Official minutes of the July 15, 2010 Council meeting
approved on August 19, 2010 by City Council
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Tipton with Councilman Myrick leading in prayer. Council reviewed the draft copy of the minutes of the June 17, 2010 meeting with Councilman Myrick making a motion to approve the minutes of June 17, 2010 meeting and the minutes of the June 29, 2010 called meeting with no changes, Councilman Crosby seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes. Councilman Kerby made a motion to approve the agenda of the July 15, 2010 meeting with the addition of one item under new business. Councilman Baxter seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton reported that Councilwoman Griffin is on vacation and will not be at tonight’s meeting.
During administrative and committee reports Councilman Kerby thanked Public Works Superintendent Grizzard for the mowing of the roadside ditches and repairing of pot holes that took place this past week. Councilman Myrick reported that council is still working on the budget. He also reported the city has an opportunity to purchase the property located at #5 Adams Road which is next to the maintenance shop and details would be discussed later in the meeting. Councilman Crosby reported that he and Planning Commission Chairman Shearouse had attended classes at the GMA convention in June and the commission has put in thirty-two man-hours at the ordinance workshops. He also reported there were no agenda items submitted for the July Planning Commission meeting so no meeting will be held, but there would be a workshop on July 27, 2010. Councilman Baxter reported there had been a change order submitted for the fire station which would be discussed later in the meeting. Councilman Rawlings reported the Special Events Committee, along with Bloomingdale’s History Society, Garden Club and Lion’s Club would be hosting the first “Evening in the Park” fun/fellowship event Saturday July 17th at the community building/pavilion with a great deal on a hamburger or a hotdog, chips & drink for $1.00. He reported there would be music, dancing and just good fellowship at the event and invited everyone to come out, bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the evening. Mayor Tipton reported that the fire and maintenance departments seem to be adjusting well to the relocation of the fire department and he thanked Ernie and Fire Chief Tyler for the smooth transition.
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Tipton presented an invoice from EMC Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $5,890.00 for services rendered over a two-year period on the Bloomingdale Water/Sewer Extension project as related to the JDH development. Councilman Baxter made a motion to pay the invoice and once the JDH funds are available to the city, a reimbursement would be made to the general fund to cover this expense. Councilman Rawlings seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Water & Sewer Committee Chairman, Councilman Rawlings reported that the committee had met earlier that morning and he reported that the design process for the Food Lion project will not begin until the dedicated funds were deposited in the bank from JDH/Food Lion. Once the funds are in the bank, the survey work can begin to secure right of way acquisitions which would allow council to decide the best route for water and sewer lines and the location for the lift station. Due to the current economic status and the many construction companies in need of work, the committee feels the project could be done at a cost falling under the $1.2 million budget, but should the project run over the $1.2 million the city will explore their options to acquire the additional funding. Mayor Tipton stated he was pleased that the city has put the Food Lion project on hold until their representatives get back in town so the City can discuss proposed changes with them. Citizen Patrice Russell questioned if the city was paying for the cost of the infrastructure for the project and Mayor Tipton informed her that the city has entered into a water/sewer agreement with Food Lion whereby they would provide the funds to the city in the amount of $1.2 million to pay for the infrastructure and Food Lion would be reimbursed from the impact fees received by the City from future development.
Mayor Tipton recognized former elected officials Billy Strozier and Ronald Waller who were in attendance at tonight and thanked them and all citizens who take the time to come out to the meetings.
Mayor Tipton reported that after the last council meeting, Councilman Crosby, and members of the Planning & Licensing Committee had met with Tom Terry to discuss his request to construct another dwelling on his property located on Adams Road. It was noted that Mr. Terry’s property was subdivided into a three lot minor subdivision in 1998 for the placement of an additional mobile home on his property. Mayor Tipton recognized Steve Terry who was present at the meeting to discuss the request on behalf of Tom Terry. He informed council that they had been advised they could get a permit if they got a septic tank permit, got the property resurveyed to show a one acre tract and deeded the property to someone else. Council was advised that since a fourth lot was created, the subdivision would fall under the regulations of a major subdivision. Councilman Kerby questioned if any of the lots could be combined to allow the dwelling on one of the lots, but was advised that there are dwellings on all three of the existing lots and the fourth lot is where they wish to place the structure. Councilman Crosby outlined the necessary procedures that Mr. Terry would have to follow for the submission of a major subdivision to the Planning Commission and the steps that would then have to be taken before approval. After the discussion, Councilman Crosby made a motion to refer the matter to the City Attorney for a determination as to how to proceed with Mr. Terry’s request. Councilman Kerby seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor cautioned council members about addressing these type issues outside of council meetings to avoid the possibility of misunderstandings on the proper procedures that citizens need to follow.
Councilman Baxter reported that Kern-Coleman & Co., Inc. & Groundworks Unlimited, Inc. had discovered a problem with the soil under the slab of the old fire station building. Based on this information, Whitaker Laboratories has conducted additional soil testing and confirmed the soil is unstable and would need to be removed and replaced with suitable soil. He pointed out that the Public Safety Committee has some concerns with the estimated cost of $80,000 on the change order submitted by the contractor. It was noted that the old slab is significantly smaller than the new slab and questions had been raised about whether this could make a difference in the amount of soil that had to be replaced. Due to these concerns and questions from the committee, Councilman Baxter made a motion for council to authorize the Public Safety Committee and the Mayor to meet with the engineer to obtain answers to these questions and to try to work out a more favorable cost estimate. Councilman Kerby seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton recognized Courtney Reich with Ecological Planning Group who gave council an outline of the new state requirements for the NPDES Phase I MS4 Stormwater Permit. The requirements included the following:
Inspection of at least 20% of the drainage system.
Inspect at least 20% of the local government’s outfalls.
Inspect 20% of highly visible pollutant sources (gas stations, restaurants, etc.), industrial facilities and
municipal facilities.
Prepare a plan to perform monitoring on any TMDL listed waterways.
Review and amend ordinances to address Green Infrastructure requirements and
Update the inventory of outfalls to be consistent with the new definition in the NPDES Phase I MS4
Permit.
Ms. Reich advised council members of her background in Stormwater Management which included her being the primary author for the Model Stormwater Management Plan developed in 2005 by the MPC on behalf of all the NPDES Phase I co-permittees in Chatham County. She stated she was the Water Resources Planner at MPC prior to joining EPG. She has had a lot of experience working with the City of Bloomingdale and the other municipalities and stated she is looking forward to working with Bloomingdale on this project. Ms. Reich has submitted a proposal to prepare the update to the City of Bloomingdale’s Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) at a cost not to exceed $6500. Ms. Reich informed council that with Chatham County as a participant in the permit application the other municipalities are able to obtain a much lower rate with Bloomingdale’s and Thunderbolt’s cost being $6500 and the other cities cost being $7500. The deadline for the submission of the plan was initially set for December 1, 2010; however, an extension has been granted and the deadline is now March 1, 2011. Citizen Barbara Rawlings stated that the Little Ogeechee should be considered as a polluted stream because of all the debris that has been dumped in it. After the discussion, Councilman Crosby made a motion to accept the proposal from Ecological Planning Group to prepare the update to the City of Bloomingdale’s Stormwater Management Plan at a cost not to exceed $6500. Council Baxter seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor recognized Judy Johnson who submitted a request for a home occupation license for the office only of a counter top sales business at her residence located at #803 E. Cregor Street. Ms. Johnson informed council there are two employees and there is no traffic related to the business coming to her residence. Councilman Myrick made a motion to waive the public hearing requirement and issue the license. Councilman Kerby seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton recognized Gregory Rowland who submitted a request for a home occupational license to operate the office only of an electrical contracting business from his residence located at #210 Oak Street. Councilman Myrick asked Mr. Rowland if he operated out of his van and Mr. Rowland advised him that he did. Mr. Rowland further stated that there would be no traffic coming to his residence related to the business and that he was the only employee. Councilman Crosby made a motion to waive the public hearing requirement and issue the license. Councilman Baxter seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor presented Pay Request #2 from R. B. Baker Construction, Inc. for work performed through June 30, 2010 on the Stagecoach Road paving project in the amount of $12,973.50. Councilman Kerby made a motion to approve the payment of Request #2 in the amount of $12,973.50. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Mayor Tipton informed council that a sales contract has been executed in the amount of $370,000 for the purchase of the land/building located at #5 Adams Road located next to the maintenance building. Councilman Myrick made a motion to authorize the Budget & Finance Committee to seek the best financing option for the City and to authorize the Mayor to execute the finance documents for the purchase of the land/building at #5 Adams Road. Councilman Baxter seconded the motion. Citizen Billy Strozier raised the question if an appraisal had been obtained on the property, Councilman Myrick advised there had been and it came in at around $319,000-$320,000. Councilman Myrick stated that with his knowledge as a building contractor, Councilman Kerby had worked up estimates to determine what it would cost to purchase and build that type building and he reported that the cost was significantly higher than what the city was offering the property owner. Councilman Myrick stated the committee felt the cost is a little higher than the market price, but felt the city should not pass up the opportunity to purchase this property as it would be of a significant benefit for the future growth of the city. After this discussion, the motion passed with five affirmative votes.
The Mayor gave a report from the Bloomingdale Recreation Executive Board advising that member Glenda Criswell was removed from the board at the February 1, 2010 meeting due to her lack of participation and member Craig Stanfield resigned on April 21, 2010 because of his work schedule. It was noted that the board is a twelve member board with four vacancies at the current time. Councilman Rawlings questioned the need for that many board members and Councilman Myrick advised that with the type programs being offered by the recreation department a twelve member board is necessary for the program to run smoothly.
Mayor Tipton stated that the executive session was not needed at tonight’s meeting.
Council was advised that the city had received the contract from Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung for the engineering of Phase II of the City’s drainage plan. Councilman Kerby made a motion to execute the contract with Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung for Phase II of the drainage plan and to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract once the City Attorney has reviewed it. Councilman Baxter seconded the motion. The Mayor stated there was $1.4 million left in the 2003/2008 SPLOST funds designated for drainage, but council was looking to bid the Phase II project at a lump sum price and would hopefully be able to stay within the $1 million range which would leave funds available for other projects or change orders should they be necessary. Councilman Kerby stated that when the drainage project has been completed, the city would look into proceeding with a LOMA study through FEMA to amendment the flood maps which, if amended, should give the citizens some relief on their flood insurance rates. Councilman Myrick reported that the drainage projects are funded through SPLOST funds and the city was fortunate that Phase I had come under budget. Councilman Kerby advised citizens there will be a public meeting on August 3, 2010 at 6:00 pm regarding Phase II of the drainage project and encouraged all citizens to attend so that they can see the conceptual plan and offer their comments. The Mayor added that at this meeting there will be a preliminary plan available for review and reiterated that citizens come out, review the plan and ask any questions they may have regarding the drainage. After this discussion, the motion passed with five affirmative votes.
The accounts payable were reviewed with Councilman Myrick making a motion to pay the bills. Councilman Baxter seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Councilman Kerby made a motion to adjourn at 8:05pm. Councilman Crosby seconded the motion and it passed with five affirmative votes.
Respectfully submitted, Diane Proudfoot, Assistant City Clerk
Mayor Tipton and Councilmembers Baxter, Crosby, Kerby, Myrick and Rawlings were present at the meeting. Councilwoman Griffin was out of town.
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.