Town Council Special Meeting

Tyrone Town Council Meeting Minutes Special Called Budget Adoption June 24, 2021 9:00 A.M. Present: Mayor, Eric Dial Mayor Pro Tem, Gloria Furr Council Member, Linda Howard Council Member, Melissa Hill Council Member, Billy Campbell Town Manager, Brandon Perkins Town Clerk, Dee Baker Finance Manager, Sandy Beach Accounting Specialist, Bridget Smith Town Engineer / Public Works Director, Scott Langford Mayor Dial called the meeting to order with limited seating and broadcasted on YouTube Live at 7:00 pm, this was followed by the invocation and the pledge of allegiance. The public was invited to watch. Approval of Agenda Council Member Campbell made a motion to approve the agenda. Council Member Howard 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 June 17, 2021 Consideration to approve the renewal of the Town Manager Employment Agreement. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live June 24, 2021 Special Called Budget Adoption Page 1 of 4 Council Member Furr made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Campbell seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. New Business 1. FY 2021-2022 Budget Adoption. Ms. Beach informed everyone that the budget workshop was held on May 20th, and the public hearing was held on June 17th. She added that staff recommended the adoption of the FY2021- 2022 budget as presented. Council Member Furr requested the amount of the Founders Day budget. Ms. Beach stated that it was $22,870. Mayor Dial asked how much had been brought in for Founders Day? Ms. Beach stated that she had not yet been informed of the amount. Mr. Perkins stated that Ms. Brock had shared that it would be much less, than in previous years. Ms. Beach added that Ms. Brock shared that staff would be asking for less money from the public this year. Mayor Dial then asked for the actual budget amount, minus the new building, Pendleton dam, and other major expenditures. Ms. Beach shared that the budget should reflect approximately, $6.5 million. Council Member Hill made a motion to approve the 2021-2022 fiscal year General Fund budget of $8,585,024.95, as well as the budget of $3,510,015.42 for the other miscellaneous funds including Sewer and SPLOST. Council Member Campbell seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Mayor Dial thanked Ms. Beach, Ms. Smith, department heads, and Mr. Perkins for a job well done. Staff Comments Mr. Perkins echoed Mayor Dial and thanked Ms. Beach and Ms. Smith for their hard work. He added that he had a unique perspective, he was able to see their hard work on the budget, along with the completion of their daily duties. He appreciated them. Mr. Perkins thanked Mayor and Council for the approval of his agreement. He added that he had been in his current position for three years, and with the Town for twenty-two on October 22nd. He shared that it had been a great ride and that he loved his work, the staff, and the board, he thanked them for their trust in him. Mr. Perkins began a discussion regarding the next workshop item which would be heard on August 5th. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live June 24, 2021 Special Called Budget Adoption Page 2 of 4 He shared that the Town would receive approximately $2.8 million through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). He added that there would be conditions in place for spending the funds and the Town had until December 31, 2024, to obligate the money, and until December 31, 2026, to spend the money. He shared that staff had sat through many Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and the White House webinars regarding the funding. Mr. Perkins informed Council that before the August workshop he would be sending them information. He shared that there were elements within the ARP that pertained to transferring funds to non-profits and a few had spoken to him. Mr. Perkins shared that several city managers felt a sense of urgency regarding the ARP. However, there was plenty of time to get started. We need a smart plan to accomplish great things. We will be paying for this for generations, we need to make sure that this will serve several generations to come. He added that this was a big decision and had taken a lot of staffs time, we just need to sit down and come up with a good plan. Council Member Campbell stated that this was not a loan and did not need to be paid back. Mr. Perkins agreed and stated that it would only be utilized for Council-approved uses. He added that this would place a lot of time and effort on Ms. Beach and Ms. Smith as they track the projects and their funding of the ARP as we move forward. Ms. Beach added from the audience that the Town would be given half of the money this year and the other half next year. Council Member Howard asked why there was an urgency if the Town had until 2024 to make the decisions. Mr. Perkins stated that the federal government wanted to give municipalities plenty of time to make smart decisions. He added that everyone needed to make sure everything was in order before submission. Some cities were affected worse and differently than others due to COVID. Some cities had already decided that they would give portions to non-profits and local families and businesses. Systems need to be put in place to track spending. Council Member Howard asked if businesses could apply on their own. Mr. Perkins shared that businesses could apply on their own and mentioned the museum. There were several different pockets of money that such entities could apply for. Essentially, the Town in its capacity could assist anyone that was affected by COVID. Mayor Dial stated that it was illogical that the federal government was expecting local governments to be a pass-through of this funding for everyone. This was unprecedented and opened a can of worms. He added that he was not a scrooge but did not feel comfortable giving money to individuals, businesses, or non-profits. The determining factor would be difficult to conclude. Mr. Perkins agreed that it would put the Town in an uncomfortable position. He added that we need to choose funding that would impact the entire Town such as, economic development, which would bring in more business. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live June 24, 2021 Special Called Budget Adoption Page 3 of 4 Council Member Furr inquired about the museum. Mr. Perkins stated that the museum could apply separately. He gave the National Endowment for the Arts as an example of the several different types of funding available. Mr. Perkins stated that there was a lack of items for the July 1st meeting and suggested canceling the meeting. All were in agreement. The next Council meeting would be on July 15. Adjournment Council Member Furr made a motion to adjourn. Motion was approved 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 am. By: __________ ________________ Attest: ________________________________ Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live June 24, 2021 Special Called Budget Adoption Page 4 of 4