Mayor & Commission Meetings

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Monday, February 19, 2024 Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Patrick Davenport, Committee Chair Commissioner Dexter Fisher Commissioner Mike Hamby Commissioner Tiffany Taylor Commissioner Melissa Link (Phone) Staff: Blaine Williams, Manager Rani Katreeb, Interim- Director TPW Remy Epps, Inclusion Officer Jessica Beri, Purchasing Administrator Sherrie Hines, Chief Assistant Attorney Christy Bailey, Purchasing John Hawkins, Deputy Chief Attorney Samantha Murray, Finance Austin Jackson, Senior Assistant Attorney Andrew Saunders, Central Services Director David Boyd, Finance Director Bruce Lonnee, Assistant Planning Director Chinesia Thompson, Recorder Doug Hansford, Building Inspection Travis Cooper, Chief Information Officer Committee Chair Davenport called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. A. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Hamby made the motion to approve the Minutes of the January 22, 2024 meeting. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. B. Commission Identified Items of Interest: Review recently approved Short Term Rental Ordinance for any revisions necessary to comply with Georgia State Code and associated case law (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on February 6, 2024) Manager Blaine Williams outlined five key checkpoints concerning Short Term Rentals (STR) in this discussion with the Committee: Data Collections, STR Case Law Analysis, Sunset Clause, Relief Valve Provision, and Next Steps. Chief Information Officer Travis Cooper informed the committee that the project with Rentalscape began on January 31st. Rentalscape, the chosen vendor, will identify short-term rentals within the county. Travis shared that by 2/29, the raw data with addresses will be available, and the process of building comprehensive reports will begin. Attorney John Hawkins referred to a detailed memo sent by the staff to the Mayor and Commission, emphasizing its inclusion of language related to the Sunset Clause and case law analysis. He invited the committee to contact him for any additional information that may be needed from the Attorney’s Office. Attorney John Hawkins discussed the topic of the Relief Valve provision, providing an explanation of its nature. He highlighted the complexity and time required to develop such a  provision, emphasizing the need for robust standards. Additionally, he mentioned the potential impact on logistics and administration, affecting staff and resources in the event of administrative hearings. The committee acknowledged that the next meeting would be exclusively dedicated to discussing Short Term Rentals (STR). Advance efforts pursuant to recommendations from the Disparity Study (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on November 7, 2023) The committee briefly addressed the proposed business inclusion policy, expressing a preference for the Asheville model. Staff recommended proceeding with the proposed policy and considering the incorporation of additional aspirational goals in the future. Finance Director David Boyd informed the committee that staff has been exploring tools to effectively implement the business inclusion policy. He introduced a software such as, OpenGov, which aids in tracking spending, solicitations, and identifies Minority/Women Business Enterprises (M/WBE). David elaborated on the costs and funding source for this software over a three-year period. The implementation of this software would enhance reporting capabilities and facilitate the Community Business Procurement Coordinator in assisting businesses with M/WBE certification. Commissioner Hamby motioned to approve the proposed business inclusion policy, with future consideration of additional aspirational goals. The motion also included a recommendation for acquiring software such as OpenGov to facilitate the implementation of the business inclusion policy. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion, and it received unanimous approval. Prioritize unpaved roads for surfacing with FY24 funds and others that may follow (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on September 5, 2023) Interim-TPW Director Rani Katreeb provided a concise overview of the Dirt Road Policy's historical context. Rani updated the Committee on the status of five dirt roads that have been proposed for paving, highlighting the associated challenges. Currently, there is a budget of $200,000 allocated for these dirt roads. Rani emphasized that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a policy and seek the Committee's guidance on the ranking criteria for such a policy. The committee engaged in a discussion regarding the weighting criteria, and Rani conveyed that the staff would return with a list of roads based on the presented criteria. Additionally, he mentioned that the committee could incorporate additional criteria later if desired. Rani informed the committee that it would take at least two months to draft the policy. Commissioner Hamby made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 2:16 p.m. Government Operations Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 02192024