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Carol Southard of Carol's Consulting & Grant Management, Inc.
Carol and members working with the Hilltop Community on this grant.
Pike County accepting this million dollar grant.
Concord Fire Station. Photos courtesy of the Pike County Fire Department.
Concord Fire Station. Photos courtesy of the Pike County Fire Department.
Concord Fire Station. Photos courtesy of the Pike County Fire Department.
October 29, 2019 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia
Courthouse Doors on East/South Sides open at 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Meeting at 6:15 p.m.
www.pikecoga.com/novusagenda has an online agenda and accompanying information for this meeting. Monthly information from Animal Control, Coroner, Fire Department, Grady, Library, Magistrate Court, McIntosh Trail CSB, Planning & Development, Registrar, Superior - Juvenile Court, Tax Assessor, and the Water Authority are included as well during the morning meeting only.
All four commissioners were present, County Attorney/Interim County Manager (ICM) Rob Morton, and County Clerk Angela Blount was present to take the minutes. The room was about half full.
1. CALL TO ORDER………………………………………………………..Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION…………………………………………………………………………….…Bart Brock
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE…………………………………………….Chairman J. Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))
Motion to amend the agenda to include Administrative Personnel in the Executive Session. Approved 4-0.
5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2))
a. Minutes of the October 9, 2019 Regular Monthly Meeting.
6. INVITED GUESTS
a. Jim Totten to address the Board regarding StormReady.
EMA Director Jim Totten talked about Storm Ready to the Commissioners. Pike County was first certified in 2013 and recertified since then by the National Weather Service. NWS to track weather related disasters and help the community to act proactively in hazardous weather conditions. Pike County has many ways to notify the public of hazardous weather situations. Each city has a siren, there are two sirens in Zebulon, a talking siren at the Parks and Recreation and the school system which also do outdoor storm warnings. The rest only do tornado warnings. We also have Code Red System. [Note from the Editor: If you have not signed up for Code Red Storm Warning System that calls your home or cell phone in the event of a weather related emergency, you can do so by clicking here.]
7. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONS, DEPARTMENTS, COMMITTEES, AUTHORITIES
a. Monthly Reports submitted from County Departments and County Authorities, including a Revenue/Expenditure Statement for all departments, and a summary check register. There are no Department reports as they will be provided during the first Board meeting of November. Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Detail Check Register is included.
b. County Manager Report
Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund ............................................................................................ $1,249,659.00
Fire Dept. Donations ........................................................................................ $6,044.74
BOC – Jury Account……………………………………………………………...$0.00
Cash Reserve Account ........................................................................ ….....$107,491.30
Pike County CD Special Revenue funds………………………………………….$0.00
Jail Fund ........................................................................................................ $32,398.55
E-911 Fund .................................................................................................... $76,410.13
DATE Fund ................................................................................................... $52,460.95
Juvenile Court Fund ....................................................................................... $10,862.97
Residential Impact Fee ................................................................................ $710,216.44
Commercial Impact Fees ............................................................................... $83,355.61
C.A.I.P FUND ............................................................................................. $180,836.34
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2016……………..$272,902.92
L.M.I. Grant (DOT) ..................................................................................... $170,955.22
c. County Manager Comment
We have assisted with the Christmas parade in the past. Ginny Blakeney has headed this up in the past. He wanted to make sure that if we did this, it was included in her job duties. Brandon and Gail have helped in the past. He asked for questions, concerns, and approval. Consensus to continue.
Commissioner Jenkins asked about the 4th of July. Rob is going to get this for them.
ACCG meeting is coming up.
Discussion about Melville Brown at Chappell Hill. ICM Morton advised that after the road work there, one of the sections is experiencing some difficulties because of the width of the road and concern about accidents. Recommendation to consider reconfiguring these points into one access point instead of two. The county can do all of the work. Rob contacted both property owners who are both in favor of this concept. Motion to authorize. He will provide estimates as the work continues. Most will be manpower. He will get rock estimates to the commissioners asap. It will also save on work in the future too. Motion to move forward with this. This will be advertised to the public prior to the change as well as using adequate signage. Approved 4-0.
Retired Educator’s Day. We are happy to sign proclamation for Retired Educator’s Day as we have done this every year. ICM Morton asked for ratification of the Chairman’s signature on this document for the upcoming day: Sunday, November 3, 2019. Motion to ratify. Chairman Johnson read this aloud. Approved 4-0.
One of the reps from the Animal Control has been given a copy of the minutes of the meeting and needed info for an upcoming meeting about the donation to Pike County.
[Note from the Editor: This information is from the County Manager Report that goes out to commissioners by email prior to each meeting.]
As stated earlier this week in my previous report, I am providing this additional pre-meeting report related to the items that will be addressed at your next meeting Tuesday evening.
Item 6 a: Jim Totten and possibly a representative from the US Department of Commerce will present the StormReady Certification for Pike County and related information. The Certificate and Cover Letter should be in your meeting materials.
Item 7 b and c: I will not plan to cover the items in this pre-meeting report and my report sent earlier this week except as may be necessary. There is a couple of items that I plan to discuss with you during the county manager report. The first item is the annual Christmas Parade. During the recent years, Pike County Employees have been involved with the planning and staging work related to the Christmas Parade. There is minimal cost to putting on the parade/event but I want you direction/input as to whether I can place this parade/event under the duties of the Economic Development Department with assistance from Building and Grounds and authorize/instruct Ginny Blakeney to proceed with planning this year's event. The second item that I will address will be to remind you of the upcoming District 4 Meeting of ACCG on Thursday November 21, 2019 at the Carroll County Gymnastics Facility, 1201 Newnan Road, Carrollton, GA.
Item 8: We have no unfinished business items. Item 9 a: Water & Sewerage Authority Board Appointment. Mr. Eddie Busby and Mr. Britain Turner are the qualified applications for the one open position and the Authority has recommended Britain Turner for the position.
Item 9 b: Use of Courthouse as alternative in case of inclement weather for Pike County Veterans Day Program. You have already approved the use of the Courthouse Grounds for this event and this is just in case there is inclement weather. The Sheriff has approved this option and since it is an official Holiday, there will be no conflict with other offices, except the Magistrate Court may use Courtroom 2 in the morning and afternoon. The Veterans program would only use Courtroom 1. It is recommended that you approve this backup option.
Item 9 c: The monies to be used for the construction of the Concord Fire Station have been previously identified and some of the funds (Impact Fees and CAIP Funds) were included in the FY 2019/2020 Budget that you approved in May. The other $20,000.00 was previously designated from Committed Funds. I will be asking you to specifically approve resolution(s) to use $100,000.00 from Impact Fees, $150,000.00 from CAIP Funds and $20,000 from Committed Funds for the construction of the Concord Fire Station.
Item 9 d: This Resolution and Agreement came in after we had already received the refund from the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund, so I am asking for your approval per the request of the State Officials. The documentation should be in your meeting materials.
Item 9 e: We have recently approved amendments to the FY2019/2020 Budget related to expenditures. Accordingly, we are now submitting amendment(s) to the FY2019/2020 Budget related to revenues to balance the expenditure side.
Item 9 f: The Public Hearing and CIE Final 2018 Update. We will be conducting a public hearing and presenting the final 2018 CIE Update for your approval. We have received the response from the State and the 2018 CIE Update has been approved with one minor correction of a clerical error. The documentation should be in your meeting materials and it is recommended that you approve the 2018 CIE Update.
Item 9 g: Special Exception request by H. Buddy Robinsonon behalf of Southern Linc to allow a communications tower on property off of Nixon Road. The documentation should be in your meeting materials. You will be asked to hold a public hearing and then take action on the application for special exception. It is being recommended for approval by staff and by the Board of Appeals.
Item 9 h-l: All of these items are related to the CDBG Grant Award for the Hilltop Community Project. Our consultant Carol Southard will be present and will help with discussions. I anticipate that our engineer, Hayes Hafstadter may also be present. All of the items are being recommended for approval so that we can move forward with this great project. This portion of the meeting is intended somewhat as a celebration of the award. As you will note, Joe Parks is being recommended as the community liaison for this project. I will plan to recognize John Hanson for starting the project effort as well as Bobby Bickley since he was part of the resubmission effort that eventually lead to the award including the addition of the housing component to the county's service delivery strategies.
Item 10: There is no public comment scheduled.
Item 11: Executive Session will be to discuss issues related to the county manager process as well as personnel issues related to Public Works.
Other items not on the upcoming agenda:
Impact Fee Modification Phase I: I met this week with representatives from Paragon related to the Impact Fee Phase I modification of ratios project. I asked Brad Vaughan and then Ginny Blakeney to join the meeting. Brad, Ginny and I will be gathering specific information and demographics requested from Paragon in order to determine the changes in the information/demographics that were used when the Impact Fee Methodology was initially prepared. Once we have this information and changes identified, then we can determine the proposed changes to the existing categories and related ratios.
Property Re-evaluations: I also met with Greg Hobbs and Bethesda Appraisal Services, LLC this week and drafted a contract for the re-evaluations of Pike County residential properties that will be used in connection with the submission of the 2020 Tax Digest. Hopefully this necessary update will help with property values and the setting of next year's millage rate. Notices will go out to the public about this process and that Bethesda Appraisal Services, LLC will be going out into the County to perform the re-evaluation services and that they will have proper ID.
I believe this pre-meeting report along with my previous report on various items provides you with sufficient information and updates on current county related matters.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you need anything or want to discuss anything further.
End of County Manager Report emailed to commissioners prior to the county commission meeting.]
c. Commissioner Reports
Chairman Johnson recognized the people running for office. Misty Meeks and Jason Proctor are here.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.
ICM Morton advised that the county has received some correspondence about opiod litigation. Class status was inquired on this. We could opt out of the class settlement, but it was recommended to remain a part of the class action lawsuit.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None
9. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consider one appointment to the Pike County Water & Sewer Authority Board to fill an unexpired five-year term, set to expire December 31, 2020. Applicant has met criteria.
Britain Turner and Eddie Busby. Both meet qualifications. Recommendation for Britain Turner. Motion to go with WSA recommendation for Britain Turner. Approved 4-0.
b. Consider use of Courthouse Main Courtroom from Bryan Richardson with Pike County American Legion Post 197 as the inclement weather location for the annual Pike County Veterans Day Observance Program from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on November 11, 2019. Use of Courthouse Grounds approved at September 11, 2019 meeting.
Motion to approve. Bryan met with judges and Sheriff on this. Everyone was ok with this. There wasn't a spot on the form for this so it was presented to commissioners out of an abundance of precaution. This will be remedied in the future. Approved 4-0.
c. Approve/Deny $100,000.00 from Impact Fees, $150,000.00 from C.A.I.P. Funds and $20,000.00 from Committed Funds for Concord Fire Station.
These funds will need to be authorized for items like the driveway apron and moving items from specific accounts to the necessary account. Commissioner Tim Daniel asked if this amount would cover the project. Rob said that we are going to roll with this for now and will come back with additional info if needed. He advised that Public Works is doing the grading and that the county is keeping as much in the account as possible to help with other fire station on Beeks Road. Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
d. Approve/Deny the Agreement and Resolution for the Governing Expenditures for State & Local Government Costs related to the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund Agreement for Reimbursement.
We’ve already received the $28,000+ check. This agreement is just a matter of form. Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
e. Approve/Deny quarterly Budget Amendments for Revenues.
Balancing budget and revenue to offset each other because striving to maintain a balanced budget. Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
f. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive public input regarding Capital Improvements Element (CIE)
Annual Update, pursuant to the Georgia Development Impact Fee Act and the Development Impact
Fee Compliance Requirements of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Action: Discuss/Approve/Deny Final 2018 Update
This is through August 2018. This has been modified to address the typographical errors. Brad Vaughan said that this was a team effort with 6 months of work before he even came to the county.
PUBLIC HEARING: No one spoke for or against.
Discussion and motion. Motion to approve this update. This has been placed online it will be easily accessed by Brad in the future. Approved 4-0.
g. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive public input regarding SE-19-05 – Applicant H. Buddy Robinson
Jr. on behalf of Southern Linc - applicant is requesting special exception to allow for the installation
and construction of a new communications tower (10/17/19 Board of Appeals recommended SE-19-
05 be sent to the Pike County Board of Commissioners for approval). Property location: 126 Nixon
Road Concord, GA Land Lot 199, District 2, Parcel ID: 032-010, 28.42 acres and does not lie within
a flood zone.
Action: Discuss/Approve/Deny
20 minutes total. For and then against. Chairman Johnson read the description. BOA recommended approval. Planning and Zoning Director Brad Vaughan said that this is required to be approved as a Special Exception only. This tower will be located at the southeastern section of the property. At least 1300 feet away from nearest residence, and it will be at least 200 feet from a roadway. Extended height was approved in the BOA meeting as well. Staff recommends approval.
ICM Rob Morton advised that commissioners that you are not considering the variance aspects because the BOA did that already on October 17. You are to consider the Special Use of this property for this communications tower.
IN FAVOR:
Southern Linc rep Clay Brogdon made a presentation. This would fill an area that is not currently covered. This will be in a wooded area to limit visibility to a minimal view. They tried to use existing structures, but the closest tower was two miles away and was not tall enough to provide the coverage needed. They have received FAA approval on the airspace. Other wireless carriers could join this tower rather than building others around the county.
Craig Ogletree from Georgia Power also spoke and expressed Georgia Power’s support of this project during storm outages and recovery in that area. He said that this will help his company as well as the neighbors in that area.
Britain Turner said that he knows the pain of trying to get a communications signal in that area. He asks for support in bringing in communications sites like this to our area.
Patricia Beckham said that she is in favor of anything that helps with cell phones, internet, etc.
Willie Burden asked how it will affect broadband, internet, etc. He said that he had no problem with it.
OPPOSITION:
David Woods is concerned about interference with his cable signal.
John Morrison said that his opposition is not for a communications tower or the location or he has very little problem with the height. His opposition is to the guy wires. He was on the CATF when this ordinance was written. This community has a large number of aerial enthusiasts including balloons, aircraft, and experimental aircraft. He said that 350 feet is not too tall to have a free standing tower. He asked for consideration of balloonists especially.
Closed the hearing.
Discussion: Commissioner James Jenkins discussed the 350 foot tower and said that it can’t be covered up. There were 6 vantage points that they took pictures from. There was no view from 4 of the 6 spots and minimal for the remaining 2. Commissioner Jenkins said that this will be obsolete in 5-6 years. If it is unused, it will be taken down. How long will it take to dismantle if unused? Under the lease, they have 90 days to remove it. Commissioner Tim Guys asked will it interfere with TV signal? No. Chairman Johnson asked about 5 million dollar bond. Brad said that there is a requirement for a liability insurance policy that is required for Pike County. Commissioner Daniel talked about piggy backing on the tower. The tower is designed to facilitate other carriers who want to piggy back. Chairman Jenkins asked what the highest tower is in Pike County. 180 feet is the highest that we have now. The FAA requires anything 200 feet or above to be lit. Chairman Johnson also asked about the guy wires. 280 feet from the base and is 60 or 70% of the total height. It will be fenced in. Retired Delta pilots told him that this won’t be a problem. The airports will be notified. Fairburn had daytime lights on it. Typically a 3 legged self-supporting tower is 30 feet from leg to leg. This will have a thinner profile with the wires actually holding it in place. The base size has to be bigger to be free standing. There is a 400 foot tall tower on Hagan’s Mountain.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
h. PUBLIC HEARING: To discuss the activities of the County’s Community Development Block Grant Program.
We are here to celebrate this million dollar award. ICM Rob Morton thanked the board for their foresight to apply for this grant. Also recognized John Hanson and Bobby Bickley for starting and continuing the requirements for this award.
PUBLIC HEARING
Mrs. Southard thanked the country for trying this for the second time after not getting this award in 2018. Received this on October 16. There were 51 awards and only two were million dollar awards. She thanked the commissioners for working with her on this.
$1,274,956.00 grant. The county will be matching this with $264,956.00 with $90,000 of that being in cash and $169,000.00 for concrete and final paving. 7 dilapidated structures acquired and removed though the land will remain with property owners. There will be street and flood and drainage improvements. There will be reconstruction of 5 houses as well. These are normally 2 year programs, but this may take 2 ½ years to complete.
She discussed the statements prior to signature. She recommends having 3 signatories rather than two in case someone goes out of town because contractors need to be paid. She walked through the county through doing things absolutely by the book. 3 days to disburse checks once the money hits the account from the DCA. This is her largest award that she has ever worked with. There are deadlines that need to be met. This is going to benefit 256 people.
Public Hearing
John Morrison said that this is some of the best news that he has heard in a long time.
Rev. Fred Blackmon said thank you to commissioners for the part that you played as well as John Hanson. Hilltop is very appreciative of this grant and the things that it is going accomplish. This is a great starting point for improving the Hilltop Community.
i. Approve/Deny to accept the Statement of CDBG award.
Motion to accept this award. Approved 4-0.
j. Approve/Deny other required items/documents for CDBG project.
1. Chairman to sign Statement of General Conditions.
2. Chairman to sign Statement of Special Conditions.
3. Chairman to sign Vendor Management Form.
Rob said that the county requires two signatures on all checks. Angela and Janis are getting required training on this. There is a difference between checks and a drawdown. Is there a way to e-sign? They will work through Ms. Sutherland on this. Could amend this process if needed to include the new county manager too. Motion to approve numbers 1-3. Approved 4-0.
4. Discuss/Approve (3) authorized signatories to sign the drawdown request form and Chairman to sign.
Janis, Angela, and Rob as signatories on the drawdown. Check issuing policy be followed with Rob and the commissioners for those signatures. Motion to go with this recommendation. Approved 4-0.
5. Chairman to sign W-9 Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification Form.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
k. Approve/Deny contract for Engineer and Consultants for Hilltop project.
Motion to approve. Mr. Hofstadter offered to work with commissioners on getting roads paved (without charging the county for this) so Rob can get these numbers to commissioners. Approved 4-0.
l. Approve/Deny Joe Parks as the Community Liaison for Hilltop.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
10. PUBLIC COMMENT – None
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
a. Interim County Manager requests Executive Session for discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a county officer or employee as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(6) germane to County Manager in the Administration Office and Personnel in the Public Works Department.
Executive Session. 8:00 p.m.
Back in session. 8:59 p.m.
12. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.
Motion to adjourn. 8:59 p.m.
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