HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-17-2018 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City
Meeting Minutes
May 17 2018
6:30 p.m.
The Mayor and Council of Peachtree City met in regular session on Thursday, May 17, 2018.
Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Others attending: Terry Ernst,
Mike King, Kevin Madden, and Phil Prebor.
Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition
The Mayor recognized Terry Martin of the Recreation & Special Events Department as Employee
of the Month. Stony Lohr of VFW Post 9949 honored Firefighter Robert Scruton as National VFW
EMT of the Year. Fleisch proclaimed that May 15 was Peace Officers Memorial Day in the City
and that this week was Police Week. Police Lt. Brad Williams recognized the Auxiliary Police Force
for their hard work and dedication. He accepted their donation of 28 active shooter vests with
attached medical kits, along with driving course cones used in officer driving training.
Fleisch also noted that it was Infrastructure Week, and read a statement about the importance
of paying attention to infrastructure maintenance and detailed what had been accomplished
over the past few years. Her remarks were:
It is police week, and it is also infrastructure week! Keeping our citizens safe is our
primary mission, and we invest about half of our yearly budget towards our police and
fire departments.
However, for literally years, our city suffered a great deal because our parks, roads, storm
water pipes, dams and spillways did not get any attention. Like with your home, it is the
systems that you cannot see that are the most expensive to repair or replace if
neglected.
As we see the construction of the new spillway, the new Spyglass Island, the new
intersection improvements along 54, the repaving of 54, the improvements at the
amphitheater, the new skate park, the improvements at the BMX track, the tennis center,
well, you get the idea. People see progress but at the same time they are anxious like I
am to get these things done. So to put this into perspective, and since it is infrastructure
week, I wanted to remind everyone just how far we have come over the past few years.
In 2010 we were faced with declining property values and a poor economy with lagging
sales tax revenues. The public works department had been let go by the previous mayor
and council and all of the tools that they used lawn mowers, trimmers, rakes and shovels,
were sold for pennies on the dollar. It was obvious from the get-go that the outsourced
landscaping contract was not working. We did workshops on mowing grass and
maintenance of subdivision entrances. At one meeting I asked the public works director
how we could make the city look as good as it once did. He replied that the city would
never look that good again.
Our parks were in terrible condition. Tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, the tennis
center, you name it the neglect was everywhere. The tower at the BMX track was
condemned...not once but three times. It is the oldest sports facility, and it flooded all of
the time and had electrical issues that bordered on dangerous. When the sports
associations would ask for help from the city they were often told that the city had no
money and to see if they had any money either in their fenced account or somewhere
else. It had been years since my children had played sports in the city so I reacquainted
myself with our 416 acres worth of parks and was literally embarrassed at the condition of
just about everything, including our roads and cart paths.
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Remember the economy was bad, and I had a concern that the hotels would suffer.
Some of them were in foreclosure, and the banks were running them. It was my goal to
work with the hotels in developing sports tourism and specifically targeting the parks in
the city for tournaments. Sports tourism is almost recession-proof. We worked with the city
manager and public works to assure the hotels that we would begin to take better care
of the parks so that they could fill their ailing hotels. But I told the managers of the hotels
that/would not introduce legislation to raise the hotel motel tax by two cents unless they
signed a letter asking the city to do so. They signed a letter and that legislation was
passed in the Georgia General Assembly.
Adding the additional hotel motel tax dollars to our recreation department was the
catalyst for getting the city back on track regarding the long neglected infrastructure.
Since that time we have done two $3 million bonds, one in 2011 and the other in 2014.
We also went to each park and made "to do" lists. There were so many things to do, but
there was no money to do them. We are a city that was built by developers, and the
developers put in infrastructure that was passable, but not meant to last. Consequently,
we had a tennis court built on a burial pit for trees and as the trees decomposed, the
tennis court developed a sink hole. 96 percent of our storm water pipes are made of
corrugated metal, which has a shelf life of about 25 years. The average age of a home is
30 years, so much of the corrugated metal across the city is ready to be relined or
replaced.
Our streets are also in deplorable condition, Azalea and Cedar Drive are being repaved
right now and when the contractors pulled up the asphalt, there was no rock or road
bed laid, which is the way a road is supposed to be built. Now they need to be
constructed in accordance to our standards. This was the type of issue we have run into
across the city. While we assume that standards were followed, in fact they were not. So
we had structures that looked good for a time, but they were falling apart.
Of course, no one on the council wants to raise the rates or fees on anyone, but we have
had to make these decisions in order to keep property values up. No one wanted to raise
taxes for years and consequently the maintenance across the city never happened.
Since around 2012, we have slowly reestablished public works and have a building and
grounds department that has done a tremendous job. They have transformed Drake
Field into that central community gathering place that I had imagined it to be. We now
have a group of employees that have a number of different talents, so we can do more
things in house at a higher quality at less cost. Some of the things we have done
previously have been small in comparison to the spillway project and the other
construction projects we are tackling this year.
Please remember that we operate the city on a very lean budget. For years people
would say to me, "well, I talked to the engineering department" and I would reply you
talked to Dave? Yes, how did you know? "Because Dave IS the engineering
department." It is easy to learn people's names if they are the only ones in the
department. We have done a tremendous amount of work in a short amount of time.
Ultimately, I credit our City Manager Jon Rorie for the majority of what has been
accomplished in keeping our focus on getting things fixed. He started out as the
community services director over planning and recreation and then thankfully he was
able to oversee the reestablishment of public works in our city. For that, I am very grateful
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May 17,2018
Page 3
and without his perseverance and tenacity I doubt that we would have been able to
accomplish a fraction of what we have done.
The rain this year has held up a lot of progress on some of the projects we have been
doing. It was my hope that we could catch up some more this month, unfortunately
there are literally days of rain ahead. I am proud of what we have done and while each
day we face challenges we continue to move ahead and work for the people we serve.
We are so close to completing so many things, but I ask for your patience as the weather
has changed many of our best laid plans.
Minutes
May 3, 2018, Regular Meeting Minutes
King moved to accept the May 3, 2018, regular meeting minutes as written. Prebor seconded.
Motion carried unanimously.
Consent Agenda
1. Consider Request to Apply for/Accept GOHS/MATEN Highway Safety Grant
2. Consider Authorization for Inventory Management Software- PS Trax
3. Consider FY 2018 Budget Amendments-Contractual Court Fees (Inmate Housing)
4. Consider Letter of Promulgation- Peachtree City Emergency Operations Plan
5. Consider Acceptance of Donation from Police Auxiliary Force
6. Consider FY 2018 Budget Adjustment-Mulch Grinding Services & Grounds Maintenance
(Operating Supplies)
7. Consider Adoption of Amended Sewer Use Ordinance
King moved to approve Consent Agenda Items 1 through 7. Ernst seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
New Agenda Items
05-18-02 Consider Authorization to Hire Additional Staff in Police and Fire Departments Due
to Military Deployments
Human Resources and Risk Management Director Ellece Brown presented a recommendation to
hire two additional police officers and one additional firefighter/emergency medical technician
(EMT). She said police officers often served in the military, either on active duty or in the reserves.
Currently, there were 65 approved sworn police officer positions, and three of those were on
extended military leave, which gave an average of two officers on extended military leave over
the past two or three years. The Fire Department had 64 approved firefighter and fire officer
positions, with one of those positions open due to extended military leave. She said this position
had been open for four to five years.
Military leave, light duty assignments, and attrition had kept both departments operating below
the approved head count, so adding these positions would not push the departments above the
approved head count, Brown concluded.
City Manager Jon Rorie asked what the attrition rate was, and Brown replied that it was 10% for
police officers and corporals, and 37%for EMTs and paramedics in the Fire Department,with most
of that from part-time employees. Rorie said he wanted to emphasize that the vacancies existed
anyway,so this additional hiring would increase the headcount, but the dollar figure would remain
the same.
Prebor noted that if the employees came off leave, the attrition would mean there was a position
open for them to come back to. Rorie added that attrition was not limited to Police and Fire,
saying there was attrition in Public Works and Recreation.
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Ernst moved to approved Agenda Item 05-18-02. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
05-18-03 Consider Ordinance Amendment& Resolution for 5% Cable Franchise Fee
City Clerk/Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler noted that at the last Council meeting, Finance
Director Paul Salvatore and Telecommunications Consultant Allen Davis presented information on
how cable franchise fees were declining as consumers switched from cable to broadband and
other options.
Tyler said they made a couple of recommendations - one dealing with the use of rights-of-way
for services that could not carry a franchise fee would be addressed later. The other
recommendation was to raise the City's franchise fee from 4%to 5%.Tyler pointed out that 5%was
the maximum allowed, and Peachtree City was one of only two cities in the state that did not
impose the full 5%. Council would need to forward a resolution to the Secretary of State because
the providers were under State franchises, but first they would also need to amend the ordinance
to change the fee to 5% as of October 1. The resolution to change the fee would then be sent to
the Secretary of State.
Fleisch clarified that it was an automatic change if the resolution was submitted. Tyler said it was;
the resolution was just a declaration to the state of what the fee would be.
Prebor made sure he understood correctly that there were only two municipalities imposing a 4%
fee.
Ernst moved to approve the ordinance amendment to raise the cable franchise fee to 5%. Prebor
seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
05-18-04 Consider IGA with Fayette County for 2004 SPLOST Funding of Roundabout at
Peachtree Parkway/Crosstown Drive
Rorie stated this issue had been discussed in Retreat and in Special Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) sessions. He showed an aerial photograph of the Peachtree Parkway and Crosstown
Drive intersection, noting there were significant backups and time delays in the mornings and
afternoons. Multiple traffic studies had assessed vehicle counts and average daily traffic counts.
Project#3 for the 2017 SPLOST was an extension of the right hand turn lanes that would channelize
them and move them ahead of the intersection. That was estimated at a cost of $550,000, Rorie
explained. He had then begun to get calls for a roundabout and not to do the project halfway.
He said they went back to a 2004 roundabout concept that also channelized the right turns,
getting them out ahead of the intersection, promoting the free flow of traffic.
The City worked with Fayette County through its Transportation Committee, and the County had
authorized a $1.5 million contribution for construction of a roundabout at the intersection of
Peachtree Parkway and Crosstown Drive. That money would come from extra dollars from the
2004 SPLOST, which listed the roundabout as project 1-16. The City wanted to elevate that 2004
project into the 2017 SPLOST timeframe and work with Integrated Science & Engineering (ISE) to
finalize the design.
Rorie said he wanted Council to decide two issues. One was to approve an intergovernmental
agreement (IGA) with Fayette County for the project and its funding. The County Commission
would also need to approve this. Any costs over$1.5 million would be the City's responsibility. The
other issue was a task order from ISE for the design and engineering of the roundabout. He said
he could not authorize the task order without approval of the IGA. What was needed at this point
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was approval of the IGA. It would then go before the County Commission, and, if approved,
would get the project started.
Rorie said he wanted to make clear that work would not start immediately, or even this year,
because of the number of other projects underway. However, it would begin as soon as possible.
Fleisch said they had also considered a traffic signal, but the consensus among experts was that
roundabouts were more efficient and safe. City Engineer Dave Borkowski said that, whenever a
signal was proposed,the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) required a traffic analysis.
A roundabout would be safer than a signalized intersection. Running a red light at normal speed
and T-boning another car was much worse than hitting another vehicle at 15 mph in a
roundabout.
ISE's Dan Davis pointed out that a roundabout was also quieter than an intersection with a traffic
signal. Heavy trucks could often roll through without stopping and re-accelerating. Traffic signals
attracted lane changes, but roundabouts were more peaceful.
Fleisch recalled that in 2010,when this analysis was done, trees and the width of the footprint were
a concern. She hoped there was a landscaping allotment in the proposal. Rorie said the task
order for ISE was for design and engineering, and there were two items that said "not to exceed
cost without approval." One was a traffic study update,and the other was for landscaping design
and plans. Rorie said he understood the concern over cutbacks in greenspace, and $16,000 was
allocated for landscaping design as part of the total design and engineering cost of $168,000 to
$200,000.
King asked if the project would stay close to the $2 million estimate. Borkowski replied that an
updated cost estimate showed that the$1.5 million plus the$550,000 from the City's portion of the
SPLOST should cover it.
King moved to approve Agenda Item 05-18-04, IGA with Fayette County for 2004 SPLOST funding
of roundabout at Peachtree Parkway/Crosstown Drive. Madden seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.
Council/Staff Topics
Preview-Tree Permit Requirements
Senior Planner Robin Cailloux reminded Council that she presented a draft of this ordinance a few
weeks previously and had gotten good feedback. She said she would present a revised proposal
and began by recapping what had been discussed earlier. Cailloux noted that the goal would
be to preserve the natural environment in the community, particularly the policy about protecting
specimen trees due to their exceptional quality or size.
Cailloux highlighted conditions under which a specimen tree could legally be removed: 1) dead,
dying or infested; 2) in the way of a utility line; 3) in a construction zone; 4) imposing an economic
burden; and 5) imposing an immediate life-safety hazard. Cailloux also gave some situations in
which removal would not be approved, such as the desire for a lawn or vegetable garden, fear
of the tree falling on house, dislike of that type of tree, believing the tree would grow too large for
space, or to allow for more light in the house.
Cailloux noted the average definition of specimen trees in several categories for designated Tree
Cities and under both the current and revised draft Peachtree City ordinances.Tree Cities set the
circumference guidelines for understory trees, such as dogwoods or flowering cherries, at eight
caliper inches; for hardwoods, like oaks, at 24 inches; and for softwoods, such as evergreens, at
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111 28 inches. The three cities that required permits to cut trees on residential lots set the standard at
21 inches, meaning any tree over that circumference required a permit to cut.
Next, Cailloux pointed out the differences between these averages and what was currently in the
City's tree ordinance, which defined specimen trees as understory trees six inches or more in
circumference; hardwoods at 12 inches, and softwoods at 10 inches. A permit was required to cut
any tree larger than six inches in circumference.
The draft proposal first brought to Council designated specimen understory trees at 10 inches or
larger, with hardwoods at 25 inches, and softwoods at 30 inches, and had required a permit to
cut understory trees with a circumference of 10 inches or more; all other trees must be at least 20
inches before a permit was needed, Cailloux reported.
Feedback from Council showed they wanted a more conservative approach, and the revised
proposal was more in line with what was used in Tree Cities. It established specimen trees as eight
inches for understory trees and 20 inches for most hardwoods, except for sweetgums,which were
set at 24 inches. This was because sweetgums had aggressive surface root systems that could
cause damage. Many of the permit requests in the City were for sweetgums and pines, she noted.
Specimen softwoods would also be defined at 24 inches. Cailloux said permits would be required
to cut down understory trees of eight inches or more in circumference; other trees would need to
be 18 inches or greater to require a permit. She said this was a little lower than the Tree City
averages, but that was appropriate, given the value Peachtree City placed on its trees.
The proposed ordinance would keep the five existing strict requirements for tree removal, but if
someone wanted to remove a tree that did not meet these conditions, they could do so by
contributing $20 per caliper inch to a Tree Fund.This value was calculated using the standard that
it cost the City about$500 to replace a tree on public property, Cailloux noted.
She said they would like to add a disincentive for contractors to remove trees without obtaining
permits. Right now, only minimal fines were imposed on offenders, but a "three strikes, you're out"
policy would mean that the third time a tree contractor was found guilty in Municipal Court of
removing trees without a tree permit, they would be banned from obtaining tree removal permits
in the City for 12 months.
Other changes included removal of a line referring to insurance requirements for tree contractors
because there was an entire section on specific needs for contractors, and there could be
conflicting information. Also, language had been updated to reflect changes in titles and
departments.She told Council this was the proposal they would like to present for a public hearing
and consideration.
Fleisch inquired about an education process for tree contractors. Cailloux said there could be an
open house to allow for a one-on-one explanation of the changes and what the City would be
doing. In addition, a letter would go out, and the online brochure would be updated. Five to
seven contractors pulled the majority of permits, Cailloux noted, and staff reached out to them to
see what they were encountering in other communities and got their opinions in formulating the
proposal.
Ernst asked if attendance at the open house would be a requirement. Cailloux replied they had
not thought about that, but said they had a lot of opportunity for engagement with the tree
contractors and could talk about making it a requirement.
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In response to a question from Rorie, Cailloux said three people in their department shared the
responsibilities of issuing tree permits, and they spent at least three to four hours a day on this,
noting that was a lot of time for a free permit.
Rorie said it was a goal of the City to maintain an adequate amount of tree coverage, and, with
3,700 acres of greenspace to maintain, the costs were considerable. If dead or diseased trees
were not removed, such as those infected with pine beetles, the problem would get out of hand.
Managing greenspace was essential,and there was a cost. He said staff dealt with the micro side,
issuing permits for tree cutting on residential property, and on the other side was the 3,700 acres
the City must manage. He said a practical approach to tree management was needed.
Madden was interested in the amount of the fine. Cailloux said the existing ordinance called for
$100 per caliper inch, but that had not been used in the time she had been here. She said the
most recent fine had been $50. Madden asked how the City found out about violators, and
Cailloux said many were reported by an alert populace who noticed trees being cut and called
to ask if permits had been issued. Code Enforcement went out daily to check on these types of
calls.
Madden verified "three strikes, you're out" meant that, if a contractor had not gotten permits
three times for trees he was removing, he could not legally do business in the City. Cailloux
confirmed that was the case. Rorie asked what the fine should be.
King noted that if he cut down a 6- or 7-inch understory tree himself, he could pay the fine and
not deal with a contractor, if he wanted to do the right thing. Cailloux said that was what this
ordinance would say. Using a 22-inch red oak as an example,she said if the tree did not meet any
of the five conditions, you could contribute $440 ($20 X 22 inches) to the Tree Fund, which could
only be used to plant trees on public property, which contributed to the overall canopy on
protected property.
Rorie told Council the presentation of the first draft could count as the first read, and this was the
second read. He said the ordinance would next come before Council on the Consent Agenda at
a future meeting.
Madden asked City Attorney Ted Meeker if they could suggest a mandatory minimum fine of$500
to $1,000 to assist the judge, who apparently was not adhering to the current code. Meeker said
yes, but it could have unintended consequences. He said as the ordinance read now,it presented
a suggested fine, which gave the judge discretion. It might not be an issue of him not complying,
but exercising his discretion, Meeker said. However, he told Madden, Council could include a
mandatory fine if it was within the charter and the state's guidelines for misdemeanor offenses.
King said he did not favor mandatory fines. Madden said it seemed the judge was assigning fines
no one cared about because they were so low. Rorie observed that someone might be willing to
pay a $500 fine to get rid of a magnolia that dropped leaves.
Lake Peachtree Spillway Update
ISE's Dan Davis, the project manager for the spillway, informed Council that inclement weather
had put the contractor close to four weeks behind schedule. He said the contractor was doing
his best to catch up, but this was a small working space, in a hole, and recent rains were making
it difficult. He showed what had been completed and what was still underway. Davis noted that
only two of the piano key weirs remained to be built. Grinding and polishing of the concrete was
being done. He said three crews were working hard out there today. Rorie pointed out that it
rained earlier in the day, but after the rains ceased, the crews were back on the job.
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Davis said regular inspections were being performed,and the contractor was building in complete
accord with the plans. There was a high level of expectation. For example, the concrete must
achieve a hardness of 4,500 pounds per square inch, and they were not allowed to remove the
shorings until that was reached.
The project was nearing substantial completion, Davis summarized, but was about four weeks
behind. There had been 1.5 inches of rain this week, with more expected next week, and a total
of 20.76 inches this year.
The next steps would be the final pour on the western sidewall, with work on the final piano keys
commencing in the next week. The remaining wing walls would be started in about three weeks.
They could not be put in until late in the process because they were in areas that provided access
to the site.
Lake pool as of noon on Thursday was at 777.6 feet. They were striving to reach 778.5 but the
County's water system manager had left a buffer due to the rain.The valve would be closed, and
the lake would be allowed to reach 778.5 soon. Davis presented a drawing showing what lake
levels in different areas would be at 778.5. It depicted where the water would be two feet or
deeper, as well as areas that would be two feet or less.
Fleisch asked if the lake would be deep enough to kill the grass growing near the SR 54 bridge,
and Davis said he did not believe the water would reach that far. Rorie pointed out the area
being discussed and said this whole project was predicated on trying to manage that growth,
and he still felt they were in a good position because the lake bed would not be sitting dry for 18
months to two years, There would not be 12- to 15-foot black willow trees to deal with, he
commented, only tall grasses that should die off after the lake filled. The project was planned this
way, and they should be on track to have it work, Rorie said. Davis reiterated that the contractor
was making every effort to stay on scheduled.
Rorie asked what normal pool was, and Davis said 784.5, meaning the lake was about six feet
down. They were moving towards the target of 778.5, where it would stay until it was time to
remove the cofferdam. Davis confirmed this and noted that Lake Kedron also was down for
painting of the bridge. He said a buffer must be kept in place right now.
The lake level would remain at 778.5 through the July 4 holiday, Davis commented. After that, all
the infrastructure should be in place, and they would tell the County to start lowering the lake
again on July 5. It would be lowered enough to remove the temporary cofferdam, which should
take about a week or a week and a half, and then the valve could be closed immediately to
allow the lake to refill.
Davis reported that the cart path bridge should be set on July 15 or shortly thereafter, with the
parapet walls, berms, and cosmetic work also starting around that time.
Rorie also wanted to talk about the Lake Kedron bridge project. He displayed photos of the
bridge.The lake was lowered now,and Borkowski pointed out on the photo the mark that showed
normal lake level on the pilings. Rorie said the lake level must be lowered even more to get it
below the cross bracings that were rusted. Borkowski said the pattern this spring had been that
the lake would get really low, and then it would rain and cover the last few feet again. He
confirmed that this maintenance was necessary because the cross braces were a key structural
element of the bridge. Borkowski said the lake must be lowered about 14 feet below normal pool.
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Rorie said the options were to perform this maintenance now while Lake Kedron and Lake
Peachtree were lowered, to wait until later and have to lower the lakes again, or to do nothing
and let the bridge deteriorate until it was unsafe. Borkowski said the final option would mean
expensive emergency repairs.
Fleisch inquired when the braces were last examined. Borkowski said the last inspection report was
a couple of years ago, but he said they had no idea it was in this poor condition because the
inspection did not go all the way down.
Prebor asked why they installed a bridge that needed so much maintenance and asked if there
was any way to replace the bracing or shore it up. The bridge was built in 1988,Tyler pointed out.
Fleisch asked why the inspection did not catch this damage, and Rorie said it was done from the
top up so the rusted areas were not examined.
Rorie asked how long it would be until the bridge was looked at again. He said infrastructure issues
were important now at the national, state, and local level, and if the economy tanked again,
there would be no money for repairs. He said this had to be fixed and maintained, even if the lake
had to be lowered.
Borkowski pointed out that maintenance was a consideration now when the City built new
structures. He said they looked at how to avoid issues, such as by using all concrete piles on
bridges. He said they dealt with issues such as this all the time.
In response to a question from Fleisch, Borkowski said the repairs were being affected by grinding
the metal.That day, he noted, a whole pile was done and painted,with more than 40 to go. Rorie
said it was hard to tell what was being done from above, but a lot was being accomplished.
Borkowski said they were doing everything they could on the parts not underwater and saving the
remainder for later. He noted that the valve for the dam was always open, and the water was
coming down. Prebor and Fleisch asked if there was a dry spell could they get to the bottom on
all 47, and Borkowski said he would talk to the contractor. He noted it took two or three weeks for
the lake level to drop this low. Fleisch said on July 4, Lake Kedron would be down and Lake
Peachtree would be up.
Rorie noted that this was the time to do these repairs, while the lake level was down. He said the
spillway should have been done two years ago when the lake was low.
Fleisch asked when this should be completed,with Borkowski replying eight weeks. Fleisch clarified
if it would be accurate to tell citizens that when the lake was lowered, they found the damage
was much worse than expected,and this needed to be done. Rorie and Borkowski said that would
be correct.
King asked if there was an alternative,such as bracing with cross planks, then removing the rusted
braces. Borkowski said the braces were welded into place. They looked at adding additional
bracing, but it would cost $60,000, and the braces would still need to be cleaned.
Fleisch asked how often this maintenance should be done, and no one knew when, or if, the
bridge had ever been painted. Prebor said it was important to prevent this from happening again.
Rorie said they would need an engineered plan before making any structural changes.
Fleisch also said she had a question about fish in Lake Peachtree. Rorie said Georgia Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) came in two years ago and said the fish were fine after the lake was
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Page 10
lowered then.There were inversion issues when the lake was as down, resulting in fish kills of shad.
When the lake was raised back to normal levels, Rorie said the state would come in again to assess
the fish population and see what should be added to maintain environmental health. The City
used the same procedure when it assessed Three Ponds each year. They would re-stock as
appropriate, based on the DNR recommendations, Rorie said.
Consider Policy for Use of Public Right-of-Way
Borkowski stated that this was what Tyler mentioned earlier, the second part of the solution to
recouping losses from the disappearing cable franchise fee. He said the City needed to deal with
the issue of companies using the City's rights-of-way with no return to the City. He summarized the
proposed policy as a way for the City to extract a monetary benefit from a utility that wanted to
construct facilities and operate in the City's rights-of-way. He said there would be more requests
to use rights-of-way in the future, citing small cells as an example. The fees could be determined
on the amount of infrastructure they wanted to install.
Borkowski said the proposed ordinance had been used in many other communities and would be
vetted by the City Attorney.This was a preview, and Borkowski said it would come before Council
in the future for consideration.
Fleisch told him she had gotten two complaints from residents about NuLink working in the rights-
of-way at Waterford Green and Roxbury. She asked, if the City gave them permission to work
there, and they left their big orange spools out for a long period, would that be covered in the
proposed ordinance. Borkowski said it was in the existing right-of-way ordinance, and complaints
were handled by staff. Rorie said Code Enforcement was handling some of these complaints.
Madden said there were some areas with no poles, asking if the City would be able to dictate to
the utility what type of poles to put up. Borkowski said the small cell ordinance recently adopted
by Council covered this issue. Madden was assured that permission from the Planning Department
was required. Borkowski said the policy he was discussing dealt with the money aspect, which
would come after permitting.
FCDA Management Report/Update
Megan Baker, Business Expansion & Retention Manager for the Fayette County Development
Authority (FCDA), reported that the FCDA had been busy recently. On April 25, they hosted the
annual Developers' Day, dedicated to showcasing the benefits Fayette County had to offer to
businesses. Project managers in targeted industry sectors had been invited, and over 25 attended,
representing Georgia Power, the Department of Economic Development, Georgia EMC, and site
selectors from national and international businesses. The theme was Experience Fayette and
included a hands-on tour and film experience at Pinewood Studios and Pinewood Forest, as well
as remarks from elected officials, including Mayor Fleisch.
Baker reported that the visit was designed to show that the community had created an ecosystem
around Pinewood. After the movie studio decided to locate here, there was still the workforce
issue, so they lobbied to get the Georgia Film Academy. Pinewood Forest offered a work, play,
housing setting for creatives and completed the wrap-around, customized solution.
The day emphasized that if the Fayette community could do this for film, they could do it for a
headquarters, or an existing businesses. Baker said attracting business no longer depended solely
on tax incentives or running sewer lines; it often required intangible items such as a dog park.
Representatives from Rinnai and NAECO attended and talked about what they liked about doing
business in Fayette.
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May 17,2018
Page 11
Baker said those two existing businesses had decided to expand, representing about $10 million
in capital investment. Project Homestead was the code name used for another business that was
considering locating in Peachtree City, Baker reported.
She said she appreciated the support the City offered and noted that existing businesses provided
80% of the job growth here. Her job entailed many visits to existing businesses, helping them with
workforce issues and permitting,for instance. Keeping businesses informed about state or national
trade or small business events was another task she handled.
The FCDA was working on completing their website, with an eye towards rolling it out in June. The
FCDA had taken over film locations coordination from the county. Melissa Hill was handling this,
and had assisted with 16 productions to date since starting on February 27. She was also updating
sites for filming on the state database. Supporting the film program was good for the County
because they brought their workers, she noted.
Baker said a roundtable event was planned for June for the County's more than 15 aviation
companies where they could discuss their needs and find out what support was available.
Partners from the state would be invited, too.
The vacancy rate for industrial space in the County was 1.9%, Baker reported, and retail was 2.6%.
The office vacancy rate was 10.4%. She said it might be that offices needed to be renovated to
meet the standards expected by businesses today, and that was something they were
considering.
Prebor asked Baker about the two business expansions she mentioned, as well as Project
Homestead. Baker said the code names for the business expansion were Project Durango and
Project Cold. Project Cold would be about a $6 million to $8 million project that would add 30
employees. Project Durango was estimated at$3 million, also expected to bring in about 30 new
jobs. Project Homestead, the latest project, came about after Developers' Day when she said a
project manager from Georgia Power said this had made him think differently about doing
business in Fayette County, and the Project Homestead opportunity arrived about a week later.
Baker said she could not talk further about it, but it would bring about 100 jobs to Peachtree City
if they decided to locate here.
Update-Senate Bill 17 (Brunch Bill)
Tyler said Rorie asked her to update Council on this, and she had had one restaurant owner call
about it. On May 8, the Governor signed this bill, which would allow restaurants to start serving
alcohol on Sundays at 11 a.m., instead of 12:30 p.m.
However, Tyler cautioned, they could not start that yet. It would require a local referendum to
change local requirements. She said she had been in contact with the Fayette County Elections
Office, and changing the law would be a multi-step process. First, Council would have to pass a
resolution saying they wished to have the referendum. That would give the Elections
Superintendent,in this case the Fayette County Board of Elections, 10 to 60 days to issue the formal
call for an election, which must be held within 30 to 60 days of the call.
Tyler said she could not bring a resolution at this meeting or at the next meeting. The state
regulated when special elections could be held, and the only remaining date this year was the
November 6 General Election. If Council wanted the election on November 6,Tyler said she would
bring a resolution in July or August. However, Fayetteville, Tyrone, and Fayette County might also
be considering this, and the Elections Office suggested the cities coordinate their schedules so
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May 17,2018
Page 12
there was not a special election on November 6 followed by another in March, a third in July, then
all the municipal elections in November of next year.
Another consideration would involve other State requirements. In the past, the State Elections
Office had mandated that if there were a countywide election, plus at least one special election
in a jurisdiction that was not countywide, separate ballots were be required. For Peachtree City,
this meant some residents go to Starr's Mill to cast a countywide ballot, and then go to Braelinn
Elementary to vote in the City referendum. Other jurisdictions had similar situations.
The challenge affecting November 6 was that the County did not have enough voting machines
to accommodate four special elections, plus the General Election. The County Elections Office
was waiting to hear back from the state, but they had to get through the May 22 primary election
first. Tyler said Fayette would not be the only jurisdiction facing this issue, and she would update
Council when she had more information.
CID and Redevelopment Powers
Fleisch asked about the procedure for the Community Initiative Development and
Redevelopment Powers discussed at this spring's Retreat sessions. Meeker said both required an
act by the General Assembly,then approval by voters in a referendum. Fleisch said Council should
get the resolution written and passed this summer, so the General Assembly could approve it in
the 2019 session. It could be on the ballot in the November 2019 General Election.
King mentioned that early voting would end Friday. He also invited everyone to attend the annual
Memorial Day Service at City Hall at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 28.
Ernst asked about the SR 54 repaving. Borkowski said GDOT was working on the Clayton County
side, milling side streets and turn lanes.The next phase would be deep milling on the main through
lanes. He said GDOT crews would not be back in Peachtree City for that until July.
Rorie said the City was completing the punch list at the Planterra and MacDuff intersections and
getting the signal timing aligned. He said it could be three or four weeks to get that finished.
There being no further business, Madden moved to adjourn. Ernst seconded. Motion carried
unanimously.The meeting adjourned at 8: 06 p. m.
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Martha Barksdale, Recor ing e' - • Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor