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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-07-2016 workshop City Council of Peachtree City Workshop Minutes June 7, 2016 The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in workshop session on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Mayor Fleisch opened the workshop at 6:30 p.m. Council Members attending: Terry Ernst, Mike King, Kim Learnard, and Phil Prebor. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss: • City Council Goals and Objectives- FY2016 Prioritization Finale • Discuss Spillway Replacement- Design Options, Preferences • Discuss SPLOST Projects List • Discuss Spillway Replacement- Design Options, Preferences City Manager Jon Rorie said the order of the items would be changed, and the spillway replacement would be first so it would be easier to connect everything at the end. Dan Davis, Integrated Science & Engineering (ISE), reported that the team had crafted a work plan over the past two months to replace the spillway and refashion the dam, and they hoped to do the work without having to lower the lake completely again. There was a possibility the new spillway could be built immediately downstream from the current spillway. They planned to do the construction during the winter months when the grass was not growing. Davis introduced the project team for the Lake Peachtree Spillway design. In addition to Davis, project principal, Rich Greuel of ISE, would provide program management. Leslie Baer would work with communications. Randy Bass from Schnabel Engineering would provide the spillway design, John Vermont from Corblu Ecology Group would take care of environmental permitting, and Annette Bowman of Bowman Landscape Design would oversee landscaping design. Davis continued that the permitting was not expected to be extensive because the work would fall under the maintenance category_ The trees on the backside of the dam would be removed, and the Community Garden would be exposed. There would be a new environment in the area. Davis gave a brief history of spillway and dam, noting that two years ago, the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) had categorized the dam and spillway as Category 1, but the City was able to have the categorization changed back to Category 2. Davis continued that the dam would be designed to a Category 1 standard so there would be no questions in the future. Bass explained Category 1 meant, if the dam were to fail, there would be loss of life. The City fought the reclassification and showed that no homes would have issues with water if the dam failed, so the state changed the dam back to Category 2. Category 2 dams did not kill anyone when the dams failed. Category 1 had stringent conditions for dams. Bass continued that the most common deficiency for a Category 1 dam was that a spillway was not big enough for certain flood events. The City currently had a broad-crested spillway (approximately 150 feet wide with water flowing over it). Spillways that zigzagged, such as a piano key or labyrinth weirs, allowed a lot more water to flow over the current 150-foot space. Bass said the goal was to design the most cost effective spillway, which could be a combination of different types, including a gated weir. Another goal was to not increase the water out in the lake now during two-year to 100-year flood events. For over 100-year events, a Category 1 dam had to pass all the water through the spillway in a hurry. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 2 The plan was to put the new spillway in front of (south of) the current one, then the old spillway would act as a cofferdam during construction. The lake would have to be drained a bit, Bass continued, but not as much as would be required if they took the existing spillway out. Bass continued that, based on preliminary calculations, the piano key weir was narrower and should fit better in the space. There were no piano key weirs currently in the United States, but Schnabel was currently designing one in North Carolina. The piano key weir was more efficient than a labyrinth weir, but would cost more because of its shape. The additional cost of the concrete had to be balanced with the efficiency of the spillway, Bass said. If the dam had to be raised, they would build a parapet rather than bringing in more dirt for the back side of the dam, Bass said. The type of spillway would determine whether there would be a two to three-foot high parapet on the dam. The piano key would not require this, but a labyrinth weir would. The City would have to decide if they wanted to be regulated by the state or try to maintain Category 2 status even though the dam would be built to Category 1 standards. Vermont said the good news was that the Corps of Engineers said the current dam was serviceable and there was a nationwide permit for it, which was an easy set of permits that would be inexpensive and timely, usually taking 45- 60 days. Permit 3A was a nationwide permit, renewable every five years, which allowed for minor deviations in configuration and took into account modern protocols and standards that would change over time. Vermont said it should easy to make an argument for changing the broad-crested weir to a labyrinth or piano key weir as it was a safety and efficiency upgrade. Vermont said they would have to provide a fair amount of operational backup data to show the City was not trying to raise the lake and increase the pool area. There were a lot of allowances under the Permit 3A. Vermont said they were assuming they would need a stream buffer variance from the Corps, although water supply reservoirs were exempt. The requirements for existing reservoirs with multi- purpose uses were murky. After discussions with City staff, the City had decided to go for the variance. Something could be triggered that would be outside the exemption while building the temporary access and construction roads. Vermont said his role was to stay proactive in the design process, so the City did not get too far away from the permits that were easier to obtain. Davis noted they would be removing the-trees on the back slope,of the dam during the process. When the trees were removed, people would be able to see into the Community Gardens. Removing the trees was part of bringing the dam up to Category 1 standards. King referred to the intergovernmental agreement with Fayette County regarding the lake, asking if the County was responsible for removing the trees from the backside dam. Rorie said the County would remove the trees near the spillway. Someone from EPD's Safe Dams program had come to look at the trees, saying the trees should not be cut unless the upgrades were made. Learnard said she also believed the County was responsible for removing the trees from the dam, and they could do it a minimal cost. Rorie said they would look at the agreement. Prebor said he did not want a gated spillway unless it was a great deal less expensive than the others due to the maintenance requirements. He asked which spillway the team recommended and was more cost effective. Davis said that Bass would begin working with the math equations and modeling them on the different options for weirs, adding they were not at a point yet where a recommendation could be made. They would be back with a recommendation. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 3 Greuel referred to questions about the cart path, saying they could plan for a cart path bridge over the weir that did not have to be built as part of the project. Currently, there were one-way cart paths on either side of Kelly Drive. People driving golf carts had to cross the road to get to the narrow path in the direction they were travelling on the bridge. The foundations for the cart path bridge could be built as part of the design, then, when the City was ready, the bridge could be dropped onto the foundations. Greuel said Bass would need to know what the City wanted in order to include it on his design. Fleisch asked if a path could be built over the dam. Greuel said it could, but it would be'a new impact on the dam, which meant another permit process. Putting the bridge on top of the spillway allowed the City to have two projects on one permit. Fleisch said people would not be used to 30- foot swath of trees being gone. Having a bridge on that side would be more functional since people could get to the Community Gardens. Greuel said that could become complicated. Davis said one idea would be to shift the driving lanes on Mclntosh/Kelly so there was more room on the other side. A structural engineer would need to look at it. It was worth exploring. He noted that the Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) had an aerial line supported on timbers in the area, so there was an existing impact. They could work with WASA on the cart path and stronger supports for the sewer line, so there would not be an additional impact. Vermont said that could work with the permitting. Annette Bowman said any successful project would take input from residents. Bowman, who worked for the City at one time, said she had done quite a bit of work in the City as a landscape designer. She was very sensitive to what residents wanted. It would be a safe, passive area. She would be respectful of the engineering so the vegetation did not ruin the dam 20 years down the road. Landscaping was a way of guiding the eye to look at certain things. The design would include indigenous species that could handle intermittent wet feet in the low-lying areas and long lasting trees in the higher areas. A little bit could do a whole lot when put where it mattered. The landscaping would be the icing on the cake after the initial engineering. Learnard asked why the trees had to be removed. Davis said the trees to be removed on the back slope of the dam were part of the process to bring the dam up to Category 1 standards. Prebor asked why the bridge would be on the dam side. Fleisch said if the width was very narrow, it would not solve the existing issue. She wanted to explore the possibility of shifting the road to see if it was feasible and whether it would be too expensive. Learnard said if the wider path were over the spillway, they would not need the path on the other side of the road. If the road could be shifted, there would be more room on the dam side for a wider path. Prebor said it sounded expensive to move the path to the dam side of the road. Ernst said the options for the spillway had been narrowed down, but he wanted to know if they were in the ballpark with the costs. Davis said the next time they came back they would have the preferred spillway option and a cost estimate that would include cart path options and landscaping. Ernst clarified Council did not need to tell the design team what they wanted at this meeting. Davis said that was correct. Bass discussed the parapet wall on the dam, noting there would be waves during a storm event. The top of the dam had to account for the storm surge and wave action. He continued that in the City's case, the dam was so wide that the storm surge would not wash the dam away, but the state would still want something so the waves would not wash over the dam. The parapet would be there strictly for wave action and would tie into the spillway. Council was concerned that might City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 4 interfere with a cart path. Bass said it would be workable, but they were hoping they would not need a parapet. It would depend on how the spillway was engineered. Fleisch asked how the old spillway would be removed. Bass said there would not be any blasting. Because they would get more water over the weir, the channel had to be wider than the spillway. They might need to trim off the point to make the entrance channel wider, but they would not know until the analysis was finished. The soil that came out would be used to fill depression in other areas. The piano key weir would be an attractive nuisance, and people would stop to watch the water flow over tf re spillway. Davis said the spillway would be designed to Category 1 standards. In event of a breach, the water could get close to the three homes nearby but would not displace anyone. If Council wanted to make the additional measures to ensure safety for the residents downstream, the only piece lacking would be an Emergency Action Plan, which would be done at the end. Rorie added that inspections would also have to be done, and that's what had gotten the City in this position. Learnard clarified those would be a City responsibility. Davis said they would. Davis continued that Council could voluntarily make the dam a Category 1 dam and it would be on the state's inspection list, but the dam they designed would meet the state's standards. Bass said the state could change the Category 1 standards, and the City would have to make the changes. Council consensus was to keep the dam as a Category 2 dam and to put an Emergency Action Plan in place. Bass said that the current dam would be good and safe once the trees were removed and the spillway was replaced. He recommended keeping it at Category 2 until the state said otherwise. Corrine Key Hayes said the recommendation to build the dam/spillway to Category 1 standards, but leave it as Category 2 made a lot of sense, asking if the trees could be left where they were until a decision was made to make the dam a Category 1. Bass explained that trees on a dam were not good. The roots grew, and when the tree died, the roots rotted, allowing water to seep through the dam. The trees should not be on the dam, and it was a safety concern. Hayes asked that plenty of time be taken for the Corps permits, saying the Corps of Engineers and state agencies tended to have long time frames. She said there was a lot of interest in a passive design rather than an active design. She asked that the "clogging of debris" during storm events be taken into account during the design. Bass said during a big event everything not tied down would wash into the lake. Generally with a labyrinth or piano key weir, debris should wash over the spillway, but it would not be uncommon for some trees/floating docks to be on the spillway. A string of buoys could be put out on the upstream side, which would help keep debris out of the spillway, as well as canoers and boaters. Eric lmker said the City was doing this right. He encouraged Council to not try to shoehorn a spillway in, but to do it right the first time. He suggested turning the current paths into a pedestrian paths and go with a 12-foot wide cart path over the spillway. lmker continued that in December 2014 the City was notified the category of the dam had been changed back to Category 2. However, the state had retained the right to change the dam back to Category 1, which was one of the reasons driving the Category 1 design. He appreciated the efforts the City was taking. The City could purchase three homes that were the issue and eliminate the problem of Category 1 or Category 2. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 5 • Discuss SPLOST Projects List Rorie said he had received feedback from Council following the June 2 regular meeting, and some changes had been made. The estimated revenues for Peachtree City from a five-year Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) would be $37,580,607. The estimated revenues for the City from a six-year SPLOST would be $45,344,727. For practical purposes, the City's projects had been based on a five-year SPLOST. No changes were recommended in the list for Public Safety projects. Most of the items were capital purchases. The Tier 1 projects for Public Safety included: Project Public Safety Project Description Estimated Project Cost Public Safety Vehicle Replacement of Medic 83 Ambulance $246,000 Personal Protective FD-Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Replacements $270,000 Equipment Radios P25 Compliant Digital Radio Replacements for Police, Fire and Public $494,100 Works Public Safety Vehicle Replacement of Fire Department Aerial Apparatus-Quint 84 $1,000,000 Personal Protective Police-Mobile Coban Camera Replacements-20 @$6,000 $120,000 Equipment Public Safety Estimated Total Cost $2,130,100 Rorie continued there had been some changes in the list for Parks and Recreation. One of the changes would be to find another name for Snake Island. The addition of a passive park would be discussed, but it was not removed from the list. He continued that Council decided to include the "splash pad" at Glenloch as a SPLOST project rather than in the General Fund budget. He removed the Battery Way restrooms from the list. Tier 1 projects for Parks and Recreation now included: Project Parks and Recreation Project Description Estimated Project Cost Snake Island Development and addition of new passive park to enhance access to Lake $200,000 Peachtree All Childrens Playground Addition of Bridge/Causeway ACP to Drake Field $250,000 Glenloch Recreation Addition of"Splash Pad"feature to Glenloch Recreational Facility $330,000 Line Creek Pork Addition of restroom facility at Line Creek Nature Area Park $150,000 10%Project Contingency $93.000 Parks and Recreation Estimated Total Costs $1,023,000 One project had been eliminated and the rest moved to Tier 2. Tier 1 Transportation projects included: Project Safety and Operational Intersection Estimated Project Cost Improvements Project Description Crosstown @ Add right turn lanes to facilitate efficient all four way stop $550,000 Peachtree Parkway intersection. SR 54@ Intersection improvements to facilitate side street traffic movement Planterra Way and eliminate split-phase signal to increase traffic flow along 54 $650,000 corridor SR 54@ MacDuff Intersection improvements to facilitate side street traffic movement Parkway and eliminate split-phase signal to increase traffic flow along 54 $650,000 corridor SR 74@ N.Kedron Dr. Extend left turn lane capacity of N.Kedron Dr. $300,000 10%Project Contingency $215,000 Safety and Operational Intersection improvements Estimated Total Costs $2,365,000 City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 6 Tier 1 Trans.ortation road resurfacing/maintenance included: Project Road Resurfacing/Maintenance Project Description Estimated Project Cost Resurfacing Milling,patching,leveling,and resurfacing of approximately 7 additional miles $16,435,000 of roadway per year based upon the PACERS Rating System. Maintenance Seal Coat 8 Miles per year based upon the PACERS Rating System $1,680,000 10%Project Contingency $1,811,500 Road Resurfacing/Maintenance Estimated Total Costs $19,926,500 Tier 1 Multi-use Pathway System tunnel and bridge maintenance projects included: Pathways Tunnel and Bridge Maintenance Project Estimated Project Cost Project Description Costs Based on 2016 Competitive Bid Process $700,000 Pathway Repairs and Maintenance for eleven (111 Pathway Bridges: B14,B17,B28, Bridges B23, B19,B24, B26,B03, B08,B21,and B27 Pathway Repair and Maintenance for seventeen (17) Pathway Tunnels: T19,T06, Tunnels T10,T1 1,T16,T05,T02,103;104,108,T13,T20,T22,T24,T26,T28,T29 10%Project Contingency $70,000 Pathways Tunnel and Bridge Maintenance Estimated Total Costs $770,000 There had been a language change pertaining to the number of miles per year that Rorie said he had changed from 12 miles per year to avoid any confusion — the SPLOST funds would fund three miles per year in addition to the nine miles that would remain in the General Fund. Tier-1 projects for path repair and maintenance included: Project City Wide Multi-Use Paths Annual Repair and Maintenance Project Description Estimated Project Cost Resurface an additional 3 Miles per year based on resurfacing schedule based upon rating allowing all paths to be resurfaced approximately every 8 years. Equipment Purchases 750 Dump $90,000 350 Dump Truck $60,000 Asphalt Spreader $165,000 S-Bobcat $60,000 Root Cutter Machine $70,000 Supplies/Materials Additional Supply Costs:Gravel and Asphalt($73,000 per mile X 3 Miles x 5 $1,095,000 Years) Labor 1-Equipment Operator, 1-Truck Driver,and 3-Maintenance Techs x 5 Years $1,500,000 10%Project Contingency $304,000 Pathways Tunnel and Bridge Maintenance Estimated Total Costs $3,344,000 Some projects were moved to Tier 2, including a bridge at Crosstown/SR 74 and another bridge on SR 74 in the Westpark Walk/Smokey Bones area. One path was removed because it was not considered feasible since the Georgia Department of Transportation would not give a permit for a multi-use path in the right-of-way. Multi-use Path Access and Connectivity Enhancements included: Project Pathways Access and Connectivity Enhancements Project Description Estimated Project Cost Pathway Addition SR 54 E(Peachtree East to PTC United Methodist Church $88 000 (Master Plan 10& 11) Bridge Addition SR 54 W multi-use bridge and gateway feature(Master Plan Project#54) $1,971,000 Pathway Addition N Peachtree Parkway Path $215,000 City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 7 Pathway Addition Flat Creek Nature Area (PAC/MOBA to Crosstown Drive Master Plan#26) $217,227 Pathway Addition North Peachtree Pkwy(Flat Creek Rd connection-Master Plan Project#14) $42,712 Pathway Addition Crosstown Dr.Crossing(Master Plan Project#24) $26,993 Pathway Addition Robinson Road-Whitfield Farms connection (Master Plan Project# 15) $132,000 Pathway Addition Crosstown Drive(Wendy's connection-Master Plan Project#25) $7,080 Pathway Addition Paschall Rd(Master Plan Project#48) $42,260 Pathway Addition Huddleston Road (Master Plan Project# 50) $206,000 Pathway Addition Cedarcroft to 74 Bridge Path via long drainage easement adjacent to $209,000 MacDuff Pathway Addition Walt Banks and N.Peachtree Pkwy to Kedron Crossing $300,000 10%Project Contingency $344,827 Pathways Access and Connectivity Enhancements Estimated Total Cost $3,793,099 Rorie said the Lake Peachtree Spillway/Dam Enhancements were programmed at $2.2 million, and the focus was what to do to upgrade the dam to Category 1. Additional funding for Lake Peachtree included: Project Lake Peachtree Spillway/Dam Enhancements Project Description Estimated Cost Lake Peachtree Spillway Replace Spillway to meet Category 1 Standards $1,000,000 Lake Peachtree Dam Upgrade Dam to meet Category 1 Dam Upgrade $1,000,000 10%Project Contingency $200,000 Spillway/Dam Estimated Total Cost $2,200,000 Tier 2 projects included two intersection projects. Rorie said there were no engineering plans for the projects yet. Putting the projects in Tier 2 would provide time for an assessment. The additional path and bridge projects were moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in the event there would be funding available. Some additional surfacing and maintenance was also added to Tier 2. Tier 2 projects included: Tier 2 Estimated Transportation Project Cost SR 54 @ Add left turn lane extension and restrict left turn movements into and out of $150,000 Commerce Drive Commerce Drive SR 74 @ S.Kedron Dr Convert to right-in and right out only from S.Kedron Drive $30,000 Additional Road Resurfacing/Maintenance $2,000,000 Multi-Use Path Access and Connectivity Enhancements Project Description Bridge Addition HWY 54/74 Gateway Bridge(Access Avenue to West Park) CorkScrew?Location $1,971,000 Bridge Addition Hwy 74/Crosstown Bridge/Tunnel $1,971,000 Pathway Addition Police Station( ) $51,523 Pathway Addition Kedron Village retail path relocation(Master Plan Project#3) $18,195 Pathway Addition Robinson Road (Camp Creek Estates connection-(Master Plan Project#18) $80,926 Pathway Addition North Kedron Dr.Extension(Master Plan Project#58) $25,523 Pathway Addition SR 54 E/Lake Peachtree multi-use bridge replacement(Master Plan Project#16) $539,000 Pathway Addition Robinson Road SCrosstown Dr connection(Master Plan Project#19) $125,850 Pathway Addition Crosstown Business Park(Master Plan Project#21) $72,628 Pathway Addition Holly Grove Road (Master Plan Project#35) $69,282 Pathway Addition Robinson Road (The Summit connection(Master Plan Protect#28) $70,357 Pathway Addition Line Greek Nature Area (Master Plan Project#53) $44,233 Total Tier 2 Cost Estimate $7,219,517 City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 8 Rorie said the "Lazy River" project had been removed, saying the estimated cost was too low. Staff had gotten two quotes, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. The recommendation had been to remove mobile restrooms and put them in the Public Improvement Program (PIP), and that adjustment had been made. Projects considered for elimination included: Elimination Project Parks and Recreation Estimated Project Cost Glenloch Recreation Addition of"Lazy River" feature to Glenloch Recreational Pool $150,000 Mobile Facility Mobile Restroom to facilitate Special Events $35,000 Transportation N.Peachtree Pkwy @ Install traffic calming devices at N.Peachtree Pkwy/Loring Lane and $950,000 Loring Lane/Tinsley Mill N.Peachtree Pkwy/Tinsley Mill Pathways Pathway Addition SR 74 South (Phase I Master Plan Project#41) $444,170 Total Reduction from Estimated Cost $1,579,170 Rorie reiterated the numbers used in the funding model were estimates. Currently, there were $2,578,908 in undesignated funds. He planned to present the finalized list to Council on the June 16 agenda. The new funding model included: Peachtree City 2016 SPLOST Projected Sales Tax Collections $37,580,607 Public Safety $2,130,100 Parks and Recreation $1,023,000 Transportation $22,291,500 Multi-Use Pathway System $7,907,099 Cat I Dam/Spillway Enhancements $1,650,000 Total Estimated Costs$35,001,699 Un-designated $2,578,908 Tier 2 Projects $7,219,517 Rorie continued that the City could not market a "yes" or "no" vote in support of SPLOST, but timely information could be provided to citizens. Staff was working on a package that would be available on the website and in paper at various City facilities. There would be maps showing the proposed multi-use path connections. He continued that Fayetteville had already adopted a project list, and the County was working on theirs. They were also waiting to find out if it would be a five- or six-year SPLOST. Learnard referred to the list of path projects, saying she did not know what Master Plan Project #15 was. She thought Council would be done with the SPLOST list at this meeting, and there would be a map with all path projects shown. She thought they should be working on priorities, asking if the lists were in priority order. Rorie said they were all priority projects, but were not in numerical order. Learnard asked if they were going to prioritize the projects. Rorie said they were Tier 1 projects and would be done over a five to 10-year period. Learnard said not all the projects would get done. Rorie said all the projects on the list would get done,-and he would not make a recommendation for a Tier 1 that could not be done in that time period. Learnard said she did not know, for example, what they were saying when the project was listed as "Paschall Rd (Master Plan Project #48)" or what was being connected. Rorie said that was the point of the presentation. When the project list was put together, they would be shown on a map with the name and project number. He did not have that at this meeting. Ernst said Council was being asked if they accepted the list. If they did, then Rorie would do that. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 9 Learnard asked, if SPLOST were to pass, would the City start with a practical implementation. Rorie said staff would start the projects immediately. Learnard said they could not all be done in the first year. Rorie referred to SR-54 W multi-use bridge and gateway feature (Master Plan Project #54), saying that project should not be done in year one, when engineering, design, and permitting had to be completed. The projects had to be timed, and other projects could be completed while the engineering, design, and permitting were being done. Caren Russell said the idea of an information packet was wonderful for the website. It was very important to get the SPLOST passed. She suggested calling it a "resident information initiative," and to get the newspapers involved, to,get the word out to the public. A public meeting should be held before the vote to answer questions. People needed to know a SPLOST was the cheapest way for residents, and non-residents, to pay for this. Publicity and education were hugely important. Learnard said just as there was a link to the City's website, there should also be a link to the County website, so everyone could see all the projects laid out for the entire County. Rorie said it would be important to inform the public, but there was a limit to what the City could do. They had to know what the project focus would be. The information had to get out across all the communities and let everyone know what they would be voting for or against. Staff would do what they could within the limitations of the law. Pam Kemp said she felt an urgency to get the information out about all the work that was needed on all the roads, and the word needed to get out that an FDR was much more expensive than regular paving. Rorie said the City's most valuable asset was its roads at an estimated $80 million. If that asset was not repaired and maintained every year, it declined in value. It would cost more down the road, as well as the decline in the value of the asset. Larry Milligan said there were a lot of older people in the City who were not computer literate, and they needed printed material. It should be made available, and she emphasized that they all voted. Rorie said they were looking at a booklet as well as tri-fold brochures that would be available at City facilities. Prebor asked how the City could market the SPLOST information. Learnard said the City could inform voters. Rorie said there could be town hall meetings. The media could be involved. Some things could be done with social media and through UPDATES. Council could not say whether citizens should vote yes or no. Prebor asked if any of the funds spent on getting the information out could be budgeted. Rorie said no public money could be spent on getting the information out. There had been discussions with the Chamber of Commerce as a third party, but the City could not give them money to do it. Michael Britt noted that residents paid a lot in stormwater fees, yet there were not stormwater projects on the list. Rorie said the City had stormwater utility, which kept those funds out of the tax base. It was an enterprise fund, adding there had been a debate on whether to use a utility or to have stormwater as part of the General Fund. Britt asked what the SPLOST would cost the average citizen. Rorie said it would be one cent on every dollar spent, adding that Fayette County was one of.the few counties in Georgia that did riot have a SPLOST. Russell suggested hold meetings with homeowners associations, saying it might be more effective than trying to hold a large meeting few would attend. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 10 Fleisch asked about changing the name of Snake Island and what deed restrictions could be placed on the island. Rorie said it would be done internally. Someone had suggested a "name that island" contest. He continued that City Attorney Ted Meeker had followed up and said the City could add a deed restriction regarding the scope for a passive park. Eric lmker addressed Council regarding the proposed SPLOST, saying everything about it was good news. He assumed the SPLOST would be five years, adding that the General Fund would add $1.8 million per year (generating $9 million over five years) for roads and $1.7 million per year (generating $8.5 million over five years) to the SPLOST total. Imker said that would give the City $55 million to work with on the infrastructure. He asked Council to consider a one mill decrease ($9 million) in the property tax,which would leave $45 million for roads and paths. If the SPLOST was not approved by the voters, the City could not re-designate the millage funds ($17.5 million over five years) for roads and paths to something else. It had to be left in the budget for that purpose. lmker said that was what happened with the 2005 SPLOST. Council decided to use the money in the General Fund for something besides roads and paths. lmker said that caused a huge $20 million problem for the City. Imker continued that he had e-mailed the week before the meeting, saying an option should never be deleted from the list, but should be moved to Tier 2 in the event money came in than expected. If it was not on the list, SPLOST funds could not be used. It was fine to use SPLOST for cart path labor. He suggested using the undesignated funds for additional road and path maintenance in Tier 2. Prebor noted that the proposal was to use the undesignated funds as the City's contribution to the performing arts center. Rorie confirmed that. Imker continued that half the roads in the City would be touched by the SPLOST over five years, adding that everyone drove and knew lots of repairs were needed. He pointed out two items on the Recreation list had been eliminated ("lazy river" at Glenloch and mobile restrooms for special events). He said that was the absolutely wrong to do things with the General Fund if SPLOST dollars could be used. All projects should be moved to the Tier 2 list rather than eliminated. He recommended adding $1 million to Tier 2 to purchase vehicles for the Fire Department and Police Department rather than using bonds, which would save the City money on debt payments each year. Learnard asked if that should be considered if the SPLOST were to go six years. Imker said if it went for six years, the funding for the items should- be increased. The County did not have to commit to the SPLOST until 30 days before the election. In early October, everything had to identified, so the County had plenty of time to decide on a five-or six-year SPLOST. Imker said the Category 1 dam/spillway was now listed properly. He liked using the term "investment" for Recreation projects, rather than "amenity." Citizen input was needed for the Lake Peachtree island; as well as from all citizens regarding any of the projects. He noted the proposed bridge on the island had been shown on the south end, but Imker felt the passive park should be on the north end. Learnard said that was a good point, and Council should also discuss a golf cart parking area wherever the bridge would be located, especially if it was exclusively a pedestrian bridge. Parking should be included, Learnard said, adding that there could be issues on the Fourth of July if a lot of people wanted to watch fireworks from the island. Rorie agreed. Imker said two items on the "Elimination List" should be moved to Tier 2, especially the mobile restroom. He referred to the discussion at the June 2 Council meeting where Rorie and Council said the project could be moved to the General Fund. Imker said that was the wrong approach. General Fund money should not be used for something when SPLOST funds could be used. General Fund money could be used for anything, but SPLOST money had to be used to fund things on the list. City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 11 Imker noted the SPLOST rules, saying these rules were "super generalized:" • Allowed to shift funds between projects, but all Tier 1 projects must be completed unless money runs out. Funds must be guaranteed to run out, [or] else... • Funds must be returned to County to reduce debt, reduce ad valorem taxes, or both. • How guaranteed to run out? Answer - Tier 2 Projects funded or additional funds to Tier l projects (Example: path/road maintenance). Imker briefly discussed how "to sell" the SPLOST. He referred to a map that visually showed where the SPLOST funds would go in the County, which showed how the money was distributed to the municipalities. Imker said he would be the spokesman for SPLOST, and he would personally tell people to vote for it. He continued that only one of the last four SPLOST attempts had been approved by the voters, and it was only by the narrowest of margins. SPLOST referendums were defeated in 2010, 2012 (a transportation SPLOST for the Atlanta region), and 2014. lmker noted that the City would do what it wanted with its share of the money, as would the County and the other municipalities. According to lmker, City voters had not understood how the City would benefit from approval of the previous SPLOST referendums. Imker continued that if a one mill (approximately $100 - $125) reduction in the City's property tax was included with the information given to voters, he believed residents would vote for approval. The actual cost of the SPLOST to a resident might be $150, depending on spending habits. Using SPLOST to pay for Public Services vehicles and, equipment would save the City approximately $250,000 per year for principal and interest payments for each $1 million in loans for the equipment. If two loans were going simultaneously (two $1 million loans), it would account for the other $25 spent for the additional one cent sales tax. The one mill decrease would mean City taxpayers would not be paying anything out of pocket if the SPLOST were approved. It was essentially a break even proposition. There should be a non-binding recommendation to decrease the millage rate for the next year. Learnard asked when he was proposing the one mill decrease be done. Imker said it should be for the 2017 tax bills or the FY 2018 budget. Hayes questioned where the money would come from if there would be no cost to the residents, adding she was unfamiliar with the details of the SPLOST. Learnard explained that instead of paying 6% on purchases at the local shopping areas, people would pay an extra penny, or 7%. The pennies added up, and they went back to the County. The County would distribute the pennies collected based on a formula, based on population and the current LOST distribution. All shoppers, including those from outside the County, would pay 7%in sales tax. Every year that Fayette did not have a SPLOST and the neighboring counties did, Fayette residents were paying into the coffers of other counties, while their residents did not pay into Fayette County's. Learnard continued that Imker said rolling back the property tax would break even. (More explanation was given to Hayes regarding the SPLOST and how it worked, but no one used the microphone.) Rorie said staff had looked at three locations for the pedestrian bridge to the island and had spoken to the residents who lived in the area. Basically the island and area along the shoreline were all wetlands. There were strong objections to building a pedestrian bridge on the north end of the isFand and its impact on the wetlands. There would be less impact on the neighbors-and the wetlands if something was done on the south end of the island, but the distance would be greater. City property was also available on the south end that could be utilized for parking golf carts. Jay Scheibler said he had not realized there was so much City-owned land on the south end for parking. If the bridge was on the extreme north end, a longer bridge would be needed, but there City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 12 was a parking lot nearby. Learnard said there would be parking for the golf carts there. Fleisch and King both noted the parking would be limited. King continued that Council could make the decision on where to put the bridge during the five-year period of the SPLOST, so he did not see a reason to get "wrapped around this axle." Learnard said she was not convinced it was needed at all. She pointed out that the City would have to maintain a passive park, provide parking, and pick up trash. It would be an ongoing expense, asking why it was a good idea. Imker, who also served on the Infrastructure Advisory Group, said he did not think any Battery Way residents had been a part of the group, but he understood King's point. This could be a Tier 2 project and discussed later. Learnard said she could support that. Prebor said they would have to get through all the Tier 1 projects first, and they could prioritize it later if it was in Tier 2. King and Ernst said they did not have any issue with doing that. Marcia Brown, noting she lived on Battery Way, told Council she was very passionate about the wetlands remaining wetlands. She liked the idea of moving the project for the island to Tier 2 so there would be more time to look at everything. A cost of a 100-foot wooden bridge would be quite a bit. There was still a lot of undergrowth on the island, as well as an overabundance of deer because there were no predators on the island, which created problems for the lake. Teenagers liked to go to the island and drink because the underbrush provided a nice screen. She recalled that Rorie had mentioned clearing the underbrush and leaving the trees, which would become self-renewing and would not involve a lot of labor for Public Works once the underbrush was gone. She asked Council to consider that before the passive park. Brown asked that Council remember their homes were behind the island, and anything the City did would have a direct impact on their home values, including the drop in the home values when the island had been put in place and they lost their lake view. Debbie Britt said the- same- problems would exist if the island' were located anywhere else.. Undesirable things happened on the island, and Council should consider what the cost would be if nothing was done. They recognized it was a community issue. The projects on the SPLOST list must be something that would resonate with everyone. The island had been a topic of discussion for a long time, and while $200,000 was a lot of money, in the scheme of $30 million plus, she saw no reason to move the project to Tier 2. If they compromised now, there might not be another shot to fix it. Fleisch asked if the bridge had to be located to keep the project in Tier 1. Rorie said it did not, but they would need to clearly indicate what the scope of the project was. They could clear the underbrush and leave the specimen trees, even if there was not a bridge to the island. Nothing had been done in 30 years. Fleisch noted the island had been there since 1986 and the estimate to clear the island was $176,000. Rorie said it needed to be adequately funded. Fleisch said the estimate for the land bridge, which would not work, and the clearing was approximately $400,000. Rorie said there were three price points for the work, ranging from $200,000 to $700,000 (which included electricity, etc.). There were some compromises that could be made on the scope. Ernst said to leave it in Tier 1 and add another $200,000 (total $400,000) to fund removal of the underbrush. Learnard said it made sense to move the mobile restroom and $1 million for Public Safety vehicles to Tier 2. Rorie said the mobile restrooms had been moved to the Public Improvement Program (PIP) in the budget. Fleisch said she would like to add funds to the PIP to put in wires and street lights at the intersections on SR 54 at Walt Banks, Robinson Road, Peachtree Parkway, and Prime Point, saying when the poles were in, there were not street lights. The estimate was $55,000 - City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 13 $65,000 to do that. Learnard asked if some of the items in the PIP could go on the SPLOST list. Rorie said they could. Learnard asked what would happen if the County decided on a six-year SPLOST. Rorie said they could expand some of the cart path projects and add more funding to the resurfacing program on an annual basis. It would just be another year of funding. Learnard said there were other projects that could be added, saying that was another reason to put the police vehicles on Tier 2. Rorie said there was still time to make that decision. The first thing they needed to know was how long the SPLOST would be, and then it would easy to clean things up and put in some additional Tier 2 projects. Ernst said there were not any police vehicles on the list. King asked that police vehicles not be included on the SPLOST list, as voters might vote it down. People looked at this as a "special" Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), and they would vote it down it there were items that should be funded by operational funds. That was one of the concerns with the SPLOSTs that had failed. He wanted to support this SPLOST, but he had concerns when operational items were included. A consensus of Council agreed. Rorie said he would present the list for final approval on June 16. Learnard said she was ready to see the map with all the projects shown on it, and she thought they would be looking at the final list at this meeting. . Rorie said he had needed the list to move forward with that detail. He would not engage other staff members to come up with that information unless it was on the list. There were 56 projects on the cart path master plan, and Rorie said the list had to be narrowed down so attention could be focused on those projects. Learnard asked if that had been done. Rorie said he hoped it had. Learnard said she still did not know what Master Plan #48 meant. Learnard asked Rorie to clarify that a map would not be ready until the projects were approved. Rorie said he understood her point, but he could not see doing all the work that had been done, only to tear it down. Ernst recommended Rorie and staff move forward with the list as presented. The other members agreed. • City Council Goals and Objectives-FY2016 Prioritization Finale Rorie noted Council had given staff a list of goals to work on. Some had been completed and some had been-tweaked. It was an ongoing process. Rorie continued that Executive Assistant Debbie Lemay coordinated a survey with other Class B cities. The cities were asked what their millage rates were, and the list included the City (6.756 mills), Douglasville (7.338 mills), Duluth (5.991 mills), Gainesville (1.75 mills), Hinesville (11.51 mills), Kennesaw (8 mills), Lawrenceville (2.025 mills), Newnan (4.05 mills), Rome (6.8 mills), Statesboro (6.358 mills), and Dalton (2.511 mills). Duluth used SPLOST to help support their budget. Gainesville had a low millage rate, but it was based on 100% of. value rather than 400, and they had SPLOST funds. Lawrenceville, Kennesaw, Newnan, Rome, Statesboro, and Dalton also had SPLOST funds. Only Peachtree City and Hinesville did not have any SPLOST funds. Rorie continued that the cities did not have all the same responsibilities. The big three were Public Works, Fire, and Police in any budget as they were capital and labor intensive. Douglasville, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, and Stockbridge were covered by their county's Fire Departments. Police and Public Works were included in all the cities' budgets. Recreation was either not covered, covered by the county, or had nothing in the budget in Hinesville, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Newnan, Rome, and Statesboro. Peachtree City, Hinesville, Newnan, and Dalton City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 14 were the only cities to fund libraries. Peachtree City, Rome, and Statesboro were the only cities that had a Senior Center. Rorie continued that each city also spent different amounts for Police and Public Works. He noted that Douglasville spent $1,674,842 on Public Works compared to $7,693,120 for Peachtree City, but Douglasville probably did not have 471 subdivision entrances and islands to maintain or 90-plus miles of cart paths. There were also big differences in amounts spent on Recreation and a Senior Center. Rorie pointed out there was also a difference in numbers of employees. The City had 250 full-time and 106 part-time employees. Stockbridge had 70 full-time employees. Some cities had a bigger population, while other cities had more square miles than Peachtree City. Gainesville had 670 full- time employees and 32 part-time. The City tried to do a lot more with part-time employees than others did. Rorie then gave an update on the following: 2015 Ongoing Goals and Objectives Objective Time Who Progress 1 Dredge Lake Peachtree 6 months Council Complete-Finally 2 Upgrade Battery Way Dock infrastructure 6-12 months Jim Pennington Underway-Bollards by Staff-Deck Seal 3 Examine funding options for path work(how to obtain Council/Staff Registration Fee increases, funds,not how to spend the funds) Milloge Increases,and SPLOST initiative during 12- 1-15 CC Workshop also exploring grant potential 4 Develop long-term plan for City Center Parks (including 2 years Council Underway Water City Hall Plaza,Drake Field and connection to All installed,Grass is growing Childrens Playground, Battery Way Park,Island and but electrical requires restrooms) Georgia Power boring to complete electrical 5 Review/finalize organizational structure (Public Works and 6-12 months Council/City Mgr Under review Community Services) 6 Improve access for carts crossing Crosstown Drive 12-18 months Staff/DOT GDOT denied at grade crossing on HWY 74,plans have been developed for North to South Crossing across Crosstown.$300K+ funding unavailable 7 Extend Right turn lane coming out of Planterra onto SR 54 12-18 months Council/ Engineer Plans Engineering completed-will need to acquire easements($430 to$490K) 9 Evaluate North Lagoon of Lake Peachtree-Dredging? 6-12 months Engineering ISE Task Order to explore Siltation sources?Silt collector?Ownership? options 12 Complete an inventory of City-owned sewer lines and lift 6 months Staff Currently underway- stations to convey to WASA inventory being completed 13 Determine Optimal maintenance costs for normal levels on-going Council/Staff Depends on road of service resurfacing and cart path plans Rorie continued that staff was reviewing employee benefits and were looking at different options, and the discussion would continue during the workshop on the FY 2017 budget discussions. The list going forward included: City Council Workshop Minutes June 7,2016 Page 15 Going Forward Obiecti�e Time Who Progress 1 Connect annexed areas to path system (Publix East) 12-15 months Council/Public Works SPLOST Initiative 4 Evaluate expanding transportation options for Council Peachtree City Seniors 6 Review employee benefits including Defined Benefit on-going Council/Staff Ongoing-FY 2017 vs 457 Plan Budget discussion Rorie said Council should let staff know about anything else they wanted to include. Prebor said they had discussed a "communications" employee, asking if that employee was included. Rorie said there was a placeholder in the draft budget so it would be discussed during the budget workshops. The workshop concluded at 9:12 p.m. 421416t6J - 1111 Pamela Dufresne, Dep City Clerk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor