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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-15-2015 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes October 15, 2015 7:00 p.m. The Peachtree City Mayor and Council met in regular session on Thursday, October 15, 2015. Mayor Pro-tem Mike King called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Eric lmker, and Kim Learnard. Vanessa Fleisch was out of town. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition King proclaimed November 1 as Retired Educators Day in Peachtree City. Retired Fayette County Educators Mary Maud Hiestand and Deb Posey accepted the proclamation. John Reed, Joyce Edwards, Lloni Soogrim, and several members of Toastmasters International clubs in Peachtree City and Fairburn accepted a proclamation for Toastmasters Weekend (October 30- November 1). Firefighter/EMT Eddie McDonald was recognized as September Employee of the Month, and Police Cpl. Rob Todd was recognized for 25 years of service to the City. Minutes October 1, 2015, Regular Meeting Minutes Learnard moved to approve the October 1, 2015, regular meeting minutes as written. Ernst seconded. Motion carried 3-0-1 (King). Consent Agenda 1. Consider Ethics Resolution Learnard moved to approve the Consent Agenda item 1. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Old Agenda Items 08-15-06 Public Hearing-Consider Rezoning, R-43 to LUC, Hwy 54/Robinson Road This item was withdrawn by the applicant. 08-15-07 Public Hearing-Consider Text Amendment to Zoning Ordinance, Accessory Uses Planning 8. Zoning Director Mike Warrix addressed Council, saying this item was originally heard by Council on September 17, and staff had been instructed to look at the definition of recreational vehicles, which had been done. He continued that the proposed amendment would allow a property owner to store/park a recreational vehicle as defined by the ordinance in a residentially-zoned area within an enclosed garage or carport, either attached to the primary structure or detached. Currently, the vehicles could be stored on the rear of a property provided they were stored on an all-weather surface and not located within 20 feet of the rear property line. The only change would require that the accessory structure's architecture, building materials, color scheme, and roof pitch be similar to the primary structure on the lot. King opened the public hearing. No one spoke either for or against the text amendment. King closed the public hearing. Ernst moved to approve agenda item 08-15-07 Consider Text Amendment to Zoning Ordinance, Accessory Uses. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 10-15-05 Public Hearing-Consider Variance Request, HWY 54/ Robinson RD This item was withdrawn by the applicant. City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 2 10-15-06 Public Hearing-Consider Amendments to W HWY 54 Design Guidelines Senior Planner David Rast said the proposed amendments were considered housekeeping to the design guidelines that had been adopted as part of the SR 54 West corridor overlay district, which was why a public hearing was required. The amendments had been presented to the Planning Commission on October 12, and a public hearing had also been held. Rast recalled that, when the overlay district had been developed, staff had worked with a consultant, developers, and a citizens group to establish guidelines for as the highway was being widened. The guidelines had been presented to the Planning Commission and City Council, and were subsequently adopted. There had been a few amendments to the design guidelines through the years. One of the proposed amendments was to change the number of signs on the village identification signage, which were the signs designed to identify the tenants within a center. Currently, the guidelines allowed no more than eight tenant identification panels on the signs (four on each side). The proposed amendment would allow 12 tenant identification panels (six on each side). Rast pointed out that some of the signs in the corridor had two tenant panels, while other signs had several. The sign itself would not be larger; only the number of insets would change. Staff and the Planning Commission supported this amendment. Rast stressed that the sign and the inset would not be any larger than others. The second amendment regarded tenant wall signage, which was limited to 50 square feet as the maximum. The guidelines did not address anchor tenants. Rast pointed out that Walmart and Home Depot were developed before the guidelines were in place. The guidelines did not seem to work for the larger tenants that came in after, and staff had referred to what was in the Sign Ordinance for them. He continued that the proposal for Aldi's sign was close to 150 square feet, adding the sign included a graphic over the name. They were also working with Michael's in the Overlook, which was when the need for updates was realized. According to the current guidelines, 24 inches in height was the largest the letters could be. Rast continued that staff recommended increasing the maximum size of signs to 100 square feet for single tenant and multi-tenant buildings with less than 100 linear feet of building frontage. The maximum size recommendation for those with more than 100 linear feet of building frontage was 150 square feet. The proposed amendments were based on what was in place in the corridor. He noted that Office Depot (which was closing and would be replaced by Aldi's) had building frontage of 160 linear feet; letter height of three feet, six inches; and a sign that was 112 square feet. PetSmart had 116 linear feet of building frontage; letters that were four feet, nine inches high; and a 92 square-foot sign; Best Buy had 200 linear feet of building frontage; letter height of three feet, four inches; and a sign that had 113 square feet. Dollar Tree's building frontage had 94 linear feet, a letter height of 30 inches, and a 90 square-foot sign. In addition, staff recommended a change in types of tenants. Currently, the guidelines read: Permitted signage guidelines There are two types of tenant wall signage that will be permitted on individual buildings within the GA 54 West Overlay District. Due to the fact that many of the buildings have frontage on more than one street, these guidelines have been designed to allow more than one wall sign to identify individual tenant spaces. Approval of more than one tenant wall sign shall be at the sole discretion of the City Planner, and in no instance shall more than two tenant wall signs be permitted for a single tenant. City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 3 I. Primary tenant wall signage is intended to identify the anchor tenants of a particular building and the businesses located within corner tenant spaces. 2. In-line tenant wall signage is intended to identify those tenant spaces not considered primary tenants. The proposed amendments read: Permitted signage guidelines Tenant wall signage shall be established based on the classification of the tenant space as defined below: 1. Anchor tenants shall be those tenant spaces with no less than 100 linear feet of building or tenant frontage. 2. Primary tenants shall be those tenants located in corner tenant spaces and/ or those with no less than 6,000 square feet of floor area. 3. In-line tenants shall be those tenants that are not anchor tenants or primary tenants. permitted signage guidelines The wall sign for anchor tenants shall be limited to no more than 1/2 square feet per linear feet of building frontage, with a maximum size not to exceed 150 square feet. Individual letters shall not exceed 60 inches. The wall sign for primary tenants shall be limited to no more than 11/2 square per linear feet of building frontage, with a maximum size not to exceed 100 square feet. Individual letters shall not exceed 48 inches in height. The wall sign for in-line tenants shall be limited to no more than 1/2 square feet per linear feet of building frontage, with a maximum size not to exceed 50 square feet. Rast said that the Planning Commission did not recommend the proposed changes to the wall signs. However, staff recommended Council consider all the changes. King opened that public hearing. Jim Lowe of Trinity Development said he had a unique perspective on the changes, noting he was one of the authors of the overlay. This was a special area, and the document prepared in 2004 had a lot of small buildings pushed to the front of their tracts, which was expected to occur throughout the corridor as it developed. The proposed modifications supported the way the corridor was actually developing and kept the area special. He did not feel they had done a good job of explaining the amendments to the Planning Commission when that board had made its decision. He continued that the graphics as currently required by the guidelines had not been well-received by the quality type-A tenants for the Overlook. Pamela Kemp asked if the wall signs would stay lit for 24 hours. Lowe said the lights would be off when the stores closed. King closed the public hearing. Learnard asked Rast to clarify the store types. Rast said PetSmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Walmart were considered anchor tenants. J-Mart and Kobe in MacDuff Crossing would be considered primary tenants, while the Banana Beach Tan would be considered an in-line tenant. City Council Minutes October 15,2015 Page 4 Imker asked what the Planning Commission had supported and what were staff's additions to that. Rast reiterated the Planning Commission supported the modifications to the village sign panels, but they did not support any of the changes in the size of the wall signs. Imker agreed a two-foot tall sign was too small for Michael's, but he did not want to see the signs as large as staff was recommending, which was 60 inches tall,with a maximum square footage of 150 feet. Linda Flowers said the drawings shown had been helpful in understanding the proportions, asking if there were options on height, width, and font sizes. Learnard said there was a maximum height and square footage. Rast said the drawings shown had been based on the letter height. Interim City Manager Jon Rorie said he had driven on SR 54 East prior to this meeting, noting the Chick-fil-a sign which had a height of five feet for the "C." He said the guidelines appeared to be more restrictive in the SR 54 West area than anywhere else in the City. Rast said they were, noting that signs could be 150 square feet in other areas. Rorie said the limitation of five feet on the height of the letters would limit the size of Michael's sign to 95 square feet, which more restrictive than the sign ordinance in the rest of City. Learnard questioned what the intent of the signs was and what was appropriate and aesthetically pleasing for this location. She asked whether the Michael's sign would have a subheading under the name. Rast said that the sign for Michael's with the tag line would be 119 square feet. Lowe said it was about balancing the square footage and the height. The letters in Michael's were five feet, and the tagline added additional square footage. The tenant preferred a tag line be included. Rast said that, for an anchor tenant, the proposed maximum size would be 150 feet with a maximum letter height of five feet. Imker said he was confused about the two-foot limit on the letters. Rast said that, in the past, the City had reverted to the sign ordinance for anchor tenants. The tenants would want their logos above the entrance, and they would put what they could within the 150 square feet as long as the letters did not exceed five feet in height. The consistency in the signs would be the five-foot height. Imker asked City Attorney Ted Meeker if all the stores in the corridor would be able to get larger signs if the amendments were approved. Meeker said they could as long as they had the linear feet of frontage. lmker said he wanted to be careful about voting without knowing the consequences, asking what impact this could have. Rast said they were trying to keep the signs from getting excessively large. Capping the size of letters would limit the size of the signs. The sign bands would not allow much larger signs for most of the existing businesses. Lowe said a national tenant would have a logo. As the sign expanded, the dimensions would be proportional. Every sign would be slightly different. John Dufresne asked Council to continue this agenda item and schedule a workshop, saying there were many questions and they should not make a rushed decision. Imker said he was not prepared to make a decision; he did not know the consequences of the proposed changes or the impact on the other businesses. King said they would be holding the decision up for five-foot sign lettering, saying this particular development had been delayed for years. He supported an increase to 150 square feet, which put a cap on the letter size. City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 5 Ernst noted HomeGoods would have a longer sign than Michael's, asking how long the sign would be with letters that were five feet tall. Lowe said it would be approximately 34 feet, which would be 170 square feet. Rorie said the sign could not be that size. King pointed out it would be capped at 150 feet. Ernst said that was his point. Their sign would be too big. Martine Yancey asked what the anchor stores were for The Overlook, and how many anchor stores were allowed in one area. Rast said there were three anchor stores - Michael's, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods. Ulta and Versona would be primary tenants, and Dress Barn and Famous Footwear would be in-line tenants. Pamela Kemp asked if the Dollar Store in MacDuff Crossing, which was an anchor, would be able to have a bigger sign if the amendments were approved. Meeker said they could come back and ask for a larger sign, if they met the requirements for linear footage. Kemp said the signs would not be consistent in height in order to meet the square footage. Signs for longer names would have shorter letters. Lowe said they would be able to fit with five-foot letters. Imker asked how many businesses would be able to request new signage. Rast said the only tenants in excess of 100 linear feet were Office Depot (Aldi), Best Buy, and PetSmart. Imker moved to continue the agenda item to the next Council meeting (November 5). Learnard seconded the motion, saying her concern were the unintended consequences. Learnard said she supported five-foot tall letters. She felt the examples they had seen at this meeting were reasonable, but she was concerned about the existing businesses. Imker said a two-foot sign was unacceptable to him, but he wanted to know the consequences for all the other stores in the corridor before he made a decision. He felt the sign at PetSmart was too large and was not aesthetically pleasing. Learnard said if she had felt comfortable with the consequences for the existing businesses, she would be ready to vote. Scale was important to the aesthetics. Meeker noted the debate should be whether or not to continue the agenda item. Council could give staff guidance on what they wanted. The motion carried unanimously. Imker said he wanted to see what four-foot letters for the anchors, three-foot letters for primaries, and 30-inch letters for the in-line tenants would look like at The Overlook, with 120 square feet for anchors, 100 square feet for primary tenants, and 75 square feet for in-line tenants. He also wanted to see the impact of the current signs in the corridor and what would happen if they were larger. King said he did not want to leave the impression that PetSmart would have to get a new sign. Imker agreed. Lowe said they were being held up by this issue. Tenants were ready to walk if they were bound by two-foot lettering on their signs. He shared the concerns of the potential impact on the corridor. He needed an indication on where Council stood on the options, which would give him a fighting chance of keeping the tenants in the development. Imker said two-foot letters were unacceptable. Four feet would be his starting point for anchors. He needed to see the impact. Lowe asked if it were possible to include something in the motion about five-foot sign letters for businesses that were 600 feet from the highway. Meeker said City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 6 lmker had stated his thoughts, and he did not know any other action Council could take at this meeting unless they wanted to reconsider the motion to continue. lmker said he could not vote without knowing the consequences. Learnard said she supported five-foot letters. King said he supported letters between four and five feet, but the size of the sign should be capped at 150 square feet. Ernst said he also supported five feet. 10-15-07 Consider Bid for Asphalt Spreader-Reynolds Warren Equipment Public Works Supervisor Scott Hicks addressed Council, saying staff recommended Council accept the bid from Reynolds Warren Equipment for$144,900 for one 2015 LeeBoy 8500c asphalt spreader, which would replace an asphalt spreader that parts were no longer available for. Hicks said $165,000 had been budgeted, and the bid was $20,100 lower. Ernst moved to approve New Agenda item 10-15-07 Consider Bid for Asphalt Spreader - Reynolds Warren Equipment at a cost of $144,900. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-15-08 Discuss/Consider Social Hosting Ordinance Relative to Underage Alcohol Consumption Rorie introduced Michael Mumford of AVPride and Becky Smith of Fayette FACTOR to give a brief overview. Mumford said they had been working on underage drinking in the County for four years, collecting data the first two years. A coalition of leadership in the County was developed, and they spent the last two years studying other social host ordinances. He continued that the proposed ordinance held parents accountable for underage drinking by youths that were not part of the families in their homes. Smith added they had worked with the other municipalities in the County, as well as the Board of Commissioners, to ensure there was uniformity with the various versions of the ordinance so the parties would not just move to another location. Police Sgt. Kay Crider said work on the ordinance started in April. Representatives from the City, Fayetteville, and Fayette County Sheriff's Department help develop the Social Hosting Ordinance to discourage legal adults from providing people under the age of 21 with access to alcoholic beverages. Fayette County adopted a similar ordinance in September. Crider said the ordinance would, hopefully, reduce the number of drinking parties. She continued that it was not just the parties that were the concern, but the activities that took place at the parties, as well as what happened when the underage youth left the parties. It was not about punishment, but education on the behaviors due to alcohol use. The ordinance did not apply to legally-protected religious observances, underage persons legally possessing alcohol as part of their employment, or to the conduct of parents with their own children in their own homes. Staff recommended Council approval of the ordinance. Imker asked who was targeted with the ordinance. Crider said it addressed parents, legal guardians, and any adults hosting a party with alcohol for underage young adults. Learnard said she saw the ordinance as another tool in parents' arsenal. King said it should also target parents who were away whose children held parties, saying it was still the parents' house and they were responsible for the actions in the home even when they were away. Ernst said this ordinance was overdue. City Council Minutes October 15,2015 Page 7 Imker asked if Municipal Court Judge Stephen Ott and City Solicitor Marcia Moran were agreeable with the consequences. Crider said they had been very involved, and Judge Ott had been very supportive. She added that Tyrone was considering adopting the same language the City had used for its ordinance. The wording for the Fayette County ordinance adopted in September was different, but the intent was the same. Imker asked what could happen legally regarding the difference in the verbiage of the ordinances. Meeker said the City did not have to worry about that, only about enforcing the ordinance in its jurisdiction. Imker said the intent had been to be unified. Crider said the intent was the same, and the same message was being sent. The words were just different. Imker asked if Fayetteville was on board. Crider said Fayetteville was working on their ordinance. Learnard moved to approve the Social Hosting Ordinance relative to underage alcohol consumption as presented. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 10-15-09 Discuss Golf Cart Ordinance Amendments Relative to Registration & Outside City Limits Fees Ernst announced that this agenda item was only for discussion, there would not be a vote. City Clerk/Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler gave a brief overview of the paths and golf carts, noting the City had more than 90 miles of multi-use paths and 11,447 registered golf carts (10,399 City resident carts and 1,048 non-resident carts as of the meeting day). The City had budgeted $1.7 million for path maintenance in FY 2016. Due to resident concerns about reporting reckless driving and ability of the police to identify owners of stolen or abandoned carts, the City began registering golf carts in 1993. There was a one-time $10 fee assessed and a $5 transfer fee. The fee increased to a one-time $12 fee in 1995, and a non-resident fee of $60 per year was added. Tyler continued that, in 2005, the Police Department reported 40%-50% of the registrations were outdated, leading to the establishment of decal replacement every five years beginning in 2006. New decals were issued for 11,000 carts. The fee was $12 for five years, and the additional $60 annual fee for nonresident golf carts remained in place. In 2007, Tyrone began registering carts, and a reciprocal agreement between the municipalities was enacted. At the time, Tyrone had 35 carts registered. In 2011, another replacement cycle began. Tyler noted that, during this time, state law limited cart registration fees to $15 and annual registration was not allowed. State law changed in 2014, and annual registration for golf carts, capped at $15 per year, was now allowed, Tyler said. The City's five-year re-registration cycle would begin again in 2016. Council had incorporated projected revenue changes ($15 annually) into the FY 2016 budget and had directed staff to update the Golf Cart Ordinance. Tyler said staff had also reviewed other associated fees as part of the process. She added that the window of opportunity was open, and it was a good time to make changes the program. The proposed changes included increasing the existing $12 fee (one to five year period with no proration) to $15 per year for three years (prorated by year). In addition, the proposal was to increase the existing $60 annual fee (monthly proration the first year at $5 per month) for nonresidents to $100 per year (quarterly proration the first year at$25 per quarter). City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 8 Tyler explained how the increase in the nonresident fee was calculated, adding the fee should reflect the cost of providing a service. The FY 2016 budgeted included $1.7 million earmarked for paths, which was the equivalent of 0.903 mils. The average home price in the City for 2015 was $269,000, so the average City household contributed $97.16 annually for path maintenance. Staff also proposed eliminating the reciprocal registration with Tyrone, which would require Tyrone residents wishing to drive their carts in the City to register and pay the nonresident fee. City residents who wanted to drive their carts in Tyrone would have to register with Tyrone. Fayette County was now registering carts, and eliminating the agreement with Tyrone would make the nonresident fee standard for all nonresidents. Tyler continued that the City had more than 90 miles of multi-use paths, and she had not been able to get information on how many miles of paths were in Tyrone, the county, and Senoia. There were 1,048 nonresident carts, plus approximately 300 registered in Tyrone that were currently using City paths at no additional cost. Ernst asked Hicks if the City had paved or paid for any of the cart paths in Tyrone. Ernst said that he had been told by several residents that an unnamed politician had stated the City had paved a portion of the paths in Tyrone. Hicks said the City had neither paid for nor paved any of the paths in Tyrone. Tyler clarified the only path outside the City that had been paved by Public Works was the path from Foreston Place to the Starr's Mill School Complex, and an intergovernmental agreement had been signed for that. Richard Knitter, president of the community association for The Landings, a subdivision located just outside the City limits, said there were 60 carts in their neighborhood. Most of the owners were retired and had a single-minded purpose when using their golf carts-to go into Peachtree City and spend money. He asked Council to consider that when essentially doubling the fees for out-of-city residents. Staff proposed increasing the registration transfer fee from $5 to $15 as it required the same amount of staff time as registration,Tyler said. Re-registration would be a five- to six-month program, according to Tyler. City residents would register every three years at a cost of$45 beginning in 2016. The decal would be for 2017-2019. New carts registered during 2017 - 2019 would receive the same decal at a prorated rate ($30/$15). Nonresidents would register and pay the nonresident user fee each year for $115 total annually. Ownership transfers would be $15 at any time. Smaller colored decals would adhere to the cart adjacent the numbered decal and would indicate resident golf carts and nonresident carts, along with expiration dates. This would be the first time to have a visual identifier for nonresident carts whose owners had paid the annual fee. Ernst asked when everything would begin. Tyler said that, if Council adopted the ordinance amendments in November, the implementation would begin January 1, 2016, so when nonresidents renewed it would apply for that year. The notices for re-registration were usually mailed out in April. The notices would not be sent all at one time, but would be spread out over a five-month period,which allowed better service from City staff. Tyler said the proposal also standardized penalty fees at$20 for late registration/transfer fee. The fines set by the Municipal Court Judge would increase, also. Failure to register/renew violation for residents would increase from $95 to $130. Failure to register/renew for nonresidents would increase from $95 to $175. The fee for not affixing the decal to a cart would be $75. Failure to City Council Minutes October 15,2015 Page 9 transfer a cart within 10 days of purchase would increase from $47 to $130, and failure to update registration within 60 days (change of address) would be$75. The re-registration period was also a good time to interact with the cart owners, Tyler said, making it a good time for education. The golf cart and paths brochure would be updated; the value/availability of insurance would be discussed, as well as ordinance requirements regarding age restrictions, safety, and the requirement for an audible signal when approaching others from behind on the paths. Police Chief Janet Moon said the three top complaints about the paths were speeding, operation of the cart by juveniles, and no audible signal given when passing pedestrians. The Department was working on a public education campaign in conjunction with the re- registration, including giving out bells to be used on the golf carts when people came in to re- register. Moon said they were going to have fun with that part, and were looking at calling it "Ring My Bell." Because of the issue with juveniles, they hoped to partner with the high schools and see if the Drama students wanted to get involved and help with a video. The goal was voluntary compliance. The bells would also be given out during checkpoints on the cart paths, and officers would have the bells and would install them for those that did not have them on their golf carts. Mike Flynn, also a resident of The Landings, noted the back of their subdivision abutted the City limits. They had built their own path from their subdivision to Sumner Road to get access to the City. They had paid $60 annually for five years, which had been $300. A City resident had paid $12 for the five-year period. The proposed changes would cost a City resident $75 for five years, but an increase of $115 was $575, a 75% increase in the fees for nonresidents. He and his wife had spent a lot of money in the City over the years. With a 75%increase, he would probably sell his cart. There were approximately 60 carts in their subdivision, which translated to $34,500 at $115 each. They kept the City's business owners in business. King said they appreciated that, but each homeowner in the City paid $100 per year in property taxes for cart paths, which was the difference. Flynn said he had no issue about paying his share, but a 75% increase was not appreciated. David Kozusko, Jefferson Woods (also just outside the City limits) said there had been $6,000 worth of damage done to the path in their subdivision, which was owned by the homeowners association (HOA) after the path wds built from Foreston Place to get to the Starr's Mill school complex. He asked Council if the City would take over the maintenance of that path if they increased the out-of-City fees, asking if the students could get to the school complex if the HOA shut down their paths in the subdivision. He continued that City trucks drove on the path in their subdivision to get the City-owned paths around their subdivision. The damage had included a broken culvert. The damages within the last 10 months had included broken sprinklers, lights, electrical, and damaged flower beds. Kozusko clarified that not all the damage had been done by students from the City. He had four children of his own, but the carts that came from The Preserve, Estates, and other areas of the City used their paths. He asked Council if he had a valid point. Harvey George said he was concerned about increasing the rates for the adjacent jurisdictions with golf cart paths. It was bad environmental policy. He assumed City residents were also going to Tyrone, so it should balance out. There was no real gain, unless there were toll booths at the border. City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 10 Linda Flowers said she appreciated the concerns about the percentage of the increase, but pointed out that residents were paying for the cart paths with tax money and were also paying a golf cart registration fee. David Shoaf said he and some friends from Starr's Mill High School had helped with commercials that were used at the school. He asked Chief Moon to contact Davis Murphy, the director, saying they would be willing to help. Pamela Kemp asked how many miles of paths were in Tyrone. Rorie said staff had heard there approximately seven miles. Kemp said City residents had exclusively paid for the paths in the City, which was reflected in the higher home prices and taxes. It was similar to having one giant amenity that tax dollars paid for. Martine Yancey said the presentation had been very informational. It was good to hear staff was working together well. She asked if people had to have a driver's license to register a cart. Tyler said a person had to be 18 or older to register a cart, and staff asked for proof of age. Yancey asked if an identification card could be used rather than a driver's license. Tyler said yes. Moon said registration was one thing, but other people might be driving the cart instead of the owner. If a person did not look old enough to drive a cart, officers would stop and check and would cite them. Tyler said cart owners signed an oath stating they had provided accurate information, and falsification of that information was a separate and citable offense. Yancey said she had four teenagers, and she paid $55 annually for golf cart insurance. She highly recommended cart owners have insurance. Learnard said she paid $14 for liability only. Yancey pointed out that Timberlake required a fee to use paths in their neighborhood, which was why people went over to Jefferson Woods. Yancey asked if path maintenance had always been included in the budget. Rorie said path maintenance had always been in the budget, but the City had never identified a rough estimate of the total amount spent on paths maintenance. Fiscal Year 2016 was the first year he was aware of an amount being identified, Rorie said. Yancey said she supported the increase in fees, saying it would help the City with cart path maintenance. Lynn Lasher said the current cost for registration was $2.40 per year for five years and $97 per household for maintenance. Not every household had a golf cart, but they still paid taxes. It would be difficult to draw a line for nonresidents based on proximity. Residents paid a lot in taxes. Lasher said she had been told by someone in Tyrone to buy a house there because she would be able to use the City paths for free. She thanked Council for getting rid of reciprocity with Tyrone. David Kozusko pointed out that City residents had to purchase Fayette County decals in order to use the County paths, according to a conversation with Commissioner Charles Oddo. lmker asked if the deadline to register carts would be June 1, 2016. Tyler said the plan was to start promoting re-registration in late April. The majority of carts should be registered by September. The last day to register would be December 31. lmker clarified that a fee of $15 was needed to transfer golf cart registration, which required the same amount of time as registering a new cart. He noted that two of the three-year registrations would be used to generate revenue. He did not believe registration fees should generate revenue, and if the City needed to increase the maintenance and create new paths, City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 11 registration fees was an underhanded way to do so. Millions of dollars were needed, and that shuld be done via a millage increase, not a registration fee. King said he had received an e-mail that week making some good points, saying there were issues with the paths that needed to be addressed. Plans and goals for the path system were needed, so it was understood how much it would cost to get there. He wanted time to think about what had been presented at this meeting. Learnard said she saw the City as welcoming, not punitive, for nonresidents. It was a bubble, not a biosphere. She had an e-mail from a Tyrone parent who was concerned about getting kids to Crabapple Elementary. The proposed $115 annual fee for nonresidents was too high; $60 was high enough and was reasonable. She would not support any more than that. lmker said he did not see the proposed increase as unreasonable for anyone who drove on the cart paths. Ernst said they needed to find out about registration and decal requirements in Fayette County. lmker said the County and Tyrone needed to tell the City how much it cost to cart on their paths, adding most residents did not leave Peachtree City on their carts. King pointed out a substantial number of carts owned by City residents traveled to the south school complex. No action was required. This agenda item would be discussed and possibly voted on at the November 19 meeting. Council/Staff Topics Rorie said two things had come to light while preparing this agenda. The first was the timing for public hearings before both the Planning Commission and City Council. Two public hearings had been pulled from the agenda that night, and one of them had been heard at the Planning Commission on October 12, just three days prior. It was not fair to staff, the public, or Council to have to get information together that quickly. Warrix had discussed going back to two meetings per month with the Planning Commission, which would give staff time to clean up some issues and provide a window for meeting preparation between meetings. Rorie continued that the golf cart registration agenda item had been listed only as a discussion item. When considering ordinance amendments, time was needed to address the issues in total, so unintended consequences and public input could be considered. There could be an update on golf carts on November 5,with a vote possible on November 19. Rorie said there were many housekeeping issues in the ordinances that needed to be taken care of, as well as other ordinances that would be brought to Council in plenty of time for review and comment. Staff was working with the City's traffic consultant on the proposed improvements at SR 54/MacDuff Parkway and SR 54/Planterra Way. A meeting was scheduled with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) on November 5 for a review and feedback on the plans. The dredging of Lake Peachtree was projected to be completed by the end of the month, Rorie said. Staff was coordinating with Estate Management Services to begin cutting the vegetation growth. Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session at 9:25 p.m. to discuss pending or threatened litigation and personnel. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. City Council Minutes October 15, 2015 Page 12 Imker moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:49 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, Learnard moved to adjourn. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. ---7,12/12u1A, Pamela Dufresne, DI ty City Clerk Mike Kin Mayor Pro-tem