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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-2013 regular meeting ,~, City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes March 21,2013 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and City Council of the City of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Mayor Haddix called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other Council Members in attendance: George Dienhart, Vanessa Fleisch, Eric Imker, and Kim Learnard. Announcements. Awards. SDecial Recoanition Mayor Haddix recognized Art Sivertsen of the Recreation Department for 10 years of service. Matt Forshee & Emily Poole, FCDA Update Forshee, President/CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA), and Emily Poole, FCDA's Business Retention and Expansion Manager, presented the quarterly update on economic development. Forshee noted there were 15,139 jobs currently in the City, and the estimated population was 34,757. He gave an overview of the geographic locations of the jobs, as well as a breakdown of the positions by sector. Forshee pointed out that 2,450 residents were employed in the 15,139 current jObs in the City, with 12,689 travelling to work in the City from other locations compared to 12,587 residents who left the City each day to work in other locations. Forshee said the incentive was to get people to live and work in the City, to build wealth in the City and keep it here. ~ Forshee and Poole discussed the recruitment of Calpis, which made an enzyme that was used in cattle feed, and Kiddy, a German-based manufacturer of children's car seats and strollers. Poole was working with Calpis on moving into office space and their groundbreaking, which would be held in May. Kiddy was moving its U.S. headquarters and distribution facility located on the north side of Atlanta to the City. Poole continued that she had worked with several companies, providing assistance for training, real estate expansion/relocation, business services support, telecommunications infrastructure, job tax credits, City permits, staffing, Post Office services, film location scouting, social media consultant identification, technical colleges, and energy audits. Imker noted that nothing on the City's homepage jumped out at businesses looking to relocate. He asked for the FCDA's assistance with the website. He asked for an update on the recently announced Pinewood Studios project in the County. Forshee said the studio was currently going through the rezoning process at the County level, which was one reason people would not see any news about Fayette County on the studio's website. If the property was not rezoned, then the project would go away. Once the requested rezoning was approved, the contract on the property would be closed. The Board of Commissioners were scheduled to hold a public hearing on the rezoning on March 28. The studio's goal was to have Phase 1 A in operation by January 2014. l;,~~1>\ 10-Minute Talk - Pam Y ouna. Southern Conservation Trust Young, Executive Director of Southern Conservation Trust (SCT), gave a brief overview of SCT and its programs. Young said SCT was a nonprofit, community land trust founded in the City in 1993. It served the southern arc of metro Atlanta, providing tools for landowners and partners to ensure vibrant communities. SCT's goals were to preserve land and the rural character, protect habitat and natural resources, and to enhance greenspace for education and passive recreation. The trust protected land by accepting land donations and holding conservation easements. Public lands were managed and improved through volunteer and community engagement, including scout and civic project opportunities. Natural resources were conserved by focusing on stream and wetland acquisitions. SCT also connected people to nature. Young said conservation in the community encouraged healthy lifestyles, focused on quality of air and water. Increased real estate values, and promoted economic development in a balanced environmental approach. City Council Meeting Minutes March 21, 2013 Page 2 SCT's portfolio included 1,632 acres - ownership of 259 acres, management of 891 public nature areas, and easements for 481 acres. The public nature areas included Line Creek Nature Area, Flat Creek Nature Area, Sams Lake Sanctuary, Morgan Grove Nature Area, and a new nature area known as The Ridge. Nesmith Preserve was an environmental education site. Private land conservation included property protected forever with a conservation easement. Funding came through community support of memberships, donations, sponsorships of events and programs, and grants. Minutes March 7,2013, Regular Meeting Minvtes Fleisch moved to approve the March 7, 2013, regular meeting minutes as written. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Monthlv ReDorts Haddix noted there was an additiOnal document on the dais - the Recreation report for February 2013. ,~ Consent Aaenda 1. Consider Stormwater Fund BudgetAmendment 2. Consider Purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus & Cylinders - Municipal Emergency Services 3. Consider Capital Improvement to the Batting Cages at Baseball/Soccer Complex 4. Consider Confirmation of Emergency Expenditure for A V Equipment Repair & Upgrade - Sound Principles - Council Chambers 5. Consider Grant Application for Metro Atlanta Traffic Enforcement Network (MATEN) Fleisch moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 - 5. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Aaenda Items 03-13-02 Public Hearing - Consider Variance to Floodplain Management/ Floodplain Protection Ordinance, SomerbyProject, Rockaway Road 03-13-04 Consider RFP for Library Roof Installation Haddix noted the applicant requested continuance of 03-13-02, and staff requested continuance of 03-13-04. Learnard moved to continue the two Old Agenda items until April 4. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Aaenda Items 03-13-10 Public Hearing - Consider Amendments to the City Charter (Initial Adoption) - Oath of Office Fleisch said she had brought up the proposed amendment to the Oath of Office last year, saying she felt the oath needed more polish after attending the Fire Department's installation ceremony. She continued that the current oath in the Charter lacked what was required by Georgia law. Rather than continuing with an oath that might not be legal, Fleisch said she reworked it to include the legal requirements and portions of the firefighters' oath. Approval of the amendment would meet the legal requirements and would be more pleasant to the ear. .~ City Attorney Ted Meeker clarified that there had been nothing wrong with the way the oath had been changed in the past. It had been legally adopted, and there were changes made based on what the state had required. The oath in the Charter had been legally adopted, but the changes needed to be added to it. The new wording mandated by the state was in the middle paragraph. The new oath included the following wording: City Council Meeting Minutes March 21. 2013 Page 3 -- I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute my duties of (OFFICE) of the City of Peachtree City, Georgia. I will uphold my responsibilities with integrity. dedication. and diligence to serve our citizens to the best of my ability. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. the Constitution of the State of Georgia. and the Charter of the City of Peachtree City. I do further swear that I am not the holder of any unaccounted for public money due this State or any political subdivision or authority thereof; that I am not the holder of any office or trust under the government of the United States. any other state, or any foreign state which. by the laws of the State of Georgia. I am prohibited from holding; and that I am otherwise qualified to be a public officer according to the Constitution and Laws of the State of Georgia. I duly affirm that I will act at all times in a manner befitting the trust and confidence placed in me by those I serve; I will take pride in all my endeavors; and will treat my subordinates. peers. and constituents with respect. So Help Me God. Haddix asked if there was a legal reason to change the oath as it was currently written. Meeker said the proposed amendments would polish it and clean it up. adding the middle paragraph was required by state law. Haddix clarified that the proposed amendments were housekeeping, adding that if the reason for the changes were unclear to him. then it would be unclear to others. Meeker confirmed that Haddix was correct. - Haddix opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the proposed amendments to the Charter. The public hearing closed. Meeker explained that the amendments had to be adopted twice, per the state's legal requirements for charter changes under Home Rule powers. He added that a copy of the proposed changes had been filed with the Clerk of Superior Court. Fleisch moved to amend the City Charter for the initial adoption of the Oath of Office. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Meeker said the final adoption would be on the April 4 agenda. 03-13-11 Consider RFP for BCS Pond Repairs (Stilling Basin) - Crawford Grading & Pipeline Imker said he was aware of the issue with the Bradford/Creekside/Southside (BCS) Pond, and he was ready to vote unless there was additional information that had not been included in the packet. Dienhart agreed. Haddix said he would like a brief description. Public Services Director Mark Caspar said the project was the repair of the stilling basin at the BCS Pond. adding there was a significant amount of erosion at the toe of the dam that needed repair. Staff recommended Council accept the bid from Crawford Grading and Pipeline. Inc.. for $85.223. Fleisch asked if the City had used the contractor before. Caspar said the company had been used before. and he had also received excellent references. ~ Learnard moved to award the bid for the BCS Pond stilling basin to Crawford Grading and Pipeline, Inc.. for their lump sum of $85,223. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. City Council Meeting Minutes March 21, 2013 Page 4 ,~ Council/Staff TODics Hot Topics Update City Manager Jim Pennington pointed out the temporary sound system that had been set up in Council Chambers, adding that the system had crashed during the Municipal Court session the week before. Staff had contacted the audio company used by the Amphitheater, and the company had provided a reasonable estimate for replacement of the system and the use of a temporary system. Pennington added it would take approximately 30 days to get a new system installed, noting that the prior system had been over 20 years old. He added staff would also have someone look at the projectors, since what was on the two screens appeared different. Pennington continued that the City had closed on the Public Facilities bonds ((Stormwater) that week. Pennington continued that the Personnel Policy was in the final draft stage. Meeker had looked it over, and had made a few changes. The next step was to send it to Elarbee Thompson for legal review. Pennington continued that some policies in the City Administrative Regulations and City Administrative Manual (CARs & CAMs) were included in the draft, including some things that had never been officially adopted by Council. The document was 130 pages. Learnard noted the Library would be closed after 9:00 p.m. that night, and it would be closed until Monday, March 25. Imker said the bubble had been taken down at Kedron Fieldhouse, which meant the pools would not be open until April 1. Pennington reported the bubble had come down beautifully and in a short time compared to the past. The crews had done a fantastic job. Fleisch said the exterior of the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Welcome Center had been painted during the last week. The. walls had been painted, and the tiles had been put in at the Recreation Administration building, noting the floor was still open and it looked that they were working on bracing. Community Services Director Jon Rorie said the bracing was for the elevator shaft, adding that the project was slightly behind schedule. Learnard moved to convene in executive session to discuss pending or threatened litigation and personnel at 7:59 p.m. Fleisch seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Imker moved to reconvene in regular session at 8: 15 p.m. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business to discuss, Imker moved to adjourn the meeting. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m -