HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-05-2017 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City
Meeting Minutes
January 5, 2017
7:00 p.m.
The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, January 5, 2017.
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
Mayor Fleisch read a proclamation congratulating the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
for 50 years of service to the community. Community Development Director Paige Muh
accepted the proclamation along with several members of the business community.
Mayor's State of the City
Fleisch gave the following address on the state of the City:
2016 was a very good year for Peachtree City, and there is much for us to be thankful for as we
move into 2017. We as a City have come so far the past few years and it is important to
enumerate those accomplishments.
One of the ways cities guage their financial health is through the funds coming into the City via
the tax digest. When I was first honored to serve you as a council member in 2010, home values
and the tax digest were going down. The average fair market value of a home was$260, 000.
Property taxes account for 37% of the money used to run the City.
To cut costs, in 2009, the City let go much of the public works department and hired an outside
company to mow the grass and do the landscaping, which included subdivision entrances. This
cost cutting measure was done in 2009 but the consequences of that decision really started to
be felt with the arrival of the new mayor and council in 2010. The lack of maintenance across
the City, I believe, contributed in part to the decline in home values and the tax digest that we
felt at that time.
The largest contributing factor to the downfall, of course, was the overall state of the economy,
but the lack of maintenance throughout the City was obvious to many. To put things in context;
about 80%of the developed land in Peachtree City is zoned residential and about 20% of the
land is zoned commercial or industrial. Plus we have 30% of the total land as open space.
Homeowners use more City services, much more than a commercial or industrial site, but a
commercial or industrial site pays much more in property taxes.
In 2016 the average fair market value of a home had risen to $289,000. According to Atlanta
Regional Commission statistics, the median home value in Peachtree City last year was$305,000.
From 2010 to 2016 the tax digest increased about 8%. Because the average home in Peachtree
City is 27 years old, keeping property values up needs to be a priority for the City If Peachtree
City stayed on its path of disrepair and lack of maintenance it is safe to assume, that the tax
digest would not have gone up as it has over the past three years.
Costs to maintain the green spaces and parks across the City will continue to rise as the City gets
older, and staying on top of the maintenance issue needs to be a priority. The amenity that we
all appreciate and recognize as what sets us apart from other cities is our cart path system.
Cart paths, like our streets, are graded according to their condition. Due to our budgetary
constraints, for years both our cart path and street maintenance were put on hold.
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January 5,2017
Page 2
While some roads were resurfaced last year, at least 64 miles have degraded to the point where
they will need to be redone. The estimated price on resurfacing 64 miles of road is$30 million.
To put that in perspective, the total budget for Peachtree City is$34 million for 2017. Our public
works crews resurfaced nine miles of cart paths last year which is a record and a benchmark for
what can be done in the future.
Lake Peachtree
Lake Peachtree was lowered in early 2014 by the Fayette County Water Department which
operates the lake as a part of the water system. It was found that the spillway, which was built in
the 1960's, had huge holes in it. In June of that year the state, which had been out to visit the
dam and spillway, re-categorized the dam from a Category 2 to a Category 1 which meant the
tearing down and total rebuilding of the dam and possibly not refilling the lake for years.
Together the City and County appealed the decision, and with help from engineers and an
environmental attorney, the state was provided additional information which led to the
reinstatement of the Category 2 status in December 2014.
During this time, the County decided to go ahead and request quotes on doing a dry dredge of
the lake because of the uncertainty of when the categorization issue with the state would be
resolved. In January 2015, the County approved a bid for a dry dredge of Lake Peachtree at
around$1.5 million. The dredging started in March and should have only taken a few months. It
lasted much longer than expected because of the record rainfall amounts that we received.
It was also during this time, that the City and County started to negotiate a new lake
agreement. One of the other matters discussed with the Council during this time was the
possible design of the new spillway with an estimated cost of$3 million.
The discussions with the county concluded with both bodies passing the new agreement in late
2015. Upon passing of the agreement, the Peachtree City Council saw a presentation from the
engineers about the new spillway design and possible upgrades to the dam. The County finished
dredging in the spring of 2016. Concurrently, the county was making temporary repairs to the
spillway in order to re-fill the lake until the new spillway was constructed.
One issue that was resolved in late 2015 with the new lake agreement was how to pay for the
new spillway. Per the new lake agreement, the City will receive $2 million from the County within
30 days of the City awarding the construction contract. Once the money is received, the City
has four years to complete the project. The building of the spillway is the sole responsibility of
the City. It is important to do the spillway and dam enhancements as soon as possible so that
we can replace this aging infrastructure and reinforce the dam to avoid the potential
replacement of the entire dam. The state made very clear that it could come back and
change the status of the dam back to a One. That is why we have been diligently looking at
new designs for the spillway and dam enhancements.
The new spillway design is called a piano key weir and construction will begin at the end of
August. When the council voted to proceed with the new design, the engineers were
instructed to look at ways to build the new spillway without emptying the lake. Unfortunately,
they were unable to find a way to do the construction without drawing the lake down. It will
not be as low as when the dredging occurred, but it will be noticeable.
Getting information to citizens about the spillway construction and dam enhancements will be a
top priority for the City staff for the duration of the project.
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January 5,2017
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The engineers who helped guide the City through the state appeal process are the same ones
who are helping us now with the design for the spillway. They know just how important the lake is
to our City and have worked with us to provide the best design for the safety of our citizens while
at the same time, developing a timetable so that we will not have grass growing in the lake bed.
The spillway design includes enhancements to the dam and a golf cart bridge over the spillway
at a cost of$3.5 million. $2 million of that cost is paid for by the County, the rest of the cost, $1.5
million, will be borne by the City. Right now, the $1.5 million project is on the Peachtree City
SPLOST list. Should the SPLOST not pass in March, we will need to fund the project by adding to
our debt.
MacDuff Parkway
The construction of MacDuff Parkway continues and the developers of the project have made
considerable progress in the last year. At this point, the bridge over the railroad tracks is the
focus of the road construction. The MacDuff Parkway extension and the development of over
1300 homes in the West Village were approved in 2007. In fact, the actual design plans for the
road were approved almost 10 years ago.
Building MacDuff was estimated at$6 million in 2007. The cost in today's numbers is roughly
a$1.5 million more. This is a road being built by a private construction company on their land,
and not on City land with taxpayer money. Prior to approving the project in 2007, the City took
citizen input and it was deemed that the road was not to be a cut-through or four-lane
parkway, but be two lanes with a series of four-way stops so as to prevent through traffic.
With 10 years having gone by since those decisions were made, second guessing is sure to
happen, but it is also important to remember that any changes to this already approved plan
would have been at taxpayer expense with no money to pay for it, and would have held up
construction for an unknown amount of time.
The traffic on 54 has been a concern since the Walmart and Home Depot were built years ago.
The traffic analysis done in 2014 quantified the traffic going through the 54 West corridor at
36,000 cars a day. The land where The Overlook is now had been zoned for commercial
development for decades. During the downturn in the economy, the land went into foreclosure
and the Council offered to buy the land but the price was cost prohibitive. The construction
that is taking place at The Overlook, is what is legally allowed to be built without any variances
or rezonings by City Council.
Both 54 and 74 are state owned and operated roads. The traffic flow along those roads is
GDOT's priority. A couple of other facts to come out of the analysis were that the state has
long-term plans for 54 West to be six lanes. The other is that the intersections of 54 and Plan terra
and 54 and MacDuff can be improved. If the improvements are to be made in a timely manner,
they must be projects initiated and paid for by the City. The City is now in possession of
engineered plans for both of those intersections and construction for both of these areas can be
completed once we have the money to pay for them. However, there is a sense of urgency
given to these projects because the state is planning on repaving all of 54 this year. Like the
spillway, these two projects are on the SPLOST list for Peachtree City.
There is a constant dialogue with GDOT about the traffic at the intersection of 54 and 74 and we
will work with them to develop a plan that will work for both entities but ultimately it is their
decision. With vacant land just across the border in Coweta, the prospect of additional traffic
along 54 West is inevitable. Planners from Coweta have been a part of past traffic discussions
and will continue to be included in future discussions.
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January 5, 2017
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Sales taxes in Fayette County accounted for$6 million in our budget. In order to avoid a
property tax increase, retail in Fayette County needs to be viable, but the quality of the retailers
that our City attracts is very important especially as online sales continue to grow.
Economic Development
We need to be business friendly so that we can retain and recruit quality businesses. Our
partnership with the Fayette County Development Authority has been key to recent business
expansions. Sigvaris expanded its facility and added 70 new jobs, and Hoshizaki recently
remodeled and expanded its current facility. Other businesses in our City are also considering
expansions to their current facilities as well. In November, the FCDA hosted an Economic
Developer's Day and invited Georgia's economic development team here for a tour of
available sites for business development. Showcasing the business sites available in Peachtree
City to the state has resulted in our being considered for a number of projects over the past
month or so. It was a great event for our City and I expect some exciting news to come out of
the FCDA in the coming year.
WASA, Airport Authority and Tennis Center
In the 1990's, the City purchased the sewer system and placed it under the umbrella of the
Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) which was created in the 1980's. Authorities like WASA
and our Airport Authority are created by the state and are totally separate from the City
government. The capacity for the sewer system is six million gallons a day. Each person who
has sewer pays a base fee each month of$26 dollars to cover$28 million in sewer bond debt.
WASA's board consists of citizens in the community who volunteer to serve. For years the board
held their rates steady in anticipation of additional users that could make up any shortfalls. But
unfortunately the downturn in the economy didn't help their bottom line and these citizen
volunteers were forced to raise the rates. In fact, the rates doubled. The bonds for WASA are
guaranteed by the City of Peachtree City. If WASA's situation became worse Peachtree City
would have had to step in to cover the bonds. As a result of cost cutting measures and raising
their rates years ago their bond rating was recently upgraded to AA+ which is a significant
achievement for such a short time period.
WASA had their system evaluated and maintenance projects across the City are being
completed based on the data from that evaluation. Because the authority is run separately
from the City, the City is not responsible for improvement projects and the day to day running of
the sewer. Currently WASA has just over 10,000 residential customers.
Months ago I attended a meeting at the City of Senoia when they were discussing a bid to build
a sewer plant with a one million gallon capacity. The price tag for that plant was$12 million.
Senoia currently has about 1400 customers who would be responsible for that debt. As you can
see building a sewer plant with a six million gallon capacity in today's dollars would be very
costly and as a City, we need to put our needs first before thinking of extending beyond the City
borders. Sewer is a commodity and the people of Peachtree City have been paying for that
commodity for a number of years. It is my opinion that Peachtree City needs to be sure that its
sewer needs are met prior to exploring outside of the City borders. Currently, Peachtree City is
doing its comprehensive land plan and I believe that it is in the best interest of the City to not
discuss the extension of sewer until the true needs of the City are assessed during the land
planning process.
It was a great year for our Airport Authority, all of the hangars are fully rented and there is even a
waiting list to get in. Also, businesses have expressed some interest to develop land owned by
the airport. The airport too has come a long way in a few short years.
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January 5,2017
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Both the airport and the sewer system maintain their own facilities, have their own boards, and
hire directors to run the day to day operations and they are not supported by property taxes.
The Tennis Center has also come a long way in a couple of years, their revenue increased by
20%compared to the previous year. Participation in the Center is up by 35%. The Tennis Center
directed 17 USTA events and has been awarded two USTA National Events-one junior and one
adult in 2017. Special Pops, USTA Wheelchair Tennis, and Southern Crescent Tennis Association
continue to be held at the Tennis Center and now there are four high schools calling the Tennis
Center home. This year it will host three collegiate events and a pro tennis event is in
development for 2017/2018.
Drake Field and Recreation
Drake Field has never looked better thanks to the building and grounds and public works crews.
The creative use of resources by our staff enabled us to install electricity, water and hopefully
soon the internet-at a fraction of what was anticipated. It is my hope that with these amenities
Drake Field will become that centralized community area that citizens have wanted. We are
grateful to two wonderful businesses that donated their services towards the blueprint of
improvements at Drake Field.
Our baseball fields and soccer fields host tournaments and routinely get compliments on the
condition of those facilities. In fact, the Georgia Little League championship was held here last
year and is slated to be hosted in Peachtree City again this year. We can be proud of our Little
League State Champion's; they represented our City well at the state and regional level. The
condition of our recreational facilities has come a long way in a few years.
Public Safety and conclusion
Our Police and Fire Department continue to gain accolades and are highly respected in our
community. We are privileged to have two public safety departments that are among the best
in the country. We like to think that we live in a bubble but we cannot bury our heads in the
sand when we look at the world around us. As a community, we are very supportive of our
public safety personnel however the pressure on our public safety employees is felt every day.
Currently, there are fewer people interested in pursuing a career in public safety. The starting
pay for a police officer and firefighter in Peachtree City is$740 a week which is approximately
$38,000 a year. Many of our police and firefighters work two and three jobs to provide for their
families. It is time that we all realize that times have changed. In order to have the quality of life
that we demand, we must pay our employees better than they are being paid. We need to be
vigilant and consistent in assessing our pay scale to be sure that we pay competitively to retain
and recruit quality personnel, in all departments, to serve our citizens.
We also cannot ignore the building of Pinewood Forrest and the massive reshaping of
Fayetteville. A significant amount of money is going into rebuilding Fayetteville and we need to
stay competitive while not losing the community that we cherish. Very shortly, new homes will
be built in Pinewood Forrest and those homes will be competing with 27-year old homes in
Peachtree City. I would like to share a story with you that I have told a few times because it
resonated with me. A company was thinking of moving to Peachtree City seven years ago
when the landscaping was being outsourced, the grass was high and the City looked runned
down. The head of the company said that quote "Peachtree City looks like a City that people
USED to care about." Unquote. Needless to say, his company did not relocate to Peachtree
City.
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January 5,2017
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I would like to think if that executive were to come back today, he would have a much more
positive impression of our great City. We have made a lot of progress, but time does not stand
still, and there are more challenges ahead.
It has been my goal as your mayor to stay focused on the work of government, and shy away
from the polarizing politics that have distracted our community for so long. Thank you for the
honor of serving you and this great City and best wishes to all of us in the New Year.
Election and Oath of Office for Mayor Pro-tem
King nominated Kim Learnard for Mayor Pro-tern. Prebor seconded. There were no other
nominations. Motion carried unanimously.
Fleisch administered the oath of office to Learnard.
Minutes
December 1, 2016, Regular Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2016, Workshop Minutes
King moved to approve the December 1, 2016, regular meeting minutes and the December 6,
2016,workshop minutes as written. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
Consent Agenda
1. Consider Indemnification of Public Officials
2. Consider Legal Organ -Fayette County News/Today in Peachtree City
3. Consider Appointments to Airport Authority-Tom Lacy, Allen Morrison (alternate)
4. Consider Radar Permit Update 2017
5. Consider Bid for Tree Removal Contract-Monster Tree Service
6. Consider Elimination / Replacement of Position in Purchasing Department& Necessary
Amendments to FY 2017 Budget Resolution Allocating Funding from Purchasing to Finance
Ernst moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 - 6. Prebor seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
Old Agenda Items
11-16-05 Public Hearing-Consider Adoption of Resolution Authorizing Transmittal of Draft
Capital Improvements Element to the Atlanta Regional Commission for Review
Planning & Community Development Director Mike Warrix addressed Council, noting this was a
procedural item. Approval of the transmittal resolution would authorize staff to transmit the
capital improvements element (CIE) of the Comprehensive Plan to the Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC) and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for the required
regional and state review.
Warrix continued that Bill Ross of Ross+ Associates, the City's impact fee consultant, had given
an overview of the recommendations for the new impact fee methodology report in December.
The methodology report was complete and the draft document was ready for submittal. The
draft CIE was prepared by the consultant in conjunction with the methodology report. The
review would take 60-90 days. After the review, staff would bring the document to Council for
approval.
Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the transmittal resolution. The
public hearing closed.
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January 5,2017
Page 7
Rorie said Council had gone through the CIE and the methodology report at multiple meetings.
The transmittal resolution was just part of the process/procedure of adoption.
Learnard moved to adopt the resolution authorizing transmittal of the draft capital
improvements element to the Atlanta Regional Commission for review. Ernst seconded. Motion
carried unanimously.
New Agenda Items
01-17-01 Public Hearing-Consider Variance Request, 270 Parkade Court
Warrix said this was a fairly straightforward request for a variance. Tiernan & Patrylo, Inc., was the
applicant for the variance at 270 Parkade Court. The property was approximately 14.5 acres
and was zoned General Industrial (GI), which required a 50-foot front setback where there could
be no parking or service drives. The applicant planned to build a 55,250-square-foot
office/warehouse building with a potential future expansion of 22,375 square feet. Warrix said
the request had been reviewed from a staff perspective. The problem was there were 12
parking spaces that encroached into the front setback, which resulted in the need for a
variance. Staff asked for one condition if Council chose to approve the variance - a condition
to limit the encroachment to no more than 40 feet into the front setback.
Fleisch asked the applicant if they wanted to present any information, and the applicant did
not. Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke for or against the variance request. The
public hearing closed.
Fleisch asked if there were plans to ask for a cart path easement on the tract. Rorie noted the
"stinky" trail came in behind this property, and there were plans for a connection to run from
Gardner Park to Crosstown Drive [project on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
list], and the City might need an easement from the property owner, Yelkin Properties of Gardner
Park, LLC. Fleisch asked if the future easement could be a condition of granting the variance.
City Attorney Ted Meeker said it was better to keep the two matters separate. If the applicant
wanted to proffer an easement as a condition of approval for the variance, the City could
accept it.
Fleisch asked if the applicant could bind the property owner for that. Charles Penny with
Paragon Consulting Group, the engineers for the project, said they would also have to look at
the location and if it actually ran through the property. Rorie clarified the future cart path was a
potential project down the road, and Council should just look at the variance for the parking.
Warrix said the plan was still conceptual in nature.
King said he had walked to the back of the property where the tract started to slope down to
the creek, but before getting to the "stinky" trail area. Unless he could see an actual location on
a map, he did not see where it would be a problem later on for a cart path easement on the
parcel.
Learnard asked why the parking could not be moved to the side rather than placed in the front
setback. The property next to it had parking on the side, between the two buildings. Penny said
the space to the north and east of the building was reserved as the future expansion area.
Learnard asked if the company was a parts manufacturer. Paul Batra with Tiernan & Patrylo,
said the initial 55,250 square feet would include warehousing, and the future 22,000 square-foot
expansion would include manufacturing.
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January 5,2017
Page 8
Prebor asked what the plans were for the manufacturing. Batra said the expansion would
depend on several factors, including how well the company did in its new location. The
company was moving to the City from Fayetteville, and they would not be going forward with
this construction if they were not already successful.
Prebor asked why they would not ask for more parking when the facility was expanded. Batra
said that would drive up construction costs. Warrix said there would be adequate parking for
the expansion, and the parking had been calculated on the initial building and the proposed
expansion.
Learnard asked if there were alternative locations for parking. Penny said there was a drainage
area on the north side, and to balance the earth work, it had to be graded out so it was much
lower than the parking lot. Batra added that his company had done similar parking projects at
Panasonic and Sigvaris.
Ernst asked why the additional parking was needed at this time. Penny said the spaces would
be adequate for the expansion, but he did not have the parking calculations with him. Prebor
asked if the parking would be adequate without the 12 spots that would be located in the
setback. Penny said he would have to do the math again on the parking calculations. Ernst
asked again why the additional spaces were needed now. Kevin Zidar, project manager for
Tiernan & Patrylo, noted that there would be a difference of nine spaces, and they would be
going over the required parking by just enough. At least three of the required spots would have
to be in the setback. If the 12 parking spaces were taken out, it would be difficult to access the
other spaces due to the setback line. The location in the cul-de-sac limited what could be
done.
King moved to approve the variance request for 270 Parkade Court. Learnard seconded.
Motion carried 4-1(Ernst).
01-17-02 Consider Bid for Accessories for Fords-TransComm Services
Police Chief Janet Moon addressed Council, saying this bid was for the accessory equipment
needed in the new Ford interceptors that were recently purchased. She reported that staff
recommended accepting the bid from TransComm services for the bid amount of $60,000
($15,000 for each vehicle) and also asked for approval to surplus any items from the older
vehicles that could not be reused in the new ones. TransComm had completed the last three
installations and five of the last seven installations of police vehicle equipment.
Ernst moved to approve the New Agenda Item 01-17-02, the bid for accessories for Fords
through TransComm Services. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
01-17-03 Consider Bid for Stormwater Pipe Rehabilitation- IPR Southeast, LLC
Stormwater Manager Mike Madison asked Council to award the bid for stormwater pipe
rehabilitation to IPR Southeast, LLC, for their unit cost base bid amount of $283,492.50 and to
approve an additional $150,000 for additional pipe rehabilitation at the quoted per linear unit
rates. The total amount would be $433,492.50. The unit bid base rate submitted by IPR was
lower than the total project amount estimated by staff.
111 King moved to approve New Agenda Item 01-17-03, the bid for stormwater pipe rehabilitation -
IPR Southeast, LLC. Prebor seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
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January 5,2017
Page 9
01-17-04 Consider Bid for Roof Projects-Ben Hill Roofing and Rycars Roofing
City Engineer Dave Borkowski said staff had requested bids for new roofs for Fire Stations 81, 83,
and 84, and the Police Station, as well as repairs to the Tennis Center main clubhouse building
roof. Six bids had been received. The lowest bid was determined to be a combination of two
companies - Bill Hill Roofing Company for the repair and replacement of three roofs (Station 81,
Police Station, Tennis Center) for the expected cost of $352,000 and Rycars Roofing for the repair
and replacement of two roofs (Stations 83 and 84) for the expected cost of $105,530. The total
award would be $457,530, and funds would be taken from the Facilities Authority bond.
Borkowski said both companies had been responsive bidders and met all the requirements.
Rycars Roofing had replaced the Library's roof in 2013, and the City's roofing consultants had
worked with Ben Hill Roofing previously. Prebor clarified that staff was confident in the roofers'
experience. Borkowski said they were.
Prebor asked if staff was very confident about the roofs, recalling problems with the Library roof
prior to 2013. Rorie said he remembered that well. The roofs on the Library and City Hall were
the same product (Sikka Sarnafil), and the roofs would be the same product moving forward,
which allowed staff to streamline the product type and warranty provisions for roofs on the
facilities. Raymond Engineering would manage the projects, and they had worked with both
companies before.
Learnard moved to approve Ben Hill Roofing for the replacement of three roofs for$352,000 and
Rycars Roofing for the repair and replacement of two roofs for $105,530. Prebor seconded.
Motion carried unanimously.
01-17-05 Consider Driveway Easement, 525 Golfview Drive
Fleisch recused herself, saying the applicants held their real estate licenses in the same office
she did. Learnard presided over this portion of the meeting.
Warrix said that DeGolian Residential, LLC, had recently acquired the property, demolished the
single-family home on the lot, and were building a new single-family home. The lot had been
platted in the mid- to late-1960s with a City-owned greenbelt (207 feet long) separating the tract
from Pinemount Drive. The existing driveway was located directly across from Blue Smoke Trail,
which at the time the original home was built (1969) had not been a three-way intersection.
Roch DeGolian had requested the driveway be shifted to the west, with entry to property
through the City greenbelt along Pinemount. The easement would be for approximately 900
square feet (30 feet by 30 feet). The easement would be strictly for use as a driveway, and the
property would not be sold to DeGolian.
DeGolian told Council he and his wife had formed his company in February 2016. The Golfview
neighborhood was one of the oldest in the City, and they had purchased the home with the
intention of redevelopment. Most of the homes in the area had band-aid renovations such as
carpet, painting, and a new price tag. The original home had a seven-foot ceilng in the foyer
and three rooms were below grade from the exterior. The grade of the lot overall flowed water
into the back of the home, and all of the ductwork had been below the slab, which made it
vulnerable to the water that flowed into the house. The decision was made to tear the house
down. The new house was currently under construction.
The existing driveway came onto the tract at the three-way stop at Golfview and Bluesmoke,
DeGolian said. The driveway at the house next door also fed onto Golfview at the same
location. Their original plan had been a circular drive, with access to the garage at the rear of
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January 5, 2017
Page 10
the home. After trying to exit the property several times, they decided an entry from Pinemount
would be better. The right-of-way along Pinemount had been used as golf cart access by the
previous residents for decades. The concept had been there for some time. DeGolian said he
wanted to move the driveway there and take the pressure off the three-way intersection.
King asked how far south the greenbelt extended down Pinemount. DeGolian said the
greenbelt "spidered" through the neighborhood, and he believed a cart path had originally
been planned for the greenbelt. The greenbelt was only 10 feet wide, so it was not suitable for
paths.
Prebor asked why there was an undisturbed buffer in that location, adding the vegetation was
just scrub. He noted there were greenbelts in that area that were mowed and landscaped by
homeowners, or looked like they were part of the yards, questioning why have a greenbelt in a
front yard on a corner. He did not want to set a precedent of giving up greenbelt.
King said he did not like giving away greenbelt either, but he believed it was out of place in this
case. There were only five to six pine trees with no underbrush. This was an ideal corner lot that
would look better manicured/landscaped. DeGolian pointed out that most of the trees in the
greenbelt were diseased to some degree.
Prebor asked what the City's responsibility would be if Council said to make the area a
landscaped buffer. Rorie said the area would have to planted and maintained. There could be
some re-vegetation of the area now as a greenbelt. Prebor asked if the City or the property
owner would do that. Rorie said the City owned the greenbelt and had financial responsibility
for any tree removal. If the City were to re-vegetate the greenbelt, he would prefer DeGolian
homes did it. DeGolian said he preferred the greenbelt be converted to a landscaped buffer,
and the homeowner could be responsible for it. Learnard said this was not what they were
discussing.
Meeker pointed out there was a difference between a buffer and City greenbelt. The greenbelt
was not part of this parcel, and was actually City property. What was done with that property
was up to the City.
Rorie said the City did not want to give away greenbelts, but wanted to maintain them as open
space as part of the Land Use Plan. This tract was platted in the 1960s and was in one of many
"clunky" areas. No one knew why the greenbelt was platted that way in the 1960s. He
compared a "Google" photo of the tract and one that Learnard took. The photo showed a
path had run through the greenbelt for decades. There were issues with the greenbelts, and
there was no right or wrong answer.
Ernst said this was a situation where a home was being remodeled/redeveloped, and the City
hoped that the remodels looked pleasing. He said this redevelopment would add beauty to
what used to be there. He understood both sides.
Learnard said the City had framework of setbacks, buffers, transition yards, and undisturbed
greenbelts. This area along Pinemount was supposed to be an undisturbed greenbelt, and it did
not look undisturbed. Redevelopment was a good thing and improved property values. The
City's framework took the subjectivity out of the situation. She also lived in an older
neighborhood and liked the fact they were built around a frame work of protected City
property.
City Council Meeting Minutes
January 5,2017
Page 11
The new home was beautiful, and having the driveway situated on Golfview was a nuisance,
but it was not dangerous because of the stop sign, Learnard said. That did not mean Council
had to give away City property for a second driveway option. If Council approved the request,
then the floodgates would open for homeowners in similar situations where the homeowners felt
the undisturbed greenspace was too much trouble. The City's greenspace was a valuable
amenity and Council should not give away City property.
King said he respected Learnard's view point. The purchase price of the home would probably
be around $500,000, and he would want it to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. He would
prefer something more landscaped on the side of his home, and the new homeowner might
take it upon himself to maintain that greenbelt area.
Prebor agreed with Learnard, adding that unless an equivalent amount of greenspace
somewhere else was available, he was not in favor of the easement. King reiterated it was a
funny place to put a greenbelt. This was an opportunity to get something better.
Ernst noted the house across Pinemount had driveways on Golfview and Pinemount. DeGolian
pointed out it had two entrances on Pinemount and one on Golfview, but there was not a
greenbelt there. DeGolian noted there was an unintentional disturbance in the greenbelt
during construction. There had been a lot of scrub on the lot, not in the greenbelt. When the silt
fence was put in for the construction, there had been trenching took out a lot of the
undergrowth. Two of the material delivery trucks had also taken the liberty of bringing their
deliveries in through the greenbelt area. During the drought, the ground was powderized, and
he had put down straw to help protect it until the most recent rain. Learnard appreciated what
DeGolian had done, but said he was still 100% responsible. This was a bigger issue than one
driveway. Quality homes improved property values, but so did greenspace.
King moved to approve New Agenda Item 01-17-05, a driveway easement at 525 Golfview
Drive. Ernst seconded. The motion was tied 2(King, Ernst)-2(Learnard, Prebor). The request for
the easement did not carry.
Fleisch presided over the remainder of the meeting.
01-17-06 Consider Revision to Holiday Policy in the Personnel Policy Manual
Rorie noted that the policy currently stipulated how holiday pay was offered and paid for Public
Safety employees who worked City holidays, but it did not address adequately how the pay was
offered and how to compensate part-time employees who worked on the actual holiday when
the City observed a different day. The Fire Department depended on part-time employees who
helped to maintain the required minimum staffing levels. Instead of a part-timer getting holiday
pay for a Monday that was the City's observed holiday, they would only get it for Sunday, the
actual holiday. The right thing to do was to address this in the personnel policy.
Ernst moved to approve New Agenda Item 01-17-06, the revision to the holiday policy in the
personnel policy manual. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
01-17-07 Consider Resolution for Equipment Master Lease Agreement
Financial Services Director Paul Salvatore said this resolution/agreement was a housekeeping
item. In December, Council had approved a proposal from Banc of America Public Capital
Corporation for financing equipment purchases in the City's budget. These were the legal
documents to set the master lease agreement. It was not for drawing funds, but just to set up
the mechanics for drawing funds when needed.
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January 5,2017
Page 12
Learnard moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the execution of documents for the
equipment master lease agreement. Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
Council/Staff Topics
Fire Chief Joe O'Conor reported a winter storm was expected to bring two -four inches of snow
that would end early morning on Saturday, January 7. The rain the next day (January 6) would
turn into snow overnight. Temperatures would be well below freezing through Saturday, which
could mean freezing rain and sleet as well. The schools had cancelled weekend activities and
would be released early on Friday. A National Weather Service briefing was scheduled the next
day at 9:00 a.m. O'Conor recommended staff make a decision on activities scheduled for the
weekend by 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Rorie added the City would operate on the side of safety.
Rorie said there was an issue that would evolve through the next few months to the end of year.
He commended Borkowski, Public Works Supervisor Scott Hicks, and Purchasing Agent Angela
Egan, who had been working on an energy audit of the City's street lights. He continued that
neither Georgia Power nor Coweta-Fayette EMC had an accurate inventory of the street lights
in the City; however, there were approximately 1,600. The cost for the lights was $365,000 each
year. Rorie said staff did not know if the City's inventory was correct, and they did not if the City
was being charged properly. They had reached out to the power companies. Costs in the
future could go up or down depending on the outcome.
Rorie continued there was an initiative to replace lights that had burned out with LED lights.
There was one LED light currently in the City Hall parking lot. When regular lights were replaced
with LED lights, the City usually received complaints about the brightness. Georgia Power
planned to replace all the street lights they provided with LED technology, possibly by the end of
the year. He noted that older yellow lights used 155 watts per hour, while the LED white lights
used 36 watts per hour, so less electricity was used. It would cost more to go to LED initially, but it
would be more cost effective in the long run. He added that Borkowski and Tony Whitley were
working on a street light layer to the GIS map.
Rorie noted that there were monthly reports from the departments in Council's packet each
month, asking what the value was of the reports. One of the issues for governments in the past
had been performance management and cost effective analysis. What had gotten in the way
was creating work to manage performance. In some cases, the monthly reports were an
exercise in working to document performance. There was value to some of the information,
specifically response times for the Fire Department and crime data for the Police Department,
but Rorie felt those reports could go to a quarterly basis. Building permits should also switch to
quarterly reports since there might only be a difference of one permit month to month. Rorie
added he would discuss it with senior staff and get their input.
Executive Session
Learnard moved to convene in executive session for the potential acquisition or purchase of real
estate and pending or threatened litigation at 8:37 p.m. Prebor seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
King moved to reconvene in regular session at 9:02 p.m. Ernst seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
Learnard moved to deny the claim of Russell and LuAnn Burns as such claim was presented.
Ernst seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
Meeting Minutes
January 5, 2017
Page 13
There being no further business, Ernst moved to adjourn. King secCityonded.Council Motion carried
Iunanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.
Pamela Dufresne, Dep1`ty City Clerk nessa Fleisch, Mayor