Town Council Meeting

TYRONE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES March 07, 2024 at 7:00 PM Eric Dial, Mayor Gloria Furr, Mayor Pro Tem, Post 4 Jessica Whelan, Post 1 Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Dia Hunter, Post 2 Dee Baker, Town Clerk Billy Campbell, Post 3 Dennis Davenport, Town Attorney Also present: Sandy Beach, Finance Manager I. CALL TO ORDER II. INVOCATION III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Comments are limited to three (3) minutes. Please state your name & address. Comments that require a response may not be answered during this time. The Council or staff may respond at a later date. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion was made to approve the agenda. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Whelan. VI. CONSENT AGENDA: All matters listed under this item are considered to be routine by the Town Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately. 1. Approval of the February 15, 2024 meeting minutes. 2. Approval to accept the donation and placement (in Veteran’s Park) of a plaque from the Daughters of the Revolution commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States. 3. Approval of the EastGroup Properties, L.P.'s Stormwater Management Operations and Maintenance Agreement (for Greenway Commerce Park) with the Town of Tyrone subject to receipt of missing documents prepared to staff’s satisfaction. 4. Approval of the updated Field and Facilities Use Agreement with Tyrone Lazers Soccer Club for 2024 Town Council Meeting Page 1 of 9 March 07, 2024  A motion was made to approve the consent agenda. Motion made by Council Member Whelan, Seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Hunter. VII. PRESENTATIONS VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS 5. Consideration to approve a text amendment to section 113-190 of Article VII of the Zoning Ordinance regarding conditions for hotels. Phillip Trocquet, Community Development Mr. Trocquet stated that the Town of Tyrone currently allowed hotels as conditional uses in our C-1, C-2, CMU, and TCMU zoning classifications which provided places of public accommodation. Such conditions were aimed at ensuring that hotels were compatible with surrounding uses and would not impede the normal and orderly development of surrounding property. The conditions were also aimed at preventing hotels from becoming transitional residences, which blurred the lines between commercial and high-density residential uses. He stated that the Town wished to promote guest stays that were compatible with the Town’s comprehensive plan, quality standards, tourism goals, and economic development goals. He added that the Town had found that the proposed provisions struck a balance between those goals and the demand from businesses and the community. The provisions were designed to accommodate longer-term business travelers, families in the process of locating a new residence or awaiting a remodel, and similar individuals while also preventing such guests from becoming permanent residents in accommodations meant for temporary stays, which would be inconsistent with Town’s planning, zoning, tourism, and economic development goals. He recommended approval, and shared that the Planning Commission also recommended approval. He shared that staff was recommending striking "l" which read, Guest rooms shall not include facilities for the preparation of food such as an over. This excludes the use of cooktop stoves, mini-fridges, and microwaves. and adding; No hotel under these provisions shall have more than 30% of guestrooms, which have facilities for the preparation of food by guests to include cooktop stoves, ovens, convection ovens, or ranges. This excludes mini- fridges and microwaves. All guestrooms which have such facilities shall have a minimum of four hundred square feet (400 sq.ft.) of floor area. For any such guestrooms designed for occupancy of more than two (2) guests, a minimum, of five hundred and fifty square feet (550 sq.ft.) of floor area shall be required. Mr. Trocquet stated that the verbiage was found in other municipalities in Georgia regarding the quality control of the hotel. He read that Section f. maintained that Hotels shall be required to provide main access to all guest rooms through a lobby of at least one thousand (1,000) square feet. That maintained quality control. Page 2 of 9  He also mentioned limiting the percentage of rooms with ranges, cooktops, ovens, and other such equipment. That would also limit the applicability of long-term stays. Council Member Hunter inquired about the typical room size. Mr. Trocquet stated that it was usually 200-400 square feet. Council Member Whelan mentioned hot plates. Mr. Trocquet stated that they would not be permitted, however, they would be difficult to regulate because they could be plugged in. Mayor Dial shared that they could fall under ranges. Council Member Hunter stated that even if someone brought in a hot plate, they would not be allowed in that particular size room. Mr. Trocquet stated that it was the intent of the ordinance that only 30% of the rooms were designated for cooking-type uses. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone who wished to speak in favor of the item. No one spoke. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone who wished to speak in opposition to the item. No one spoke. A motion was made to approve the text amendment to section 113-190 of Article VII of the Zoning Ordinance regarding conditions for hotels. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 6. Consideration to approve a text amendment to section 113-2 of Article I of the Zoning Ordinance to remove a definition for "extended-stay hotels." Phillip Trocquet, Community Development Mr. Trocquet reminded everyone of Council's request for revisions to the definitions section for hotels for more clarity. He added that staff concluded that since "extended- stay hotels" were included in the definitions of "hotels", and both had the same conditions, the definition for "extended-stay hotels" should be removed because it was no longer applicable. He added that staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone in favor of the item. No one spoke. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone who wished to speak in opposition to the item. No one spoke. A motion was made to approve the text amendment to section 113-2 of Article I of the Zoning Ordinance to remove the definition of extended-stay hotels. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Yea: Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan. Page 3 of 9  7. Consideration to approve a text amendment to section 113-211 of Article VII of the Zoning Ordinance regarding off-street automobile parking requirements. Mr. Trocquet requested that the item be tabled to the March 21, 2024 Council meeting. A motion was made to table the text amendment to section 113-211 of Article VII of the Zoning Ordinance regarding off-street automobile parking requirements to the March 21, 2024 Council meeting. Motion made by Council Member Hunter, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr. IX. OLD BUSINESS X. NEW BUSINESS 8. Consideration to award project PW-2024-20, the 2024 Generator Replacement Pump Station 2 project to Southern Power Systems, Incorporated. - Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director Mr. Langford explained that the pump station project included a generator for backup for Coweta County if EMC’s power was interrupted. He added that the current generator had 1700 hours and was approximately 24 years old; therefore, the Town was replacing the generator at Pump Station 2. He stated that the project was advertised, and bids were received by the Town’s Public Works Department on February 22, 2024. The low responsive and responsible bid was $51,612.00 by Southern Power Systems, Inc. He recommended approval. He stated that funding would come from the Sewer Enterprise Fund and it came in under budget. He stated the fund, 505-43-54.2001. A motion was made to award project PW-2024-20, the 2024 Generator Replacement Pump Station 2 project and for Mayor Dial to execute the agreement to Southern Power Systems, Inc. for $51,612. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 9. Consideration to begin Land Acquisition for the 2023 SPLOST project 2024 Laurelwood Connector Multi-Use Path PW-2024-06 - Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director He shared that the Town procured architectural and engineering services from Keck & Wood on September 7, 2023, and the design was nearing completion (90% design). He stated that to finish the design, land acquisition needed to be completed for additional right-of-way and temporary construction easements. The areas were 5,840.41 sq. ft. (0.134 ac) for temporary easements, 1620.85 sq. ft. (0.037 ac) for driveway easement, and 31.5 sq. ft. (0.0007 ac) of fee simple right-of-way. Page 4 of 9  He stated that funding would come from the 2023 SPLOST Fund, line number 322-49- 54.1406. He recommended approval. A motion was made to approve the commencement of the land acquisition on the 2023 SPLOST project PW-2024-06, the 2024 Laurelwood Connector Multi-Use Path. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Yea: Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan. 10. Consideration to expand sewer from St. Stephens Court to 1130 Senoia Road. Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director Mr. Langford stated that the Town was approached by a property owner with a request to expand the sewer from the existing manhole at the intersection of St. Stephens Court and Barons Court to 1130 Senoia Road. The sewer main would run from St. Stephens Court along Barons Court approximately 210 LF to a new manhole on the west side of Senoia Road right-of-way, then approximately 600 LF south along the west side of Senoia Road right-of-way to 1130/1134 Senoia Road. He stated that all sewer lines outside of the right-of-way at 1130/1134 Senoia Road would be privately owned. The flow from the two properties was currently estimated at 2,440 gallons per day current average daily flow and 3,180 gallons per day future average daily flow. The new system would remove failing septic tanks from the owner’s property and that a dentist’s office wished to expand. Mr. Langford stated that the expansion funding would come strictly from the developer, however, the future maintenance would be on the Town for the dedicated sewer mains and laterals within the Town’s right-of-way. He added that the expansion was reasonable and also moved it down toward the manhole at the Legacy Theatre center. He asked for Council’s input. Council Member Campbell asked if the Town had settled with Fairburn. Mr. Perkins shared that the Town had not, however, we did have the capacity. Council Member Campbell shared his concerns with the potential of other businesses wanting to tie on in the area, including the Legacy Theatre. Mr. Langford stated that The Legacy Theatre was on the Millbrook system. Council Member Campbell clarified that the owners would pay for the tie-in. Council Member Hunter clarified that maintenance would fall on the Town and that it was gravity-fed with no need for a pumpstation. Mr. Langford agreed. Mayor Dial clarified what Mr. Langford stated that the line would lead toward Town- owned property. Council Member Campbell asked if their sewer fees would pay for the maintenance cost. Mr. Langford assured Council that the sewer was set up for maintenance fees to cover the operational costs. Another potential development on Barons Ct. could tie into the sewer in either direction, as more tie in, more fees would be collected. Page 5 of 9  Council Member Campbell shared again his hesitancy with expanding the sewer. He added that there were currently many Public Works projects going on and shared his concerns about cost and time. Mr. Langford stated that all costs for the construction and tie in would fall on the developer, the Town would only inspect when necessary. Mr. Perkins addressed that the Town did have many projects but that they were manageable. That project would not be a heavy lift for staff. In his 25 years, there have always been projects being conducted, we are a growing community. Council Member Campbell stated that once Council allowed that tie in, more would want to be added, how far do we go? Mr. Perkins stated that when they approached him, he wanted to make sure the capacity was available, and the flow number was low which it was. Council Member Hunter asked, if the Town were to create that project, how long would it take and what would be the cost. He also asked how much money was the Town saving by them moving the line down. Mr. Langford stated that including architectural design, engineering review, Council approval, bid process, and land acquisition, it would be eight months before the ground-breaking. If he were to estimate the cost it would be hundreds of thousands of dollars. A motion was made to approve the sewer expansion from St. Stephens Ct. to 1130 Senoia Road. Motion made by Council Member Hunter, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr. 11. Consideration to approve appointment of Mr. Brad Matheny to the Town of Tyrone Planning Commission Post 2. Mayor Eric Dial A motion was made to reappoint Mr. Brad Matheny to the Tyrone Planning Commission Post 2. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 12. Consideration to appoint Mrs. Jeni Mount to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Phillip Trocquet, Community Development A motion was made to reappoint Mrs. Jeni Mount to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 13. Consideration to appoint Mr. Adam She to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Phillip Trocquet, Community Development Page 6 of 9  A motion was made to reappoint Mr. Adam She to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Motion made by Council Member Whelan, Seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Hunter. 14. Consideration to appoint Mr. Ernie Johnson to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Phillip Trocquet, Community Development A motion was made to reappoint Mr. Ernie Johnson to the Town of Tyrone Downtown Development Authority. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. XI. PUBLIC COMMENTS: The second public comment period is for any issue. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes. Please state your name & address. Comments that require a response may not be answered during this time. The Council or staff may respond at a later date. Ms. Merrion Crawford who lives on Chadmore Lane asked if there was still the possibility of a hotel coming near the Southampton subdivision. Mayor Dial clarified that public comments were for comments, not questions but that he would be happy to meet with her after the meeting to discuss her question. XII. STAFF COMMENTS Chief Mundy informed everyone that police candidate, Kyle Jones would be graduating from the academy soon and he would bring him to a Council meeting to meet everyone. He added that there was one more opening to be filled. Mr. Perkins shared his staff updates for Council. He stated that regarding the tire dump off Lloyd Avenue, he did get in touch with the property owner and he filed a police report. Mr. Perkins also gave the property owner the contact for the Environmental Protection Division (EPD). It was now in their hands. He stated that the Town could not clean up the property, we need to allow the process to work. He would check back with the property owner in a week. If the EPD could help the owner, then it becomes a code enforcement issue. Mr. Perkins reminded everyone of the Annual Budget Planning Workshop that was on March 26th at 9 a.m. He stated that staff was preparing and added that the meeting’s purpose was to review accomplishments and high-level purchases for the year to come. He added that the ClearGov implementation was almost complete. Staff had a quick lesson on how simple it was to enter items and there would be more training soon. Mr. Perkins announced that a new complete draft of the employee handbook was almost finished. The last baseline adoption was in 2018 and a comprehensive revision was in 2010. Page 7 of 9 The following steps would be for HR and legal to review, then a workshop with Council before a final vote. The revision should last another fifteen or more years. He announced that Kinjal Kadakia was beginning on Monday as the Accounting Specialist. He shared that Safebuilt’s Kim Graham would be starting soon for code enforcement. She would be coming into our office on Thursdays and Fridays. She would begin on stale complaints first; he added that staff had high hopes. He updated Council on the police department’s February statistics. There were five Part 1 crimes, and four Part 2. There were five arrests and 197 traffic stops. He also shared that the Arrowood/Spencer/Palmetto Roads roundabout was still in the property acquisition phase. He shared that the Senoia Road streetscape project document was under legal review. Council Member Whelan inquired about the land acquisition at the Highway 74 ramp site for the multi-use path. Mr. Trocquet explained that the Town was in negotiations with the property owner and that they hoped to make progress soon. Mr. Langford gave a shout-out to Environmental Specialist Devon Boullion. She was recently elected as the Chairperson of the Flint (River) Basin Advisory Council (BAC) we are all very proud of her. He also announced that March 14th was National Pi Day (3.14) so enjoy some pie or pizza. Mr. Trocquet stated that the last Shamrock Park Steering Committee meeting would be on March 14th, and the final design would come to Council after their approval. He added that progress had been made on the Downtown LCI and asked if any Council Member wished to serve on that committee, no one volunteered. He stated that most members were either property or business owners along Senoia Road or downtown residents. He named the members: Barry Fleming of Complete Hardware, Edgar Townsel of Townsel Heating & Air, A’Leah Burrell business owner of Lea Bee Creations, Jennifer Yarbrough who owns the Funky Shack, Mrs. Linda Howard former Councilwoman and downtown resident, Shayla Reed who lives in Southampton but who also was the Community Director for the City of Douglasville, Daniel and Odette Stone who live on the corner of Laurelwood/Briarwood, Christa and Joram Kiggungu who were residents of Southampton, Sheri Castaneda who owns Kakao Café, and Jeni Mount who was a current Downtown Development Authority (DDA) member and lives on Senoia Road. He added that staff was going to add a Planning Commissioner and hopefully a Council Member to the committee. Council Member Hunter asked to add members that leased business property also, he gave the example of the post office property. Mr. Trocquet clarified that Ms. Yarbrough and Ms. Burrell did not own their business properties. Mr. Perkins was proud to announced that Mr. Trocquet had been nominated for a position on the board of the Georgia Association of Zoning Administrators which was a big deal. It was a way to serve the Town and to also serve that association of professionals. Page 8 of 9  Council Member Hunter added that Mr. Trocquet was also graduating in May as a Certified Public Manager. Mr. XIII. COUNCIL COMMENTS Council Member Whelan noted that on the agenda was the recognition of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States. She proposed that the Town plan something spectacular for the Town in 2026 for that purpose, all agreed. Mayor Dial and Council wished Council Member Campbell a Happy Birthday. Mayor Dial recognized Fayette County Fire, EMS, E-911, and Fayette County Water System. He stated that they were recognized with an Insurance Services Office, ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade of number 1 out of 10, which was an outstanding grade, we are very proud of our first responders. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION XV. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made to adjourn. Motion made by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. The meeting adjourned at 7:52 pm. By: Attest: Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Page 9 of 9