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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-2015 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes May 7, 2015 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at City Hall. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other Council Members attending: Terry Ernst, Eric lmker, Mike King, and Kim Learnard. Pledge of Allegiance Members of the Peachtree City Police Department's Color Guard and Boy Scout Troop 181 posted the colors. Mayor Fleisch led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Police Chaplain Bob Fales accepted the proclamation for Police Week and Police Officers Memorial Day. Police Lieutenant Mark Brown was recognized as the Supervisor of the Quarter, and Police Lieutenant Jason Epps was recognized for 20 years of service. Interim Police Chief Stan Pye was presented with the Police Department's Commendation of Merit award by Lt. Jason Epps and Lt. John Jenkins. The most recent graduates of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training were recognized, including the 1,000th student to be trained, Karin Keller. The class itself brought the total number of CERT participants to 1,014. Pye also recognized Brittany Adams and Hannah Neal, both graduates of Teen CERT, who were certified as teen instructors and had helped as instructors in the recent adult class. Update on Convention &Visitors Bureau (CVB) Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Executive Director Nancy Prince and CVB Chairman Wende Blumberg gave an update on the board and its activities, pointing out that May 2 - 10 was National Tourism Week, which Blumberg said was a great time to share what the CVB did in the community. The slogan for the week was, "Travel is...Just What You Unexpected!" Blumberg continued that, in 2013, Fayette County's tourism industry supported 2,970 jobs, generated $175.97 million in direct tourist spending, created $10.87 million in state tax revenues, and generated $5.15 million in local tax revenues, which represented $419.73 in tax relief for residents in the Fayette County area. Hotel occupancy and hotel/motel taxes were increasing, and the first quarter of 2015 had been very strong. Blumberg continued the City's CVB was one of only six in the state to receive gold level accreditation through 2017 from the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB), adding the state had 80 CVBs. The City's CVB also received the "Best Ideas Winner for Print Advertising" from the GACVB. Price gave a brief overview of CVB statistics, ending on March 31, 2015. The Visitors Center had 651 visits during the first quarter of 2015, and 1,288 visitors, year-to-date. The Facebook page had 3,996 followers, and Twitter had 1,896. The website received 40,166 unique visits, and 105,798 page views. Magazine leads totaled 1,101. YouTube had 3,931 views for the "Discover" video and 1,981 for the "Golf Cart" video. Four thousand six hundred seventy-seven welcome packets had been distributed year-to-date. Price continued that the CVB had been very busy, noting the American Cornhole Organization's (ACO) Masters Tournament held in March at the Tennis Center brought in 432 people, including 284 participants, and had 208 room nights. The economic impact was $122,622. This was a new event the CVB had recruited, and the ACO planned to return in 2016. Youth Basketball of America (YBOA) held a girls tournament in March, and the economic impact was reported at $366,963. There had been 660 participants. Gyms at local schools were used, and there had been 1,518 spectators. A Geotour had been created in the City, and 19 caches out of the 300 or so located in the City, were included. People were travelling from everywhere to participate in this activity. Price also reported that series ticket sales at the Frederick Brown, Jr., Amphitheater (The Fred) were up 25%from last year, City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 2 adding that people from neighboring states often came for concerts, stayed at local hotels, and ate at local restaurants. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Purchase of Speed Detection &ALPR Trailer, Sole Source Request for Cintel LLC/Vigilant Solutions Trailer 2. Consider Purchase of Replacement Video Server&Storage& Request for Budget Reallocation- PIP Fund 3. Consider Purchase of Replacement Side by Side for Yamaha Viking 4. Consider FY 2015 Budget Adjustments 5. Consider Approval of Settlement of Claim Raised by Erica Clark for Motor Vehicle Accident 6. Consider Addition of Human Resources Manager to HR& Risk Management Division Imker moved to pull Consent Agenda items 2, 4, and 6 for discussion. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2. Consider Purchase of Replacement Video Server&Storage& Request for Budget Reallocation-PIP Fund Imker asked for more information on the purchase. Pye said the Police Department had a lot video requiring storage, and the addition of the body cameras would double that need. In 2009, there had been a total crash of the electronic data system, and a lot of video had been lost. Issues that had led to the 2009 crash were occurring again. The server was currently using 26 terabytes (TB) of its 36 TB system. The recommendation from IT was for a 72 TB system with the anticipation of body cameras. A typical traffic stop lasted 15 minutes, and minor accidents lasted 30 minutes. Two video systems were running every time. The body camera would capture conversations and other evidence the video in the car would not. A simple domestic call could last an hour, while a stop for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) could last four hours. Pye said he was fearful if the issue was not addressed now, then another crash could happen. Imker asked how long 72 TBs would last. Pye said it should last five to six years according to IT. They might be able to add storage to the server, and possibly include the evidence storage system. Imker said he wanted to understand the funding. Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore said the Police Department had been able to delay the purchase of four vehicles, which had been budgeted at $231,228. Staff had asked to reallocate $85,763.30 of that amount for this project. Imker asked why the vehicles were not needed. Pye said the mileage limit for police vehicles had been increased, and the time spent on the cart paths had increased from 18 hours per week to 40 - 50 hours per week. As a result, the department was not seeing the mileage accumulation per vehicle it had in the past. He did not anticipate needing any new patrol cars for the next two budget cycles. Imker said that was what he needed to know. 4. Consider FY 2015 Budget Adjustments Salvatore explained that one of the adjustments was a reallocation in the Police Department budget. There had been an unexpected $25,000 in repairs to the Police building's exterior insulation and finishing system (efis). Staff wanted to shift $25,000 from the gasoline account. The funds would normally have been reallocated without bringing it to Council for approval; however, spending the money on the building had been unanticipated and unfunded. Salvatore explained that a second battery had been installed in the patrol cars, which allowed the officers to keep their systems running on the auxiliary power from the second battery without keeping the engines running, which also saved on gas. Pye added that putting officers on a golf cart also saved money for gas. Imker clarified that they would not be dipping into the cash reserve for the unbudgeted funds. Salvatore said that was correct, and the money was being shifted between accounts in the Police Department. 6. Consider Addition of Human Resources Manager to HR& Risk Management Division Human Resources (HR) & Risk Management Director Ellece Brown said the request was to add one person to the HR Department, and her memo had addressed several reasons. Imker said Council City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 3 agreed there was a shortfall in manpower in Human Resources. His concern was hiring another full- time person during what he perceived to be a crunch time when the City was hiring a Police Chief and a City Manager. He understood those additional tasks on top what HR was already doing would put the department on overload. He was not convinced a permanent full-time person was needed. lmker said he would like Council to consider an alternative solution,which he did not have at this time since he had not discussed it with either Brown or City Manager Jim Pennington. Brown said there had been a need for another person for over a year, but she had not brought that forward. She had hoped the new software would provide some relief, but it would not. Much of what her department did was impacted by laws, and the work had to be done and had deadlines. They wanted to meet the needs of employees and management, and that took hands and staff. It was not a recent development. Fleisch asked how many full-time employees the City had. Brown said there were close to 240 full- time employees, plus part-time and seasonal employees. Fleisch asked how many employees were in her department. Brown said there were three. Fleisch said everything was done by hand prior to the new software, adding she had been watching the training on the new software and nothing had been automated. Brown said her department touched every employee in the City. The areas that required the majority of time were hiring needs and employee relations, and the need in those areas had not decreased. She reiterated her department had needed additional help for over a year. King said there were three people currently serving 250, and they were doing a yeoman's job. Council had debated the need and should now fix the problem. lmker said he wanted to assist in the solution, suggesting adding a half-time position to see if that helped first. King disagreed, saying two years from now, the position could be moved or redirected. Imker moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 3, and 5. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. lmker moved to approve Consent Agenda items 2 and 4. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to approve Consent Agenda item 6. Learnard seconded. Motion carried 4-1(Imker). Old Agenda Items 02-15-10 Discuss/Consider Official Staff Direction to Propose State Legislation Permitting Municipal Elections in Even-numbered Years King said the reason for the proposed change was to make municipal elections easier and more convenient for voters, in the hope of increasing voter turnout. History had shown that the City's voter turnout for national elections ranged from 79 - 82%, but the turnout for municipal elections in odd- numbered years averaged 18-19%over the last six election cycles. City Attorney Ted Meeker said changing to even-numbered-year elections would require a change to the City's Charter, which required approval from the state's General Assembly. The Mayor/Council terms would need to be shortened to three years or lengthened to five years for one term to implement the change. Meeker said lengthening the terms to five years did not make much sense, so he chose shortening the terms to three years in his two examples. There were two scenarios for Council to consider, according to Meeker. The first example, which would be implemented in 2018, and would require General Assembly approval in 2016 as well as a voter referendum to approve shortening the terms of two sitting Councilmembers. This referendum City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 4 would add election costs that year. Under Example 1, the terms for Posts 1 and 2, both on the November 2015 ballot, would be shortened by one year from 2016-2019 to 2016 to 2018. The 2017 election would include Mayor and Posts 3 and 4. Those terms would be for three years, from 2018 - 2020. This scenario would occur after everyone served their current four-year terms. Beginning in 2019, elections would be back to four-year terms. Example 2 would be implemented in 2020, and it would also require General Assembly approval in 2016. A referendum would not be required since current terms would not be shortened. Future terms would be revised for Mayor and Posts 3 and 4 for the 2017 election (2018-2020), and in 2019 for Posts 1 and 2 (2020 - 2022). This scenario would leave everyone in their current terms, then phase in the shortened three-year terms after the General Assembly approval. It would still require General Assembly approval, but would not shorten any current terms. Learnard asked if the decision made by this Council would tie the hands of future Councils on this issue. Meeker said no, there were cities that held elections in even-numbered years. Learnard questioned whether the current Council could shorten the terms of a future Council. Meeker said the General Assembly would be taking the action to shorten the terms. Imker asked if there was a financial advantage to moving the elections. King said the City spent approximately$70,000 for every election, more if there was a run-off. Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler said the City accrued some election costs in even- numbered years when there were voter referendums held in conjunction with the County and State elections. These were not the full election, but there were costs. Imker asked how term limits would be impacted. Tyler said the City's ordinances allowed two consecutive four-year terms, which was enacted in the 1990s when the terms changed from two years to four years. Imker said someone elected in the 2017 election, could serve until 2028 by serving a three-year term, then two consecutive four-year terms. Imker said he supported the change to an even-numbered election year. Learnard asked when the referendum would be held if Council selected Example 1. Meeker said it would be in the fall of 2016. Learnard asked how much the additional election cost would be. Tyler said there would be an incremental charge to the City for the election. Fleisch pointed out by keeping the local election during the odd-numbered years it was a person's expressed intention to vote in the municipal election, as opposed to having "ballot fatigue" when there were numerous offices on the ballot. King said he understood that point-of-view, but he believed "ballot fatigue" was having an election every year. Combining the elections into one year would save money. Learnard asked which example King supported. King said he supported Example 1, which would cut the terms, and it would also give the residents the choice to cut the terms. King began a motion to approve the agenda item, then withdrew it after Meeker recommended Council instruct staff to prepare legislation, vet it through legislative counsel, then bring it back to Council for adoption. King moved to direct staff to prepare legislation, vet it through legislative council, and bring it back to Council for adoption. Ernst seconded. Motion carried 4-1(Fleisch). New Agenda Items 05-15-01 Public Hearing - Consider Step One Annexation Request for 2 Tracts of Land on Dogwood Trail (Chadwick Homes) City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 5 Community Services/Public Services Director Jon Rorie reminded everyone that the City's annexation process required two steps. Council approval of a Step One request allowed staff to move forward and work with the applicant on the proposed annexation. This area was first presented to Council during the October 2014 workshop as part of a potential north side annexation area along Dogwood Trail. Rorie continued that the two tracts were approximately 50 acres each, with 1,500 linear feet on Dogwood Trail on the north side and approximately 1,400 linear feet on the south side of the tracts that were contiguous to the City limits. The parcels were zoned Agricultural-Residential (AR) in the County, and were identified as low-density residential in the County's Land Use Plan, which meant one dwelling on one to two acres. The applicant proposed approximately 99 lots on the 100 acres. The Step One application was very general, and the process did not address traffic, public safety, schools, or other issues. The Step Two application process delved further into those areas. However, there were concerns with the proposed annexation at Step One, according to Rorie. The land was not urban, and access was a concern. Emergency services would have to go outside the City limits, drive into another city, and back into the City before getting to the development. This issue would have to be addressed in the Step Two application. Jerry Peterson represented the applicant, Chadwick Homes. He noted that Chad Floyd had built many homes in the City and was currently building in The Gates off SR 74 South. Peterson noted the parcels were in an area that had been looked at for potential annexation in the past and were located upstream of the City, which would provide some protection from stormwater draining into lakes in the City. The area had good frontage on Dogwood Trail, and could provide a side entrance into the City. He said it would be a good beginning for annexing the whole area off Dogwood Trail in the future. The property had a good ridgeline, which facilitated the proposed layout of the subdivision. There was an existing house on the property, which Peterson said could be remodeled and used as a community center and pool house. The proposed layout included pocket parks. There were other large tracts surrounding the two parcels, most with at least one home. Peterson said this 100 acres was a good beginning to extending the City's border to Dogwood Trail. The concept for the two tracts included R-22 zoning and about 100 lots. Kedron Hills, which bordered the property to the south, was also zoned R-22. The typical lot would be approximately 120 feet wide by 200 feet deep. Fleisch opened the public hearing. Russ Korn of the Kedron Hills Homeowners Association said the residents had found out about the Step One application recently, so there was not a consensus of the homeowners yet. He was speaking on his own behalf, but Korn was fairly positive his views reflected those of most of the neighborhood. The plan already violated the City's Land Use Plan, which called for larger lots as the residences moved away from businesses. The proposed plan was going in the wrong direction. The density would be more than that in Kedron Hills, Smokerise, and Stoneybrook. It was located in the middle of Tyrone and unincorporated Fayette County, and the proposal was a hodge-podge of residential homes that did not fit the Land Use Plan. Korn continued that all the residents would cut through Kedron Hills to access the south part of Peachtree Parkway, increasing the traffic through Kedron Hills. Another problem was taking a left onto Peachtree Parkway from Kedron Hills. The schools were also at capacity now, and this would add more children, which would lead to redistricting. The benefits did not outweigh the detriment to the City. Korn asked if the applicant would change the plan to fit the City's Land Use Plan, or would the City change its land use to fit the developer's plans. Vanessa Birrell agreed with Korn, noting in April 2005 and in 2009, Council had voted down rezoning areas around Kedron Hills because the rezonings did not fit in with the Land Use Plan. She asked Council to consider rejecting the application and take the time and resources staff would have spent on this annexation request and put it towards reaching out to other jurisdictions and developing a City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 6 plan for the future so residents would know what the County would look like from the 35,000-foot level. There were serious transportation issues. She pointed out there was a neighborhood pool at the corner of Loring and Greenwood Lanes that would be impacted by more traffic. Neighborhood children often walked to the pool area. Their neighborhood was already a cut-through. Traffic studies were needed to ensure that SR 74/Peachtree Parkway did not end up like SR 54/SR 74. She asked, if the unpaved portion of Crabapple Lane was used for access to the new development, whether the City could take care of an unpaved road. The road would need to be upgraded. The bridge crossing Gin Branch was only 15 feet wide. The road was steep, and there were no guardrails. Markus Schwab had fiscal concerns about the proposed annexations, noting the logistics of public safety and entering and leaving municipalities. Fuel costs would escalate, and the property taxes might not help cover the costs of providing public safety to the area. It appeared to be an afterthought the City decided to bring into its' boundaries. More planning needed to be done, with more consideration given to the financial aspects. Pam Kemp said Council needed to follow the step-down zoning in the City's Land Use Plan, similar to what had been done along Robinson Road and Spear Road on the City's east side. The City was going in the wrong direction for density on the City's edges. She knew the City's sewer system had capacity, but sewer access meant higher density. Fleisch closed the public hearing. King said it would be best if Peachtree City controlled the development, but keeping the lot sizes at two acres. The City was in the middle of the annexation process on the east side, and he did not want to swamp the Planning Department. Ernst said the City did not have the staff to look at two annexations at this time. This was the wrong thing at the wrong time. Learnard said she had concerns about roads, schools, and public safety access. Everyone's comments were insightful. If the City went ahead with the annexation, people would ask what the City planners were thinking. The City had not had time to focus on a more comprehensive annexation plan. Rorie said staff was making progress on the comprehensive approach, but what was done needed to make sense. The City did not need to just grow; it had to make sense. Imker agreed with Ernst, saying this was not the right plan at this time. He could see annexation in the future if changes were made. He was concerned about an annexation and new subdivision in this area and how it would affect the planned subdivisions on the other side of SR 74 along MacDuff Parkway. The Gates subdivision on the south side was a competitor. He continued that the City would get about $75,000 a year in property taxes from this annexation if the homes were in the $400,000 range, which was not very much to buy an extra police officer. It was a favorable location for development with the access to SR 74 North, and Imker said the homes would sell fast, especially if they were part of the City. He preferred the owner work with the owners of the other tracts to the west and come back with a full-fledged plan of how the entire 200 acres would work. He also had issues with using Loring Lane for connectivity. Peterson said the proposed plan was for R-22 zoning, which was the zoning for Kedron Hills, so the density was about the same. There were many other options to look at for transportation. He added that the market would not be same as that for the west side area, which included a large subdivision targeting senior citizens. City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 7 Kemp said there would be no sewer in the area if Tyrone annexed the property, so the density would be lower. Tyrone's sewer system was much smaller and had less capacity. Fleisch referred to the October workshop on annexation and the change in the Step One annexation process. Rorie said this would be a piecemeal process, and the changes were made to allow a more comprehensive plan for annexation. Fleisch noted there was only one person in the Planning Department, and there was a position in Planning that had not been filled for two years. There had not been a lot of activity in the Planning Department for several years. The City's Comprehensive Plan was prepared by the Planning Department, and it was due to the state in 2017. This was not a good time to proceed with the proposed annexation. Learnard moved to deny the Step One annexation request. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 05-15-02 Consider Bid for F-350 Ford-Allan Vigil Ford-Fayetteville Rorie pointed out that the Public Improvement Program (PIP) originally included two new dump trucks, but after re-evaluating where the PIP was going for the next five years, staff determined they could move forward with only one. Bid packages were sent to several Ford distributors, and three bids were received. One of the bids did not conform to bid specifications, and staff's recommendation was that Council award the bid to Allan Vigil Ford - Fayetteville, the lowest bidder, for$45,816.40. The amount budgeted in the 2015 PIP for one vehicle was $54,000. Ernst moved to approve Agenda Item 05-15-02 and purchase the F-350 Ford from Allan Vigil Ford - II Fayetteville. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 05-15-03 Consider Bids for Bridge Rehabilitations-JHC Corporation City Engineer Dave Borkowski said staff recommended the bid for bridge maintenance be awarded to JHC Corporation, the lowest bidder, for $298,000. Five bids had been received, with the highest being $878,887. He continued that the work on four bridges - Kelly Drive at Flat Creek, Flat Creek Road at Flat Creek, Smokerise Trace at Flat Creek, and Smokerise Trace at Kedron Creek - and included cleaning and painting of piles, guardrail installation, concrete repair, and scour protection. Staff had worked with JHC in the past, and they had been very satisfied with their work. The bid had come in under budget, and the funds were available from various project accounts, including the 2014 PIP. Learnard asked what scour protection was. Borkowski said it was the riprap around the pilings that kept them from eroding away. Imker asked where the funds were budgeted. Borkowski said the funds were in the FY 2014 PIP. Imker asked what the balance of the PIP was and how much would be used. Salvatore said $645,000 had been budgeted for the bridge maintenance. An additional $150,000 had been budgeted this fiscal year. Borkowski said other items had been in the FY 2014 PIP. Imker said he could not vote unless he knew where the funds were coming from and how much was left. Borkowski said the money available was $314,000. The bid was$298,000, so it was under budget. Imker asked for the balance of the PIP before the money was spent. Salvatore said the PIP was a combination of equipment and other projects. This project had $314,000 available. Imker asked what the magnitude of the PIP was, adding they were going into the budget cycle, and he wanted to understand the long-term financial impact of approving this agenda item. Salvatore said that was a difficult question to answer and included several years on the spreadsheet. The money that was not spent in the PIP was rolled over until it was spent. At the end of a few years, the items were looked at and the projects were cleaned up. Imker asked how much money had been in the PIP City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 8 when work began on the FY 2014 budget. Salvatore said it had been approximately $1,261,000. The majority of the funds were used for equipment financing. Fleisch asked what other projects JHC had done for the City. Borkowski said the bridge and raised path over Flat Creek at Morallion Hills and the golf cart tunnel at SR 74/Paschall Road. Fleisch pointed out that sometimes the lowest bidder did not do the best work, asking if there had been issues with change orders and getting the projects done on time. Borkowski said JHC had done good work on the other projects, and there had been no issues. He had spoken to the owner to make sure they had understood the scope of the projects. Fleisch asked if any of the projects had a priority. Borkowski said no. Fleisch asked when the projects were originally identified. Borkowski said the bridge over Flat Creek at Flat Creek Road had been on the radar since 2010. King said the maintenance had been budgeted, and the money was there. He moved to approve Agenda Item 05-15-03, the bid for bridge rehabilitations to JHC Corporation. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Hot Topics City Manager Jim Pennington said all the engineering plans for MacDuff Parkway would be turned in the next day, and all the details were coming together quickly. Rorie reported staff had the draft report form the impact fee consultant, and staff wanted to convene an advisory committee to review the report. He had three names for members confirmed, but he did not have five yet. The City's Capital Improvement Element (CIE) would change moving forward. The review was a requirement of the Impact Fee Act. Pennington said the City had received over 126 applications from all over the United States for the Police Chief position, some very qualified. The list had been narrowed to 15, and he would take that list down to five - seven with the assistance of Brown and Rorie. He hoped to have a citizen panel available by the week of May 18. There were a few more steps he would like to add to the process and would discuss those with Council in a week or so. There were only 15 applications for the Planning & Development Director. He was surprised there were not more applications, and they had even reached out to people. Rorie was also looking into contracting out some of the services. Ernst asked if there was any news regarding the permit to build the bridge over the CSX Railroad tracks on MacDuff Parkway. Pennington said CSX was ready to move forward once the developers provided the large cash payment for the permit and insurance, which was well into the six figure range. The developers were working on the Senoia side to get the ground ready for the bridge. King announced the May 25 Memorial Day observance would be different than in the past. Instead of honoring all fallen Americans, they would honor two specific individuals with ties to the City. He invited everyone to attend the ceremony. Learnard thanked Pennington for sharing the April 8 Fayette County Water Committee minutes, adding she had seen the progress being made on grouting the Lake Peachtree spillway. There was a lot of information in the minutes on the work the contractor was doing to get the dredging done when the weather was good. Pennington said County Administrator Steve Rapson had informed the City the work had begun, but he had not seen it. Learnard continued that Council had received a letter from State Senator Marty Harbin, who required any legislation presented to him from Council be unanimous. With that in mind, Learnard pointed out the vote on changing municipal elections to even-numbered years had been 4-1. City Council Minutes May 7,2015 Page 9 Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session at 9:14 p.m. to discuss personnel. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Ernst moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:17 p.m. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to adjourn the meeting. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:18 p.m , /, Pamela Dufresne, Dep City Clerk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor