being careful.  Statewide, we have administered approximately 83% of the available vaccines. City Hall is still closed to the public, however the Mayor is projecting that we will open the April Work Session (April 26^th) to the public, but will likely have to move the meeting to a bigger venue; the Civic Center or Towns County Rec.  FACE MASKS WILL BE REQURED FOR ATTENDANCE.  Governor Kemp has indicated that as of May 21^st, gatherings under 2000 will be permitted with 3’ distancing.  We are continuing to experience issues with the postal mail.  Checks have been lost in the mail and not reached us in a timely manner which is contributing to penalties and the Mayor encourages Water customers to utilize the bank draft option – no stamps, no envelopes, no penalties and the money is withdrawn on the last possible day.  This month there were 9 high usage customers and all 9 were legitimate leaks.  Our Water Quality Report is out, and we had a good report with no violations.  It is available on our website (www.hiawasseega.gov).

Lloyds Landing poles are now in the water and displaying the depth, the Towns County Civic Association has assisted with 3 benches and they are along the shore and additional picnic tables have been painted and set along the shore.  Donation tubes built by Gordie Jones and painted by Doug Chambers of Finish Line Auto have been installed as well as suggested donation signage.

A new feature of the Mayors Report – A Day in the Life of the Water Department – debuted with photos of the fire hydrant being placed, a pump failure (please don’t flush ANYTHING but toilet paper!) and trying to find a clogged culvert in the rain.

The concrete pad has been poured for the State Farm generator – Thank you Janet Allen for allowing the space to install the generator – and the slab for the Water department’s new building has been poured.

Our new Court Clerk, Ashley Segarra, has continued the work of our former Court Clerk, Jennifer Garner, and to date has collected $9,000 more in property tax payments than last year.  3^rd notices were mailed on Friday March 26^th.  Ashley will have her first court date on April 12^th.  Our new Meter Maintenance person, Mike Whittemore, will also take over the Safety Officer, and Code Enforcement duties as well as being back up to the Water Department.  Code enforcement proceedings have begun on the trailer on Bell Street which is uninhabitable and there appears to be some sort of grease or oil on the property. The Mayor has also updated the organization chart with the new employees.

USDA Loan #11 was paid off last week – it was the loan with the highest interest rate (3.25%) as well as being the oldest (1999) and had a 40-year span.  The scheduled pay off was in 2039.  Original loan was for $812,800 and the pay off was $512,156.  Since 2017, when Mayor Ordiales took office, the City has reduced its debt by 68%.  The next loan to pay off is the next highest interest rate – a GEFA loan at 2.75% interest with an annual pay out of $88,000.  Mayor Ordiales hopes to pay this one off by the end of this calendar year.

The Towns County Indian’s boy Basketball team are the Class 1A State Champions.  Congratulations to the team and coaches for their hard work!

The summer events are coming – the Plant Affair on the Square is schedule for Saturday April 17^th from 8:30am – 1pm.  Music on the Square will begin on May 29^th (Memorial Day weekend) and run through Labor Day.   This year, in addition to the normal line up, we will have an amateur night on July 10.  First place winner will receive $100.00 and second with receive $50.00.  Auditions will be April 16^th.  Yoga on the Square begins this Saturday (April 3, 2021) with no fee, but donations are accepted and appreciated.

In New Business, the proposed Budget for FY2021-2022 has been distributed to the Council.  There will be a Budget hearing on April 26^th 6PM and the Work Session will follow immediately.  The 2^nd reading will take place on May 4^th at the City Council Meeting.  Although the financials are not yet available, we are using actual expense and income figures, which are monitored by the Mayor weekly, and projected out remaining 3 months. Strickland is working to have the financials to the end of the year before the April Work Session.  We are very behind on the financials – the CPA firm has been hit very hard by COVID and it has put them very far behind.  They are committed to getting caught up now that the staff is once again healthy.

Also on the agenda for next week’s Council meeting is the second reading of the Business License Ordinance.

The resolution to change the cost of Brewery with Taproom & Package Sales License to $1,250 will be on the agenda next week. This was inadvertently set at $200 when we updated the fee schedule.

The Amendment to Alcohol Ordinance for section 4.15 will address a discrepancy where it was not plainly stated that serving alcohol MUST be accompanied by the service of food.

The April 2021 Consent Agenda will consist of the March 3^rd City Council Meeting Minutes and the March 29^th Work Session Minutes.  The October financials arrived too late to provide time to review, so they will be held until the May Council meeting. 

In the Police Report, Police Chief Paul Smith showed the Council the new police car that they had approved.  Still needed is the light bar, they have been ordered.  It is a 2018 Police Utility vehicle.  Last week, Officer Matthew Phillips has certified Buddy so we will start to see them out and about.  Chief Smith also reminded everyone that this is IRS scam season, and the IRS will NEVER call you.  They only communicate via US postal mail. If you receive a call from anyone, even if it seems legitimate, end the call politely, and call them directly using a known number.

In the Economic Development Update, Economic Development Director Denise McKay did a ribbon cutting for Mountain Quilts.  She will be doing classes on quilting and has a great selection of fabrics and all your quilting needs.  She also informed the Council that we will have an intern for the summer beginning in May.  She attends the University of New Hampshire but lives in Hiawassee.  Mikayla Jerominek will provide the City with 300 hours as part of her capstone project.  The Night Market is coming back beginning in May and will run through October, registrations are being accepted now.

There was no executive session.

Motion to adjourn was made by Council member Amy Barrett, seconded by Council member Jay Chastain with all in favor.  Meeting adjourned at 7:05pm.