Town Council Meeting

TYRONE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES February 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM LEric 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 Randy Mundy, Police Chief Tony Koranda, Police Corporal Penny Mentch, Police Officer Kristy McClenny, Recreation Assistant 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 Council Member Campbell made a motion to approve the agenda by removing item number 4. The motion died for lack of a second. A motion was made to approve the agenda. Motion made by Council Member Hunter, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. 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 the February 6, 2025 Council minutes. 2. Approval of the Open Prayer Spaces City Prayer Walk on March 9, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda. Town Council Meeting Page 1 of 6 February 20, 2025  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 VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS IX. OLD BUSINESS 3. Approval to accept a Hazard Mitigation Grant from GEMA to fund upgrades to Lake Pendleton Dam. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins gave the history of the item which began in 2018 when the dam was categorized as a Category I dam. Updates were estimated at approximately $2 million for compliance. The Town applied for a 75%/25% grant through GEMA which finally came through. The grant was for $2,410,000 with a federal share of $1,807,500 and a local share of $602,000 along with $21,000 of subrecipient management costs. Council Member Whelan asked if the numbers were still valid after time had passed. Mr. Perkins stated that it should be, however, he would inform Council after his meeting with Engineer, David Jaeger if there were any changes. A motion was made to approve the acceptance of a hazard mitigation grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to fund required upgrades to the Lake Pendleton Dam. Motion made by Council Member Furr, Seconded by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 4. Approval to move forward with an RFP for tree removal services on the earthen dam at Shamrock Park. - Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins stated that representatives from two engineering firms notified the Town that having trees along an earthen dam (on the left side of the lake near the railroad tracks) was a probable liability and should be removed and that it could also affect the CSX Railroad property if the dam were to fail. He added that at the February 6th meeting the vote failed due to the absence of a Council Member and another voting against the item. Council Member Hunter asked for the item to be brought back. Mr. Perkins shared that Mr. Langford estimated that the tree removal would cost approximately $166,680 and would be funded through the 2023 SPLOST Dams Line item. A lengthy discussion began regarding the potential damage caused by trees and their root systems. Mr. Perkins stated that the Town’s insurance company no longer covered dams. Council Member Furr asked if all trees in that area would be removed. Mr. Perkins stated that they would not. Council Member Campbell shared his aversion to the tree removal and added that the Town would still be liable, and nothing has happened all these years. Page 2 of 6  Council Member Hunter addressed the misinformation on social media and his opinion that the Town should adhere to the advice of the engineers. He also gave a history of the item. Comments attached. Council Member Whelan shared that Council should take the guidance of the professionals regarding responsibility. Mr. Davenport shared that following a risk management procedure now that Council was aware of a risk. A motion was made to move forward with an RFP for the Shamrock Park Dam tree removal. Motion made by Council Member Hunter, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. Voting Nay: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr. Mayor Dial broke the tie for approval of the item. 5. Consideration to adopt a Town Charter Amendment of Chapter 2, Article II regarding Quorum and Voting. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins gave the history of the item and stated that the Town’s Charter was written that three Council Members and the Mayor constitute a quorum. Problems arise when someone is out or needs to recuse themselves. Mr. Perkins stated that Mayor Dial and Mr. Davenport worked together on a solution. Mr. Davenport gave background information for their suggested recommendation of amending the Charter for a three- elected official quorum. Mayor Dial and Mr. Davenport stated that the three Council Member and Mayor quorum was rare and very restricted. Mr. Davenport added that by amending the Charter there would be less liability. He gave two examples; one would be if Council Members were sick. The other would be if a petitioner came to the Town to change their property and one or more had to recuse themselves, the petitioner would not be able to be heard. That would give liability for legal action. Council Member Furr read a statement from citizen David Barlow which gave the history of Tyrone, and other surrounding city’s Charter changes and how rare they were. Mayor Dial clarified that the latest Charter change for Tyrone was in 2008. Council Members Furr and Campbell did not think the amendment was necessary. Council Member Campbell added that a quorum in place assists in keeping the established weak mayor system. Mr. Davenport stated that by changing the quorum it would not affect the weak mayor system. A motion was made to adopt the Town Charter Amendment of Chapter 2, Article II regarding Quorum and Voting. Motion made by Council Member Whelan, Seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Nay: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr. Mayor Dial broke the tie approving the item. Page 3 of 6 X. NEW BUSINESS 6. Consideration to approve the 2025 Intergovernmental agreement with Fayette County for conducting our municipal election. Dee Baker, Town Clerk Mr. Davenport presented the item. He stated that the IGA was formed for Fayette County to perform the cities of Fayette County’s elections in the odd years, which included early voting. He added that this year’s state position of Public Service Commission was on the ballot. Therefore, there would be a state-wide election that affected Fayette County. The IGA stated that if there were no county-wide elections, the cities would pay collectively for the elections. Since the County has an item on the ballot, the cities do not incur the cost this year. This would save the Town $23,405. Ms. Baker added that the IGA came before Council every other year and required approval for the County to conduct its municipal election. A motion was made to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement with Fayette County to conduct the Town's 2025 Municipal Election. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 7. Consideration to Award the Bucket Truck to the Hardy Chevrolet in the amount of $159,000. - Phillip Trocquet, Assistant Town Manager Mr. Trocquet gave background and stated that the 2024 truck would replace the current 2004 truck. The funding would come from the 2023 SPLOST. The truck was $9,000 over the SPLOST estimate. He added that this year’s SPLOST had already collected more than anticipated so the item would be covered. Council Member Campbell inquired about the current truck. Mr. Trocquet stated that it was still functional and would also be used, perhaps to assist the county because they do not have one. A motion was made to award the Bucket Truck purchase to Hardy Chevrolet for $159,000. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Hunter. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. 8. Approval of a new Opioid Antagonist Training and Administration policy. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins explained that under new Georgia law, qualified government buildings are required to have three doses of Narcan on hand. The law also requires training. Mr. Perkins drafted a policy that was reviewed by Mr. Davenport. Page 4 of 6  A motion was made to approve the Opioid Antagonist Training and Administration Policy. Motion made by Council Member Campbell, Seconded by Council Member Whelan. 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. Mr. Burt Minor, who lives on Nicoles Nook posted on Facebook to inform the citizens. He shared that he observed the Shamrock dam and that it was too small to create a lot of damage. He did understand the liability and asked if anyone reached out to CSX. He agreed that the Facebook posts had misinformation. Regarding the quorum item, Mr. Minor stated that Georgia open meetings law suggests that members not present could phone in or video into the meeting. XII. STAFF COMMENTS Chief Mundy introduced and welcomed Ms. Penny Mentch, Tyrone's new Police Officer. Mr. Perkins announced the Touch a Truck event at Shamrock Park on Saturday, February 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Town would partner with Bloom for their Denim Drive and there would also be food trucks. Mr. Perkins invited everyone to the quarterly Talk of the Town on Tuesday, February 25th. Topics of discussion would be upcoming projects and House Bill 581. Mr. Perkins shared that there were still open spaces for the annual Tyrone 101 course that would begin on Tuesday, April 22nd. XIII. COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor Dial asked Mr. Davenport if it was possible for a sick member to teleconference at a Council meeting. Mr. Davenport stated that state agencies could but not counties or cities. You may conduct a meeting; however, no vote could be taken. It would not be considered a quorum unless you are present. Council Member Furr shared that she felt that because she was sick at the last meeting and could not attend tonight was aimed at her. Mayor Dial clarified that it was not. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION Page 5 of 6 XV. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made to adjourn. Motion made by Council Member Campbell. Voting Yea: Council Member Campbell, Council Member Furr, Council Member Whelan, Council Member Hunter. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m. By: Attest: Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Page 6 of 6