City Council

City of Bowdon Mayor and Council Meeting Monday, March 15, 2021 7:00PM Mayor and Council Chambers, 182 Grammar School Road I.-IV. Agenda Items: The Mayor and City Council met for a regular meeting on Monday, March 15th, 2021. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jim Chaffin at 7:00PM. Roll call was conducted by City Clerk Susan Pierce. Members present: Mayor Jim Chaffin Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson Councilmember Wes McEntyre Councilmember Marty Johnson Absent: Councilmember Ward 2 (currently vacant) Staff present: City Manager Gary Bullock City Clerk Susan Pierce Police Chief Mark Brock The Invocation was led by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson and was followed with the Pledge of Allegiance. V. Approval of Meeting Agenda Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the agenda as presented; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. VI. Approval of Minutes Minutes of Mayor & Council Meeting on February 16th, 2021 were read and presented for approval. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the minutes from the February 16, 2021 meeting as presented; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. VII. Public Comments None. VIII. Business Session A. Approval of Barr Industrial Building Lease – Mr. Bullock reported that Tidwell Construction, the contractor for the Hwy. 100 and Turkey Creek Bridge project, would be leasing the building located at 345 Barr Industrial Avenue (formerly occupied by the Rapha Clinic). The lease will be $250 per month and they will be making some improvements, including a fence, as required by the D.O.T. Mayor Pro-tem asked how long we anticipated them being there. The lease is for 12 months, but they will be there until the bridge  City of Bowdon Mayor & Council Meeting Minutes March 15, 2021 project is completed. The bridge project is to line Hwy. 100 up with the round-a-bout associated with the proposed bypass. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the lease agreement with Tidwell Construction for the building at 345 Barr Industrial Avenue as presented; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. B. Safe Digging Month Proclamation – The West Georgia Utility Coordinating Committee is promoting the National 811 Notification System and Georgia 811 in encouraging safe digging practices by contractors and homeowners by asking local cities to proclaim April as Safe Digging Month. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the proclamation declaring April 2021 as Safe Digging Month; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. C. Approval of holding Ward 2 Special Election in conjunction with the General Election on November 2, 2021 – To avoid the additional cost of holding a Special Election to fill the vacant Ward 2 Council Seat, we will have the Special Election in conjunction with the General Election on November 2, 2021. Motion by Councilmember Marty Johnson to approve setting the date of the Special Election to fill the vacant Ward 2 Council Seat for November 2, 2021 in conjunction with the General Election; second by Councilmember McEntyre; motion carried unanimously. D. City Manager Reports – Concerning the Turkey Creek Bridge/Hwy. 100 project - the insertion valve they are putting in the 20-inch raw water line coming from the lake is off the right-of-way. The reason for that is the slope of the ditch coming off the edge of the bridge is right next to the creek, so we have to get off of the right-of-way in order to install the valve. We will need an easement from the Gaines family to do the installation. We have tested the valve at the lake, and we can shut the water off at the lake in order to put the valve in. We are in process of hooking up a connection at the water plant so we can extract water from Turkey Creek in case we have an issue with that line. The street name change petition for Kent Avenue to Irene Keith Avenue has been completed and is ready for a Public Hearing next month. The Planning Commission is meeting tomorrow night to begin working on the revision of the animal ordinance. They may have representatives from Animal Control and the County Extension Office attending. The Municipal Complex entrance will need to be raised 8 inches to level it for enclosure. The handicap access will be moved down several feet. The SPLOST vote is tomorrow. E. Department Reports – minutes from the first DDA meeting are included. IX. Financial Session A. Property Tax Unpaid Balance Summary – no questions. B. February Financial Reports – auditors have all material from the accountant and are beginning to send out confirmation letters. City Clerk Pierce reported that the signers from the Development Authority checking account and C.D. at Bank OZK are Larry Beam, Carol Ozier, Mike Mallory, and Wayne Johnson. The resolution on file at the bank authorizes any one of them to transact the accounts. The C.D. is maturing and needs to be addressed before March 29.  City of Bowdon Mayor & Council Meeting Minutes March 15, 2021 C. Cash Balances as of 03/05/2021 – no questions. XI. Adjournment Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to adjourn; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously. _________________________ ________________________ Mayor Jim Chaffin City Clerk Susan Pierce