City Commission

ROME CITY COMMISSION Monday, September 11, 2023 The Rome City Commission met at 6:30 p.m. on this date in the City Commission Chambers of City Hall, 601 Broad Street. Mayor Stevenson presided with Mayor Pro Tem Cochran and Commissioners Bojo, Beeman, Doss, Quick, Askew, Collins and McDaniel present. Mayor Pro Tem Cochran invited Pastor Young to open the meeting with prayer and Commissioner Cochran led in the salute to the flag. Minutes – August 28, 2023 The Minutes of the August 28, 2023, meeting as submitted in writing by the Secretary, were approved by unanimous consent. Constitution Week Commissioner Doss presented a City/County Proclamation proclaiming the week of September 17-23 as Constitution Week in our community. This proclamation was presented to four ladies present on behalf of this occasion. Ms. Cameron Abney briefly addressed the commissioners thanking them for this annual recognition. Rebecca Blaylock Day Commissioner Askew presented a proclamation proclaiming September 13, 2023, as Rebecca Blaylock Day. The nursery in Rome, named after Rebecca Blaylock, has been in operation for 89 years. There were three ladies present to receive this proclamation. Ken Wright – Rome Middle School Mr. Ken Wright addressed the City Commission and read the following statement regarding the proposed financing for the new Rome Middle School. Proposed tonight is $120 million in bonds to build a Rome Middle School. The ultimate goal should be educating students within the City of Rome to their maximum potential. The secondary goal should be to realize this while having the least negative economic impact on taxpayers. Currently, Rome City Schools represent an inadequate school system. Simply look at the comparison between Rome City Schools and Floyd County Schools. Based on the state’s Georgia Milestones performance, Rome City Schools perform worse than Floyd County Schools in every subject matter. Does the age or cost of a new building change the outcome of student’s performance? Armuchee High School is the oldest high school building in Floyd County, yet Armuchee High School outperformed Rome High School in every single subject. Truly this affirms that education attainment is contingent upon the quality of instruction, NOT the age nor cost of the building in which this education occurs. Pepperell High School was built for approximately $30 million; Coosa High School $32 million. To even entertain the thought of $120 million in bonds for a middle school is ludicrous and irresponsible. $120 million could provide individual tutors for every student for the next 30 years! With Floyd County Schools obviously much more responsible and adept at managing construction of schools, it truly may be the time for Floyd County Schools to absorb Rome City Schools. 1 These documents state taxes may be raised with NO LIMITATION in rate nor amount and that agreement is in effect for up to 50 years. The agreement denotes only a Rome Middle School for use of these funds. So, when other schools need money, are we going to purchase even more bonds and raise taxes even more? Have we reviewed other options than a new building? Have we looked at trailers to accommodate sudents? Have we looked at a different site for the building? Have you received at least three (3) quotes from contractors to build this facility? This document authorizes the Mayor to negotiate terms and to execute and deliver on behalf of the City!! Without knowing all of the future Mayors that will even serve this community during this agreement do you not agree this is poor planning? It also states that this agreement is being approved without threat of litigation. So let me be clear on this. If Bill Collins casts a vote on these agreements or the bonds, you are absolutely under the threat of litigation! Bill Collins has a blatant conflict of interest with these issues, as his wife serves as the Chair of the Rome City Board of Education. The husband voting to approve bonds and agreements that benefit his wife in her position as Chair of the School Board is an unequivocal and blatant conflict of interest. Therefore, it will be up to the courts over the next years pending litigation to determine if this conflict of interest invalidates these agreements. Granted, I expect not a single Conservative Commissioner to vote in favor of this fiasco. I also expect Mark Cochran not to vote in favor, as he is extremely intelligent. Further, I doubt a financial advisor like Jamie Doss could ever approve of placing an unlimited tax burden on citizens for an undetermined period of time. Jamie would have advised all residents, business and industry within Rome to move outside the City limits while they are still able to sell (before the taxes begin increasing exponentially). We have a fiduciary responsibility to act responsibly with taxpayers’ money. Rome City is writing checks on the taxpayer’s checkbook. It is time that the taxpayers close this checking account. With construction costs declining, there is no harm in taking a pause in making this decision. Let’s put together a task force (which includes citizens) to research and provide no less than 3 alternatives for the Rome Middle School. There is no hurry and no reason to make this decision today! Due diligence for other alternatives has not been performed on this issue to result in the best solution. Don’t make taxpayers suffer for years to come, because you weren’t willing to take an extra 90 days to come up with a better solution. People voted on the ELOST as a 1% tax for a limited 4–5-year term with proceeds going toward kids. This states an unlimited tax increase for up to 50 years with proceeds going toward one middle school. Chulio Hills Guest – Sewer Extension The following individuals addressed the City Commission regarding the request for the City to extend sewer services to the Chulio Hills subdivision. • Pastor Kevin Brown, 24 Shady Lane (church) • Janice Singleton, 41 Honeysuckle Ridge Road • Ron Willis, 5 Mockingbird Circle • Willie Burdette, Jr. • Bishop Pete Smith 2 Each of these five guests spoke regarding the Chulio Hills subdivision and the request for the City of Rome to extend sewer services to this area. The City sewer line is not in close proximity to the Chulio Hills subdivision and while a specific cost is not known, the City Water and Sewer Department has determined it will be in excess of four million dollars to extend sewer services to this subdivision. The Chulio Hills subdivision is partially in the City and partially in unincorporated Floyd County. The portion of the homes that are in the city were primarily annexed in 1985 and 1986 with subsequent individual annexations trickling in over the years since that time. The consistent theme of the speakers tonight was that the City of Rome promised to extend sewer to this subdivision at some point in the 1980’s. There was a request to include this sewer extension on the 2023 SPLOST referendum, however the Citizens Committee chose not to include that project on the referendum. The speakers requested that the City Commission now find the funding for this project. A reference was made to the recent City of Rome lawsuit proceeds from the PFAS (Forever Chemicals) lawsuit from the upstream polluters. The request was that a portion of those proceeds be used for this sewer extension. Some speakers demanded that the City Commission vote tonight to authorize the sewer extension or explain to those residents why that action is not being taken. There were also several comments regarding the septic tank systems that are used in the neighborhood. Some of the residents have had ongoing issues with their septic tanks, requiring frequent pumping. Comments were also made that 99% of city residents have access to the city sewer system. There was a large gathering at tonight’s meeting, many of which were here for the Chulio Hills discussion. There were also references made to the 2023 City Commission election among the comments. After the speakers were finished, and during the discussion by the City Commissioners concerning this matter, Bishop P. Smith stepped to the podium to request that if the sewer extension is provided to the Chulio Hills subdivision, that those homeowners not be required to pay the sewer tap fee that is charged for sewer connections. Commission Askew moved to authorize the City Manager to find the funding to extend the city sewer system to the Chulio Hills subdivision. Commissioner Cochran seconded the motion. City Manager, Rich, requested clarification on where the funding would originate for this expense. Mr. Rich was told that the funding could come from the city taxpayers or the Water and Sewer Fund. A specific cost is not known at this time. There was considerable discussion by the City Commissioners concerning this topic with some commissioners feeling that the City is obligated to extend sewer to this area, while other commissioners feel that this subdivision should be treated like all other subdivisions in the city with the developer or homeowners paying the cost of the sewer extension and tap fees. Commissioner McDaniel questioned why the Chulio Hills subdivision should be treated differently than other areas of Rome and Commissioner Askew stated that these residents have been waiting for 40 years to have sewer and the City promised the sewer service in the past. Commissioner McDaniel asked if the sewer should be extended to the recently annexed trailer park near the old McHenry School. He was told no by Commissioner Askew; the sewer would not be extended to those residents at the City’s expense since no promise had been made. Commissioner McDaniel stated that this is simply an election year issue and that the Chulio Hills subdivision needs to pay the cost for sewer extension just as all other subdivisions have done. Commissioner Doss congratulated the guests on the spirit they have brought to tonight’s 3 meeting. With the discussion concluded, the motion to authorize the extension of sewer services to the Chulio Hills subdivision was defeated by the following vote: Yes – Cochran, Askew and Mayor Stevenson No – Bojo, Doss, Quick and McDaniel Abstained – Beeman and Collins (these commissioners own property in the Chulio Hills subdivision) Commissioner Bojo, Chairman of the Water and Sewer Committee, stated that the last in-house estimate for this project was over four million dollars. He also told the residents that when a current firm price was established, this matter can be discussed at the Water and Sewer Committee and that the Chulio Hills residents would be invited to participate in that Water and Sewer Committee discussion. Rome Middle School – Bonds City Attorney, Andy Davis, explained that the Rome Building Authority met prior to tonight’s City Commission meeting and adopted a resolution to authorize the issuance of up to $120 million in school bonds to be used for the construction of a new Rome Middle School. The Rome Building Authority also approved an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Rome and the Rome Building Authority. Mr. Davis explained that there is a resolution before the Commission tonight that if approved, would authorize the issuance of up to $120 million in school bonds. This resolution would also authorize the execution of an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Rome and the Rome Building Authority and an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Rome and the Rome Board of Education. If this resolution is adopted tonight, the City of Rome will move forward with preparing to issue bonds to borrow this sum of money. The City Commission will be required to take final action for the authorization of the bonds at the October 23 City Commission meeting. At that time, the final numbers will be available, along with specific principal and interest payments. The Rome Board of Education is scheduled to meet on September 12, and they will have the option of approving the intergovernmental agreement between the City of Rome and the Rome Board of Education. Of the $120 million bonds, $103 million of those will be repaid by the City of Rome and $17 million will be repaid with State funding. The 2023 ESPLOST, which was approved by the voters of Rome and Floyd County, authorized approximately $55 million towards the Rome Board of Education. However, the Rome Board of Education has since determined that the cost of the new Rome Middle School will be approximately $120 million. The early estimates for interest repayment for these bonds are in excess of $40 million. Commissioner Collins made the motion to adopt this resolution as explained by City Attorney, Andy Davis, and Commissioner Beeman seconded. There was considerable discussion by the City Commissioners concerning this very important topic. Commissioner McDaniel stated that the 2023 ESPLOST, along with the funding from the State of Georgia allocated approximately $70 million for the Rome Middle School and most citizens considered that more than ample funding for one middle school. It was noted that the plan at this time is for all bond repayment to be provided by the current ESPLOST and three future ESPLOSTs. This repayment would take place over an approximate 20-year period. It was also clarified that if a future ESPLOST 4 were to not occur or fail, the City of Rome taxpayers will still be responsible for the repayment of these bonds with City property taxes being the likely repayment source. There was also discussion regarding a potential new road, or improvements to Three Rivers Drive to provide adequate access to the new Rome Middle School site. A specific question was posed regarding if the cost for the road and other access would be included in the $120 million school bond, however a clear and definitive answer was not given. Commissioner Collins stated that Rome has a good history of passing ESPLOST referendums and that the Rome Board of Education is only interested in providing the best for the Rome school students. Other commissioners also stated that nothing short of the best facility should be provided to the Rome Middle School students. Commissioner Askew stated that there is approximately $20 million planned for the construction of a new Law Enforcement Center if the November 2023 SPLOST referendum is approved. Askew stated that if $20 million could be provided for a Law Enforcement Center, then $120 million could be provided for a new middle school. It was noted that the plan is to move the sixth-grade students from the various Rome elementary schools to the new middle school, thus creating more space at the elementary schools. All City Commissioners seemed to be in agreement with that concept, however there is considerable disagreement regarding how to provide the new middle school. Commissioner Doss pointed out that the project has an approximate $25 million sports wing planned and that the bond referendum will require in excess of $40 million in interest payments. He encouraged the City to not take action at this time and to consider all middle school construction alternatives. Commissioner McDaniel reminded everyone that the voters approved a $70 million middle school, to be paid for with currently approved ESPLOST funding, along with the State supplement and not a $120 million school. The City of Rome and the Rome Board of Education should stay within their budgets and remember their accountability to the property owners. The City Commission is accountable to all of Rome, not just the school system. Mr. Bill Camp was present to comment on the proposed school bonds. Upon being questioned, he stated that the recently constructed middle school in Bartow County was funded with only one ESPLOST referendum. He also stated that while there is a statistically good chance that future ESPLOSTs would be approved by the voters, there is risk involved with this bond issuance. Also addressing the City Commission from the podium was Rome School Superintendent, Dr. Eric Holland. Dr. Holland commented on the recent guest statement regarding Rome test scores being below the County scores. He also expressed the justification for the new building and added that the sports complex also includes the arts. Dr. Holland also made comments regarding the Rome Middle School students deserving the very best. Commissioner Cochran stated that he has talked with several constituents and while he is not happy with the cost of the proposed school bonds, he is conflicted on this matter. He also made comments regarding the current middle school being taken offline and stated that action was taken by the prior school administration. With the discussion concluded, Commissioner Collins’ motion to adopt the resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $120 million in school bonds and the adoption of the two intergovernmental agreements was approved by the following vote: 5 Yes – Cochran, Beeman, Askew, Collins and Mayor Stevenson No – Bojo, Doss, Quick and McDaniel Rezonings – First Reading Secretary Smith reported that the following three rezonings were being placed on first reading. a) Z23-09-01 – Request to rezone from Community Commercial to Neighborhood Office Commercial for the property located at 1145 N. Broad Street, Rome, GA 30161, Floyd County Tax Parcel J13O277. (Planning Commission recommends approval, 9-0) b) Z23-09-03 – Request to rezone from Community Commercial to High Density Traditional Residential for the property located at 1314 E. 2nd Avenue, Rome, GA 30161, Floyd County Tax Parcel J14O164. (Planning Commission recommends approval, 9-0) c) Z23-09-07 – Request to rezone from community Commercial to Urban Mixed Use for the properties located at 840 Turner McCall Blvd. and 715 W. 2nd Street, Rome, GA 30161, Floyd County Tax Parcels J13Y070 and J13Y068. (Planning Commission recommends approval, 9-0) A public hearing on these matters is scheduled for the September 25 City Commission meeting. Water Settlement Agreement – DuPont and Chemour City Attorney, Andy Davis, stated that the City of Rome needs to approve the DuPont and Chemour water settlement agreements related to the PFAS lawsuit. Mr. Davis stated that both DuPont and Chemour have filed court documents to keep the settlement agreement confidential. Commissioner Quick moved to approve and ratify the settlement agreement for DuPont and Chemour as described. Commissioner Bojo seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimously in favor. Rome/Floyd Development Authority Mayor Stevenson announced that the Rome/Floyd Development Authority will meet on Tuesday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m. at 800 Broad Street. Health Board Commissioner Cochran announced that the Health Board Committee will meet on Thursday, September 14 at 12:00 p.m. at the Floyd County Health Department. Keep Rome/Floyd Beautiful Commissioner Beeman announced that the Keep Rome/Floyd Beautiful Commission will meet Thursday, September 28 at 4:00 p.m. at the Floyd County Administration Building. Public Works/Traffic/Transit Committee Commissioner Beeman announced that the Public Works/Traffic/Transit Committee will meet Wednesday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m. in the Sam King Room. Downtown Development Authority 6 Commissioner Quick announced that the Downtown Development Authority will meet Thursday, September 14 at 8:30 a.m. in the Carnegie Training Room. Fire Overview Committee Commissioner Askew announced that the Fire Overview Committee will meet Tuesday, September 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Sam King Room. Public Safety Committee Commissioner Askew announced that the Public Safety Committee will meet Tuesday, September 19 at 2:00 p.m. in the Sam King Room. Logan Boss and Paula Blalock – Historic Preservation Committee Commissioner Collins moved to reappoint Mr. Logan Boss and Ms. Paula Blalock to serve additional terms on the Historic Preservation Committee. Commissioner Cochran seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. Alcohol Control Commission Commissioner McDaniel announced that the Alcohol Control Commission will meet Monday, September 18 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers. Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Commissioner McDaniel announced that the Northwest Regional Commission will meet Thursday, September 21 at 11:00 a.m. at the Rome Civic Center. Rome/Floyd Parks and Recreation Committee Commissioner McDaniel announced that the Rome/Floyd Parks and Recreation Committee will meet Tuesday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m. at the Shorter Avenue headquarters. Adjourn With there being no further business, Mayor Stevenson adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m. Joseph F. Smith City Clerk 7