Town Council Regular Meeting

Tyrone Town Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2018 Present: Mayor, Eric Dial Mayor Pro Tem, Gloria Furr Council Member, Ken Matthews Council Member, Ryan Housley Council Member, Linda Howard Town Manager, Brandon Perkins Finance Manager, Sandy Beach Planning & Development Coordinator, Phillip Trocquet Town Attorney, Dennis Davenport Not Present: Town Clerk, Dee Baker Mayor Dial opened the meeting and gave the Invocation which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Approval of Agenda Council Member Matthews made a motion to approve the agenda with the revision to remove item two from the presentations/recognitions section. 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, November 1, 2018. Council Member Housely made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Furr seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 1 of 11 Presentations/Recognition: Fayette Comprehensive Transportation and Master Path Plan (CTP & MPP) presentation. Michael Kray, Jacobs Planning & Engineering Project Manager Mr. Michael Kray approached the podium and thanked Mayor and Council for having him at the meeting. Mr. Kray stated that he was going to present on the initial recommendations for the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) and Master Path Plan (MPP) that the different Fayette municipalities and county have been working on over the past year. He stated that the Fayette County CTP process is derived from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Regional Transportation Strategy and will, at the end of the process, become a component of that strategy. Mr. Kray explained that the CTP is a comprehensive assessment of all modes of transportation for Fayette County and is also an update of the 2010 CTP. The previous recommendations in the 2010 CTP have been revised and/or synthesized into this new CTP with transportation recommendations and projections through the year 2040. Mr. Kray stated that a unique part of the Fayette CTP is that there is a Master Path Plan (MPP) included in the final document. Mr. Kray explained that the ultimate outcome of this planning process was to establish a future vision for transportation in the County that has been vetted by the community and approved by elected officials. Mr. Kray stated that public outreach was a major component in the CTP process and was a major reason for his attendance at the council meeting tonight. He further stated that the CTP and MPP are currently in a draft phase with time to comment on any recommendations or findings thus far. He stated that there would be a roadmap consisting of policy recommendations, project lists, and funding recommendations to implement the vision in the CTP. Mr. Kray displayed a slide with a map from the draft Master Path Plan. He stated that the goal of the MPP was to expand the path network in the County to connect cities and major destinations in order to create a cohesive network. Safety and amenity items such as street crossings, signage, and branding would also be a part of the MPP. Mr. Kray switched topics to the CTP stating that this was much more a study of roadway transportation that covers congestion, automobile safety, crash rates, new network connections, and intersection improvements. Mr. Kray highlighted some of the inputs used to develop the transportation recommendations. Dense population centers in the county were used to determine where people were living in order to make connections; these County population centers were focused around Fayetteville, Peachtree City, and Tyrone. Mr. Kray stated that they used predictive analysis techniques and presented a map displaying “walking propensity” across the County showing where people are most likely to walk if there were sidewalks. Bicycle data was used as Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 2 of 11 well to show which roads are most and least comfortable to ride on in order to prioritize bike projects. He stated that the bicycle community had representation on the Stakeholder Committee. Mr. Kray displayed a map showing congestion projected to the year 2040 using the Regional Travel Demand Model provided by the Atlanta Regional Commission which allowed the CTP to take traffic flow into account. He then displayed a crash rate map that depicted the number of crashes normalized by the relative number of cars on each respective roadway; this helped the CTP plan around roads that are more dangerous than others. Jenkins Road was identified as a potentially dangerous road on this map. A crash ‘hotspot’ map was also displayed depicting dangerous intersections. Mr. Kray stated that community input was gathered from events throughout the County such as the Peachtree City Night Market and the Fayette County Balloon Festival as well as online survey input. Mr. Kray showed slides of the Open House events and stated that there were over 400 attendees at these events and over 1,300 responses to the online surveys which was considered very good representation of a County our size. Mr. Kray moved on to the project management team and Tyrone project recommendations. He stated that it was comprised of staff members from each of the Fayette County cities as well as the unincorporated county. A map was displayed of path recommendations outlining greenways, side paths, and sidewalks. Mr. Kray highlighted a green line on the map located in the middle of the Tyrone limits labeled FTP-423; he stated that it was a project recommendation exploring a greenway trail along the gas line easement that runs along the entire north end of the County. He further identified two side path projects; one along SR-74 and one along Crabapple lane connecting Tyrone’s path network to Peachtree City. Mr. Kray stated that in terms of roadway projects, there were not many located in Tyrone. The SR- 74 Corridor Project would simply move directly into the CTP. Tyrone Road, Palmetto Road, and Sandy Creek Roads were identified as road I need of scoping studies and labeled as regional corridor roads. He further explained that Sandy Creek Road received a lot of attention in the public engagement sessions due to increased traffic from Pinewood Studios and the proposed DRI’s (Developments of Regional Impact) in Fayetteville and Tyrone. Identified Tyrone intersection projects included the SPLOST roundabout project at Arrowood Road, Palmetto Road, and Spencer Lane. Mr. Kray stated that it would be great to receive written comments from Council Members regarding the CTP or MPP so they can make any changes or fill in any gaps that were potentially overlooked. Mr. Trocquet stated that he would make the presentation available to all Council members. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 3 of 11 Mayor Dial asked Mr. Kray if the CTP document would include a section on traditional funding mechanisms for the recommended projects such as the gas line greenway. Mr. Kray responded that those recommendations would be a part of the CTP. New Business: 1. Consideration to approve the Employee Benefits rates for FY2019. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins directed Council to a staff report in their binders. He stated that staff had been working with MSI Benefits Group to seek out the best possible rates for employee benefits including health, dental, and vision. He stated that he had received a report from MSI last week and asked Council to consider the rates tonight in order to move on to open enrollment in the following week. He stated that MSI ultimately recommended that the Town remain with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) for Medical. He stated that the Kaiser option was overly restrictive on available providers and that Humana only offered a $2,000 deductible but that their rates were higher than BCBS. Etna was only offering a $5,000 deductible. Mr. Perkins reminded Council that the Town had budgeted a 15% increase in health insurance costs, but that MSI’s negotiated rate only came in at a 6% increase. Figuring the 6% increase with the Town’s budgeted contribution increase, the overall medical budget increase is only 14.7%. He continued that the overall cost would be $304,304 which is a $39,182 increase from last year. Vision costs would go from $3.70 each pay period to $3.88 each pay period and basic life and disability rates would not change. Mr. Perkins stated that open enrollment packets would arrive tomorrow (November 16th) and that the process would happen online. Mr. Perkins shared a figure for an employee with a family on the highest plan; this plan currently costs $383.64 a paycheck and would be reduced to $285.49 a paycheck which is very good for the employees. Mr. Perkins recommended the rates as presented and to move into the open enrollment process. Mayor Eric Dial referenced a meeting with the employees in which there was a request for more options. He asked if the Town had delivered on that request. Mr. Perkins stated that there are not more options, but that the Town did deliver on a request that employees be more involved in the process. He stated that employees were present when the report was delivered by MSI and that the process and details were shared with them. He stated that because of the way the costs were broken down this year, there would not be room to further break them down beyond the three options provided. He also stated that all rates would include less out-of-pocket for employees this year. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 4 of 11 Mayor Dial called for a motion. Councilman Housley made a motion to approve the rates as presented and for staff to move into the open enrollment process. Councilwoman Howard seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0. 2. Consideration to approve an Interim Police Chief. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins stated that, given his current position, he believed the time had come to place someone in the Police Department to handle the day-to-day operations so that the Police Department can continue to move forward until such time that the Town finds a permanent Chief of Police. Mr. Perkins recommended to Council to place Lt. DeLoose as the Interim Chief of Police. He also recommended a 15% increase in pay while serving in the role as Interim Chief of Police. Mayor Dial called for a motion. Councilman Matthews made a motion to appoint Lt. DeLoose as the Interim Chief of Police. Councilman Housely seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0. Mayor Dial thanked Lt. DeLoose for standing in the gap. All meeting attendees applauded. 3. Consideration for the approval of a Memorandum of Agreement and $5,500 local match for the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP). Phillip Trocquet, Planning & Development Coordinator Mr. Trocquet presented the item. Mr. Trocquet stated that the CDAP program was a newly implemented initiative by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) with the aim of awarding local communities with professional assistance in the areas of Planning and Economic Development. Mr. Trocquet stated that the program usually required a small local match, but typically reduces costs of equivalent services by many times. ARC had provided the Town of Tyrone with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) as well as a scope of work. He further stated that the adoption of the MOA and scope of work would not hold Council to the adoption of the final results or deliverables of the program. Mr. Trocquet presented a background and history of the item stating that the Planning and Zoning Department had applied for the CDAP program and was preliminarily awarded assistance in May of 2018. The original application’s scope of work included an ordinance audit to clean up inconsistencies with broad areas of the zoning ordinance. Since ARC helped develop the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, they recommended a narrowing of the scope of work to focus on ordinance Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 5 of 11 updates as it pertained to the Town Center District as it was listed as an “area most in need of change” by citizens. Mr. Trocquet directed Council to the draft scope of work located in their binders and listed three main highlights of the project: to analyze existing conditions in the TCD, to draft a proposed new zoning district or ordinance updates, and to prepare an adoptable ordinance. Mr. Trocquet stated that as a part of the items listed, there would be the creation of a steering committee for the project comprised of Council members, Planning Commission members, local business owners, local residents, and local property owners. This steering Committee, facilitated by ARC, would guide the development of any new zoning district or ordinance changes. The process would also be influenced by and guided by public engagement sessions similar to what the Town had during the Comprehensive Planning process in order to facilitate greater public input. Mr. Trocquet stated that he would be the main point of contact between the Town and Steering Committee and the Atlanta Regional Commission. Mr. Trocquet stated that the Planning and Zoning Department has a $6,000 budget line item for Technical Services and that the local match for the project would be $5,500 and covered by that budget line item. Mr. Trocquet continued that equivalent services from a private consulting firm could be in the $25,000 range. Mr. Trocquet expressed that staff believed this program to be an excellent opportunity to further the goals of the Comprehensive Plan as well as involve the local community in an exercise to further define the needs and desires for the Town Center District. Mr. Trocquet stated that Planning Commission liked the project and recommended approval. Staff recommendation was for approval as well. Councilwoman Furr asked which specific properties would be included in the study. Mr. Trocquet stated that as a part of the Comprehensive Plan, the Town has delineated six (6) character areas located on the Town’s Future Development Map and that the Town Center District was one of those character areas. He stated that it essentially stretches from Bywood to Palmetto Road along Senoia Road and that the properties most likely to be involved would be those fronting Senoia Road within that area. He also stated that the district included properties beyond those fronting Senoia Road, but for the purposes of the study, the focus would be heavily weighted on those fronting Senoia Road. Mr. Trocquet stated that the recommendation of the project would likely not be a Town imposed mass rezoning of properties in the TCD, but the creation of a new zoning classification in the ordinance to give people an option to rezone their land. There may be a recommendation for direct changes to existing provisions, but those changes would be developed by the steering committee. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 6 of 11 Councilwoman Howard asked Mr. Trocquet how many people would be on the Steering Committee. Mr. Trocquet stated that had yet to be determined, but likely 10-15 people. Councilwoman Furr stated that her main problem with the project was that the Town was going to go into other people’s property and rezone it to what we want it. She stated that the Town paid a lot of money not long ago for a study that included changes not on Town-owned property, but on private property and that she did not believe in that and that it was a waste of money. She continued to say that she believed private property owners were intelligent enough to know what they want to do with their property and when they want it rezoned if they want it rezoned. Mr. Trocquet responded and stated he agreed with Ms. Furr’s sentiments and that the end product of this study would likely not be a Town imposed rezoning on private property owners. He stated that the final deliverable item of the project would be the creation of a new zoning classification for property owners to rezone their land if they chose to. He stated that any rezoning of land in the Town Center District would be property owner initiated. Councilwoman Furr asked what the benefit would be of spending the money on the proposed study if we know nothing is going to happen downtown. She stated that you may not know that, but that she has been in Tyrone long enough to know nothing is going to happen downtown. Mr. Trocquet stated that the underlying goal of the project is to further the goals listed in the Comprehensive Plan and that the current development regulations in the ordinance regarding the Town Center District are not compatible with facilitating the goals expressed in the Comprehensive Plan. He further stated that this was an effort to align the Zoning Ordinance to the Comprehensive Plan. Councilwoman Furr stated that she understood that goal, but that we would be taking these people’s property in downtown Tyrone and putting a zoning on it that somebody on the other end of town may want it to look like and that it would have nothing to do with those property owners whatsoever. She stated that she would not like someone coming to her and telling her what her property should be like because it is none of their business. Mr. Trocquet stated that the role of the Steering Committee would be for just that purpose as it would likely be comprised primarily of downtown business owners, property owners, and residents. Mr. Trocquet reiterated that he did not believe this project would result in a Town imposed mass rezoning in the Town Center District. The intent of having the Steering Committee would be for property owners to influence the conversation. He stated that a big portion of this exercise would be dedicated to gathering community input. Councilwoman Furr responded that she thought that’s what the Comprehensive Plan process was for. Mr. Trocquet stated that was true, but that the Comprehensive Plan is different from the Zoning Ordinance as it does not directly define development regulations on the ground as an ordinance. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 7 of 11 Mr. Trocquet stated that the Zoning Ordinance is the primary controller of the built environment and that the Comprehensive Plan is an expression of what citizens want to work towards. Councilwoman Howard asked about the original scope of work. Mr. Trocquet stated that the Zoning Ordinance was rather old and had gone through a variety of different amendments and iterations. As a result, there are many things in the ordinance that are inconsistent or in direct conflict with other items in the ordinance. He stated that the original application request was to request assistance in finding and fixing these inconsistencies. Councilwoman Howard stated that she could see why that would need to be done. Mayor Dial called for a motion. No one spoke; meeting continued due to lack of a motion. Public Comments Ms. Marge Garrett of 125 Whitney Court approached the podium. She expressed her desire to see a multi-use path on her side of the road where she lived. She stated that she had lived in Tyrone for over 30 years but was still not connected to the path network. She said that Tyrone Road was very dangerous and that she had seen people walking and riding bikes on the road. She said that especially since the Town was going to move Town Hall to Handley Park, she would like to be connected to the path network. Councilwoman Furr responded that the Town Hall location at Handley Park was not written in stone. Ms. Garrett stated that it would still be nice to be connected to the ball fields. Staff Comments 1. Police Department. Interim Chief, Eric DeLoose A large group of Police Officers and Police Department employees approached the dais. Lieutenant Philip Nelson spoke to Mr. Brandon Perkins and expressed the Department’s appreciation for his leadership and dedication to them over the many years. Interim Chief Deloose presented Mr. Perkins with a shadow box of his badge and a plaque which read: Chief Brandon Perkins, thank you for your years of service and dedication to the Tyrone Police Department and the citizens of the Town of Tyrone. October 20 th 1999 – November 20th 2018. A scripture verse from Isaiah 6:8 on the plaque read: Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 8 of 11 Then I heard a voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am, send me.” Council and attendees applauded. Mr. Perkins addressed the officers and asked how they got his badge. He expressed his appreciation and thanks for the Police Department stating that they were amazing people. He expressed that it was a hard choice for him to assume the Town Manager position, but it was easy at the same time since he was not leaving the Town that he had known and loved for the past twenty (20) years. He stated that was still going to be able to see, work, and serve with all of the members of the Police Department and that being the Chief of Police was a big part of who he was for a long time. He expressed that all the people at the Police Department are a big part of his life and that he loved and appreciated every one of them. He thanked the Police Department members present for the plaque and shadow box. Mr. Perkins addressed Mr. DeLoose and stated that he knows he made the Chief of Police job look easy (audience laughed) but that it was a very important job and to treat it as the most important job you’ll ever do. He stated that he didn’t want anyone to take what he was about to say the wrong way, but that what he does now is relatively trivial to the demands and emergencies of being a police officer. He stated that at 5:00 he gets to go home and “turn it off” but that the officers do not get that luxury. He stated that although he has more employees to support, he will continue to be the Police Department’s biggest fan and will continue to support them. He stated that he will always cherish his time with the Police Department and this moment and that he was nervous to what he was walking into tonight. Council and the audience applauded. 2. Sewer Costs. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins referenced a previous meeting item regarding cost increases from Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority’s (PTC WASA) maintenance of Tyrone sewer infrastructure. He referenced one option of requesting a delay of the cost increase from WASA. He stated that he had yet to hear from WASA’s attorney on the matter. The second option was to investigate neighboring jurisdictions and their rates. He stated that Fairburn did not have the resources or staff to provide assistance. Coweta County expressed an interest in providing services, but has not yet gotten back on an exact price. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 9 of 11 He mentioned that each lift station is outfitted with a computing system which provides WASA and staff with a statistics and information regarding the stations. If the Town were to switch services from WASA to Coweta County, the computing system would need to be switched at a cost of approximately $4,000 per lift station. Mr. Perkins stated that the Town could still re- negotiate with PTC WASA on a weekly instead of bi-weekly inspection of the lift stations to keep down costs. 3. Market Hill Business Park Rezoning & Shamrock Industrial Park. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Mr. Perkins mentioned that the projected public hearings for this rezoning will be December 13 th for Planning Commission and December 20th for Council. The rezoning would be from O-I (Office-Institutional) Conditional to just O-I. The rezoning would lift the construction moratorium condition on the properties within the business park. Mr. Perkins referenced a similar situation regarding a construction moratorium in Shamrock Industrial Park. This moratorium was put in place until secondary emergency access was granted to the industrial park. He stated that the Fayette County Fire Marshal, Mr. James Hall, contacted him recently and suggested that restriction be lifted for all businesses except those handling hazardous materials. Mr. Perkins stated that according to Mr. Trocquet, the lifting of that construction moratorium would follow a similar zoning process to the Market Hill properties. Councilwoman Furr stated that she believed it would be beneficial to lift the restriction. Mr. Perkins stated that per his conversation with Mr. Hall, the net increase in potential businesses would not change the safety situation drastically. Town Attorney, Dennis Davenport expressed that the conditions placed on the Industrial Park were likely not through zoning. He stated that if he remembered correctly, the construction moratorium was a condition on the final plat, not the zoning of the property and that any conditions should be removed in the same manner they were added. Councilwoman Howard stated that she believed the moratorium should be lifted as well. She asked if there were any alternatives for the access drive through the quarry aside from the power line easement on the north side of the Industrial Park. Mr. Perkins stated that he did not believe there was a viable option through another portion of the quarry. Mr. Perkins stated that if Council wished for staff to continue pursuing other options for an access drive, they could do some more research. Mr. Perkins stated that he believed it made sense to lift the construction moratorium. Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 10 of 11 Mayor Dial asked what Council’s options were. Mr. Perkins stated that Council could leave the situation as is, direct staff to exploring alternate road options, or Council could direct staff to make preparations to remove the restriction. Councilman Matthews stated that he would prefer the topic to come up at the next meeting. Mr. Trocquet stated that if the moratorium was a condition of the final plat and not a zoning condition, the process to lift the condition would not require a public hearing or advertising. Councilwoman Gloria Furr asked who owned all the property in the back of the industrial park. Mr. Trocquet stated that a majority of the property belonged to a Mr. Scott Moore, owner of Platinum Trucking Company and some of the other parcels belonged to the owner of Ivy Green Lawn Care. Council agreed to have the item appear before them at the next meeting. Council comments: Councilman Matthews stated that he received a thankyou email from a citizen for the lengthening of the Tyrone Road righthand turn lane. Councilwoman Furr stated that the ground around one of the utility poles at that intersection looked as if it had been excavated a little too much and wondered if it had compromised the pole. Mr. Perkins stated that he would investigate. Adjournment: Councilwoman Furr made a motion to adjourn. Motion was approved 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:06 pm. ______________________ ________________________ Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Council Meeting November 1, 2018 Page 11 of 11