COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA
JUNE 19, 2007
9:00 A.M. – BOARD ROOM

CITIZENS’ INPUT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Regular Commission Meeting of June 5, 2007.

PLAT APPROVALS – FINAL PLAT ACCEPTANCE (Cynde)

2. C. D. Truitt Business Park

PUBLIC HEARINGS TO CONSIDER

3. Beer & Wine License (New)(Beverly Storm)

BFJ & Associates, LLC - CS Domino Club
560 Thornton Road, Suites 112 & 113, Lithia Springs, GA
(Licensee: Courtney James)

4. A request to close and barricade a portion of Peachtree Street located in Land Lots 252 and 316, 18th District, 2nd Section. (Randy Hulsey)

BUSINESS

5. Recently, the Board approved four deputy clerks for State Court in order to operate two courts simultaneously. Because of this, two new Deputy Sheriffs are needed for the security of the court. Create two Deputy Sheriff positions and transfer $43,289 from General Appropriations to Sheriff Detention.

6. The Department of Natural Resources Land & Water Conservation Fund awarded Douglas County a $75,000 grant to assist with the acquisition of property along Dog River. Amend the SPLOST budget by increasing State Grants and Park SPLOST Projects by $75,000.

7. The Woodie Fite Senior Center received donations in the amount of $1,655 for a memorial garden and supplies for the paint class. Amend the budget by increasing Donations and Senior Center budget by $1,655.

8. Award of bid for pavement markers to all firms: Peek Pavement Marking; Crossroads Contracting; and Mid-State Striping, Inc.

9. Authorization of the Metro PCS Wireless E911 Phase II Service Agreement.

10. Authorization for Chairman to execute FY’07 Aging Services Contract Budget Amendment with ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission).

11. Re-appointment of Rev. James Chandler, Sr. to the Douglas County Family & Children Services Board. Term: 7/1/07 – 6/30/12.

12. Appointment of Michael Cason to the Library Board. Term: 7/1/07 – 6/30/10.

NEW BUSINESS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS

ADJOURN

A new section to the front page of the Losing Georgia website has been added, dubbed Prints For Sale. The first round of prints have made it through the press and its just a matter of time before they will be available for sale.

Currently prints will be 8×10 in size with a white border for easier mounting. Each photograph selected will come as a limited print series of five. Other limited edition artwork, like gallery style mounting and canvas work, will also be available.

Instead of placing a donation, the option of buying artwork from the scenes of Douglas County as wall art is just another way to support the continuance of the Losing Georgia Project.

CITY OF DOUGLASVILLE
CITY COUNCIL

Legislative Work Session June 14, 2007
7:30 p.m.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Invocation

3. Pledge of Allegiance

4. Public Safety Committee/Dennis McLain

a. Request for an ownership change, a change in the agent outlet manager, and a transfer of the license for the alcohol beverage license for the retail package sale of wine and malt beverage for Shell Food Mart at 8279 Chicago Avenue. Application by Glissten Enterprises, Inc.

b. Request for an alcohol beverage license for The Centre at Arbor Connection for the sale of wine, malt beverage, and spirituous liquor at 7475 Douglas Boulevard. Application by Arbor View, Inc.

5. Community &amp Economic Development Committee/John Schildroth

6. Planning & Zoning Committee/Michael Carter

a. Request for a change in zoning from R-4 (Single Family Detached and Attached Townhouse and Apartment Residential District) to CN (Neighborhood Commercial District) on approximately .6 acre at 6881 West Strickland Street. Application by Sydney Harden Rangeley.

b. Request for a change in zoning from CN (Neighborhood Commercial District) to CN (Neighborhood Commercial District) with a special land use permit for a Kindergarten, Elementary, and Secondary (Private) School on approximately 4,260 square feet at 8677 Hospital Drive. Application by Kim Banks.

c. Request for a variance from the City’s Fire Prevention and Protection Ordinance in order to waive the requirements for installation of an automatic sprinkler system for buildings of any type or occupancy with two or more stories in height for Douglas County Bank at 6100 Stewart Parkway. Application by Billy Mayhew, President, Douglas County Bank.

d. Amend the City Zoning Ordinance to require a special land use permit in the CG (General Commercial District) for automobile sales and service new and used cars. Application by City of Douglasville.

e. In accordance with an agreement authorized by the City Council on May 21, 2007, refer to the City Zoning Board a proposal to rezone from R-2 (Single Family Residential) to CG (General Commercial) certain tracts through which the planned Bright Star Road Connector will pass. Application by City of Douglasville.

7. Parks & Recreation Committee/Roy Mims

8. Finance Committee/Henry Mitchell III

a. Adopt an ordinance adopting a Fiscal Year 2007 - 2008 General Fund Budget for the City of Douglasville.

b. Adopt an ordinance adopting a Fiscal Year 2007 - 2008 Sanitation Fund Budget for the City of Douglasville.

c. Adopt an ordinance adopting a Fiscal Year 2007 - 2008 Convention and Visitors Bureau Budget for the City of Douglasville.

d. Adopt an ordinance adopting a Fiscal Year 2007 - 2008 Conference Center Budget for the City of Douglasville.

9. Information Technology Committee/Henry Mitchell III

Tabled from June 4, 2007:
a. Authorize the Mayor to sign a Franchise Agreement with SynchroNet, Inc., and DoveTel Communications, LLC, for non-cable telecommunications services.

10. Maintenance & Sanitation Committee/Charles Banks

a. Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement between the City and Loving Hands Ministry, Inc., concerning the parking lot used by the City Maintenance and Sanitation Department.

b. Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement to amend the City’s current resurfacing contract with C. W. Matthews to include the additional streets recently approved under the Georgia Department of Transportation’s LAU program: Country Club Drive, Duralee Lane, Stonebridge Boulevard, and Ridgemore Court/West Hills Court.

11. Transportation Committee/Michael Carter

a. Authorize the City Manager to advertise for and receive bids for the construction work on projects at the intersection of Chapel Hill Road with Chapel Crossing, Rosemont Drive, Golf Ridge Boulevard, and Grace Lake Drive and at the intersection of Stewart Mill Road and Millstone Trail.

12. Personnel & Organization Committee/Roy Mims

a. Amend the City’s GMEBS (Georgia Municipal Employees Benefit System) Defined Benefit Plan Adoption Agreement to add an option for City employees to pay for prior military service credit toward their retirement.

b. Amend the job description for the position of Certified Police Officer in the City’s Police Department, effective June 19, 2007.

c. Adopt a new organizational chart for the City’s Community and Downtown Services Department, effective June 19, 2007.

d. Amend the job description in the City’s Community and Downtown Services Department for the position of Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, effective June 19, 2007.

e. In the City’s Community and Downtown Services Department, establish the job titles of Sales Manager and Special Projects Manager, adopt a job description for said job titles, and approve one job slot for each of said job titles, effective June 19, 2007.

13. Ordinances & Intergovernmental Committee/Callye B. Holmes

14. Other Business

a. Announce the Mayor’s nominations of the City’s appointed officials for 2007 - 2008 to be made during the Monday, June 18, 2007, City Council meeting.

b. Reports on the annual evaluations of certain of the City’s appointed officials.

15. City Attorney/Joel Dodson

16. Chief Assistant City Attorney/Suzan Littlefield

17. City Manager/Bill Osborne

18. Comments from Citizens and Delegates

WORK SESSION AGENDA
JUNE 18, 2007
10:00 A.M. – BOARD ROOM

CITIZENS’ INPUT

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Regular Commission Meeting of June 5, 2007.

PLAT APPROVALS – FINAL PLAT ACCEPTANCE (Cynde)

2. C. D. Truitt Business Park

PUBLIC HEARINGS TO CONSIDER

3. Beer & Wine License (New)(Beverly)

BFJ & Associates, LLC - CS Domino Club
560 Thornton Road, Suites 112 & 113, Lithia Springs, GA
(Licensee: Courtney James)

4. A request to close and barricade a portion of Peachtree Street located in Land Lots 252 and 316, 18th District, 2nd Section. (Randy)

BUSINESS

5. Recently, the Board approved four deputy clerks for State Court in order to operate two courts simultaneously. Because of this, two new Deputy Sheriffs are needed for the security of the court. Create two Deputy Sheriff positions and transfer $43,289 from General Appropriations to Sheriff Detention. (Jennifer)

6. The Department of Natural Resources Land & Water Conservation Fund awarded Douglas County a $75,000 grant to assist with the acquisition of property along Dog River. Amend the SPLOST budget by increasing State Grants and Park SPLOST Projects by $75,000. (Jennifer)

7. The Woodie Fite Senior Center received donations in the amount of $1,655 for a memorial garden and supplies for the paint class. Amend the budget by increasing Donations and Senior Center budget by $1,655. (Jennifer)

8. Award of bid for pavement markers to all firms: Peek Pavement Marking; Crossroads Contracting; and Mid-State Striping, Inc. (Diane)

9. Authorization of the Metro PCS Wireless E911 Phase II Service Agreement.

10. Authorization for Chairman to execute FY’07 Aging Services Contract Budget Amendment with ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission).

11. Re-appointment of Rev. James Chandler, Sr. to the Douglas County Family & Children Services Board. Term: 7/1/07 – 6/30/12.

12. Appointment to the Library Board. Term: 7/1/07 – 6/30/10. (Charlotte)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS

EXECUTIVE SESSION - Personnel, Litigation, Land Acquisition

The Douglas County Sentinel is reporting today that the WSA declared last night to impose outdoor watering to once a week – odd-numbered address on Thursday and even-numbered addresses on Monday from midnight to 10 a.m. There was no mentioning whether the new restriction is affective as of today.

The restriction has an uncanny resemblance to the Level 3 Drought Response restrictions by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Restrictions are posted on the WSA’s website. Some could call this restriction Level 2.5, right in the middle between Level 2 and Level 3 based on restrictions.

Violators will have only two chances to keep their water. The first violation is a warning, the second is a $350 fine and the third is disconnection of water. WSA customers who exceed 10,000 gallons a month will receive the premium rate on their bills.

The Dog River Reservoir has already lost 25% of capacity as of last month and could drop to 50% by next month if drought conditions continue.

Douglas County is growing at an alarming rate these days and the next stop for the development train is the Highway 92 corridor south of Interstate 20. There is a lot of work going on through out the whole corridor with the Highway 92 Relocation Project, I-20 HOV Project, and the Highway 92 Widening Project.

Smack dab in the middle of all the construction is a three mile stretch, from Pine Drive to Lake Monroe Road, which has been constituted for the Highway 92 LCI Emerging Corridor Study via a $100,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). In 2000 ARC granted an LCI landuse study for 2,300 acres in and around Douglasville.

In February on this year ARC announced in a press release the funding for the Highway 92 corridor along with six other LCI studies. The Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program is described by the ARC as a program “that encourages local jurisdictions to plan and implement strategies that link transportation improvements with land use development strategies to create sustainable, livable communities consistent with regional development policies.”

(more…)

The Douglas County Sentinel today is reporting that there is a possibility the WSA will place a total outdoor water ban if drought conditions. The decision may come Tuesday at the board meeting. If the restriction is placed, then you can forget a fireworks display at Arbor Place.

The State of Georgia is facing its worst drought in twenty years. Scattered thunderstorms are expected in the early half of next week with some rain to follow the week after, according to Accuweather.com.

More information about the new County jail has been released on the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office website, all of which depends on the public’s acceptance of the 2007 SPLOST Referendum version 2.0. Provided is some general information, a FAQ, and public notice for two open houses – one on July 21st and the second on August 18th – that are for Douglas County residents only.

As predicted earlier this year by Losing Georgia, the Flagview Mobile Home Park was one of the three key locations nearest the county courthouse that was likely to be selected. Now the Sheriff’s Office has announced that the mobile home park is the new site, spanning almost 37 acres.

There was no information regarding the displacement of families who live in the mobile home park. The jail would cost taxpayers $130 million ($120 for jail/$10 for land acquisition), which is a $43 million dollar difference of the $87 million that was proposed on the 2007 SPLOST v1.0.

I had spoken to a deputy last week regarding the new jail, and he too pressed the issue of the need for a new jail. A piece of information that startled me was that if the new SPLOST referendum is not passed, there may be a possibility that the Federal Government may have to step in and force construction based on their judgments. The deputy informed me that this happened in Carrollton a few years ago.

The deputy also noted that part of the problem over the overcrowded jail is the continual population increases that have been ongoing in the county.

The upcoming June 19th Board of Commissioners meeting has been re-scheduled to 9:00 A.M. Meetings usually start at 10:00 A.M.

From Traffic.com

ACCIDENT past Lee Rd (#41) - accident blocking the right lane - (involving a tractor trailer that went down an embankment. Crews are having to physically offload the trailer, carrying the contents uphill before the tractor trailer can be hauled out.) EXPECTED DURATION: DOT Estimate Approx. 06:00 pm

Fairburn Road is backed up as well with many diverting the traffic using Riverside Parkway and Fulton Industrial.