Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-21-2016 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes January 21, 2016 7:00 p.m. The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, January 21, 2016. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst, Mike King, Kim Learnard, and Phil Prebor. Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Proclamation for Kiwanis Anniversary Fleisch proclaimed January 30 as Pancake Saturday in Peachtree City. Members of the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City accepted the proclamation and then presented Council with aprons, chef's hats, and t-shirts for the event. Minutes January 7, 2016, Regular Meeting Minutes King moved to approve the January 7, 2016, regular meeting minutes as written. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Agenda 1. Consider Sole Source Agreement, Insurance Broker-McGriff, Seibels & Williams 2. Consider Federal Grant Application - Fire Department Radio Equipment 3. Consider Waiver- Detention Pond Ownership, Everton Pond Learnard moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1, 2, and 3. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. New Agenda Items 01-16-04 Consider PIP Equipment Lease-Purchase#5 Assistant Finance Director Kelly Bush asked Council to approve lease-purchase #5 as presented in the packet, along with the amended Official Intent Resolution. This would be Draw #5 against a Master Lease-Purchase Agreement for the financing of machinery and equipment in conjunction with JPMorgan Chase. The total amount of $1,451,571.87 would be used for a City- wide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system; a police video server and storage; Fire Department CPR machines and medic unit; track loader, pick-up truck, dump truck, rubber tire loader, three mowers, and Geographic Information System (GIS) server and software for Public Works. The financing would be over a five-year period with the first quarterly payment due March 31, 2016, and the last payment due on December 30, 2020. The interest rate would not exceed 2% per annum. Learnard moved to approve PIP Equipment Lease-Purchase #5. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 01-16-05 Consider Ordinance Amendment- Public Hearing Procedures Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler noted this was a housekeeping amendment that had been previewed at the last meeting regarding the ordinance for public hearings, which were a quasi-judicial process that took place before City Council or the Planning Commission. The proposed amendments would remove staff from advocating for or against a request. Currently, the ordinance called for staff to make its presentation with either the side supporting the request or the side that opposed the request. The staff report would become a separate portion of the process that presented the request and its compliance with the ordinances. City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 2 In addition, the proposed amendments would allow staff to ask questions during the public hearing. The hearers (either City Council or the Planning Commissioners) would be allowed to ask questions at any point in the process. Prebor said he liked that Council would be able to ask questions at any time. The change was good for the citizens. Ernst moved to approve New Agenda item 01-16-05 Consider Ordinance Amendment - Public Hearing Procedures. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 01-16-06 Discuss/Consider Request for Limited Sewer Expansion to Tyrone-WASA Presentation Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) General Manager Stephen Hogan and Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial presented the request for limited sewer expansion to Tyrone. Dial mentioned this was the first Tyrone Council meeting he had missed in five years, but this was important. He told Council that Fairburn wanted to reclaim the capacity (250,000 gallons per day) that had been sold to Tyrone. The contract ended in three years. He continued that WASA maintained Tyrone's lines, so there was already a relationship. There were environmental reasons for the request. The Fayette County Water System drew water from the Flint River basin, and Tyrone's effluent was sent to Fairburn for treatment, which discharged into the Chattahoochee River basin. Dial pointed out that the state's Environmental Protection Division (EPD) did not like having water going from one river basin to another. Dial continued that keeping economic development in Fayette County was another reason to extend service to Tyrone. He had been attending the 74 Gateway Coalition (a relationship between the South Fulton Community Improvement District (CID), Fairburn, Fayette County, Tyrone, and Peachtree City) meetings for the last 18 months, and the coalition was working on preserving the integrity of the SR 74 corridor (from SR 54/SR 74 to beyond the SR 74/1-85 interchange), with minimal curb cuts, traffic lights, and accel/decel lanes. The interest for the sewerage service was in downtown Tyrone, which was already starting to have problems with septic tanks, and the most well-known resulted in the closing of Tyrone Elementary School. The town would like to have sewer available for the school. The Fayette County Fire Station that had been located in downtown Tyrone for years had its septic system fail, and the new station had been built at SR 74/Jenkins Road. He asked Council to affirm its commitment and give the request their blessing. He would answer any questions regarding Tyrone's intent. Hogan said he would focus on the sewer system itself, adding that land management and zoning were issues for the respective municipalities. WASA and Tyrone had been meeting and discussing the request with Council (with the exception of Prebor, who had taken office in January 2016), since March 2015. Hogan said the City's population in 2000 was 31,580 according to the 2000 U.S. Census. As of December 31, 2001, the population was estimated to be 33,796. The Planning Department estimated the City's build-out would be 42,940. The current population was approximately 34,000. In 1998, WASA had 8,701 sewer customers in the City, and, currently, there were 10,700. Hogan noted that development trends had changed, and the City's growth had slowed. In addition, as the population had increased, water usage had gone down. At one time water usage had been 100 million gallons per month. Currently, it was 80 million gallons per month. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), water use had declined 30% in the metro area over the last 20 years. Several municipalities in the Atlanta area were seeing the same City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 3 trend of more population with less water usage. Hogan said he expected it would level off eventually. The Town of Tyrone currently had 422 sewer customers, Hogan said. Sixteen of those customers were non-residential. The average daily flow (ADF) was 109,000 gallons per day (GPD). The maximum capacity with Fairburn was 250,000 GPD. WASA currently had 10,699 customers in the City using 3.1 MGD (million gallons per day) ADF. Of those, 10,166 were residential, 26 were multi-family, 436 were commercial, and 41 were industrial. Hogan continued that WASA's total permitted capacity was 6.0 million gallons per day (MGD). WASA currently used 3.1 MGD, and 1.0 MGD was reserved for the West Village (Wilksmoor). If the request for 0.35 MGD for Tyrone was approved, WASA would be treating 4.45 MGD as the average daily flow (ADF), with 1.5 million ADF in reserve for future allocation. Hogan said expansion planning was automatically triggered around 85% capacity, with 90% capacity the target for new construction to begin. A feasibility study for the treatment of Tyrone's wastewater by WASA had been prepared by Richardson, Garretson & Associates, LLC, from Macon, and Hogan discussed the proposed route to the City. He said that Tyrone currently had four lift stations that came together at a force main, then went to Fairburn. Fairburn then sent the effluent to Fulton County's Camp Creek facility for treatment. Tyrone currently had four lift stations. The route to the City would begin at Tyrone's existing lift station #2, which was located near the new Fayette County fire station at the intersection of SR 74/Jenkins Road. It would follow SR 74 and tie into lift station #30 in the City. The proposed 12- inch force main would be 23,720 feet long. Hogan said two other routes were examined, but this route was the least expensive and met all the project objectives. Hogan explained that the force main (a pressurized pipe similar to a water main, but carrying dirty water) was a 12-inch pressurized pipe that would be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It would be able to carry 360 gallons per minute (GPM). There would be no customer connections directly to the line because if was physically impossible to connect to a force main at the pressure and flow that would be needed. The line might parallel the existing water main, or might utilize the old SR 74 road bed, which would be off the main run of SR 74. Due to the cost, a detailed design would not be done until there was a consensus on expanding sewer to Tyrone. Hogan continued that the total estimated cost was $2,159,000, with $1,658,000 for construction and $501,000 for other project costs, such as engineering and acquisition. Hogan then briefed Council on the financial feasibility with the assumption the capital cost would be $2,159,000. Tyrone's capital contribution would be $1.5 million (funds would come from a Fairburn bond issue, which was the cost to buy back the 250 MGD it had sold to Tyrone), and the ADF was 109,000 GPD. WASA's costs would include pumping, treatment, and corrosion/odor control. Tyrone customers would be charged at Peachtree City's rate. The remaining $659,000 could be financed through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) at 3.03%for 20 years or come from Tyrone. City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 11 Page 4 Hogan said WASA deemed the expansion to Tyrone to be feasible since it would pay for itself. There would be no impact on current WASA ratepayers. It was intended to be a standalone, self-sustaining project. The projected revenue was $310,000 annually. Projected expenses included $100,000 for operation and maintenance (O&M), labor, power, insurance, etc.; $14,400 for pump station maintenance; $69.624 for pumping and treatment; $20,000 for corrosion/odor control; and $43,980 for debt service. The net revenue would be $62,000. Hogan reiterated there would be no fee impact on WASA's current customers. WASA's rate schedule was adopted in 2010, and a rate increase was not expected any time soon. Residential/Single Family rates included $26 (debt service on bonds) for the base bill and $4.65/1,000 gallons. Commercial/Multi-Family rates included $26 for the base bill and $6.15/1,000 gallons. Tyrone's current rate structure included a base bill of $30 (up to 4,000 gallons included) and $8.45 per 1,000 gallons over 4,000 gallons. Basically, Hogan said if a Tyrone customer used around 8,000 gallons of water, they would spend less than they were currently paying. If they used over 8,000 gallons of water, they would pay more. Hogan said it would take approximately two years for design/construction/procurement, with the Fairburn/Tyrone agreement expiring on June 15, 2019. Fairburn received bond proceeds in September 2014, and the requirement to utilize those funds was typically three years or September 2017. The proposed time line was to start the design in July, with completion by December 2016. Bids should go out in December 2016 and be awarded by March 2017. Construction should begin in March 2017,with completion slated January 2018, if all went well. Hogan pointed out the environmental considerations, including the correction of the inter-basin transfer from the Flint River to the Chattahoochee River, the reliability of treatment if any new development was on sewer rather than septic, and the protection of the headwaters of three out the four Fayette County Water System reservoirs (Lakes Kedron, Peachtree, and McIntosh). In addition, Hogan said Tyrone would have to secure the funds from Fairburn; adopt the WASA Sewer Use Ordinance, including pre-treatment requirements; and adopt WASA rates. King said he had heard rumors that the effluent capacity into Line Creek was almost at its limit. Hogan said the NPDES permit was predicated on 6 million GPD going collectively into Line Creek and Flat Creek. King asked how much was actually going into the creeks. Hogan said it was 50% — the current usage of 3.1 MGD. King continued that a portion of the property on SR 74 where the sewer line would be placed was under the Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) and could not be developed. The remaining land was private property. Hogan said that was what they understood. King said private property could be developed. Hogan said that was up to the Town of Tyrone. King said if the private property could be developed under the guidelines in Tyrone, and because the sewer line would be there, Georgia state law required hook-up, which would be an automatic increase in capacity. Hogan said it would be force main, and customers could not hook up directly to the force main. Learnard said she did not understand why. Fleisch asked if the force main would be exempt from the state rule of 200 feet. City Attorney Ted Meeker said there was not an engineering way to connect to a force main. Typically, the effluent was collected at lift stations, then pumped through to the force main. Hogan said additional gravity sewers and manholes would be City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 5 required. Other infrastructure would be needed. King asked whether a developer could hook up to the system if an infrastructure was built. Hogan said they could theoretically. Hogan compared a force main to a high tension line that conveyed electricity from "A" to "B." It was a line that was not connected to any houses or businesses. Meeker said there would not be a direct connection into a force main, but someone could figure out a way to collect the effluent and convey it to a lift station, where it would enter into the force main down the line. Ernst asked if a new business or development would have the option to connect to sewer or use a septic system. Hogan said that option would be up to Tyrone since development was a land use issue. King said Council wanted to help the City's neighbors in Tyrone, but the 800-pound gorilla was they did not want to overdo it. He continued that 350,000 GPD was not that much in the scheme of things, but any development after the expansion could put the system in the 85-90% category. He asked if EPD would require the system to expand once it reached 90% of capacity. Hogan explained 85%was the trigger for design, and 90% capacity meant something had to be done. He continued that WASA had 10,000 customers (34,000 people), and the City would need a population of 75,000 to double its current capacity. Ernst asked how the request from Tyrone affected the town's agreement with Fairburn. Hogan said Tyrone residents currently paid a $30 minimum bill for up to 4,000 gallons use. At around 8,000 gallons, Tyrone residents would pay more than City residents. After 8,000 gallons, Tyrone residents would pay less. King asked what the City would get for the expansion. Hogan noted that approximately 14% of City residents were not on sewer. King asked if residents in the Hip Pocket Road area would be able to hook up to sewer. Hogan said absolutely. Hilltop Road was closest to the sewer line. Hogan said the developer or landowner was responsible for the infrastructure, if the property owners were willing. Hogan added that the idea had been put forth to residents in that area in 2000, and they did not want to participate. In 2000, the cost to hook up to sewer was $7,000. In 2006, it was approximately$10,000, and the cost had not been studied since. Fleisch asked how much a septic system would cost. Learnard noted her home was in that area, one of the oldest properties in the City, and they had a septic system. Some of her neighbors had put in sewer infrastructure to connect to the sewer line on Hip Pocket. They had considered putting the house on sewer in 2007 when they renovated, and the cost at that time would have been $21,000, because of the distance. They chose to go with a new septic system for $9,000. There had been a proposal in 2007 or 2008 to run a sewer line down her street. A workshop had been held on a Saturday so every neighbor could attend, and the neighbors had said no. Ernst asked what the gain was for the City. Hogan said it would stabilize rates for the customers because more people would be on the system. It was not known if the rates would be reduced; WASA was trying to maintain fees at the current rates, but it could be a possibility. Prebor said he received a calculation from a homeowner that showed the sewer cost for the City was 90% higher than its neighbors. If the operation was more efficient, the rates could possibly go down. The City's rates were much higher than other areas, and Prebor referenced a rate study done by the University of North Carolina, which he would be glad to share. Hogan said WASA had participated in that rate study. Prebor noted the City's rate for 5,000 gallons was $49.25, and the median rate for Georgia was $28.49 per month. Prebor said the City's cost for City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 6 3,000 gallons was approximately 89% higher, according to his calculations. Hogan said the City had also been compared to Atlanta and Columbus, and both had lower rates because their systems had hundreds of thousands of customers, which had allowed them to charge lower rates. King said there were many issues, and he did not think there would be a decision at this meeting. He asked about the fees for a restaurant to hook up. Hogan said the fee for a restaurant was $1,750 per equivalent residential connection. King asked if the fee was the same if the restaurant was already hooked up to sewer. Hogan said there was a differential if something had already been paid. If the use was intensified, there would be a fee. King asked Hogan to explain the fee charged for a new resident in the Kedron Shopping Center in August. Hogan said the building had originally been a Kentucky Fried Chicken with 49 seats with a certain flow rate per, adding he did not have the details and was not prepared to discuss the finite issues of this situation. The new business had added seats (between 80 - 120). In the rate change resolution in 2010, the per-seat cost was defined by empirical usage over many years. The usage of the new restaurant was intensified from fast foods (paper plates, napkins, etc.) to a sit-down restaurant with additional seats, which would generate additional wastewater that had an additional impact on the treatment plant. King said the cost was initially$28,000, reduced to $17,000, and with $14,000 finally being paid. King said he had asked Hogan questions about the material costs of labor at that time, and he had never received the information. Hogan said the fee had nothing to do with the material and labor costs. Fleisch recalled that most sewer systems lost money when they stood alone. Water was more plentiful, which contributed to part of their rate structure. Hogan said that was correct. Other cities with water and sewer utilities could glean from their General Fund to support the sewer system. The only revenue WASA had was user fees, and WASA was one of only a few standalone utilities in the country. Fleisch said the reason the Gateway Coalition started was to maintain the SR 74 corridor, adding one of the big concerns was traffic. The coalition had received a grant from the ARC for an overlay. Fleisch added the zoning in Tyrone was as important as sewer. She asked Dial about Tyrone's plans for zoning and land use along SR 74. Dial said that he could not answer specific questions without a zoning map. The town zoning and setback requirements were in place along the corridor. No big boxes were allowed, and he had turned down discussions with big box retailers. Two of Tyrone's Planning Commission members were attending the meeting - Will James and Jeff Duncan. Dial noted the request had been delayed for an incredible amount of time and asked what more could Tyrone do to make the expansion happen. Learnard had concerns about protecting the SR 74 corridor, adding the next Mayor and Council in Tyrone could approve a big box. Dial pointed out that a council could not approve an ordinance or policy that bound future Councils. There was no control over how a future Council might zone parcels in the corridor. Dial said there could be a sewer plant in Tyrone one day. Development was coming, and all they could do was work to manage it. There were also the property rights of the landowners along SR 74 to consider. He could not say no to a rezoning request because he wanted to protect his commute. Learnard said she did not understand where the line would go along SR 74. Dial said it would run from the Dogwood Church area to the Rite Aid in Tyrone. Hogan said it would be near the new Fayette County fire station at Jenkins Road. Dial said their primary desire was to take care of downtown Tyrone, but the direction the line took would depend on the gravity issues. City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 7 Ernst asked how much it would cost to run the line along Senoia Road. Hogan said Senoia Road was an additional $750,000 because of the distance. Going down Farr Road would put sewer in the County. WASA felt the best choice would be in the state right-of-way or in proximity to the state highway. Prebor asked how much development could go near a lift station that was already in place, noting gravity-fed infrastructure would be inexpensive for a developer. Hogan said the limitation was in the pipe size, not the lift stations. Learnard asked to see the slide that showed the location of all the lift stations in Tyrone. Dial pointed out that sewer was located north of town, at Southhampton, Publix shopping area, Powers Court, the school complex on Jenkins Road, and one other subdivision. Dennis Chase said he had been involved with the City's sewer system since 1994, when it was still privately owned by Georgia Utilities, and through the expansion of the system. When the system was expanded, it was based on four numbers - the existing system, what would happen in the West Village, the industrial area, and homes that were not on sewer, which totaled 5.2 MGD. The reason for 6.0 MGD was that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) required sewer systems to have a built-in safety capacity, so 5.2 MGD was the actual amount available. A 10 - 15% overage was required depending on the quality of the sewer system. Georgia Utilities had not been a particularly good system, and the City had been required by EPD to set aside 780,000 gallons to treat groundwater and rainwater infiltration. Chase said that meant the available capacity was not 6.0 MGD, but 5.2 MGD. Chase continued that when the application for expansion was put together in 2000 -2001, WASA had refused to evaluate environmental impact outside the City limits. He said neither EPA nor the EPA would force WASA to do it, and those agencies had been guaranteed the system would never go outside the City. He had sympathy for Tyrone's situation, but the City had a responsibility to its citizens. If the City allowed the system to sell off its available capacity, then it would face the same problem Fairburn was facing now. Either the quality of treatment or the capacity would need to be upgraded, or both. Steve Lewis said he and his wife owned a 5,000 square-foot building on Old Senoia Road, and 3,000 square-feet had been vacant. There were restrictions on what he could do with his property because he was not on sewer. The lots were small, and there was no place for a reserve septic system to go. If sewer did come into downtown Tyrone, he would tie into it. As for the concerns about SR 74, Lewis said there was a six-mile moratorium on deceleration lanes by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), and Dogwood Church had been the last to get a decel lane. Anything beyond the church heading towards Tyrone was in the moratorium area. GDOT had compensated the private property owners for that. A 60-foot landscape buffer was also required along the highway. It was not just lack of sewer that kept development from happening along the corridor. John Profitt, Huddleston Road property owner since 1980, said Huddleston Road was the oldest commercial area in Peachtree City. He had been involved in these conversations several times, and each time the sewer moved on somewhere else. The owners along Huddleston could not attract larger businesses to the area because there was no sewer. If the City wanted to get rid of the blighted area, then it needed bring him sewer. Then Profitt would bring in the business. He owned a substantial amount of property, and he would pay a substantial amount to build the infrastructure. It was disingenuous to go out to another town when the City was not taking care of its own community. City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 8 King asked how much sewer was outside the City limits. Hogan said he would have to figure out the percentage, but it included the Starr's Mill School Complex, The Chimneys and Montbrook subdivisions, and Shiloh Mobile Home Park. King suggested there might be a compromise that included alleviating the sewer issue in the Huddleston area. Learnard asked Meeker if it was possible to come to a compromise. She asked if the City could put a ceiling on capacity available outside the City limits and to establish a new fee structure that would help to bring sewer into areas on septic systems. Meeker said Council could do both, but ultimately, Council could only limit capacity. WASA would be charged with setting rates and figuring out the other project. Hogan said it would have cost $576,000 to run sewer on Huddleston Road in 2000. In 2013, the cost had increased to $1.6 million. In 2000, the effort to sewer Huddleston had been met with threats of lawsuits by individual property owners. As a result, WASA stopped investigating that alternative. Lynne Lasher asked if a business along Highway 74 could put a decel lane on its own property, saying the decel lane at the Publix in Tyrone seemed to leave the right-of-way of SR 74. Meeker said those decel lanes were pre-existing, adding GDOT had acquired the access rights for the properties in that area. Learnard asked Hogan to clarify the 200-foot limit related to manhole covers. Hogan said there was a distance limiting how close manhole covers could be to the City limits for unannexed or undeveloped property, which limited mandated extension of the sewer system into the County. There were two different measurements, one by the state and one by the City. The original intent of the limit had been to encourage tying into sewer rather than septic from an environment concern, not as a development control. Meeker said it was a Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) regulation. If a sewer line was within 200 feet of a property, then sewer service was available. That was the case in one of the subdivisions outside the City. Learnard asked when the Tyrone feasibility study had been done. Hogan said it had been done in 2015 by WASA for approximately$25,000. Fleisch confirmed that the size of the pipes set the limitation on capacity. Hogan affirmed the physical limitations would limit the capacity. Hogan added there was always the opportunity to change the pipe size, but it would be expensive. King moved to continue the agenda item to February 4. Fleisch and Ernst both wanted to allow more time to get the requested information. The motion died for lack of a second. Learnard said she had not seen the feasibility study, and she wanted to better understand what a potential ceiling could be on the capacity. She would like to understand the recommendation from WASA on what the fee structure would be and why, with a priority of providing sewer to Huddleston Road as a minimum. Learnard would also like to know the impact of the 200-foot limit if the sewer line were to go up SR 74. She believed this could give away a lot of control in preventing big development. Ernst said he also wanted to verify the information provided by Chase at the meeting. Hogan said the engineering report was online, as were the bond documents from 2001. WASA was allotted 6.0 MGD by design and that included the safety factor. The reserve was City Council Minutes January 21,2016 Page 9 approximately 530,000 gallons. Prebor said there was 20% of that from leakage, inflow, and infiltration,which was approximately 600,000. Hogan said that was included in the 3.1 MGD. Ernst moved to table until staff was ready to come back with the requested information. Rorie said there would need to be more follow-up and time for Council to ask any more questions. He would follow-up with WASA and get the information as expeditiously as possible. Learnard said she did not have the information she needed to make a decision. Ernst withdrew his motion. Ernst moved to continue this matter indefinitely. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Update on Peachtree City Stormwater Projects Stormwater Manager Mike Madison gave a summary of the 2015 stormwater program, as of December 31, 2015. The City owned and maintained 70.2 miles of underground stormwater pipe, 5,630 individual drainage structures, 70 stormwater detention ponds, 32.1 miles of roadside ditches, unknown miles of ditches along the golf cart paths, and unknown miles of other stormwater conveyance ditches (greenbelts, drainage easements, etc.). The Stormwater Department maintained, repaired, replaced, and rehabilitated the City's storm drainage system; administered and ensured compliance with the City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Stormwater Permit; provided construction oversight and management on all outsourced (bid) stormwater construction projects; responded to drainage complaints and concerns; and had responsibility for erosion control inspection program, street sweeping, and all other duties as assigned. Madison summarized the work that had been done in 2015, which had included cleaning 167 drainage structures; re-excavating and cleaning 1,925 linear feet of ditch; clearing sediment and debris from 6,046 linear feet of pipe; rehabilitating (lining) 1,404 linear feet of pipe replacing 1,724 linear feet of pipe (as part of 15 replacement projects completed by the stormwater crew); completing an additional replacement project through bid with a second currently in progress (Saddlebrook and Spear Road); performing maintenance activities (mowing, clearing, debris removal) on 25 detention ponds, including two complete reconstructions; sweeping 357 miles of road, regulated intersections, and parking lots; conducting over 800 erosion control site inspections; responding to 134 drainage-related complaints; and continuing to maintain compliance with the City's NPDES Stormwater Permit. The plans and goals for 2016 included continuing with stormwater system maintenance on pipes, structures, detention ponds, ditches, sweeping, etc. (both reactive and proactive maintenance); continuing replacement of failed pipes utilizing the stormwater crew (10 - 15 replacement projects annually with a current in-house list of 36 projects); continuing to replace failed pipes utilizing the bidding process (two to three projects annually with a current list of 46 projects); continuing to in-place rehabilitate (line) degraded systems when possible; continuing to address resident concerns; continuing erosion control inspections; continuing Stormwater Bond project completion; and continuing to remain in compliance with the City's NPDES Stormwater Permit. Five failed pipe projects had been added to the in-house list during the last week of 2015. 111 Completed Stormwater Bond projects included Preston Chase, Rockspray Pond dam, BCS pond stilling basin, Kedron Pond West dam, Kedron Pond East dam, and Harbor Loop drainage. Ongoing projects included Wynnmeade and Golfview Drive. Replacement of the pipe lining in City Council Minutes January 21,2016 Page 10 Woodsdale was underway, and miscellaneous pipe lining projects would be bid in the spring. Additional Stormwater Bond projects included rehabilitation of Detention Pond #140, Peachtree Parkway headwall replacement, BCS detention pond rehabilitation, Crosstown Drive culverts (lining), and Flat Creek Road culvert (lining). Prebor noted that other municipalities had grates over their stormwater drains, asking if that would help keep the culverts cleaner. Madison said there were some culverts with grated inlets in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, but noted much of the problem related to root infiltration of old and decaying pipes. Fleisch thanked Madison for getting the wash-outs on the cart path taken care of quickly. She asked if there was a completion date yet for Spear Road. City Engineer Dave Borkowski said the Spear Road project was substantially complete, with completion scheduled February 8. The guard rail and jersey barriers had to be finished. The road was still closed. Update on Facilities Bond Projects Recreation Administrator Cajen Rhodes told Council that 11 of the 33 projects on the list were complete (fire protection systems in City buildings, Public Works Admin Building HVAC, BMX irrigation, Glenloch Rec HVAC, Braelinn basketball courts, PAC building roof, Clover Reach pool demolition, Kedron Aquatic Center HVAC, Tennis Center- awnings replacement, Tennis Center HVAC, and Tennis Center lighting). Twelve projects were in progress (Fire Station 83 roof replacement, Fire Station 84 exterior seal coat, Fire Station 84 roof replacement, Fire Station parking lot resurfacing, Fire Station 81 building repairs, Public Works ancillary building roof, Public Works generator, Public Works Admin Building generator, BMX tower improvements, PAC irrigation, playground equipment replacement, and Tennis Center clubhouse roof replacement). The remaining 10 projects were parked awaiting staff time to address them (City Hall Drake Field electrical, City Hall windows replacement, Police Department roof replacement, Police Department HVAC replacement, Fire Station 83 exterior seal coat, Public Works building improvements, Skate Park renovations, Kedron Aquatic Center wall restoration, Kedron Rink structural improvements, and Library window replacement). Rhodes highlighted the BMX tower project, which had originally been bid out with an estimate of $75,000 just to build and install the tower. Staff got an alternate bid of $39,000 and decided to bring the project in-house. As a result, items such as windows and a window HVAC unit had been added. A stormwater issue had been taken care of by building a retaining wall and stairs. The roofing had been replaced, new gutters were added, and it had been painted. The electricity had been overhauled, and a meter had been installed. There had been a lot of work done, but there would be less maintenance moving forward, and the facility was safe. Rhodes continued that the work on the BMX tower project had truly been a team effort, including a small team of private contractors. All the work would be done for$28,000-$30,000, which was considerably less than the $75,000 budgeted for the project. There was still some work to be done, including a new roof, painting, and pouring of concrete. The $75,000 would be moved to Bond Contingency. Remaining funds from the prior Facilities Bond had been used for the project. Rhodes added that the goal for all the project managers was to come in 10% under budget on all the projects, if possible. The remaining funds were added to the Contingency budget and used to fund overages on other projects or to add projects. City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 11 Rhodes reported that the Spray Park Committee would come before Council in the near future with recommendations. FY 2016 First Quarter Budget Report Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore noted that the FY 2016 was 25% complete, giving an overview of the budget status as of December 31, 2015. He continued that 54.84% of General Fund revenues had been collected ($18 million). The latest economic predictions were the growth of sales and income taxes would continue to be slow. Salvatore added that 24.64% of General Fund expenses had been incurred ($8.3 million), and 25.4% of hotel/motel taxes had been collected ($401,000). Salvatore pointed out that the Facilities Bond projects and Stormwater had been addressed separately. Salvatore pointed out there had been a dip in the Pension Fund, adding the stock market would go up and down. Salvatore also looked at the Brent Crude Oil Spot Price Summary over the last 90 days, which showed the cost of a barrel of oil had dropped from $50 a barrel to below $30, which was impacting the stock market. It had been the worst January in stock market history, but for now, any losses were only on paper. Salvatore said the current situation was temporary. Saudi Arabia was positioning itself for higher prices down the road by eliminating competitors and glutting the market. The stock market was expected to end the year up by 8.5%. He stressed that this was not a recession as in 2008. Banks were flush with cash, unemployment was very low, spending was high, and property values were up. Gasoline had been budgeted at $3.50 per gallon in the FY 2016 budget, and the actual cost on the last delivery was $1.20 per gallon, Salvatore said. The estimated annual savings if the current price persisted would be $151,910. Diesel fuel had been budgeted at $4 per gallon, and the actual cost on the last delivery was $1.13. The estimated annual savings for diesel fuel if the current price persisted was $100,404. The total potential savings was $252,314. Salvatore continued that the City's financial policy allowed the City Manager to impound budgeted funds due to economic conditions, and $252,000 of the gasoline and diesel budget could be frozen to take advantage of the low prices and to boost cash reserves. It was not a budget adjustment, but it encumbered funds so they could not be spent on something else and would be available if needed later in the year. An additional 1% of departmental operating budgets had also been frozen to hedge against fallout. Salvatore said staff would continue to monitor the situation and maintain desired service delivery levels. When the budget had been adopted, $769,000 had been used from Cash Reserves to balance it, Salvatore reminded Council. There was a possibility that, if the current conditions continued, only$400,000 would be needed from Cash Reserves. FY 2016 Path Maintenance Public Works Supervisor Scott Hicks said the Cart Path Crew was one mile into its nine-mile annual goal. While it was cold and they could not pave, the crew was getting as much done as they could to get ready for paving. This included opening paths (pulling out the old asphalt, removing tree roots, and laying gravel) for paving later. Paths that were closed (the asphalt had been put down) between October and the end of December included Kenton Place to Holly Grove Road/Linden, Bedford Park to 0320, Tivoli Gardens to Jumpers Run, Garamond Place to 0611, 0210 to Legacy Lane, Gelding Garth to City Council Minutes January 21, 2016 Page 12 1232, tunnel to Holly Grove Church Road, Harmony to spillway, Preserve Place to 0231, Tamerlane to Braelinn Road, Vermillion Lane, Glendale to Peachtree Parkway, 0401 to Monterey Drive, Redding Road to Stonington Drive, and 1 102 to Battery Way. Paths that were opened or were scheduled to open within the next few days included Huddleston Road to the Tennis Center, Windsor Place to Robinson Road, 1227 to 1228, Whitfield Court to Wysteria Court, 1502 to Commerce Drive (along Commerce), and Smokerise Park to Tuxedo Lane. New path sections included The Gates to Meade Field Drive, which had been closed, and Rockaway Road to Somerby Senior Living,which was being opened. Prebor asked if the lower price of oil helped with the cost of paving. Rorie said they could either do more paving or save money. It was more of a labor issue than a supply issue, and the stormwater and cart path crews shared employees when additional labor was needed for a project. Executive Session Learnard moved to convene in executive session for acquisition or sale of real estate, pending or threatened litigation, and personnel at 9:10 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Learnard moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:23 p.m. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:25 p.m. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. sLi-)ii/LC Pamela Dufresne, Deputy C. y Clerk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor