Town Council Regular Meeting

Town of Tyrone Council Meeting Minutes October 16, 2014 Present: Mayor Eric Dial Mayor Pro Tem Gloria Furr Council Member Ken Matthews Council Member Ryan Housley Council Member Linda Howard Town Manager Kyle Hood Town Clerk Dee Baker Town Attorney Dennis Davenport Mayor Dial called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Invocation was given by Mayor Dial, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comments Fayette County Commissioner David Barlow, who lives at 207 Brooks Drive, shared that they have broken ground for the new Georgia Military College. He stated that he believes there is a move of God in Fayette County, and thanked Mayor Dial for having Invocations recognizing Almighty God before we start the proceedings. He stated that he prays daily for Tyrone and each Council Member by name. He added that he is here to assist them any way he can. The Lieutenant General, who is the President of the Georgia Military College, is a graduate from Fayette County High School. His guidance counselor in high school was the owner of the property for the Georgia Military College, thirty plus years ago. She advised him that baseball was not the right path and he may want to make another choice. He chose the military. That is emblematic of the move of God. He thanked God that we can all be a part of it. Council Member Howard made a motion to approve the agenda. Council Member Housley seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. 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. Approval of Minutes, October 2, 2014 Council Member Matthews made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Housley seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Page 1 of 6 PRESENTATIONS/RECOGNITION: Bob Ross, Fayette Visioning Initiative Mayor Dial stated that he appreciates volunteers that give countless hours and that Mr. Bob Ross is one of them. Mr. Ross, Co-Chair of Fayette Visioning Initiative steering committee, stated that this is all a team effort and thanked Kyle Hood for his assistance moving everyone forward and for his invaluable insights. He then introduced Larris Marks, Fayette Vision’s long term steering committee member. Ms. Marks stated that this initiative is near and dear to her heart. It is all for building a better Fayette County. She informed Council that approximately a year ago, the steering committee, made up of approximately forty volunteers began working with Market Street Services, a national economic development company. She entailed that the vision plan was comprised of three phases. Phase 1: Competitive Assessment- which includes a study of Fayette County’s social, demographic, economic and physical characteristics, compared to similar cities found within Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. She added that the public input is key to this project. Two questions arose. Where are we now and where are we going as a County? She encouraged everyone to go to www.fayettevision.org for more information. She stated that the study found that Fayette County education enrollment is declining due to the lack of people from the age of 25-44. She added that another study by Realty Trace showed that among 1800 counties, Fayette County is leading the nation with the highest rate of young adults leaving our county. Another factor in the decline is that our residents do not work here. Service jobs in the county do not align with the skill set of our residents. The jobs we do have, our education system does not provide proper education for. She informed Council that due to our college students not returning to Fayette County, we also have one of the lowest birth rates in Georiga. Growth and migration are stagnant. Phase 2: Fayette Vision plan. Ms. Marks stated that this phase asks the question; where do we want to be? She shared their vision statement. “"Fayette County is the place where bold ideas become reality. We shall achieve this through our collaborative and inclusive leadership that elevates education, economic development, employment opportunities, and quality of life, to unrivaled heights." This statement may be different for each city within the county. Phase 3: Implementation Guidelines. How do we get there and how do we maintain? She ended by stating that this is where the work begins and urged everyone to visit the website. Mr. Bob Ross stated that this project began over a year ago and has a forty member steering committee. Next week the committee plans on submitting their recommendation to the implementation committee for their need to apply for a 501(c)(3) status. This will assist in a better accountability with a more complex accounting system. It will also give people a better opportunity to make contributions. He added that this will take a lot of work, however it will allow the different committees to work together. He gave the example of a business being funded in order to create an internship for education. Mr. Ross stated that there is a running roster of volunteers from the communities that have signed up for each committee. Mr. Ross stated that the importance of being financially transparent and invited everyone to visit their website to see how every nickel is spent. Thus far, $110,000 has been collected and $102,000 was applied to Page 2 of 6 consulting services, leaving $8,000 in the bank. We are lucky to take advantage of the talent we have in Fayette County. Mr. Ross ended by informing Council that each committee; Education, Economic Development, Community, Place and Communications will gather together to select a committee chairperson and assess the five-year time line and move forward. PUBLIC HEARING: 1. Consideration on the process for required updates to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan document. Kyle Hood, Town Manager Mr. Hood stated that this public hearing has been advertised and will satisfy the requisite requirements to begin our official process to update the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Based on what Mr. Ross and Ms. Marks stated, the timing is good to be a part of the county wide vision initiative. He then introduced Mr. Jared Lombard with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). Mr. Lombard stated that the Tyrone Comprehensive Plan will be a great tool to understand how Tyrone fits into the Fayette Vison Plan. ARC is providing the consulting service to the Town at no charge. Included in the services the Town will receive are many different components such as work force development, aging services, transportation, research and assistance with environmental issues. The process is driven by stakeholder outreach and public input. A stakeholder committee should be formed in November and the first public meeting should be in early 2015. The process should take approximately four months and should be completed by late spring. The public and leaders of Tyrone are the experts of the community. At the end of the process there will be a document in place that will assist you in your decision-making for the next five years for an updated vision. This could also include some Capital Improvement projects and new programs. He stated that they have worked with several Georgia cities and all have been successful with positive outreach. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone that wished to speak. After hearing no comments, Mayor Dial closed the public hearing. No action was taken. OLD BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: 2. Consideration and approval of a Resolution for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant. Kyle Hood, Town Manager Mr. Hood stated that the Town has had project updates in the past and currently the onus is on the Town to transmit the information back to the state. The resolution outlines the project agreement for the soccer field rehabilitation. Mr. Hood recommended approval and for the Mayor to execute on the Town’s behalf. Page 3 of 6 Council Member Matthews made a motion to adopt the resolution of acceptance as submitted, and to authorize Mayor Dial to execute both copies of the project agreement to be transmitted to the State Parks and Historic Sites division of DNR. Council Member Housley seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. 3. Consideration of Park and Median improvements. Kyle Hood, Town Manager Mr. Hood indicated that the work that was performed at Shamrock Park prior to Founder’s Day has been met with very positive responses. Mr. Hood stated that the Town is catching up on park maintenance improvements. Veteran’s Day is approaching and the attendance is on the rise for our celebration. He stated that he and Mrs. Baker have worked together to solicit the input of local landscape companies to improve Veterans Park and the Tyrone-Palmetto Road median. A Abby informed us that they could perform the work for no labor cost, we would only pay for some materials. Basically, this would be over 50% off. There are funds available in the Public Works and Parks budgets for these projects. The work would be two-fold: instant beautification and the removal of current vegetation that would lower maintenance responsibilities. Moving forward, we hope to find more opportunities to work with local vendors and service providers on low cost projects such as this. He recommended approval of the quote from A Abby Group, Inc. Council Member Matthews inquired about the small median area located on Carriage Oaks Drive. Mr. Hood stated that it has been maintained by the South Crest Bank landscaper. We have reached out to that landscaper and they have agreed to work with us, at no cost to the Town. Council Member Matthews made a motion to award A Abby Group the contract work on Veterans Park and the Tyrone-Palmetto Road Median in the amount of $5,000. Council Member Howard seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. 4. Consideration and approval of the 2015 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) list and application. Kyle Hood, Town Manager Mr. Hood stated that a short list has been approved and applied for. Mr. Hood stated that the roads are Rosewood Avenue, Winfair Drive, Laurel Circle, and assorted sidewalks. All the roads have ends on Senoia Road and hopefully should be in conjunction with the entire Senoia Road project. Mr. Hood recommended approving the listed roads and to authorize Mayor Dial’s execution. Council Member Housley made a motion to approve the list of included projects and to authorize Mayor Dial to execute an application packet to be submitted to GDOT by month’s end. Council Member Howard seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Public Comments Mr. John Woody who lives at 215 Chimney Springs Road asked for the status of the paving on Highway 74. He said it seems as though they have stopped and left a bump on the north side. Mr. Hood stated that south of Kedron is complete and looks as though the north is all that is left, it should be complete within the next week or two. Page 4 of 6 Staff Comments Mr. Hood informed everyone that early voting is taking place in the Council Chambers on October 20-31 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. with no Saturday. Friday, October 31st the Town will join the local businesses for the Downtown Trick or Treat activity, wear a costume. Election Day is November 4, 2014 and will be held at the Tyrone Library. The Veteran’s Day Celebration will take place at Veterans Park on November 11, 2014 starting at 11:00 am. The guest speaker will be Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. Mr. Hood stated that he and Ms. Beach met with our benefits brokers and it appears that the best option will be to continue with Blue Cross Blue Shield for at least one more year. They continue to have some of the best numbers for groups our size. He added that the final numbers will be announced at the next meeting. Employee enrollment will take place either the last week in October or the first week in November. Mr. Hood informed Council that he met with Chief Perkins and Public Works Supervisor Billy Campbell regarding complaints received on the Ashland Trail speed humps. The issue is that people are avoiding the speed humps by going into people’s yards. We are working together to address this issue. The best option is to offer the residents protection to keep their yards from being run through. Mr. Hood was proud to announce the final numbers from the last Founder’s Day celebration. We had over 5,000 unique attendees throughout the week long event. The weekday events averaged over 150 participants a day. It was suggested that we add a Bar-B-Que Cook-off, so get your best recipes ready. We believe what made the difference was the Screen Vision advertisement at the movie theatres. The vendors were very happy. Also, as a result of the advertisement, the annual road race has doubled in attendance. Mr. Hood stated that he was asked to recognize Billy Campbell for all the work leading up to and performed throughout the event, and to Dee Baker for her assistance at the main gate. He was also asked to thank Chief Perkins and the officers for their assistance in keeping everything safe. Anytime an officer was needed, one was always available. He stated that the Police tent received a lot of positive response also. For the first time in several years, Founder’s Day made money. Based on our unaudited assessment it appears that we made nearly $9,000 revenue over expenses. We took a risk in putting more money into Founder’s Day and making it a week-long event and it was a success. Mayor Dial stated that it was good planning and great execution. Council Comments Mayor Dial stated that regarding the speed hump issue, he has been contacted from citizens who live on Magnolia, they no longer want speed humps. Chief Perkins stated that it would be wise to gather the neighbors in that area to discuss the issues from Ashland Trail to see if they still want the humps. Council Member Furr opened a discussion regarding Town lawn maintenance. She shared her disapproval regarding the current service provider. She asked for input. Mayor Dial stated that he suggests asking staff to create a new plan. Mayor Dial stated that the Town Public Works staff Page 5 of 6 cannot handle the entire Town. Council Member Furr stated that the Town is paying for service that we are not receiving. The service provider is not doing what they promised. Council Member Matthews reiterated that the Town has gone over and over what their duties are. Council Member Housley asked if the Town could gain more staff for the job. Mayor Dial stated that instead of making a decision tonight, Council should ask staff to come to us with more options. Council Member Furr stated that Council has brought this to several meetings. Mr. Hood stated that when the Town hired TruGreen they promised that if the job was not complete we can fire them. The Town does not have a ten page document; we have a simple agreement of service. He added that the Town is paid up to a point and that proper professional notice is recommended. If Council wishes for notification to occur immediately please advise. Mr. Hood added that if the Town is not prepared to pick up the slack, the situation has the potential for being much worse. Council Member Howard stated that Mr. Campbell has been here long enough to understand the situation, we need his input. Council Member Housley made a motion to direct staff to present several options to Council at the next meeting for lawn care and landscape activity. Council Member Matthews seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Executive Session Council Member Matthews made a motion to enter into Executive Session to review Executive Minutes from the September 4, 2014 Council Meeting. Council Member Howard seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Council Member Furr made a motion to reconvene. Council Member Housley seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Council Member Housley made a motion to approve the Executive Session minutes. Council Member Furr seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Adjournment Council Member Matthews made a motion to adjourn. Motion was approved 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:51 By:________________________ Attest:______________________ Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Page 6 of 6