Mayor and City Council Regular Session

Mayor and City Council Regular Session Minutes Tuesday, May 06, 2025 at 6:30 PM City Hall, 875 Main Street, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 Minutes 1 Mayor and Council: Dr. Beverly Jones – Mayor | Post 3 :Mayor Pro Tem Ryan Smith 2 Post 1: Council Member Anita Bass | Post 2: Council Member Mark Marianos 3 Post 4: Council Member Gil Freeman | Post 5: Council Member Shawnette Bryant 4 Post 6: Council Member Teresa Crowe 5 6 Staff: Shawn Edmondson - City Manager| Maggie Dimov - Assistant City Manager - 7 DDA/Economic Development Director | Shavala Ames City Clerk | Jeff Strickland - City Attorney 8 9 I. Call to Order 10 Mayor Jones called the meeting to order at 6:37 P.M. 11 12 II. Determination of Quorum 13 PRESENT: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, Mayor 14 Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 15 Shawnette Bryant, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe, Mayor Beverly Jones 16 17 III. Invocation and Pledge 18 Mayor Beverly Jones led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the invocation. 19 20 IV. Citizen Comments – Including comments from public/stakeholders 21 22 Citizen Comment 1: Kay Nunez - Complimented the flow of the DDA Meeting; Great 23 ambassadors to the city - AARF and Village Forward; Do not support defacing of the City 24 Cemetery; Emphasized how beautiful the city is. 25 26 Citizen Comment 2: Joan Monroe - Explained how she reported the issues of the bathroom; 27 VFW Park not been repaired so why is contractor paid, records hidden and wants an audit - not 28 handicap accessible, decay on toilet seats; McCurdy Park loose tiles on gym and restrooms flood; 29 Water fountain leaking at Leila Mason; Recommendations brought forward are denied; Citizens are 30 lied to and swindled. 31 32 Citizen Comment 3: Dave Thomas – Recognized DDA for commissioning MTAP project 33 completed and Council Members; Deterioration of Main St. and downtown; MTAP have been 34 daunting to fix issues. 35 36 Citizen Comment 4: B. Patterson – Expressed when citizen’s comment nothing is done in the 72 37 hours; There is a section where citizen comments should go and be updated – The City is not 38 following their own rules; Incident at the last meeting was terrible; Speak into mic, the system is 39 jacked up; Council needs to work as a team and communicate. 40 Page 1 of 8 41 Citizen Comment 5: Cheryl Dudley - The trip to Italy provided valuable insight into ideas and 42 practices that could benefit the City; There may be disagreements regarding certain 43 aspects of the cemetery, do not agree with destruction. 44 45 V. Review of the Journal (City Clerk) 46 47 1. Consideration of an action on a request to approve City Council Minutes for March 18, 2025, 48 requested by City Clerk Shavala Ames 49 50 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE MARCH 18, 2025, CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 51 Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Seconded by Council Member: Post 1 52 Anita Bass 53 54 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 55 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 56 57 Voting Nay: Council Member: 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 58 59 MOTION PASSED 60 61 2. Consideration of an action on a request to approve City Council Special Called Minutes for April 1, 62 2025, requested by City Clerk Shavala Ames 63 64 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE APRIL 1, 2025, SPECIAL CALLED MEETING CITY 65 COUNCIL MINUTES 66 Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Seconded by Council Member: Post 2 67 Mark Marianos 68 69 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 70 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 3 Teresa Crowe 71 72 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4: Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5: Shawnette Bryant 73 74 MOTION PASSED 75 76 3. Consideration of an action on a request to approve City Council Regular Minutes for April 1, 2025, 77 requested by City Clerk Shavala Ames 78 79 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE APRIL 1, 2025, CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 80 Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Seconded by Council Member: Post 2 81 Mark Marianos 82 83 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 84 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 85 86 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 87 88 MOTION PASSED 89 90 VII. Adoption of The Agenda of The Day 91 Page 2 of 8  92 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA OF THE DAY WITH ADDITIONS: 93 RESOLUTION 2025-12: MILLAGE RATE DETERMINATION, AND RESOLUTION 2025-14: 94 BANKING ACCOUNT 95 Motion made by Council Member: Post 6 Crowe, Seconded by Council Member: Post 6 96 Marianos 97 98 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 6 Mark Marianos, 99 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Crowe 100 101 Voting No: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 102 103 MOTION PASSED 104 105 VIII. City Manager’s Report 106 107 City Manager, Shawn Edmondson, gave an overview of the handout of the City Manager’s report. 108 Imani Graves, Police Records, was announced as the April Employee of the Month. 109 110 IX. Council Policy Discussion Topics 111 112 X. Unfinished Business 113 114 1. Consideration of an action on a request to approve an Ordinance Revision Task Force, requested 115 by Council Member Anita Bass 116 117 Council Member Bass highlighted the outdated nature of the City's ordinances and shared 118 research she had conducted on the matter. She noted that the University of Georgia's Continuing 119 Education program offers an opportunity through which students undertake projects focused on 120 updating municipal ordinances, at no cost to participating cities. Council Member Bass presented 121 this initiative to the Council for consideration and to seek further input on whether to pursue the 122 program. There was a general consensus among Council members to proceed with additional 123 research into the feasibility and benefits of the proposed partnership. 124 125 2. Consideration of an action on request to approve to purchase items for the concert series, 126 requested by Assistant City Manager/Economic Development Director Maggie Dimov 127 128 City Manager Edmondson outlined the advantages of purchasing and owning the equipment rather 129 than continuing to rent it, emphasizing the long-term cost savings and convenience. Council 130 members raised questions and expressed concerns regarding the implications of ownership, 131 particularly related to storage logistics and associated expenses. It was confirmed that the 132 acquired equipment will be made available for use as part of facility rentals upon request. 133 134 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE PURCHASE ITEMS FOR THE CONCERT SERIES 135 Motion made by Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, Seconded by Council Member: 1 136 Anita Bass 137 138 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 6 Mark Marianos, 139 Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 140 141 Voting No: Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3: Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 142 143 MOTION PASSED 144 145 XI. New Business Page 3 of 8 146 147 1. Consideration of an action on a request to accept bid proposal from A&S Paving for 2025 SPLOST 148 II in the amount of $753,247.50, requested by City Manager Shawn Edmondson 149 150 City Manager Edmondson provided additional details regarding the previously discussed bid 151 process, noting that seven initial bidders were evaluated and narrowed down to three finalists, with 152 A&S Paving ultimately selected for the project. Council members acknowledged A&S Paving’s past 153 work, specifically highlighting the company’s efforts to correct previous paving issues on Main 154 Street. 155 156 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE BID PROPOSAL FROM A&S PAVING FOR 2025 SPLOST 157 II IN THE AMOUNT OF $753,247.50 158 Motion made by Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Seconded by Council Member: Post 2 159 Mark Marianos 160 161 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 162 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 163 164 Voting No: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 165 166 MOTION PASSED 167 168 2. Consideration of an action on a request to approve the Public Hearing Dates for the Millage Rate, 169 requested by City Clerk Shavala Ames 170 171 City Clerk Shavala Ames presented the proposed Millage Rate Public Hearing dates on behalf of 172 the Finance team to be scheduled May 20, 2025 June 3, 2025, and June 17, 2025 at 6:30 P.M. 173 174 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE THE PUBLIC HEARING DATES FOR THE MILLAGE 175 RATE 176 Motion made by Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos; Seconded by Council Member: Post 1 177 Anita Bass 178 179 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 180 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: 181 Post 5 Shawnette Bryant, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 182 183 MOTION PASSED (UNANIMOUSLY) 184 185 XII. New Ordinances and Resolutions 186 1. Ordinance No. 2025-02 - Council's Interference with Administration 187 188 Attorney Strickland explained the ordinance and how it has been in previous meetings, but this will 189 be the first read of the ordinance, and it will come back at another for a second read. 190 191 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NO. 2025-02 192 Motion made by Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe, Seconded by Council Member: Post 193 Mark Marianos 194 195 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 196 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 197 198 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 199 Page 4 of 8 200 MOTION PASSED 201 202 Ordinance No. 2025-03: Ordinance to Establish Regulations Governing Special Events and 203 Permits, requested by Assistant City Manager &DDA Director Maggie Dimov 204 City Manager Edmondson explained that this was the ordinance’s first reading and that it would be 205 presented again for a second reading at a future meeting. 206 207 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NO. 2025-03 208 Motion made by Council Member: Post 1 Bass, Seconded by Council Member: Post 2 Marianos 209 210 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 211 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: 212 Post 6 Teresa Crowe 213 214 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 215 216 MOTION PASSED 217 218 3. Resolution No. 2025-10: Resolution to Set Permit Fees for Special Events, requested by Assistant 219 City Manager & DDA Director Maggie Dimov 220 221 City Manager Edmondson provided an overview of the proposed resolution, outlining its anticipated 222 benefits to the City. He noted that the resolution will be brought forward for formal consideration 223 following the approval of the Special Events Ordinance. 224 225 4. Resolution No. 2025-13: Open Container for City Events 226 227 City Manager Edmondson explained that the adoption of this resolution would provide coverage 228 and clear guidelines for City-sponsored events. 229 230 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NO. 2025-13 231 Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Seconded Council Member: Post 2 232 Mark Marianos 233 234 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 235 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member Gil Freeman, Council Member Teresa 236 Crowe 237 238 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 239 240 MOTION PASSED 241 242 5. Resolution 2025-12: Millage Rate 243 244 City Manager Edmondson explained that the resolution needs to be approved as soon as possible 245 in order to meet the May 12, 2025, deadline for submission to DeKalb County. The purpose of the 246 resolution is to notify the County of the City’s proposed millage rate; however, this does not 247 represent the final rate to be adopted by the City. Additionally, the upcoming public hearing will 248 provide an opportunity for discussion on the research conducted regarding the impacts of inflation. 249 250 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION NO. 2025-12 251 Motion made by Council Member: Post 2 Marianos, Seconded by Council Member: Post 1 Anita 252 Bass 253 Page 5 of 8 254 Voting Yea: Council Member Anita Bass, Council Member Mark Marianos Mayor Pro Tem 255 Ryan Smith, Council Member Gil Freeman, Council Member Teresa Crowe 256 257 Voting Nay: Council Member Shawnette Bryant, Council Member Gil Freeman 258 259 MOTION PASSED 260 261 6. Resolution 2025-14: Bank Account 262 City Manager Edmondson explained resolution being proposed. 263 264 Members of the governing body raised the issue of the allegation of the Mayor removing signatures 265 from the City’s bank account. In response, the Mayor explained that she had been contacted by 266 Truist Bank regarding former employees who still had access to the account, prompting her to take 267 action. It was stated the Mayor did not have the authority to make such changes unilaterally. 268 269 City Manager Edmondson clarified that upon assuming the role of Interim City Manager, his first 270 priority was to revoke all access to the City’s financial accounts held by the former City Manager. 271 He further explained the bank’s procedure for updating signature cards, noting that the updated 272 documents were sent to the Mayor, who reviewed and approved them. He also confirmed the 273 existence of supporting email correspondence documenting this process. 274 275 City Manager Edmondson was repeatedly asked to clarify how the removal of signatures impacted 276 payroll, given that signatories were not required to transfer payroll funds. He confirmed that the 277 changes primarily affected insurance-related transactions connected to payroll. 278 279 Mayor Jones clarified that she did not personally remove anyone from the City’s bank accounts. It 280 was emphasized that maintaining checks and balances is essential, and that no elected official 281 should independently conduct business directly with the City's bank. City Attorney Strickland 282 confirmed that such actions are not appropriate and should not occur. 283 284 City Manager Edmondson clarified that he has never been listed on the signature card. As the 285 discussion continued, the Mayor characterized the matter as a “witch hunt.” Despite ongoing 286 dialogue among the governing body, no consensus was reached regarding the merits or faults of 287 the situation. 288 289 The Mayor stated she had been informed that the City Manager planned to contact the media 290 regarding the banking accounts. The City Manager denied this allegation. 291 292 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT A RESOLUTION TO 293 REMOVE THE MAYOR FROM ANY FINANCIAL RESPONDSIBILITIES PENDING 294 FURTHER INQUIRY 295 Motion made by Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, Seconded by Council Member: Post 1 296 Anita Bass 297 298 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 299 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 300 301 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 302 303 MOTION PASSED 304 305 ACTION: MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 2025-14 BANKING ACCOUNTS 306 Motion made by Council Member Post 2 Mark Marianos, Seconded by Council Member Post 1 307 Anita Bass Page 6 of 8 308 309 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Anita Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Mark Marianos, 310 Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Council Member: Post 6 Teresa Crowe 311 312 Voting Nay: Council Member: Post 4 Gil Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Shawnette Bryant 313 314 MOTION PASSED 315 316 XIII. Remarks of Privilege 317 318 1. Discussion: DDA Discussion, requested by Council Member Gil Freeman 319 320 Council Member Gil Freeman mentioned expectations of the DDA, glad the city is making changes, 321 including the transparency. 322 323 2. Discussion: 1-hour parking or (2) signs for 30-minutes, requested by Council Member Teresa 324 Crowe 325 326 Council Member Crowe suggested that implementing time-limited parking signage, such as 30- 327 minute or 1-hour limits, could serve as a helpful measure to support local businesses. Chief 328 Westerfield noted that effective enforcement would require a formal ordinance or resolution to 329 allow for citations of violations. It was recommended that the community be surveyed to gather 330 input on the proposal. Attorney Strickland added that, if the initiative moves forward, the City could 331 direct the Public Works Department to install the appropriate signage. It was further suggested that 332 staff conduct additional research on the matter and bring it back for future discussion. 333 334 3. Discussion: Decorum, requested by Council Member Shawnette Bryant 335 336 Council Member Bryant expressed that extending meetings beyond the established 10:00 P.M. 337 adjournment time is neither fair nor consistent. Adhering to the agreed-upon rules is essential, and 338 those rules should not be altered to accommodate specific agenda items or benefit any individual 339 elected official 340 341 XIV. Announcements by The Mayor 342 Mayor Jones announced the Health Fair happening Saturday, May 10th from 10 AM – 2 PM. 343 Council Member Freeman noted a design day at Medlock Park for the Kaboom playground build. 344 345 XV. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel, Legal, Cyber Security and/or Real Estate (if 346 needed) – NO EXECUTIVE SESSION 347 348 XVI. Adjournment 349 350 ACTION: MOTION TO ADJOURN MEETING AT 10:01 P.M. 351 Motion made by Mayor Pro Tem: Post 3 Ryan Smith, Seconded by Council Member: Post 3 352 Shawnette Bryant 353 354 Voting Yea: Council Member: Post 1 Bass, Council Member: Post 2 Marianos, Mayor Pro Tem: 355 Post 3 Smith, Council Member: Post 4 Freeman, Council Member: Post 5 Bryant, Council Member: 356 Post 6 Crowe 357 358 MOTION PASSED (UNANIMOUSLY) 359 360 361 Page 7 of 8 362 363 364 365 _______________________________ ________________________________ 366 Dr. Beverly Jones, Mayor City Clerk, Shavala Ames 367 368 Page 8 of 8