City Council

City of Bowdon Mayor and Council Meeting/Public Hearing Monday, July 11, 2022 7:00PM Mayor and Council Chambers, 182 Grammar School Road I.-IV. Agenda Items: The Mayor and City Council met for a called meeting on Monday, July 11th, 2022. The purpose of the meeting was to have a Public Hearing for the setback variance request from Paula Tant for 302 Mill Street. 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 Randy Saxon Councilmember Marty Johnson Councilmember Wes McEntyre Staff present: City Manager Gary Bullock City Clerk Susan Pierce Police Chief Mark Brock Main Street Director Jan Gibbs The Invocation was led by Councilmember McEntyre and was followed with the Pledge of Allegiance. V. Approval of Meeting Agenda Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the meeting agenda as presented; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously. VI. Approval of Minutes Minutes of Mayor & Council Meeting on June 30th, 2022 were read and presented for approval. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to approve the minutes from the June 30, 2022 meeting as presented; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously. VII. Proclamation/Presentation – Bowdon Church of God in Christ Founders Day Mayor Chaffin read and presented a Proclamation to the members of the Church of God in Christ Bowdon District churches which have established May 22, 2022, as the first official Founders Day for the Bowdon District. The Bowdon District was founded in 1964. Pastor Noah Rosser was appointed as the District Superintendent. The Bowdon District consists of seven churches, and Superintendent Rosser held the tenure of longest serving Superintendent until his  City of Bowdon Mayor & Council Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 transition. He and the other pastors and church leaders are responsible for the many years of success of and contributions to the community of Bowdon. VIII. Public Hearing A. Variance Application for 302 Mill Street from Paula Tant for a setback variance for their new home under construction. They are asking for the setback to be allowed to be 50 feet from the center of the street instead of 70 feet, to align with other existing houses on the street. The Zoning Appeals Board heard the request on June 23, 2022 and voted to recommend approval of the request. Motion by Councilmember Saxon to approve the setback variance request for 302 Mill Street as recommended by the Zoning Appeals Board for Paula Tant; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously. IX. Public Comments City Attorney David Mecklin introduced Attorney Kevin Drummond from the office of Tisinger Vance. Mr. Mecklin said he is starting to think about succession planning and wants to have someone familiar with City of Bowdon business before he decides to retire. Ms. Rhonda Keith addressed the Council next. She first thanked everyone for renaming a portion of Kent Avenue to Irene Keith Avenue in honor of her mother. She also asked if the City still has an Ethics Committee, and the members and terms. She informed the Council that she would still be interested in serving on one of the boards or committees in Bowdon. She also mentioned that there was still a problem with speeding in the area of the elementary school. She would like to see a solution for the speeding. She is also concerned about the 4- way stop at the intersection of Bowdon-Tyus Road and Irene Keith Avenue. Could there possibly be a caution light or maybe a round-a-bout? She mentioned too that Copeland Street needs to be repaved due to large potholes. She asked Mayor Pro-tem Johnson if there were any immediate plans for Ward 1. Ms. Johnson said they were working on the tennis courts, and she has submitted some street names that need work. Ms. Keith then asked Mr. Bullock about the Community Action for Improvement application, and Mr. Bullock told her we did have that in process. X. Business Session A. Acceptance of Recodification of Ordinances by Municode – The recodification needs to be approved, and any modifications can be approved afterward. Motion by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson to approve the City of Bowdon Recodification of Ordinances by Municode as presented; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously.  City of Bowdon Mayor & Council Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 B. Amendment to Appendix B – Zoning Ordinance, Article III (definition of smoke shops) and Article VII (adding smoke shops to Uses Permitted) – As to the moratorium on vape shops and smoke shops, there was not a specific code addressing these types of businesses, so they were considered general retail. The amendment defines the smoke/vape shops and adds them to the list of permitted uses. Since time still permits on the moratorium (ends August 11, 2022), Council decided to table the ordinance amendment to give time to advertise a public hearing for next month’s meeting. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to table the decision on the Zoning Ordinance amendment for smoke/vape shops until next month to allow for advertisement of a public hearing; second by Councilmember Marty Johnson; motion carried unanimously. C. Millage Rate/Tax Digest – The current millage rate is 7.713. If we keep the current rate our net tax increase will be $43,100, or 10.6% net tax increase, which includes the county’s reevaluations. If we accept the rollback rate of 7.302, it results in a net tax increase of $19,175, or 4.75% net tax increase. We can go with a partial rollback rate of 7.521, the net tax increase will be $31,923 or 7.87% net tax increase. Councilmember Marty Johnson asked about the difference in the tax increase with advertising costs, which Mr. Bullock said would be about $11,000. Councilmember McEntyre asked if anything specific that would not get done if we do not increase the millage rate. Mr. Bullock stated that there was no specific project that would not be completed due to keeping the recommended rollback rate. Mr. Bullock reminded Council of the cut we received in Local Option Sales Tax. Councilmember Marty Johnson mentioned the cost of the proposed new welcome signs could be cut. Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson stated that many of the citizens in Ward 1 were concerned about the high city taxes. After further discussion, Councilmember McEntyre made the motion to accept the recommended rollback rate of 7.302. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to advertise the acceptance of the recommended rollback rate of 7.302, to be officially voted on at our next meeting/Public Hearing on August 8, 2022; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried at a 3-1 margin, with Councilmember Saxon voting in opposition of the motion. D. City Manager Reports – Financial summary looks good; FY 2022 budget will need to be adjusted next month. E. Department Reports – no questions XI. Financial Session A. Property Tax Unpaid Balance Summary – no questions B. June Financial Reports – no questions  City of Bowdon Mayor & Council Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 C. Cash balances as of 07/08/2022 – no questions Motion by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson to enter into Executive Session to discuss personnel; second by Councilmember McEntyre; motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to exit Executive Session; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. Council will contact Jay Grizzard to possibly serve on the Zoning Appeals Board, replacing Vicky Browning. Motion by Councilmember McEntyre to adjourn the council meeting; second by Mayor Pro-tem Jan Johnson; motion carried unanimously. X. Adjournment _________________________ ________________________ Mayor Jim Chaffin City Clerk Susan Pierce