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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-02-2014 regular meeting I I I City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met on Thursday, October 2,2014, at City Hall. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other Council Members attending: Terry Ernst, Eric Imker, Mike King, and Kim Learnard. Announcements. Awards, Soecial Recoanition Mayor Fleisch proclaimed October 11 as Mcintosh High School Hall of Fame Day. Mcintosh Principal Lisa Wms. Fine, Athletic Director Stacy Smith, honorees Chuck Buckle and Scott Gillanders accepted the proclamation. Police Auxiliary Captain Gene Fochtman was recognized for serving as a member of the Police Auxiliary for over 20 years. The graduates of the first Citizens Fire Academy were recognized. Diva Half Marathon Recap Robert Pow, president of Continental Event and Sports Management Group, gave a recap of the Diva Half-marathon held on September 6. He told Council the event had been very successful, and they would work on making it even better next year. There were 3,992 participants, most of them registered in the half-marathon event, including 55 men. The largest group of participants, 44% (1.775) lived within 35 miles of the City. Another 28% (1.127) came from other cities in Georgia. Twenty-seven percent (1,072) came from other states, and 0.45% (18) were from other countries. Participants came from 45 states. Pow continued that every room night in the local hotels had been sold out, with an average of 2.3 nights per participant. The estimated room nights per the questionnaire given to participants were 1.744. The total event attendance was estimated at 8,538. The direct economic impact was estimated at $1,646,000, with the indirect economic impact at $2,469,000. Pow estimated there were only about 300 people who actually came out to watch the race, in addition to those who came with the participants and the volunteers. There were no problems, issues, or fights. He thanked the City and the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), adding they would be back if the City would have them back. Public Comment AI Yougel, director of Keep Peachtree City Beautiful (KPTCB), addressed Council, saying there was a problem with getting rid of newspapers and other items people did not want in their driveways. He had clean up his driveway, as well as his neighbor's. Recently, Yougel had to be out of his home for two months, and he had canceled the newspapers while he was gone. Things were still delivered. Some people refused to pick up the items, with the papers sitting in the driveway until they turned to pulp. If it was in the right-of-way. You gel said he could pick it up. He asked Council to make some fair, legal rules regarding the newspapers and advertising, at least requiring those who threw the items out to pick them up. Minutes September 16, 2014, Workshop September 18, 2014, Regular Meeting King moved to approve the September 16, 2014, workshop minutes and September 18, 2014, regular meeting minutes as written. Ernst seconded. Motion carried 4-0-1 (Imker). Consent Aaenda I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 2 1. Consider Sole Source Vendor for Structural Pipe lining, 119 Chadwick Dr 2. Consider Sole Source Vendor for Structural Pipe lining, 125 Chadwick Dr 3. Consider Sole Source Vendor for Structural Pipe lining, Braelinn Rd and Pleasance Grove 4. Consider Sole Source Vendor for Structural Pipe lining, Braelinn Rd and Morallion Hills 5. Consider Sole Source Vendor for Structural Pipe lining, Braelinn Rd and Shawville Ln 6. Consider Brand Name/Sole Source Purchase of three LUCAS Compression Systems 7. Consider Acceptance of Grant from Coweta Fayette EMC for CERT Learnard moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 - 7. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Aaenda Items 10-14-01 PUBLIC HEARING - Consider Variance Requests to Section 916.2 of the Transition Yard Buffer Ordinance, Section 1005A.4 (e) of the 01 Office Institutional Zoning Ordinance and Section 723.1 of the Tree Save and Landscape Buffer Ordinance, 308 HWY 74 N Senior Planner David Rast addressed Council, noting there were three ordinance sections from which the applicant, Dr. John Henahan, 00, had applied for variances. The tract was located just north of Wisdom Road on SR 74 North. The tract had originally been the Fulton family homestead, and it had become a real estate office after SR 74 had been widened. Other tracts in the area, which had also been small family homesteads, had also developed over the years, with many of them rezoned specifically to the tracts of land. The tracts were lOned General Commercial (GC), Limited Use Commercial (LUC), or Office Institutional (01). Rast continued that the tract was 1.4 acres, and Henahan planned to relocate his Spectrum Eye Care facility from SR 54 West. Henahan wanted to demolish the existing building and construct an 11,250 square-foot freestanding building that would house his office and additional retail space. There was a large oak tree at the corner of the property adjacent to SR 74. Along the back of the tract, there was a 20-foot wide sewer easement and a 20-foot wide transmission line easement, and those areas were kept clear of vegetation. The existing building and parking were built prior to the ordinances that were now in place, and the tract was grandfathered. If the applicant had chosen to use the same footprint, there would be no need for the variances, but he wanted to do something different so the tract would be more in keeping with the retail/office space to the north and south. Rast reiterated that the applicant was seeking variances from three separate ordinance sections. Section 916.2 of the Transition Yard Buffer Ordinance required a 75-foot transition yard buffer between all property lOned GC, LUC, 01, Limited Industrial (L1), and General Industrial (GI) that adjoined residentially lOned property. The subject tract abutted the Fairfield subdivision, which was lOned General Residential -12 (GR-12). The applicant was requesting that the transition yard buffer be reduced to no less than 30 feet as measured from the property line. Because of the size and shape of the property, staff recommended the transition yard buffer be contravened, and a 50-foot landscaped buffer be placed along the rear of the property. Although no vegetation should be planted in the sewer and transmission line easements, there would be an additional 20 feet that could be landscaped and buffered to separate the building and parking from the residential property. Section 723.1 of the Tree Save and Landscape Buffer Ordinance required no less than a 40-foot tree save and landscape buffer for all non-residential development abutting an arterial highway. The front property line abutted SR 74 North, which was classified as an arterial highway. The applicant was requesting that this buffer be reduced to no less than 20 feet as measured from the property line. Rast said the parking in the developments to the north and south was I I I City Council Minutes October 2,2014 Page 3 much farther toward the right-of-way than 60 feet. The Pediatrics Village tract's parking was 20 feet from the right-of-way. The parking to the south on the Peachtree 74 tract was 30 feet from the right-of-way, but the detention pond was in that area so there was not much vegetation along the front of the tract. Staff's recommendation was to reduce the tree save and landscape buffer to 20 feet, which was consistent with what was to the north. There was also a stipulation for an additional 20% of the total number of caliper inches planted to reforest the buffer once the landscape plan was approved. Section 1005A.4(e) of the 01 Office Institutional Zoning Ordinance required a 75-foot rear building setback when a tract of land lOned 01 abutted a residentially lOned tract of land. The rear property line abutted the Fairfield subdivision. which was lOned GR-12. The applicant was requesting that the rear building setback be reduced to no less than 30 feet as measured from the property line. Staff recommended reducing the required 75-foot setback to no less than 50 feet, which was appropriate with the additional landscaping that had been recommended. Rast said the property could be redeveloped within the ordinance guidelines, noting that other parcels in the area had been relOned for specific projects. The Planning Commission had endorsed the site plan with the condition that City Council approved the variances. Rast noted that following conditions pertained to Section 916.2 of the Transition Yard Buffer Ordinance: 1. In lieu of a transition yard buffer, no less than a 50-foot landscape buffer shall be provided along the rear property line and identified on all site and landscape plans submitted for this development. It is understood the proposed storm water detention pond and multi-use path connection will be located within this buffer. 2. The landscape plan shall identify replanting within the remaining landscape buffer separating the building and parking area from the Fairfield subdivision. It is understood that plant material will not be installed within the utility easement. 3. The landscape plan shall identify evergreen plant material planted in staggered rows to screen the perimeter of the stormwater pond. The following condition pertained to Section 723.1 of the Tree Save and Landscape Buffer Ordinance: 4. The tree save and landscape buffer shall be reduced to no less than 20 feet. The landscape plan shall include additional landscaping within this area that equates to no less than 20% of the total caliper inches of trees required for the entire site by the Landscape Ordinance. The following condition pertained to Section 1005A.4(e) of the 01 Office Institutional Zoning Ordinance: 5. The rear building setback shall be established at no less than 50 feet as measured from the rear property line. Joey Scanlon, the civil engineer for the surveying company working with Henahan, spoke on behalf of the applicant. He said Rast had done a good job with the explanation, adding he was available to answer any questions. I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 4 Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the proposed variances. The public hearing closed. There were no comments from Council except from Learnard, who said she had no concerns and appreciated the Planning Commission's endorsement of the site plan. Learnard moved to approve the variance requests to Section 916.2 of the Transition Yard Buffer Ordinance, Section 1005Ao4 (e) of the 01 Office Institutional Zoning Ordinance and Section 723.1 of the Tree Save and Landscape Buffer Ordinance, 308 HWY 74 N, subject to the conditions presented. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-14-02 PUBLIC HEARING - Consider step One Annexation Application, The Heritage of Peachtree City Assisted living Community, 1967 HWY 54 E Rast pointed out that the 3.5-acre tract was located just to the north of the Peachtree Professional Building, which had been annexed earlier in 2014. The tract was lOned Community Commercial (CC) in the County, as was the tract to the north. The property beyond that was lOned Agricultural Residential (A-R). Fleisch opened the public hearing. Moira Feeney spoke for the applicant, Senior Lifestyle Corporation. Feeney said the facility had 49 rooms with 49 residents, and there were no plans to expand. The septic system and field were failing, and they were asking the City to consider annexing the property so they could hook into the sewer system via a nearby lift station. There was no way to repair the system on-site without replacing the three 1 ,500-gallon tanks, which were being pumped every four to five days. Chuck Ogletree, owner of the Peachtree Professional Building, 1975 HWY 54 E, said he supported the annexation. He continued they were in the process of running the sewer to his property now, and the pump station would be on the south side. It would be a perfect tie-in for Heritage, and it was a known entity. He saw nothing but positives if the property was annexed. The public hearing closed. Imker asked what the purpose was for a Step One annexation application. City Attorney Ted Meeker said the purpose was to accept the application and allow staff to proceed. Fleisch added that approving Step One was not an approval for the annexation. lmker asked what the time frame for possible annexation would be. Rast said that, with legal advertising requirements, going through the Planning Commission and then to Council, plus notifying Fayette County to see if there were any objections, 45 - 60 days would be realistic. It would depend on when the application was submitted, and how quickly it could be placed on the Planning Commission and Council agendas. lmker asked if there was some way issues could be worked out with the adjoining property owner and the Water and Sewerage Authority (W ASA) to avoid the unnecessary costs incurred by having to pump the septic tanks during those 60 days. Meeker said the issue at this meeting was the Step One annexation application. The issue of extending sewer service outside the City was separate issue that could be discussed at another meeting. I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 5 Learnard asked when the next Planning Commission meeting was. Rast answered october 13. Council would meet on October 16. Imker said W ASA could hold a special called meeting, then come to Council regarding the sewer service. Imker said this could be done without completing the formal annexation, and he would like to do that. Ernst asked if the County would fight the annexation. Rast said the senior community was in a dire situation regarding the septic system. The sewer extension outside the City was solely a Council decision with W ASA input. Meeker asked Ogletree when the lift station would be ready. Ogletree said the sewer line would not be ready until February. Meeker clarified that Heritage would still need to pump their tanks until that time. Ogletree said there were some extenuating circumstances involved. They were preparing to sign a development agreement with W ASA, and W ASA was requiring them to put some money up for the development agreement. If, for some reason, the annexation did not go through. then Heritage would be left in the wind. Feeney said there was a substantial investment on their part to connect to the sewer. City Manager Jim Pennington said staff had talked to W ASA, and things should go smoothly. Ogletree said that, when he had submitted his step One annexation application, it had been approved by Council. When the step Two application went before the Planning Commission, they had not liked the geographic shape because the three parcels to the south were not included. He had to go back to those parcels and ask them if they wanted to be included in the annexation, which caused a 60-day delay. He did not want there to be another delay because of the one parcel left to the south. Pennington said that would be addressed at the annexation workshop scheduled October 7. Imker said that, in lieu of an annexation request, someone could come to the next meeting and request that sewer be extended outside the City limits in accordance with the requirements for WASA's bond. Whether they were annexed or not, they would be successful in connecting to the sewer system. Learnard said the goals were the same, but she preferred to go ahead and vote. Fleisch said her only concern was they had not addressed what the City's borders would look like yet, and that would be discussed at the October 7 workshop. King moved to approve the step One annexation application, The Heritage of Peachtree City Assisted Living Community, 1967 HWY 54 E. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-14-03 Consider Repeal and Adoption of Employee Position Classification and Pay Plan and Amendments to FY2015 Budget Resolution Human Resources and Risk Management Director Ellece Brown said staff recommended Council repeal the 2000 pay plan and adopt the 2014 plan, Option B unmodified. The plan would become effective October 20, with the first pay date on November 6. Brown noted that six proposals were received for the pay study. A cross-functional employee committee of seven members was created to evaluate proposals utilizing specific criteria with assigned weights. The committee selected Condrey & Associates based on their tremendous I I I City Council Minutes October 2,2014 Page 6 resources and experience. In addition, subject matter experts would personally interview 60% of employees (70% of employees were actually interviewed), provide implementation options/strategies, provide an employee appeals process for three months after implementation, and provide one year of technical assistance at no additional cost. Five references were checked on Condrey, and Pennington agreed with the employee committee's recommendation. The objectives of the study were to review and upgrade the current classification system and compensation plan for all City employees; collect wage survey data and produce a recommended compensation plan based on job analysis, job evaluation, and wage survey data; collect benefits survey data and recommend changes (if any) to current benefit offerings; and revise all job descriptions for all City positions. The study steps included meeting with department heads and the employee committee, distributing current position questionnaires (12 pages), interviewing City employees (70%), conducting an internal analysis, and conducting an external analysis. Brown continued that the government entities that participated in the compensation and benefits survey included the cities of Alpharetta, LaGrange, College Park, Newnan, Douglasville, Peachtree Corners, Duluth, Roswell, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, East Point, Smyrna, Gainesville, Stockbridge, Griffin, Woodstock, Johns Creek, and Kennesaw. and Coweta County and Fayette County. In addition, Condrey looked at Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas, and Gwinnett Counties. Brown said these entities were selected because they were potential competitors for employees, had similar size communities, had similar services/expectations provided by city/county government, and similar fire departments in that they offered both fire and emergency medical services to the community. In determining the areas where the City recruited for employees, Condrey looked at where employees currently resided, including Coweta County - Newnan, Sharpsburg, Moreland, Senoia, Palmetto - 44% (128 employees); Fayette County - Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Brooks, Tyrone - 39% (107 employees); and other cities/counties - 50 employees. The Factor Evaluation System (FES) was used in developing the plan. Brown explained that FES was considered a state-of-the-art system in public human resource management. The point- factor-comparison evaluation system used nine factors for the evaluation of jobs, including the knowledge required by position, supervisory controls, guidelines, complexity, scope and effect. personal contact, purpose of contacts, physical demands, and work environment. Condrey added a lOth factor covering supervisory responsibility. Each of these factors was weighted; for example, knowledge required by position "counted more" than physical demands. Each factor had several levels, and each level was assigned a specified number of points. The combined score on all factors determined the total number of points for each position and its assignment to a grade in the classification plan. The assigned grade levels reflected a combination of data generated by FES, the salary surveys, and a review of organizational relationships within the government. The proposed compensation plan consisted of 25 grades. Three plans - A, B, and C - were presented. There were also modified and unmodified equity adjustment plans for A. B, and C. Plan B (unmodified) was Staff's recommendation. It would bring the City's salaries into the 50th percentile, not the 75-80th percentile as had been adopted in 2000. The City's current plan was at the 35th percentile. I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 7 Brown continued with the costs of implementing Plan B (unmodified). The total implementation costs were estimated at $936,039, which included both classification changes and equity adjustments. Equity adjustments were based on a maximum 2% increase for employees with one to three years of service, 4% increase for employees with four to six years of service, and 6% increase for employees with seven or more years of service. The costs included compensation plan increases and impacts on benefits. It also assumed an effective date of october 20, with a pay date of November 6. The amount budgeted in FY 2015 for pay increases was $270.000. The additional estimated cost was $640,354. The advantages of the new plan helped the City be competitive in the relevant labor market, professionalized and strengthened the administrative infrastructure of the City, helped in ameliorating compression issues with one-time equity adjustments applied to employee salaries, provided current position titles and job descriptions, and allowed the City to be an employer of choice - not an employer of last resort. Brown noted the recommended future actions to maintain this new plan, saying the City should budget for annual personnel cost adjustments by having increases linked to the Employment Cost Index, which would raise every employee's salary and every pay range equally when necessary, and linking merit increases to employee performance. A major overhaul of the plan would not be needed for five years or more. Another major study should be done in 10 years. Learnard referred to page 9 of the Condrey study, pointing out that it said the estimated costs did not include benefits. Brown answered that Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore and Assistant Finance Director Kelly Bush had put together a spreadsheet that had included all the costs, determined per employee. Salvatore added that there were multiple types of salary- based insurances included in salaries, such as Medicare, Worker's Compensation, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), and the 2% match for the defined benefit plan. Brown clarified that the numbers used in her presentation were the total costs. Salvatore said yes. Salvatore continued that Council had also voted to unfund the Assistant Police Chief position, which was a $120,000 difference. There were duplications that were found. Ernst clarified again that the figures provided during the presentation that evening included benefits costs and all salary costs. Salvatore said that was correct, noting that was from the General Fund. Approximately $25,000 would come from the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) fund and the Stormwater utility fund. Imker said he wanted to hear from the citizens, adding it was clear they were still confused. Kevin Cheney said he was the human resources director for the oldest company in the City, as well as a resident. He continued that 67% of their employees were from Coweta and Meriwether Counties, compared to the City's 44% who lived in Coweta. They had a mid-range company, probably in the 50th to 75th percentile. He did not like taxes, but having the City in the 35th percentile for pay was not good. Ron Mundy, who served on the Employee Committee, said a lot of information had been presented in the last six months. The Employee Committee put in a lot of hard work. Dr. Condrey was a known expert in his field, who had written books on the subject. Mundy said he had worked for the City long enough to know the impact if Council voted down the change in pay. The City would lose good quality people who helped make the City what it was. Employees had been told for six years to keep doing the job, and they would be recognized one day. Good workers would be lost and replaced with workers at the 35th percentile, except I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 8 for the ones who had to stay for the benefits they were owed. Those employees would be so disgruntled they would become a cancer in the organization. Chris Campbell, an employee and citizen, read a letter he had written, which noted the caliber of City employees had led to a consistent level of citizen satisfaction. He noted the significant certifications required for firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), in addition to their normal duty requirements. Advanced education was also a continuing requirement, with no corresponding incentive or advancement in pay. He continued that residents expected a high level of professionalism from City employees, and they received it at bargain prices. Employees would like to receive top-shelf compensation, but getting to the middle shelf was a start. It seemed disingenuous to call employees a valuable asset and keep salaries the lowest among comparable cities. The employees had contributed to the quality of life standard the City enjoyed. He told Council the employees had served the community well in difficult times, asking Council to make a commitment to the employees who made the City's public safety the success it was. Donetta Toussiant said she had just completed the first Citizens Fire Academy. She challenged Council to go through the Police and Fire Citizens Academies, saying they might appreciate what the employees did. When she first started the academy, Toussiant believed anyone out of high school could do the job with some training. However, she had been very impressed by their knowledge, dedication, training, and skill. These were the people she wanted to rescue her. There was a time to make Lincoln cry by pinching pennies, and this was not it. John Dunlap, also an employee and resident, said he had considered moving outside Peachtree City. They looked very hard at Tyrone, Fayette County, and Coweta County, but had decided to stay because the City had great employees and great services. They could have gotten more house and more property for their money, but they chose to spend that money and stay in the City so they could continue to benefit from the City's services. Mike Peckett, also an employee, said he moved to the City in 2010 with his family. He worked three jobs, one with the City, one with Coweta County. and he had a pressure-washing business. He noted that all the City's special events happened because of the employees in the Fire Department, Police Department, and Public Works. Those events would not have happened without the City's dedicated employees. King said this Council had the chance to do something previous Councils had kicked down the road. The employees and everything they did had been taken for granted for years. The 35th percentile was an embarrassment. From a business standpoint. the City would get what it paid for. They had to what was needed to ensure employees were professional. content, and they wanted to stay for the long term. Ernst said he had been a graduate of the first Citizens Police Academy, and he had eventually retired from the Police Department after 20 years. If the only income he had during that time had been from the Police Department, he could not have lived in the City. He was fortunate to also be retired from the military. Council had a chance to do something. All employees should be commended for what they did. lmker said he hoped to delay the decision since they did not know the full impact, but he could tell it was going to be approved. He had a 30-second presentation or a one-hour presentation. He had planned to give the 30-second presentation if he felt the vote could be delayed. Instead, he wanted to give his thoughts for the record, so everyone would understand his I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 9 position. lmker said he had seen a lot of flaws in the study. The senior employees who supervised others did an outstanding job at making the workplace desirable. He agreed the current salary structure must be improved. Out of the 25 grades on the proposed scale, not one single employee was in the first eight grades. The lowest salaries were just dollar amounts below $30,000. He agreed salary compression was an issue. The issues should be addressed, but Imker hoped Council would have more time to understand what they were doing. He was a student of mathematics, he understood the terms in the study, and there were several questionable points. lmker continued that. within a 50-mile radius of Peachtree City, the City's salaries were at the top compared to other entities. Most of the City's employees came from within a 15-mile radius. If the 50-mile radius was in the middle of Atlanta, then he understood why the City would be in the 35th percentile. Having difficulty filling a few positions was not worth $1 million. According to the City's own study of employees leaving positions, the City was below average. He did not see the threat of people leaving their jobs if Council did not implement the new pay plan. More time was needed to reflect on the numbers and come up with a better of picture of where the City should go. The study listed 35 benefits employees received, and for most of them, the City was equal to the others surveyed. There were a few that were significant. and City employees had a very favorable advantage, including retirement. Imker noted the retirement plan had a $25 million fund set aside to pay future pensions. Spending almost $1 million more per year would have a negative impact on the fund. There were serious questions that had not been studied. He added that Condrey had a total misunderstanding of his 2% inversion plan for pay raises. Council should look at salary compression, Imker said. He wanted each director/chief to talk to Council so they could work on the problems. He continued that whatever adjustments were made had to come from a non-cash reserve solution. Taking from the reserves would ruin the City's budget over the next five years. Spending the money without understanding the impact was mind-boggling. He disagreed that the reason jobs were hard to fill was because of the salaries. Some jobs were just hard to fill; that was the way Human Resources worked. Spending $1 million to fix an HR problem was not an adequate solution. He had started looking at salary compression months ago, and it would have been included in the pay raise. He had hoped the evaluation would have been done correctly by having each director come to Council and tell them where their problem areas were. Council would have corrected the problems. Council should carefully consider how this would affect the taxpayers. This was an extremely important issue. Learnard said there was no question the staff was worth $1 million, but the money was not there to give them. Council's job was to reconcile staff's value with what taxpayers could pay. It was a $1 million decision, and she did not take a $1 million decision lightly, no matter what it involved. At the September workshop, a great deal of information was presented, but some things were missing. It had been three weeks since the workshop where Council had been presented with the information for the first time, and she said some things had not been answered. Council had to provide a raise and address the compression issue. There had not been enough time to thoughtfully decide how to do it. Learnard said she was not ready to make a $1 million vote. How to do it. pay for it, and move together as a City had not been addressed. She did not believe any employees would be a cancer under any circumstances. I I I City Council Minutes October 2,2014 Page 10 Imker proposed tabling the agenda item. If a vote to approve the raise was taken, Imker explained he would not be voting against better pay, but to better understand the impact on the budget. Fleisch thanked the employees who took the time to sit down with Condrey, saying Condrey literally wrote the book on this subject. She continued that Council had known about the pay study for months, saying Imker could have chosen to be present at the workshop. Anyone who took the time to see what went into running the City would see what had been going on for the past five years. She had talked with Condrey about the 2% inversion plan prior to the workshop, and they knew it was not the way to go. She thanked the employee committee that selected Condrey, saying he was very professional. She was embarrassed the City's pay scale was at 35%. The only missing was an enhanced performance evaluation system. The current evaluation system was very sub-par. Fleisch referred to the success of the Diva Half Marathon, saying one year ago, she had been worried that the City might not be able to pull it off. Watching City staff worked during the event. Fleisch knew the City had pulled it together. The hotels had been full, and there had been $1.6 million in economic impact. Fleisch said while there were a lot of employees that lived in Coweta County, which was not where they came from, but where they were living now. The City competed with the other entities surveyed for employees. It had taken one and one- half years to fill landscape positions. Fleisch said the employees deserved this, and it deserved an up or down at this meeting. King moved to approve 10-14-03 Consider Repeal and Adoption of Employee Position Classification and Pay Plan and Amendments to FY2015 Budget Resolution. Ernst seconded. Motion carried 3-2 (Imker, Learnard). Council/Staff Tooics Hot Topics Learnard introduced Natia Gogoditze, an exchange student from the country of Georgia. Gogoditze said she was part of a future leaders exchange program, and she would be here for one year. She had to complete several projects, and one of the projects was to shadow a leader. She thanked Council for allowing her to be with them. She planned to visit City Hall the following Friday with Learnard. Pennington said he had spoken with County Administrator Steve Rapson regarding a problem in Stoning ton with water. Rapson indicated they were not pleased with the results, and it would be taken care of. Pennington said he would send Council detailed information on the City's stormwater program. lmker said work would start right away on the FY 2016 budget. He did not want any citizen or employee to think the budget would be ruined by the new pay plan; it would not. They would find a solution on how to pay for the employee raise. He asked Pennington to allow him to get with staff to start working on the solutions. A 0.3 mill increase could be needed next year. He would look for solutions to keep any millage rate increases to a minimum. Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session for pending or threatened litigation and personnel at 8:55 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. I I I City Council Minutes October 2, 2014 Page 11 lmker moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:18 p.m. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to adjour the meeting. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:19. .m. Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor