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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-20-2014 Regular Meeting I I I City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes March 20, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and City Council of the City of Peachtree City met on Thursday, March 20, 2014. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Eric Imker, Mike King, and Kim Learnard. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Representatives from the Marine Corps League, Detachment 1325, presented the City with a Certificate of Appreciation for patriotism in flying the United States Flag at city facilities. Fleisch proclaimed April 2014 as Confederate History and Heritage Month and April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day. Glenn Allen accepted on behalf of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and invited the community to tour the organization's historic archive in Fayetteville. Fleisch proclaimed April 1 as a Day of Recognition to National Service. Cindy Hall accepted on behalf of Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) with AmeriCorps. Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) Chairman Matt Forshee noted the FCDA had entered into an agreement with the City to provide economic development services two years ago. Forshee introduced Emily Poole to report on the Business Retention and Expansion Program (BREP) in Peachtree City. Poole noted that there were currently 15,330 jobs (full and part time) with the average earnings of $50.02 [sic - $50.2K per FCDA presentation]. In 2013, Peachtree City had 1,839 jobs in the Manufacturing category, which was an increase of 12% over 2010. At the same time, the Atlanta MSA declined by 4%, Georgia declined by 3%, and the United States declined by 5%. Peachtree City's population of 34,401 was holding steady, but the city was seeing a decline in ages 5-19 and 35-54, while the 65 and older age bracket was increasing. Poole continued that the BREP helped address a variety of needs faced by companies in Peachtree City. The program supported local companies to ensure they stayed in Peachtree City and continued investing in the community and providing jobs here. Peachtree City had a range of national and international corporations. The majority of challenges faced by local companies were workforce development assistance and facility needs. Three expansions were currently underway in Peachtree City, with capital investment totaling $30 million and the addition of 350 new jobs. Five additional expansions were planned but still confidential, with over $10 M in investment and 100 additional jobs. The most recent announced company locating to Peachtree City was the corporate offices for Interfor, who would occupy 12,000 sq. ft. of existing office space and bring executive positions with a pay scale higher than the average wage in Peachtree City. Public Comment There was none. Agenda Changes There were none. Minutes Imker moved to approve the minutes of the March 4, 2014, workshop and the March 6, 2016, meeting as submitted. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. I I I City Council Meeting Minutes March 20, 2014 Page 2 Monthly Reports Imker noted that litigation services for the Mrosek lawsuit continued to mount up, averaging $20,000 per year, for a single case that had been ongoing since 2010. Consent Aaenda 1. Consider Alcohol License for The Fred - Georgia Shrimp Company 2. Consider Approval of Request to Apply for GOHS/MATEN Highway Safety Grant 3. Consider Approval of Request to Apply for GOHS Highway Safety Small Agency Incentive Grant Ernst moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard noted that they had just brought in $30,000 in non-matching grant funding thanks to the dedicated people at the Police Department. New Aaenda Items 03- 14-03 Consider Agreement with KPTCB regarding Cart Paths City Manager Jim Pennington noted at the March 4 Workshop, Council had discussed maintenance of streets and paths, and the evening ended with a discussion of expanding Keep Peachtree City Beautiful's (KPTCB) role on the paths, emptying the trash cans along the paths, performing cleanup in some of the more heavily used areas, and reporting problem areas to Public Works. The change order before Council that evening formalized those increased duties and would cost $22,900 for the remainder of 2014, with an estimated cost of $45,760 in FY 2015. Learnard moved to approve the change order. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 03- 14-04 Discuss Subdivision Entrance Sign Replacement Policy Interim Public Services Director Jon Rorie addressed Council saying the subdivision entrance signs had been an ongoing discussion item and moving target over the years. Staff was requesting Council to provide clear policy direction moving forward, and then gave a presentation about the history of the issue and possible ways to move forward. Rorie noted most of Peachtree City's neighborhoods had one or more subdivision entrance signs installed in the City's rights-of-way. The developers maintained the signs for the first two years, after which the City inherited the signs and maintenance. Prior to January 2014, the City did not have an inventory of all the entrance signs. An inventory had been completed and the signs had been categorized based on the materials. Forty-one signs were maintained by the Homeowner Associations that owned them. The City was responsible for 157 subdivision entrances and a total of 171 entrance signs. Masonry signs composed about 46% of the inventory, and those signs required the least maintenance. Another 33% of the signs were a stucco/foam/EFIS material, which had a moderate demand for maintenance and replacement. The remaining 20% of the signs were constructed of wood, and those had the highest demand for maintenance and replacement. This category totaled 34 signs. Rorie said the City had received a quote from an outside vendor for $3,035 to repair the stucco, repaint the sign, and repaint the lettering for the sign at Southern Trace. The City staff and sign shOp could perform the same repairs at about 1/3 the cost. I I I City Council Meeting Minutes March 20, 2014 Page 3 Rorie then noted the grand scale of the Spooner Ridge sign, adding that it was repeated in four locations. Staff could remove the components for approximately $6,000. One of the signs had significant damage from tree roots. The estimate for an outside contractor to repair the sign was $3,400. Rorie then said it cost about $1 ,500 to $1 ,800 to replace modestly sized wooden and stucco signs. A small masonry sign would cost more, but last significantly longer. The City had been using a $1,500 amount to repair or replace signs as necessary, but that was no longer an adequate amount. Council first needed to decide if the City should be spending any tax dollars on these signs, and if the answer to that was "yes," then to determine what was a reasonable amount to spend. The policy decisions before Council included: . Should the City expend funds for subdivision sign maintenance, or remove signs as they deteriorate? If they do replace, what should the maximum expenditure be? . What should the standard sign be? Masonry, EFIS/Foam, Wood? . Can the City transfer responsibility for sign maintenance? . Can the City provide funds to replace signs and limit its exposure going forward? . Should the City install signs where none have been previously if requested? Rorie said his initial instinct had been to eliminate the subdivision signs, but during this process he had learned how important the signs were to neighborhood identity and community ambiance. He had developed a draft policy that he would forward to Council for their review and comment before bringing a finalized policy forward for a Council vote. Rorie continued that the funding level Council ultimate decided upon should be included in the FY 2015 budget, and there should be a designated schedule for cleaning, repairing, and replacing a specific number of signs per month and per year. One option was to replace the signs as they needed it with a standard 3' x 3' brick column for approximately $3,500, with the understanding that the brick would last significantly longer than wooden or stucco signs. Another option was to allow 50% plus 1 of the registered property owners in a neighborhood to petition for a better sign and provide additional funding to cover the costs over the set amount. This option would allow neighborhoods some input on the signs. Having neighborhoods without a Homeowner Association accept maintenance responsibility was something of a risk, but was also an option that might allow for the slightly higher expenditure on the masonry signs. Rorie said he wanted to present these ideas for discussion, and then a formalized policy that could be brought back for Council adoption in April. Fleisch thanked Rorie, saying the City needed a policy, and asked if staff would rate the signs to assign the priority for maintenance or replacement. Rorie said that was what he envisioned. Pennington suggested obtaining public feedback to help Council in formulating the policy. Learnard asked how Council thought the public input could best be obtained, and Council discussed the possibility of a workshop or a link on the website. Imker noted that his neighborhood's sign had been falling apart. There were only seven homes in the neighborhood, and the residents had fixed it themselves. He felt neighborhoods without a Homeowner Association should pay for their own signs, and the City should remove signs that I I I City Council Meeting Minutes March 20, 2014 Page 4 neighborhoods allowed to fall into disrepair. If the neighborhood wanted the sign reinstalled, they could pay for it. Learnard said that approach also brought up issues of consistency. Fleisch noted the Highlands and Greensway had no HOAs, but neighbors had pooled their funds to replace their enhanced signs. Once a neighborhood was established with no HOA, it was very difficult to establish one because 100% of the homeowners had to join. King expressed an interest in neighborhoods repairing their own signs, and, if the signs deteriorated too much, the City would then remove them. Fleisch asked if a workshop was the best way to obtain public input because the meetings were not well attended. Ernst felt either a workshop or some type of public notice was important to give citizens the opportunity for input. Learnard noted the standard workshop date in April conflicted with Spring Break. Fleisch suggested obtaining public input in April, either through a workshop or some other means, and then having the policy finalized in May. Council/staff Topics Pennington said the scoreboards for Meade Fields were scheduled to be replaced the following week. Pond and Company was deep in the data collection phase of the Highway 54 West traffic study and would be getting data from Coweta County. Staff hoped to have information to update Council in April on the status. City Attorney Ted Meeker said Council needed to enter Executive Session to discuss real estate, pending or threatened litigation, and a personnel matter. Imker moved to convene into Executive Session at 8:09 p.m. to discuss real estate, pending or threatened litigation, and a personnel matter. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Executive Session Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 8:55 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Imker moved to deny the claim of Ms. Cruz as such claims were presented. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, Imker moved to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned :~~") ~. ~ Learnard seconded. ~fi12rk Van ssa Fleisch, Mayor