City Commission

ROME CITY COMMISSION Monday, March 10, 2025 The Rome City Commission met at 6:35 p.m. this date in the City Commission Chambers of City Hall, 601 Broad Street. Mayor McDaniel was present along with Mayor Pro Tem Bojo and Commissioners Brock, Cochran, Beeman, Doss, Collins, and Robinson. Commissioner Quick was absent and excused. Commissioner Beeman opened the meeting with prayer and led in the salute to the flag. Minutes – February 24, 2025 The Minutes of the February 24, 2025, meeting, as submitted in writing by the Secretary, were approved by unanimous consent. Good Neighbors Ministries – 35th Anniversary Commissioner Beeman presented a City of Rome proclamation recognizing the 35th anniversary of Good Neighbors Ministries in Rome. Good Neighbors Ministries is known for serving those in need by providing crucial financial assistance to ensure housing stability, utility services, access to medication, and to obtain necessary work attire. There were five ladies present tonight representing Good Neighbors Ministries to receive this proclamation. Ms. Pam Clark briefly addressed the Commission thanking them for this recognition. Rome Police Department – Officers Banks and Cas Rome Police Chief Denise Downer – McKinney was present along with Assistant Police Chief Rodney Bailey and Majors Rusty Blair and Mark Tison. Chief Downer – McKinney introduced Officer Anthony Banks and spoke regarding Officer Banks background. Officer Banks is a K9 officer with the City of Rome and was present along with new K9 Officer Cas. Cas is a one and a half year old Belgium Malinois and is described as a dual purpose dog who is trained in drug detection, the location of individuals, and suspect apprehension. Rome Police Sergeant Josh Glover also spoke regarding the acquisition and training of K9 officers. The Rome Police Department currently has two K9 officers and these service dogs typically have an eight year career. Rezonings – First Reading Rome/Floyd Planning Director Brice Wood introduced the following two rezonings: a) Z25-03-02 – Request to rezone from Community Commercial to Suburban Residential for the property at 1 Westlyn Drive, Rome, GA 30165; Floyd Country Tax Parcel H13X316. (Planning Commission recommends approval, 8–0). b) Z25-03-05 – Request to rezone from High Density Residential to Light Industrial for the property at Hull Avenue and 1908 Hull Avenue, Rome, GA 30161; Floyd County Tax Parcels J15X095 and J15X096. (Planning Commission denied, 8–0). These items are being placed on First Reading with a public hearing planned for the March 24th City Commission meeting. 1 Health Board Mayor McDaniel announced that the Health Board will meet on Thursday, March 13th at noon at the Floyd County Health Department. Rome/Floyd Development Authority Mayor McDaniel announced that the Rome/Floyd Development Authority will meet on Tuesday, March 18th at 9:00 a.m. at the Manis Business Center (800 Broad Street). Executive Session Mayor McDaniel announced that an Executive Session was held prior to the beginning of tonight’s meeting on the motion of Commissioner Bojo, second of Commissioner Robinson and a unanimous vote, two real estate matters were discussed. There will be a motion made tonight regarding one real estate matter. No action was taken on the second real estate matter. Commission Collins moved to exit Executive Session, Commissioner Bojo seconded, and the vote was unanimously in favor. Riverside Parkway Property – Condemnation Proceedings Commission Bojo moved to authorize the City Manager to move forward with pre-condemnation proceedings for the property located at the intersection of Riverside Parkway and Riverside Industrial Park for the potential purpose of acquiring land for a future police department. Commissioner Robinson seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimously in favor. Fire Overview Commissioner Bojo announced that the Fire Overview Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 11th at 10:30 a.m. in the Sam King Room. Water and Sewer Committee Commissioner Bojo announced that the Water and Sewer Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 12th at 2:00 p.m. in the Sam King Room. Public Safety Committee Commissioner Brock announced that the Public Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the Sam King Room. Transportation Policy Committee Commissioner Brock announced that the Transportation Policy Committee will meet on Thursday, March 19th at 10:00 a.m. in the Carnegie Training Room. Historic Preservation Committee Commissioner Cochran announced that the Historic Preservation Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 19th at 2:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. Northwest Georgia Housing Authority – Ronnie Wallace Commissioner Doss announced that the Committee on Committees had met earlier today, and he is nominating Mr. Ronnie Wallace to serve on the Housing Authority of Northwest Georgia. A vote on Mr. Wallace’s nomination will take place at the March 24th City Commission meeting. 2 Committee Vacancies Commissioners Collins and Doss announced that the City of Rome encourages interested citizens to apply for vacancies on city and county committees. There are upcoming vacancies on the Parks and Recreation Committee. The Committee on Committees will meet next on March 24, 2025. Public Works/Traffic/Transit and Trails Committee Commissioner Quick announced that the Public Works/Traffic/Transit and Trails Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 12th at 10:00 a.m. in the Sam King Room. Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Commissioner Collins announced that the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will meet on Thursday, March 20th at 11:00 a.m. at the Rome Civic Center. Rome/Floyd Parks and Recreation Commissioner Collins announced that there will be a joint City/County Commission and Parks and Recreation meeting on Thursday, March 13th at 11:00 a.m. at the Fire Training Room, 409 E 12th Street. The Rome/Floyd Parks and Recreation Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 18th at noon at a location to be determined. Alcohol Control Commission Commissioner Robinson announced that the Alcohol Control Commission will meet on Monday, March 17th at 5:00 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers. Downtown Development Authority Commissioner Robinson announced that the Downtown Development Authority will meet on Thursday, March 13th at 8:30 a.m. in the Carnegie Training Room. Adjourn With there being no further business, Mayor McDaniel adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Joseph F. Smith City Clerk 3