City of Hiawassee Council Retreat
Brasstown Valley Resort
9:00 AM
AGENDA
- Welcome, Introductions, Housekeeping
- Outline Goals for the Retreat
- Status of Recent Projects
- Active and Planned Projects
- Recent Trends and Issues
- Development of Work Program
* A lunch break will occur at the discretion of the participants.
City of Hiawassee Council Retreat
Brasstown Valley Resort
August 13, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
MINUTES
The City of Hiawassee held a Council Retreat on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at the Brasstown Valley Resort. The retreat was facilitated by Georgia Mountains Regional Commission (GMRC) staff. The following were present:
City of Hiawassee Government Members Present GMRC Staff Present
Liz Ordiales, Mayor Heather Feldman, Executive Director
Bonnie Kendrick, Clerk Gina Kessler, Executive Assistant
Anne Mitchell, Council Member Adam Hazell, Planning Director
Nancy Noblet, Council Member
Amy Barrett, Council Member
Jay Chastain, Council Member
GOALS FOR THE RETREAT
The main goal of the retreat was for Council and staff to have a work plan as well as clear directive on how to proceed with projects over the next year.
GMRC Planning Director Adam Hazell asked each participant for items they wanted to discuss in the retreat. The following objectives were listed: Alcohol Ordinance, Water/Utility Infrastructure, signage, millage rate and funding, Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), attracting hikers, as well as housing and land use management.
City Clerk Bonnie Kendrick felt that there needed to be a more detailed process for Council member travel reimbursements. GMRC will provide a copy of its travel reimbursement policy the city can use as a guide and a copy of their reimbursement form that can be used as a template.
ACTIVE PROJECTS UPDATE
Before beginning discussion on the objectives for the day, Mayor Ordiales provided an update on active projects within the city.
Paris Building
The city was finally able to obtain a survey of the Paris Building. The results did show that the side of the building where the outdoor seating is planned is deeded to Bob Anderson, and the alley belongs to the owners of the building that houses Trailful. Mr. Anderson will deed his portion of the property to the city and the Trailful building owner will give the city easement to the alley.
Boardwalk
An Application Regional Commission (ARC) grant application has been submitted by the GMRC on behalf of the city for the proposed Boardwalk that will run from Lloyd’s Landing to the Mayor’s Park.
Sidewalks
New sidewalks will be installed from the Hiawassee Brew to Ross Lloyd Road as well as on River Street from South State Bank up to the Shook House. The sidewalk proposed for the section from Ross Lloyd Road to the Georgia Vision Center will be done by the developer. The other sidewalk repairs did not pass GDOT inspection, and the contractor will be meeting with them soon.
Hikers
A committee comprised of local businesses has been created to come up with a program that would help encourage hikers on the Appalachian Trail to visit and/or use the city as an overnight stopping point. Further discussion will be had in the objective portion of the retreat.
Local Option Sales Tax
Mayor Ordiales announced that the local option sales tax (LOST) negotiations with the county will go into mediation. A date has not been scheduled yet and further discussion on this topic will be had in the objective portion of the retreat.
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
Alcohol Ordinance
Mayor Ordiales informed the Council that the city recently received its fourth application for a package store license. While this one will not be approved because the proposed location is too close to a church, the mayor feels that the ordinances need to be updated to include either a population or distance stipulation. The city attorney has also recommended updating the ordinance. The best stop gap measure is to issue a moratorium while the Council has further discussion on how to proceed.
Ms. Kendrick will send out a special called meeting notice for the Council for Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. The mayor asked that once the moratorium is set on the 17th that all Council members submit to her no later than September 2, 2022 their input on what they would like to see in the ordinance.
Mr. Hazell recommended that the Council put a six-month moratorium in place and for the Council to know right away who will compose the committee that is responsible for structuring dialogue, scheduling public meetings, etc. and that the first committee meeting after the moratorium should be in early September with at least two more committee meetings to follow.
The GMRC can look at maps to showcase what the boundaries would look like should the Council choses to add distance between stores to the ordinance.
Councilwoman Barrett would also like to include discussion on the sales of Kratom and Delta 8 in these ordinance discussions.
Water/Utility Infrastructure
Mayor Ordiales explained that a large sum of the city’s debt relating to water has been paid off and they are down to only $1 Million in debt in that area. The mayor went on to say that the city is putting a bid for the third filter at the water plant and that after that is installed the system will be finished and in good shape as they have the licensed operators in place. The sewer system is permitted for more flow than what will ever be needed by the city. She went also explain that there are 21 lift stations and 22 pump houses that require monthly repairs and that it would cost an estimated $10 million to replace the middle section of water pipes, so pipes are being repaired or replaced as the needs arise.
Much discussion was had, and the concerns are in reference to not knowing the full extent of repairs or replacements that are needed to the infrastructure and how to prepare for them in the future, as well as concern of the pipes being repaired and not replaced. Mayor Ordiales explained that the city would have to raise water rates if they were going to start making replacements or putting money aside for replacements. Councilwoman Barrett would like to start talks with the county about the appropriations of the next SPLOST.
GMRC Planning Director Adam Hazell noted that it can be difficult to budget for long term improvements and made several recommendations; the Water System Manager needs to have proper inventory of what will need replaced, how much the expense would be, and estimates on when the replacement will be needed, have a game plan before exploring funding options, start discussions with the County Commissioners, and then decide what can be put aside for future replacements. Mr. Hazell also noted future growth will always depend on water and sewer.
Signage
Discussion was had about the sign ordinance and complaints being received. Councilwoman Noblet has concerns that the ordinance is not being enforced consistently throughout the city. Councilwoman Barrett stated that most of the complaints she receives are regarding the signage at the new Marathon Station.
Mayor Ordiales confirmed that the city does have a current sign ordinance, complaints can be made on the city website, and that the enforcement is handled by the police department.
Mr. Hazell recommended that the city have a tracking method for complaints and enforcement. After tracking complaints for a period would indicate if the ordinances needed updating and identify any discrepancies in enforcement.
Millage Rate and Funding
The millage rate is determined by the assessed property value, usually 40% of the fair market value. The example Mr. Hazell gave was that if the rate is 25 mills, then the tax would be $25 of every $1000 of the assessed value. The city is currently at a millage rate of 1.9%
Mayor Ordiales explained that a mandatory reassessment of the entire county had recently been preformed by the tax assessor. Several appeals should be expected.
Adam Hazell explained that assessments should be done with a high degree of clarity to the project and reasons for the assessed value provided. i.e., conservation easements, special deductions, military exemptions etc. Mr. Hazell suggested getting the information from the tax assessor as to how the assessment process works so that if the issue persists the correct information can be relayed to the constituents.
The city takes a roll back every year. Towns County’s millage rate is 4.7% while the city is at 1.9%. Discussion was had about raising the millage rate. The mayor explained that the city’s General Fund is comprised of local option sales tax, alcohol sales, and then property taxes. She felt that property taxes should be the number one income generator in a city’s general fund. The easiest estimate being that approximately $200K is generated from property taxes, which helps fund the police, but it takes $400K to operate the police department.
Mr. Hazell recommended, that for budget purposes, to determine all expenses, show what is needed to maintain existing level of service, and then show what a millage rate increased would be used for and the return it would yield. Once the assessment comes in, run the math, and determine what increase, if any, would be worth the fight.
Local Option Sales Tax
Mayor Ordiales explained that the local option sales tax is currently at an 80/20 split with 80% to the county and 20% split between Hiawassee and Young Harris. During negotiations she asked for a 60/40 split with the 40% being split between Young Harris and Hiawassee. The county came back with the offer of an additional 1% to Hiawassee and .5% for the Young Harris, which was declined by the city. The split is a 10-year agreement. They will now enter mediation; the date is yet to be determined.
The City of Hiawassee brings in 50% of those generated taxes with sales made by businesses within city limits.
The number one request from citizens stems around public safety. If the city is successful in negotiations, the police would be able to be funded without having to pull additional funds from the General Fund.
It should also be noted that the county receives 82% of SPLOST while Hiawassee and Young Harris only receive 9% each.
Hikers
Mayor Ordiales explained that the city would like to see a push for hikers on the Appalachian Trail to utilize Hiawassee as a base for intown overnight visits mostly during the months of March and April.
The main obstacle that the city faces is transporting the hikers from the trail head into the city, as the one hostel that used to shuttle people in is now under new ownership that does not offer that service. Discussion was had about different bus and transit van options as well as pick up times. Once the hikers are within the city, Hiawassee is very walkable to conveniences such as grocery, dining, and shopping.
A committee has been comprised of local business owners including the Holiday Inn. Cookouts can be offered on Mondays and McConnell Church has welcomed the idea of providing pancake breakfasts. The city could also partner with FarOut Trail Group to get the word out, and post flyers at trail heads letting hikers know to what is being offered to them in Hiawassee.
Mr. Hazell recommended that once the promotional and transportation aspects are pinned down to start having open meetings to get the gain citizen and business awareness and backing to the program. The mayor will send out constant contact information to business owners.
Housing and Land Use Management
Much discussion was had about the need for affordable work force housing as there are few long-term rental options within the city and the tourist industry cannot be served without appropriate housing for the employees. This also relates to, but is not limited to, public service employees such as teachers, EMTs, police department staff, etc.
The city’s Georgia Initiative for Community House (GICH) designation offers tax breaks to developers. Mr. Hazell recommended working with realtors and developers to map out what options can be created and where said options can be located within the community.
The city needs to have specific discussion on land use to monitor the cost of land, determine what is permittable, and monitor the need. The city needs to determine what the Land Use Policy will say and what policies to put in place, as well as what is being encouraged and what is sustaining. Zoning options may have to be investigated to specify what is wanted or not wanted within city limits.
It was recommended that if the city is not going to look into zoning than it is worth creating a Land Use Policy. The GMRC can assist with that and for other aspects the city should create a list of potential threats, weaknesses, and concerns such as where are we leaving ourselves vulnerable i.e., no ordinance on liquor stores.
The mayor would like to beef up the Comp Plan when it comes to what is allowed within city limits but has concerns that land use without any zoning ordinances would not hold up should it be challenged on what is allowed on a piece of property.
Council Training
GMRC Planning Director, Adam Hazell presented a brief PowerPoint presentation on Council Training. A copy of that PowerPoint is attached for Council use.
Ms. Bonnie Kendrick will document what is informally in place for rules of operation during a meeting and put it on the agenda for the Council to discuss at their next work session.
Mayor Ordiales mentioned that all Council Meetings are on Facebook Live. Mr. Hazell made the recommendation of having a public comment link and to monitor and share with the public how many comments were made on any topic, showing them that their concerns are being heard.
It is important that the formal chain of communication be followed by citizens and if their complaint/concern is not being made in a formal setting the citizen needs to be directed to an open meeting or the website. On the city website there is a “make citizen request for improvement” tab. Mr. Hazell suggested making a FAQ page that includes the answers to frequently asked questions or remarks.
It was also recommended that the city attorney coach the Council on what to have in place should there ever be an appearance of a conflict of interest.