City Council

CITY OF EUHARLEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA APRIL 6, 2021 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL PUBLIC HEARING – Campground Discussion APPROVAL OF MINUTES City Council Meeting 03.02.21 City Council Work Session 03.16.21 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. School Delegation Greg Free 2. Osborne Park Quotes Don Varvel 3. 17-Acre Tract of Land James Stephens NEW BUSINESS 1. Insurance Renewals James Stephens 2. Municipal Court Judge James Stephens  CITY OF EUHARLEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES APRIL 6, 2021 Mayor Steve Worthington called the meeting to order. A prayer was led by Council Member David Duncan 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. Public Hearing - Campground Discussion Mayor Steve Worthington opened the floor during the public meeting for discussion in regards to the campground. City Manager James Stephens thanked citizens for providing feedback to the city council. The city is in need of different revenue sources and they are looking at different alternatives that do not impact negatively, the quality of life and not to allow growth to get out of hand. Council Member David Duncan expressed he encouraged citizens to submit any ideas or complaints to the council. He shared that it was better for the information to be shared to the group instead him voicing his personal opinions. Council Member Greg Free stated he appreciated the interest of the citizens and them taking time to provide input for the city. It is important for them all. After the discussions in his current training, it brought him back to creative ways to support small business, create additional revenue and at the same time protect the history and the small-town integrity of Euharlee. Due to possible funding changes next year, now gives them opportunity for planning for the future of the city. Two residents of Euharlee shared their thoughts and concerns about the proposed campground, property lines, research to utilize the space, the impact it will have, and their concern for safety with the proposed campground near their homes. After hearing the comments, concerns and no further discussions, Mayor Worthington closed the public hearing. Approval of Minutes Council Member David Duncan motioned to accept the minutes from City Council Meeting, March 2, 2021 and City Council Work Session, March 16, 2021. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion was carried with Council Member Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. Motion to Amend Agenda Council Member Greg Free motioned to add item #4 Old Library to the agenda. Council Member David Duncan seconded the motion. The motion carried with Council Member Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. UNFINISHED BUSINESS School Delegation - Greg Free Council Member Greg Free and City Manager, James Stephens attended an impromptu meeting with the Superintendent from Bartow County Schools. They are still at the same place with the discussion of ownership of a piece of property. They did send an email to move the tennis to Joe Cowan Park immediately and arrange transportation for the teams. Once property verification is completed, they will follow-up and meet again. He felt the property information the city provided was correct. They reiterated to continue to review and determine what works best for them all and the next steps to be taken. Osborne Park Quote - Don Varvel Don Varvel, Parks & Recreation Director presented and provided council with a copy of quotes for the fields and the playground at Osborne Park to review and discuss the options. Council Member Greg Free and Council Member Joe Turner shared their pros and cons about Osborne Park and the decisions they will have to make for substantial financial upgrades or not. They will need to determine from a business perspective what is best for the city when trying to determine how to generate revenue. Council Member Abbott stated it was a difficult situation to deal with philosophical ideas and the emotions behind the ideas. They need to take a look at the business of the city and how will they generate revenue. The right decisions need to be made to upgrade Osborne Park. They owe it to future council members and the citizens to generate a community atmosphere that keeps the history intact but respects future development. They are in position to stay in control and figure out the business plan or do nothing and just pour money into the park. They need to plan for future economic growth. Council Member David Duncan shared his thoughts on the upgrades to the family park without spending a substantial amount of money. Council Member Free stated the council must be unified in the decisions made. Mr. James Stephens, City Manager stated in follow-up to the meeting, his thoughts were, the school board would eventually enter into a written intergovernmental agreement with the city for services or facilities, whether it is the tennis courts at Joe Cowan Park, baseball fields at Osborne Park or whether it becomes both at Joe Cowan Park. He didn't say they were eager to transition the whole program to Joe Cowan Park, but as a unified council, they could consider that possibility to them. The question is not if they do away with Osborne Park, but do they put $48,000 into fencing for (2) fields when fields are available. Also, do they consider other types of green space for a dog park with the playground or Food Trucks. The school board understand things are different than they were 20 years ago. They do use the area for an emergency evacuation plan and were assured the city would honor that. Mr. Stephens said he appreciated the discussion and the deliberation about Osborne Park, but all possibilities need to be taken into consideration before making any decisions. He was definitely in agreement to uphold the mission for the city that deals with the quality of life in a historic small town. 17-Acre Tract of Land - James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager stated the council had heard input from the public since January 2021. The Planning and Zoning had been working on the project of the 17-acre for a 5-year period. Also, Don Varvel, Parks and Recreation Director made a presentation last March for some RV camping at Frankie Harris Park. Mr. Stephens encouraged the council to consider camping activity in Euharlee for a multitude of reasons; the environmental asset of the Etowah River and the number of visitors that come to Euharlee because of Joe Cowan Park, which generates about $100,000 in revenue, with expenses at Osborne and Joe Cowan Park that total $200,000. Joe Cowan Park is not a profit center it is a cost center. He is very proud of, as Council Member Greg Free mentioned the 7-million-dollar Park, and its facilities. It brings in 5,000 to 7,000 people that buy food there, but then they go spend their money at Lake Point or Cartersville to stay the night. The city is not capturing any economic benefits from the visitors coming to Joe Cowan Park. Because of the environmental asset and the number of visitors, he encouraged the council to some type of campground at either Frankie Harris or the 17-acres and recommended hiring a full-time overseer. If at Frankie Harris Park, suggested to take measures to protect the adjacent properties of Frankie Harris Park. They presented last March it would generate a conservative amount of $216,000 on 27-sites at Frankie Harris. The investment is a lot cheaper than on the 17-acres with much infrastructure already there. He was not trying to get revenue just from the camping industry, but also for the few businesses in Euharlee and future businesses. He said the 27-sites would not impact the traffic flow or the quality of life in Euharlee. If it was his money and the only one to make the decision, he would go down that road. It would provide monies to possibly do away with the millage rate which he would love to do. It could ultimately fund cottages on the river. A cottage facility would not pose danger to the property owners; it would be secure and not as impactful as the current plan. If the plan did not move forward, he would work to come up with another plan. Mayor and Council continued to discuss cost and other options. Council Member Tim Abbott motioned to allow the City Manager to get legal quotes to implement Frankie Harris Park campground and bring the quotes to the May meeting. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion carried with council members Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. HVAC Unit at Old Library- James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager presented quotes to replace the 10- year HVAC system at the Old Library. The quote from Don Massey Heating and Air was $5752 and Pendley Heating and Air $7029. Council Member Joe Turner motioned to approve the quote from Don Massey Heating and Air for $5752. Council Member David Duncan seconded the motion. The motion carried with council members Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. NEW BUSINESS Insurance Renewals - James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager presented Council with the renewal package for Workers Compensation, Auto, Property and General Liability insurance with an overall $7,000 increase to include changes and claims made throughout the year. He recommended continuing with the current insurance company at $145,869 total annual cost. Council Member Joe Turner motioned and approved the insurance renewal. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion carried with council members Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. Municipal Court Judge- James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager shared, Judge Samir Patel had served as the city's Municipal Court Judge for the past 3 ½ years and performed adverbially. It is anticipated that he will be the new District Attorney for Bartow County. Boyd Pettit, City Attorney recommended Jay Choate, the managing partner of the firm where Judge Patel works and is currently City of Cartersville Municipal Judge. He was recommended for the city of Euharlee by Attorney Pettit and Mr. Stephens. Council Member David Duncan motioned to accept Jay Choate as the new Municipal Court Judge. Council Member Joe Turner seconded the motion. The motioned carried with council members, Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voted in favor. Mayor Steve Worthington accepted a couple of comments from the audience before ending the meeting to reconvene on April 20, 2021 at 7:00 pm. With no further discussion the meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm.  CITY OF EUHARLEE RECONVENED (04/06/21) CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES APRIL 20, 2021 Mayor Steve Worthington called the meeting to order. He led a prayer and 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. Osborne Quotes - Don Varvel & James Stephens James Stephens, City Manager stated he received a phone call from the legal counsel with the Bartow County School Board but had not been able to reach him. He did find out there were no actions taken in reference to the intergovernmental agreement at the board meeting. The legal counsel was reaching out to discuss terms of a possible intergovernmental agreement related to their sports program. He had no further details. Don Varvel presented quotes to the council, at the previous meeting, for the ballfields and playground and the only change would be ABC Fencing who wanted an answer that night after the meeting, but decided to withdraw their quote due their 2-months work back log. ASAP Fence Co. and County Line Fence both honored their prices. County Line is good until Thursday. Better Baseball price was good for the netting. Mr. Stephens stated if they did not make a decision, it should not be cumbersome for the vendors since they had the information, dimensions and would only have to reach out to the suppliers. After discussing the timelines for the fence bids, scheduled tournaments, the cost for fencing and to wait to hear from the School Board, Council Member Abbott, and Mr. Stephens both shared other ideas for the park to better benefit the citizens of Euharlee. Council Member Abbott said he loved parks and would prefer to have a plan in place for the future of Osborne Park. He was hesitant to spend money to patch things up. Mr. Stephens said he could envision a large field, with the softball field capability, relocated to the back of the land, re-coupe the land in the front of the park for re-development and include local citizen activities. He said it would also accommodate the school. The school may decide that transportation is not that big of a deal and ultimately decide to transition everything to Joe Cowan Park. It is not beyond the possibility once the tennis team relocates there. He would like to put something together for them to review. Mayor Worthington reminded council the agenda item was to talk about the quotes and they are talking about everything but the quotes. They could extend the item for discussion for the next meeting. Council Member Tim Abbott motioned to extend the voting on the quotes for Osborne Park for two weeks and re-initiate the bid process if necessary. Council Member Greg Free seconded the motion. The motion carried with council members Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. Council Member David Duncan motioned to adjourn the re-convened meeting. Council Member Joe Turner seconded the motion. The motion carried with council members Abbott, Duncan, Free, Turner and Mayor Worthington all voting in favor. With no further discussion the meeting adjourned at 7:20 pm.