City Council

CITY OF EUHARLEE REVISED CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA FEBRUARY 2, 2021 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES - City Council Meeting - 01.05.21 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Mayor Pro Tem - Mayor Steve Worthington NEW BUSINESS 1. Report from Virtual GMA Summit - Council Member Greg Free 2. 1st Reading of Sign Ordinance - Amendment for Campaign Signs - James Stephens 3. Director of Parks & Recreation Equipment Request - Don Varvel 4. 2020 Police Department Annual Report - Chief Jody Matthews 5. Police Department Fleet Update and Request - Chief Jody Matthews 6. Westminster Annexation - James Stephens  CITY OF EUHARLEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 02, 2021 Mayor Steve Worthington called the meeting to order. A prayer was led by City Manager James Stephens and followed with the Pledge of Allegiance. The following were present Mayor Steve Worthington, Council Members Tim Abbott, David Duncan, Greg Free, Joe Turner and City Manager James Stephens. Council Member David Duncan motioned to approve minutes for City Council Meeting 01.05.21. Council Member Joe Turner seconded the motion. The motion was carried with Mayor Worthington, Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free, and Turner all voting in favor. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Mayor Pro Tem - Mayor Steve Worthington Mayor Steve Worthington said the charter doest state the position of Mayor Pro Tem but does not have to be voted on at the beginning of each year. However, over the years have made it a practice to do so. The Mayor Pro Tem position from his 26 years of experience on the council, the job is 99.5% to just sit in the seat in the absence of the Mayor. There has been no other responsibility for the position. Council Member David Duncan motioned to nominate Council Member Joe Turner as Mayor Pro Tem. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion was carried with Mayor Worthington and Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free and Turner all voting in favor. NEW BUSINESS Report from Virtual GMA Summit – Greg Free Council Member Greg Free said the virtual meeting was very well run. He appreciated the opportunity. It was very informative and he learned a lot. The topics discussed included: • COVID-19 and businesses in towns and how they helped businesses survive during the pandemic. There were several that shared the way they promoted to help businesses which was thinking outside the box, being creative and listening to the residence in their city. • Tourism and travel were down by 8% in the state of Georgia. They talked about tourism as it related to public safety that included travel with accidents. Over 1500 people were killed in the state of Georgia due to car crashes. They discussed small towns having crosswalks that are well lit, sidewalks with pedestrian friendly environments for people to connect in the community but also to help with traffic congestion. He is a runner and having to cross over Euharlee road he understands the need for crosswalks. It was good information and a good take away for him the way traffic and tourism merged together. • They discussed legislative and some of the things that are going on this year at the state level. A lot was surrounded on the EPD. They discussed the importance of paying tire fees and ensure the money goes where it needs to go. This year it is fully funded at the state level and had not been the past couple of years. They discussed the issue in Cobb County where ethylene oxide was released from a plant. The EPD and EPA regulations are being looked at to be revamped from a state level. The same thing with solid waste and landfills. Landfills are not being built and how do they get creative with the space they already have and not negatively impact the citizens. 1  • They discussed how towns engaged with their citizens, taking business out of it and things they were doing before the before the pandemic such as festivals, outdoor concerts and all these different things that were taking place. Some cities said they were going back to what they were doing. Obviously, it is not going to look completely like it did before. They have started to ease up some of the restrictions they had in place and safely navigate. The theme was thinking outside the box, being creative and challenging them to think differently and think about the bigger picture. Mr. James Stephens, City Manager said they city needs to stay aware of the changes at the state level through EPD because they have the river running through. The city has a big asset and a big responsibility to protect it. 1st Reading of Campaign Sign Ordinance - James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager stated he was filling in for Mr. Reese. The council had before them Section 11.4.5 an amendment the Planning and Zoning Committee put together. They actually completed this work in the late summer and early fall. Mr. Stephens held it from the agenda until the local elections were completed because he didn't want to give any appearance that he was getting involved in any elections. They now can get clarification with this year's elections. The only change they defined was what the election cycle means. The previous ordinance stated campaign signs should not be put out prior to 60 days of the election. They now have early and absentee voting and the planning and zoning commission thoroughly defined it and made the change to say 60 days prior to early voting or primary. This would be good to get squared away with the upcoming elections. It is not a significant change but clearly an enhanced improvement that is not vague and can be interpreted one way. The ordinance had not been amended since 2014 and it was outdated. The campaign signs can't be in the right away and is mainly site distance and safety. Campaign signs are on private property. Even though this clarifies you can start 60 days before the early voting, not 60 days before the November 3rd or the 2nd Tuesday in November and it makes it clear. In reality there is still limited enforcement mobility. It is up to candidates and property owners to comply. With something to think about, do they go with the improvement or take everything out that is not enforceable and stick with no signs within the right away. Council Member Tim Abbott stated the resolution is enforceable on city owned property. Mayor Worthington said in the road right away. Council Member Abbott said they don't believe it is enforceable on private business or residential owned property, do they care and is there a problem to address. If they do not have a problem to address, he does not want to create one. Mr. Stephens said in the absence of the amendment there were candidates that disagreed on the intent, so it would clarify it. Euharlee is not currently covered with campaign signs. He received calls about why he wasn't enforcing it. He spoke with legal counsel and protected the city. If they delete the campaign signs as part of the sign ordinance altogether if they are not in the right away, his main concern is public safety. He recommended if they do not totally take-out campaign signs, to pass the amendment proposed. Mayor Worthington stated signs in the past have been put out in July and August. If the signs stay out longer than 90 days they are damaged by the weather and then it becomes a litter problem worst than they already have. He was for the 60 days. Council Member Greg Free said rules are good and maybe include a map. But what if someone goes outside of the rule on personal property how can you enforce it. Mr. Stephens said that was the question he asked. He was not uncomfortable to go ahead and keep the 60 days and remember to a large degree it is not incumbent upon the candidate or the property owner. Council Member Free said he liked the clarification. The 2nd Reading was scheduled for March meeting. 2 Director of Parks & Recreation Equipment Request – Don Varvel Don Varvel, Parks & Recreation Director had several requests for replacement of equipment. The first was a John Deere W52R walk behind mower with a deck so it can be used as a zero turn. He requested permission to purchase, basically for the hills, to cut them safely without spending 8 to 10 hours weed eating. The mower comes with a lot of safety features. If you were walking behind it and fell, the mower would shut off which is a benefit if you are on a hill. They have tried many times to cut field 3 with a zero turn and can only do about half the hill safely. Marshall Aiken, volunteer has cut it for them several times with the bobcat, but it ties up the bobcat from doing other work. The item also listed is the platform that connects to the walk behind so it can be used as a zero turn. The third line is a zero turn John Deere to replace the original Toro that was purchased in 2013 for the park. It was the only mower they had at the park for the first 4 years and cut 66 acres alone which has a lot of hours on it. The items totaled $15,510.00. The second page item was a John Deere Gator. They do a lot of transporting field dry, pumps, hoses and equipment out to the fields. The are currently carrying them by hand and no drive the truck on the fields and make runts. It will help them transport and spray the park with a tank. The total cost $7,989.99. James Stephens, City Manager said the request was to come out of the current SPLOST funding not the general fund if approved. Mr. Varvel responded to several questions from the council in reference to the mower, the last time equipment was purchased, mowing the hills, safety, maintenance, and mowing around the pond. He was asked to consider some of the options discussed in reference to the type of maintenance for the hills and also the mowing around the pond. Council Member David Duncan motioned to purchase the equipment from current SPLOST funds. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion was carried with Mayor Worthington, Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free and Turner all voting in favor. 2020 Police Department Annual Report – Chief Jody Matthew Chief Jody Matthews provided council with a power point document which outlined the 2020 year-end review for the Euharlee Police Department that included the following information and shared the following information: • Mission Statement – “Serve and protect through dedication, professionalism, active cooperation with community, and respect for human rights and dignity”. • Our Focus – To protect and serve the citizens with a high level of integrity. To utilize a community policing philosophy. To strive for excellence in all they do. To become less incident driven and more proactive in preventing crime. • Statistics for 2020 during the pandemic exceeded the call volume from 2019 Call Statistics for 2020 • Total Calls for Service: 3,085 • Total Case/Incident Reports: 414 • Total Accident Reports: 50 • Total Arrest Reports: 58 • Total Traffic Stops: 1,296 • Total Citations/Warnings: 535/651= 1,186 Crime Statistics for 2020 • Assault: 2 • Burglary: 7 • Child Abuse/ Neglect: 4 • Domestic/Family Violence: 61 3  • Entering Auto: 9 • Homicide: 1 • Larceny/ Theft: 13 • Motor Vehicle Theft: 3 • Rape: 0 • Robbery: 0 • Juvenile Investigations: 14 • Department Staffing o 11 Full-time Sworn Police Officers, 5- Part-Time Sworn Police Officers and 1 Non-Sworn Civilian o 1 of the Full-time sworn positions is a cadet in the police academy scheduled to graduate in mid- February, and they have 1 employee on workers compensation. • Promotions o Cliff Yeager to the rank of Lieutenant over the Field Operations Bureau. o Tim Merrell to the rank of Sergeant in the Uniform Patrol Division. o Allen McNelis to the rank of Lieutenant over the Administrative Services Bureau. • New Hires in 2020 o Officer Linda Tibbitts o Officer Reginald Heathington o Officer Andy Page o Officer Billy Walker (PT) o Officer Derrick Wilson (PT) • P.O.S.T. Training o Officers received 622 hours of training approved by the P.O.S.T Council. o They currently employ three POST certified Instructors with a variety of teaching expertise. Those instructors occasionally supplement as Adjunct Instructors for North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy in Austell, GA. • Chief’s Day at the Capital Chief Matthews attended the event in March of 2020. This day is set aside to show appreciation for Georgia Chiefs as Governor Kemp sign a resolution declaring March 10, 2020 as the “Police Chiefs/Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies Appreciation Day”. • Community Outreach During the challenging times many people and businesses stepped up to help achieve the mission in a safe manner. They received many donations throughout the year that spoke volume about the love and community support in Euharlee. • Faith & Blue Weekend The Euharlee Police Department participated in two events during the Inaugural Faith & Blue weekend. There were only 140 total events throughout Georgia. They partnered with Oakland Heights Baptist Church and Euharlee Baptist Church to host events. • Networking The Euharlee Police Department participates with the Mountain Area Traffic Enforcement Network (MNTEN) through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety serving all 159 counties in Georgia. The networks serve as a catalyst for traffic enforcement officers to voice their concerns and share ideas with their counterparts from other agencies in their region. They host multi-jurisdictional (16 traffic network jurisdictional) safety check in December 2020, which netted 4 arrest and 23 traffic violations identified in a two-hour time period. • Public Safety Appreciation A special thank you to the citizens of Euharlee, and the surrounding area for all the kind appreciation notes written for Public Safety Appreciation Week and the treats. 4 The council thanked Chief Matthews and his staff for an awesome job. Police Department Fleet Update and Request – Chief Jody Matthews Police Chief Jody Matthews said he was not in a position last year to lose any patrol vehicles and unfortunately, they lost 2 to traffic accidents. They had a 2020 Explorer and a 2014 Charger both totaled and paid off. After insurance reimbursements for the vehicle and payoff for 1 vehicle the department received $31,244.29. The request was for a replacement vehicle, a 2021 Ford Explorer in the amount of $33,300 that will only cost the department after insurance $2,055.71. The additional quotes for the vehicle were attached. One quote would take 12-14 weeks for delivery. The quote for $33,300 is in stock and is the same company they bought Ford Explorers from last year. They were also the lowest bidder and again, the vehicle is in stock. The next quote the council received was for a 2021 Explorer, a vehicle request for Chief Matthews. Since his time at Euharlee, he has never had a vehicle and has driven whatever was available. Losing two vehicles put them in a bind and he is now driving his personal vehicle and has for the last couple of months. He spoke with the City Manager and they are in position where he can get a vehicle. He has been in touch with the dealerships looking for a vehicle that had an administrative package, which means it has a console and is not set up for a cage but nobody had one. Hardy has offered to pull a civilian vehicle off the lot and sell at the price of a police vehicle. There are two versions, one is $32,125 that is on the lot and one for $29,340 that includes a fleet adjustment of $4,130. The City Manager also needs a vehicle. He currently drives the 2009 Ford Ranger which is a loaner from the police department. They have both vehicles on the lot, they are offering at a fleet price with $4,000 of the sticker price and are civilian models. He has called around and no one else had an admin package and nor willing to take a civilian model off the lot and do a fleet price. It is a total of (3) vehicles, (2) for the police department (1) for the City Manager and the Ford Ranger goes back to the police department for use. Chief Matthews responded to the questions about the structure of the civilian vehicles and if it could be used for a police car. He stated it will not be used as a patrol car, but it can be. The police vehicles are not that different from the civilian models. The civilian model is more like an admin model. It will still have the blue lights, but will not have the cage. It will be striped and used as an admin vehicle. James Stephens, City Manager gave a summary of the what Chief Matthews explained about the insurance reimbursements and the cost of the vehicles. He also stated that if the police department did not need their truck, he would continue to drive it. The vehicle prices were so advantageous he said to put it on the agenda. The request was to be paid from 2020 SPLOST. He explained the last 6 years up until March 2020, the SPLOST funds went toward debt service payments. Last March when the last payment was made, they have been accumulating these SPLOST funds. They bought one recreation vehicle out of SPLOST last year. They receive $40,000 a month for SPLOST. If he makes a request from SPLOST funds know these funds have accumulated. They have $40,000 times 10-months built up plus what they will collect every month going forward. Council Member David Duncan motioned to purchase the (3) vehicles from SPLOST funding. Council Member Joe Turner seconded the motion. The motion was carried with Mayor Worthington and Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free, and Turner all voting in favor. Westminster Annexation – James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager stated before he arrived to the city of Euharlee, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the council had been looking at ways to possibly annex Westminster Subdivision. 5 By state code there are (3) different methods of annexation. The council had before them a resolution that would initiate the process of the option that goes through the local law that will be introduced at the state level by Representative Matthew Gambill or Representative Trey Kelly. The resolution is the first step to that process. He had been in touch with the city attorney, Mr. Pettit and depending on the fate of the resolution at the meeting, they could start the process because they are in session. He was under the impression during his 5-year tenure it was a goal they have wanted to pursue. This is an opportunity to start the process. He shared information related to calls for service from Bartow County verses the city of Euharlee. Their response time is significantly less than Bartow County. The documents were included with the resolution. The police department make calls outside the city limits due to a mutual aid agreement. Therefore, there are time when the city will service Westminster even though it is not in the city limits. There are not a lot of calls but the response time is significantly better than the county. Should this go forward, the impact on the tax levy would be about a $10,000 tax increase for 2022. The documents to support that amount was not included, but was accurate and not an estimate. Mr. Stephens responded to Council Member David Duncan’s question in reference to having to get signatures from homeowners, a process that took place years ago. He mentioned (3) methods that annexation can take place. What Council Member Duncan described is one of the options. Mr. Stephens stated based on what he understood, the property owners were renting out property in that community which is why there was not a large response. The method he presented to council, if the resolution pass, they would approach the local delegation which will be done by the city attorney; they would draft the actual document to be introduced at the state level, there would be an advertisement in legal organ prior to them taking it up at the state level. They introduce it and pass it. Once passed, there would be a referendum on the ballot for the city election this year. One reason it is advantageous to do it this way, they are already having and election and will not have to pay the cost for a separate referendum to see if the citizens want to pass it. Before it is finalized it would be voted on by citizens. To start this process, they are asking the state to give permission to start this referendum. Council Member Duncan asked if Westminster citizens could vote. Mr. Stephens said based on what he has read the Westminster citizens would vote. The way it reads they would be the only one to vote on it but that is not the way it is historically interpreted. He has asked for guidance on who all would vote. Certainly, the people that would be coming in would have the opportunity to vote yay or nay. Council Member Duncan is in favor and Council Member Greg Free is a believer in giving the power to the people and letting them have a say. The city will start the process the end results will be the people voting to accept it. The council was sent there for the will of the people and they will have the final say. He has lived in the city 28 years and just learned the other side of the store was not in the city limits. Mayor Worthington shared that people that live there think they are in the city limits of Euharlee. Council Member Joe Turner motioned to pass the resolution. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion carried with Mayor Worthington and Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free, and Turner all voting in favor. Council Member motioned to adjourn the meeting. Council Member David Duncan seconded the motioned. The motion was carried with Mayor Worthington and Council Members Abbott, Duncan, Free and Turner all voting in favor. With no further discussion the meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm. 6