Minutes of Hahira Council Meetings for January, 2011
HAHIRA CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION
JANUARY 04, 2011
6:30 P.M.
COURTHOUSE
Mayor and Council met for a Work Session January 04, 2011 at the Courthouse with Mayor Wayne Bullard presiding.
PRESENT:
Mayor Wayne Bullard, Councils: Mayor Pro Tem Adams, Ralph Clendenin, Bruce Cain, Terry Benjamin, City Manager Jonathan Sumner, City Attorney Rob Plumb, Police Chief Terry Davis, Fire Chief Dwight Bennett, Director Donnie Warren, City Clerk Belinda Chappell.
COUNCIL ELECTIONS:
A.) City Clerk
B.) Mayor Pro Tem
COUNCIL ASSIGNMENTS: (Mayor)
REVIEW/CORRECTION OF MINUTES:
A.) November 29, 2010 Work Session
B.) December 02, 2010 Council Meeting
Mayor Bullard asked if there were any questions concerning the minutes. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated there was a correction needed in the Work Session minutes under the Public Hearing section regarding the Transfer Station. Adams stated J.C. Gillenwater, the representative from Allgreen Services was not specified and needed to be added. Mayor Pro Tem Adams also stated the amounts that were being amended in the budget needed to be added in the minutes. City Manager Sumner stated the corrections would be made.
REVIEW OF BILLS/ BUDGET OVERAGES:
Mayor Bullard asked if there were any questions concerning the bills. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated she had questions concerning the bill that was paid to South Georgia Media Group in the amount of $755 dollars. City Manager Sumner stated most of the charge was for the advertisement of the position of the special events coordinator and the remaining was for the Christmas parade and other downtown events. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated she also had questions regarding the bill paid to G Waste Management in the amount of $19,801 dollars. Adams stated this did not separate the charges for the inert debris in the disbursement report. City Manager Sumner stated the charges would be broken down on the individual invoices and would not show up in the disbursement report. City Manager Sumner stated what the City had spent on bills paid, would show up in the revenue and expenditure report that Council received each month. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated she was concerned if there were any inert debris charges in the last paid invoice. City Manager Sumner stated there were inert debris charges and that he would forward the invoices to Council for review of the charges. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated she was concerned with the fluctuation in charges each month on the G Waste Management invoice. Sumner stated each month the charges would fluctuate depending on the roll-off containers being dumped. Mayor Pro Tem Adams questioned that there should be no more roll-off charges being paid after the first of the year to G Waste Management. City Manager Sumner confirmed that the City would no longer be billing or accepting payments for the roll-off containers. Councilman Clendenin stated he was concerned with why the billing for residential garbage collection fluctuates each month. City Manager Sumner stated that depended on the customers adding new service or discontinuing service with the City. Councilman Clendenin stated he was concerned with why the City was not a member of the Solid Waste Authority to save money each month on tonnage fees. City Manager Sumner stated he had a conversation with a member of the authority, and there was no mention of any open enrollment for additional members at that time.
DISCUSSIONS:
A.) Transfer Station Bid Opening (City Manager)
Mayor Pro Tem Adams asked if there were any questions concerning the bid opening before the bids received were discussed. Councilman Clendenin stated he was concerned if this was a non-binding bid on the transfer station. City Manager Sumner stated it was not a binding bid. City Manager Sumner stated in detail, the process of the bid opening and the site where the transfer station would be in operation. Sumner stated one bid had been received in City Hall and the deadline for receiving bids would be at four o’clock at City Hall on Thursday and would be opened at the Council meeting. Sumner stated that Council could open the bids and make a decision at that time or had the option of delaying the decision and could hold a special called meeting and make the decision then. Sumner stated he would entertain any questions Council may have. Councilman Clendenin stated he was concerned if Council accepted the bid, was the City obligated to accept a contract at that time. Sumner responded the City was not obligated to enter into a contract by accepting the bid. Sumner stated he would entertain any further questions Council may have. There were no additional questions at that time.
B.) Board of Elections Contract (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor and Council that this was a contract that required action to be made by Council. Sumner stated he had a discussion with the Board of Elections director Deb Cox and she felt the Courthouse was inadequate to hold the elections and felt the elections should be held at the Newsome Street location. Sumner stated the election was held at the Newsome Street location last year because the County had a referendum on the ballot and the County payed half the costs of the election. Sumner stated he needed direction from Council on whether they would like the election to be held at the Courthouse or the Newsome Street location so he could inform Mrs. Cox at the Board of Elections. Councilman Cain stated he had received several complaints from citizens on being confused about how to find out where they needed to go vote. Councilman Cain stated he felt the elections needed to be held at the Courthouse. City Manager Sumner stated he would inform the Board of Elections that Council would like for the elections to be held at the Courthouse.
C.) Purchase of Tickets for Bird Supper (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor and Council this was an annual event that Mayor and Council had the option to attend and stated it was a worthwhile opportunity to be able to connect with some statewide leaders as well as representatives from the State. Sumner stated if anyone was interested in attending, the tickets were $50 dollars each and the date would be February 16th 2011. Councilman Clendenin stated that the City could not afford for everyone to attend the meeting but would like a summary of the meeting presented to Council if possible. City Manager Sumner stated he would present Council with a summary of the meeting.
D.) Mayor’s Attendance at GMA Mayor’s Day (Mayor Bullard)
Mayor Bullard stated to Council that he would like to attend the Mayor’s Day conference in Atlanta on January 22ND through January 25th 2011. City Manager Sumner stated there would be a LOST session that he would also like to attend with the Mayor and that he would be staying with family, which means there would be no charge for his overnight stay.
E.) Tap Fees (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor and Council that the tap fees were approved at the July meeting to raise the tap fees to $5000 dollars for six months and that period had expired. Sumner stated that Council needed to decide on Thursday night at the Council meeting on whether to extend the tap fee of $5000 or decide to have a different amount placed on the tap fees.
F.) SAVE MOU (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor and Council the Systematic Alien Verification Entitlement (SAVE) program and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) program was voluntary, but for the state of Georgia, it was required. Sumner stated that anyone wishing to obtain a business license in the City had to be verified that they are a U.S. citizen and it had to be reported to the state or the City could be fined.
DEPARTMENT REQUESTS:
A.) Executive Fire Officer Training (Chief Bennett)
Chief Bennett stated to Mayor and Council he had the opportunity to take training classes in Maryland for the Executive Fire Officer training. Bennett stated the training and lodging would be free of charge and that the only expense would be to pay for the meals while attending the training.
B.) Fire Prevention Grant Purchases (Chief Bennett)
Chief Bennett stated to Mayor and Council that he would like to request to use the funds received from the Fire Prevention Grant to purchase materials to use for the juvenile fire setter program.
C.) Clerk’s Conference (City Clerk)
City Clerk Belinda Chappell stated to Mayor and Council that she would like to attend the Clerk’s training in Athens Georgia from February 20th through February 22nd 2011. Chappell stated these classes would give her 12 hours of credit toward her certification.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:30 P.M.
________________________
Mayor, Wayne Bullard
________________________
City Clerk, Belinda Chappell
HAHIRA CITY COUNCIL
COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 06, 2011
7:30 P.M.
COURTHOUSE
Mayor and Council met for a Work Session January 06, 2011 at the Courthouse with Mayor Wayne Bullard presiding.
PRESENT:
Mayor Wayne Bullard, Councils: Mayor Pro Tem Adams, Ralph Clendenin, Bruce Cain, Terry Benjamin, City Manager Jonathan Sumner, City Attorney Rob Plumb, Police Chief Terry Davis, Fire Chief Dwight Bennett, Director Donnie Warren, City Clerk Belinda Chappell.
Call To Order: Mayor Bullard
Establish Quorum: Mayor Bullard
Pledge of Allegiance: Mayor Bullard
Invocation: City Manager Jonathan Sumner
COUNCIL ELECTIONS:
A.) City Clerk
Mayor Bullard asked for a motion to keep Belinda Chappell as City Clerk for the year 2011. Mayor Pro Tem Adams made a motion, seconded by Councilman Clendenin, vote was unanimous.
B.) Mayor Pro Tem
Mayor Bullard asked for a motion to keep Councilmember Rose Adams as Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated she appreciated the opportunity to serve as Mayor Pro Tem but declined to take the position for the year 2011. Mayor Bullard asked Council for a nominee for Mayor Pro Tem. Councilman Clendenin nominated Councilman Cain, seconded by Councilmember Adams, vote was unanimous.
COUNCIL ASSIGNMENTS: (Mayor)
Mayor Bullard assigned Councilmember Adams to the Fire Department, Councilman Benjamin to the Water/Sewer and Sanitation Department, Mayor Pro Tem Cain to the Police Department, and Councilman Clendenin to the Parks, Recreational, Streets, and Nutrition Departments.
REVIEW/CORRECTION OF MINUTES:
A.) November 29, 2010 Work Session
B.) December 02, 2010 Council Meeting
Mayor Bullard asked if there were any questions concerning the minutes. City Manager Sumner stated the corrections stated on Monday night at the Work Session had been corrected. Mayor Bullard asked for a motion. Councilman Benjamin made a motion, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Cain, vote was unanimous.
REVIEW OF BILLS/ BUDGET OVERAGES:
Mayor Bullard asked if there were any questions concerning the bills. City Manager Sumner stated the questions regarding the bills were answered. Mayor Bullard asked for a motion. Mayor Pro Tem Cain made a motion, seconded by Councilman Benjamin, vote was unanimous.
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD:
Mr. Wilmon Stanley residing at 308 S Washington Street addressed Mayor and Council with the completion date of the Harvey’s Grocery store. City Manager Sumner stated the date was scheduled for March 02, 2011.
Mrs. Tabitha Sumner, with Feathering the Nest, addressed Mayor and Council with the concern of whether a Downtown Development Coordinator would be hired to continue the work that Emily Newkirk done for the City.
Mrs. Janie West, with the Tin Bucket, addressed Mayor and Council with her concerns of the Downtown Development Coordinator position. West stated without the position, the City would be losing momentum, and all the hard work that the business owners as well as Emily put forth for the events.
Mr. Danny Johnson, with Johnson’s Frames and More, addressed Mayor and Council with his concerns about hating to see the program being thrown away after money and time had been put into the program to help the downtown businesses.
Mrs. Sharon Darby, with the Tin Bucket addressed Mayor and Council with the concerns of downsizing the position of Downtown Development Coordinator to only 10 hours per month. Darby stated that was not enough time to coordinate any of the Hahira events to help the business owners.
Mr. Cedric Seabrook’s residing at 7351 Northcreek Circle addressed Mayor and Council with the concerns of there not being any street lights lit throughout their subdivision and wanted answers to why the street lights were not working.
Mrs. Janice Kinlaw residing at 7429 Northcreek Circle addressed Mayor and Council with the issue of there not being any working street lights in the subdivision.
City Manager Sumner responded to the concerns of the Downtown Development position and stated the City hoped to have the position return to normal in the future but as of now the decision had to be made due to the budget issues. Sumner stated the interviews were taking place for the position.
City Manager Sumner responded to the position on the street lights not working in the Northcreek subdivision. Sumner stated the property owner went bankrupt and the bank took over the property. Sumner stated the regulations stated the developer was responsible for paying the bill for the street lights.
DISCUSSIONS:
A.) Transfer Station Bid Opening (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor Pro Tem and Council there had been discussion in the past several months regarding the transfer station and a request for proposal process was performed per State law. Sumner stated it was advertised in the newspaper and the City had received two bids for the construction of a transfer station. Sumner stated the first bid was received from Allgreen Services and read the bid to Mayor Pro Tem and Council. Sumner stated the second bid received was from Veolia Environmental Services and read the bid to Mayor Pro Tem and Council. City Manager Sumner asked City Attorney Rob Plumb if there was anything officially required for Council to take action on at the Council meeting. Plumb stated that Council could evaluate the bids and determine which one that best suited the City’s needs and the terms of the RFP if they chose to do, but Plumb stated the proposal would have to be put in the form of an agreement to have a contract based on the bid. Councilmember Adams stated she felt that Council needed more time to review the bids presented before making any decisions and suggested having a special called meeting after reviewing the bids. Mayor Pro Tem Cain stated he agreed that Council needed to have a special called meeting to have time to review the bids and have more discussion before making a decision, if a decision was to be made at all on the transfer station. Councilman Clendenin stated he would also like to have more information on the Deep South Authority, on maybe how to save money on tonnage fees, before making any decision. City Manager Sumner stated he would contact Council and the companies who submitted bids for the transfer station to get a time scheduled to have a special called meeting before the end of January 2011. Mayor Pro Tem Cain asked for a motion. Councilmember Adams made a motion to postpone until a special called meeting was held regarding the transfer station and to also include the information on the Deep South Authority, seconded by Councilman Clendenin, vote was unanimous.
B.-D, E. (Moved to 10 D-E)
E.)Tap Fees (City Manager)
City Manager Sumner stated to Mayor and Council that the tap fees were approved at the July meeting to raise the tap fees to $5000 dollars for six months and that period had expired. Sumner stated that Council needed to decide on whether to extend the tap fee of $5000 or decide to have a different amount placed on the tap fees. Councilman Clendenin stated he would like to leave the tap fees at $5000 due to there being no building activity going on in Hahira. Councilman Clendenin stated he would like to know how many taps had been sold in the past 6 months. City Manager Sumner stated there had been about four taps sold. Councilman Benjamin suggested lowering the fees to try and bring builders back in to build more houses. Councilmember Adams stated she was concerned if there was a way to determine how the fee was set if some sewer taps involved more work on installing. City Attorney Plumb stated that should be considered before setting the tap fee. Mayor Pro Tem Cain suggested lowering the tap fee to $3000 dollars. Mayor Bullard recommended lowering the tap fee back to $3000 dollars to see if it would stimulate building of houses in Hahira. Mayor Bullard asked for a motion. Councilman Benjamin made a motion to lower the tap fees back to $3000 dollars for 6 months, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Cain. Councilmember Adams and Councilman Clendenin were opposed. Mayor Bullard broke the tie and the motion carried to lower the tap fees back to $3000 dollars.
CONSENT AGENDA:
A.) Executive Fire Officer Training
B.) Fire Prevention Grant Purchases
C.) Clerk’s Conference
D.) Board of Elections Contract- 2011 City Elections
E.) Bird Supper Trip
F.) Mayor- GMA Mayor’s Day
G.) SAVE MOU
City Manager Sumner stated that item (A) on the consent agenda needed to be removed due to lack of the number of people attending the class. Mayor Bullard asked for a motion to accept the consent agenda. Councilmember Adams made a motion, seconded by Councilman Clendenin, vote was unanimous.
Mayor’s State of the City Address:
Mayor Bullard read the State of the City Address.
Reports:
Councilman Clendenin hoped everyone had a safe holiday. Clendenin thanked all the department heads for doing a great job. Clendenin thanked everyone for attending the meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Cain thanked all the department heads for doing a great job with the budget they had to work with. Cain reminded everyone of the grand opening of the Provost Auto and Showroom. Cain thanked City Clerk Belinda for doing a good job, City Manager Sumner for all his hard work he had done for the City, the Mayor and fellow Councilmember’s for their hard work.
Councilman Benjamin wished everyone a Happy New Year. Benjamin thanked all the department heads and staff for the hard work they continue to do for the City. Benjamin thanked everyone for attending the meeting. Benjamin stated he was looking forward to working with the Mayor and his fellow Councilmember’s for another year.
Councilmember Adams thanked Mike Wells and the Church group for the fantastic job they did on working on the community center and for the projects they have lined up for the community center in the future. Adams thanked the citizens that participated in the Christmas decorations this year. Adams thanked the businesses and owners for doing the beautiful decorations for Christmas. Adams thanked the Lions Club members who donated their time for the Christmas parade and helping with the meet and greet with Santa and for helping with the refreshments. Adams thanked all the department heads and staff for their hard work they continue to do for the City. Adams stated she appreciated City Clerk Belinda Chappell for her hard work and treating all the citizens with respect and dignity as they do business at City Hall.
City Manager Sumner thanked Mayor and Council for the opportunity to serve and wished everyone a happy New Year. Sumner congratulated the City Clerk on her re-appointment and to the new Mayor Pro Tem Cain on his new title. Sumner thanked all the department heads and staff for their hard work they continue to do for the City of Hahira.
Mayor Bullard thanked everyone for attending the meeting. Mayor thanked all the department heads and staff for their hard work. Mayor thanked Mr. Stanley and Mrs. Dye for their dedication of attending the meetings. Mayor Bullard stated he hoped the year 2011 would be another great year.
Mayor Bullard asked for a motion to adjourn. Mayor Pro Tem Cain made a motion, seconded by Councilman Benjamin, vote was unanimous.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.
________________________
Mayor, Wayne Bullard
________________________
City Clerk, Belinda Chappell