Town Council Meeting

TYRONE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES June 06, 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: April Spradlin, Court Clerk Sandy Beach, Finance/HR Mananger Randy Mundy, Police Cheif 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. Mr. Steve Gulas, who lives in Fayetteville, addressed Council regarding a previous Certificate of Appropriateness for an extended-stay hotel. He shared that his team started from scratch due to the three-story and 70% of type A materials required according to the Town’s ordinance which had changed. He then read the emailed statement to Council regarding hot plates and microwaves. I view microwaves, mobile plug in hot plates, mobile toasters all in the same category. I don’t view them as cooking facilities. Built in cooktop stoves/ranges and ovens are all cooking facilities that I understand to now be regulated in the ordinance as they are fixed in place appliances that cannot be mobile. I cook potatoes and ground beef in my microwave and it is not considered a cooking facility by the town. I cook instant Mac and cheese pasta for the kids in my microwave making hard pasta into to soft noodles. Cooking facilities are things you can’t walk out of the hotel room. That’s the litmus test. Therefore microwaves and hot plates are not considered cooking facilities, especially since cooking facilities like ranges and ovens are installed into the cabinetry. In 2023 there was so much discussion about plug in hot plates in the hearings that if the council considered hot plates as only being allowed in 30% of the guest rooms they would have written that in one of the three hotel ordinances that were written following each of our certificate of appropriateness applications. Town Council Meeting Page 1 of 7 June 06, 2024  If council wanted mobile hot plates only in large 400 to 500 sf one bedroom/two bedroom size units then the council would have stated hot plates are not allowed in regular guest rooms. The new ordinance makes it clear that moving forward cooktop stoves and ranges can’t be in 70% of the guest rooms but it does not state hot plates can’t be in those guest rooms. The problem throughout this process since last year has been the town’s use of the certificate of appropriateness as a prescreening of the proposed use and determining the if the use is appropriate even when zoned correctly, and then making ordinances as a reaction to the submittal. For example at Nov 2nd council hearing the town council said we can keep the built in cooktops we always planned if we just provide a newly introduced 100 ft buffer in front of the green belt, then we submitted Dec 20th and then waited 45 days for review, then we were moved off the March 7th hearing and later denied. Mr. Gulas’s time was up. Mayor Dial shared that staff would meet with him after the meeting if he chose to. 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 Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 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 meeting minutes from May 15, 2024, and May 16, 2024. 2. Approval of the use of Shamrock Park from the Open Prayer group on June 9th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the event is open to the public. 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 Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. VII. PRESENTATIONS 3. Presentation of a proclamation to Court Clerk April Spradlin in recognition of June 10 - 14, 2024 as Municipal Court Clerks' Week. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Page 2 of 7  Mr. Perkins stated that the week of June 10th through the 14th was Court Clerk week. He read the proclamation and thanked Court Clerk April Spradlin and Public Safety Officer, Lindsey King for their service. He added that with his experience, a lot happened behind the scenes that the public did not see. The Clerks had to deal with the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), which dealt with many open record requests and assisted the Police Department with vital information. He thanked both ladies for their diligence and hard work. VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS 4. Public Hearing for the consideration of an Alcohol License application from Alexandra She for She Sales, LLC d/b/a She Craft Co., located at 929 Senoia Rd. for retail consumption of beer and wine. Dee Baker, Town Clerk Ms. Baker shared that Ms. She submitted all the required information, the legal staff reviewed the application, and the public hearing was advertised. Ms. She was requesting a license to serve beer and wine and her assistant Ms. Miller was in attendance to answer any questions. 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 oppose the item. No one spoke. A motion was made to approve the alcohol license for She Sales, LLC/She Craft Co. located at 929 Senoia Rd. for retail consumption of beer and wine. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 5. Consideration to approve the transmittal of a draft Capital Improvement Element Amendment to the Atlanta Regional Commission for Regional and State review. Philip Trocquet, Community Development Mr. Trocquet informed Council that Fayette County was working on updating its Fire Impact Fee Ordinance, which originated in 2002, and also its Capital Improvement project list. He added that the process needed to go through a similar process as in the Spring to eventually send it to the ARC for approval. 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 oppose the item. No one spoke. Page 3 of 7  A motion was made to approve the transmittal of a draft Capital Improvement Element Amendment to the Atlanta Regional Commission for Regional and State review. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, seconded by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 6. FY 2024/2025 Town Budget Public Hearing - Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins explained that tonight was the public hearing for the 2024/2025 Town budget. He added that there were two previous workshops, one in March and one in May. Adjustments were made based on Council’s input. Mr. Perkins stated that the proposed General Fund operating budget was $11,899,237.11 which was a 32.2% decrease from the current approved budget of $17.5 million. Balancing the proposed budget included the use of $4, 469,998.78 from surplus funds, which was a 52.15% decrease from the current budget. Mr. Perkins noted that the proposed budget included a 4% employee pay increase. He stated that adjustments were made to the Technical Services line regarding the new accounting practices requirements. All subscription-based software now had its own line titled, Subscription Based IT Agreements (SBITA). He shared that funds were added to the SBITA line to include Office 365 for all staff, elected officials, and planning commissioners. That transition would begin in July. Mr. Perkins stated that 15% was added to medical and dental for the anticipated increase. He reminded Council that $7,140.00 was added to the Public Safety and Public Safety Administrative budget to cover the officer’s participation in the Peace Officer’s Annuity and Benefit (POAB) fund. He stated that the surplus funding used to balance the General Fund also included funding for several projects for the current fiscal year that had not been completed, including projects funded with Assigned Funds (ARPA). Mr. Perkins stated that the Town ended Fiscal Year 2023 with 15.7 months of reserve funding, which was approximately $9.2 million according to the 2024 audit report. He added that it would leave the Town with a required 6-month reserve of approximately $2.56 million and a surplus of $6.6 million. Mr. Perkins touched on revenue. Staff projected an overall increase in tax revenue of 7.25% from all sources over the next fiscal year. He added that property taxes and the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) represented the Town’s largest source of revenue. He stated that property taxes were anticipated to be $1.82 million for the next fiscal year versus $1.7 million this year which was a 7% increase. He added that it would all be contingent on the millage rate remaining the same. The Millage Rate would be voted on by Council in August. Page 4 of 7  He shared that anticipated property taxes amounted to 15.3% of the proposed budget. He added that the national average for property tax revenue at the municipal level was approximately 30% according to the Tax Policy Center and other sources. Mr. Perkins informed Council that he would have more information for them before their vote in August. Mr. Perkins stated that the 2017 SPLOST budget was $4.3 million with $3.5 million slated for the Palmetto/Spencer/Arrowood Road roundabout which was currently in the property acquisition phase. 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 oppose the item. No one spoke. Mr. Perkins announced that the final vote would be at the June 20, 2024, Council meeting. IX. OLD BUSINESS X. NEW BUSINESS 7. Consideration to Award the 2024 Pavement Marking project PW-2024-30 for $46,518.00 to Tidwell Traffic Solutions, Incorporated - Scott Langford, Town Engineer / Public Works Director Mr. Langford stated that the 19 locations of the pavement marking project were for the safety of our roads and mostly included stop bars and striping. He stated that East Crestwood to Farr Road would be restriped. He shared that bids were received on May 22, 2024, and the lowest responsive and responsible bidder was Tidwell Traffic Solutions, Inc. for $46,518. He stated that the funds would come from the General Fund, Public Works line 100-40-52.2205. A motion was made to award the 2024 Pavement Marking project PW-2024-30 to Tidwell Traffic Solutions, Inc. for $46,518.00. Motion made by Council Member Whelan, seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, 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. Page 5 of 7 XII. STAFF COMMENTS Ms. Baker announced that there would be a General Primary Runoff Election on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Early voting will be next week, Monday through Friday at 945 Senoia Road from 9: 00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. She added that on election day visit your precinct. Mr. Langford stated that paving would begin on Monday for Laurelwood Road and Strawberry Lane, followed by Laurel Lake, Ridge Road, Foxford Run, and a portion of Tyrone Road. They may begin on Laurel Lake and work their way out. Mr. Perkins informed Council that the Safebuilt Code Enforcement Officer suddenly retired, and that staff were working with Safebuilt to get the position filled. Ms. Spradlin updated Council regarding the implementation of the new open record software, Justfoia. She added that the live date would be July 1, 2024, and invited Council to the staff training on June 18th during the staff meeting. Mr. Perkins updated Council regarding the Veterans Park banners and stated that they had been ordered. He added that the concrete had been poured for the sidewalk at the park and the bids for the poles were in. He stated that the flagpole project should be wrapping up soon. He also shared that the 8 speed signs were in and staff was working on the procurement of the poles. Mr. Perkins announced that Double Granite would be playing at the First Friday event tomorrow night at Shamrock Park and that the Neighbors food truck would be there along with vendors and additional food trucks. The event would be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mr. Perkins updated Council regarding the GDOT, Roadside Enhancement Grant for the two entryway signs into the Town along Hwy 74. The maximum grant amount was $50,000; however, the Town was awarded $39,182. He stated that within the “sites” budget was $50,000 which included improvements to the Clark property. He proposed taking the remainder from that line for the enhancement project. He stated that the GDOT award letter had questions that staff was currently working through with the Town Engineer. Staff would be coming to Council with a contract and an encroachment permit. Staff would also be working with Keck and Wood for the project bids, and it would be a great enhancement to the Town’s entryways. Mayor Dial suggested making the incoming new property owner aware of the project. XIII. COUNCIL COMMENTS Council Member Hunter shared that he had the honor of attending the 2024 Business Outlook Summit through the Fayette Chamber of Commerce that day. Page 6 of 7  The Chamber did an outstanding job of highlighting what was happening within the County and Tyrone was mentioned several times. They mentioned our LCI Streetscape project and the forthcoming data center. He suggested that Council Members attend the next meeting, it was nice to hear folks speak highly of the Town. He also added how pleased he was with the first phase of the Streetscape project. Council Member Whelan showed her concern with the lack of a Code Enforcement officer. Mr. Perkins assured her and Council that all complaints still came through him and Mr. Trocquet and that they were handling them the best they could as they came in. Council Member Furr wished Mr. Langford a Happy 37th Wedding Anniversary. Council Member Whelan shared that the Open Prayer group was meeting at Shamrock Park on Sunday and encouraged folks to attend. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION XV. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made to adjourn. Motion made by Council Member Furr. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. The meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m. By: Attest: Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Page 7 of 7