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Tuesday, April 30, 2013 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse Annex, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia
This meeting was attended by all 5 commissioners, County Clerk Jo Ann Wrye to take the minutes, and Interim County Managers Rob and Tom Morton. The room filled to about halfway by the time that the meeting began at 6:30 p.m. Click here to read anything not on this page from the official minutes.
During the Town Hall Meeting, people were allowed to speak without being on an agenda prior to the meeting. Much of this 15 minutes was taken up by people addressing their concerns about whether or not the commissioners should have a prayer at the beginning of the meeting. Joy Walker said that she has never been anywhere that she was not allowed to pray and that this is a slippery slow if we start praying at meetings. She said that she was worried about those who could be disenfranchised--and gave the example of someone of Jewish faith--by a Christian prayer. She paraphrased the verses in Matthew that Commissioner Jarrett read later in the Town Hall Meeting. John Morrison said that we have freedom to pray and encouraged commissioners to pray in meetings. Commissioner Tamra Jarett came before the commissioners as "citizen Tammy" and read from Matthew 6:5-8: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Margie Trammell sent an email to commissioners encouraging them to pray during meetings. She told them that if you can take an oath to God when you take office, she saw nothing wrong with praying before God in a meeting. John Morrison also asked the Commissioners to delay the vote on the revised Planning and Development Fee Schedule until it could come before the Planning Board for review. (Skip down to Section 8d. to read more about the vote on prayer in the meetings.)
1. CALL TO ORDER....................................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson
3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A.§ 50-14-1(e) (2))
Minutes of the April 10, 2013 Regular Monthly Meeting.
Minutes of the April 11, 2013 Specially Called Meeting.
Minutes of the April 15, 2013 Specially Called Meeting
5. INVITED GUESTS - None
6. 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 May. (With the exception of IDA.) Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Check Register is included.
b. County Manager Report
▫ Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund
Jury Account
Cash Reserve Account
Jail Fund
E-911 Fund
DATE Fund
PC L.M.I. Grant
Juvenile Court Fund
Residential Impact Fees
Commercial Impact Fees
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2011
c. County Manager Comments
- Courthouse renovation update.
- Update on any pertinent departmental issues.
d. Commissioner Reports.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None
8. NEW BUSINESS
a. Authorize Interim County Manager to sign the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Award.
b. Consider two appointments to the Pike County Board of Appeals for a three-year term set to expire May 9, 2016. Applicants have met criteria.
c. Approval/denial of request to use Courthouse grounds by Zebulon Downtown Development Authority for Sale on the Square, May 4, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m.
d. Discuss and/or approve/deny to add prayer to the agenda.
Chairman Briar Johnson began this discussion. He said that as a Christian, he believes in prayer and that if this was his meeting or his business, there would be prayer, but said that this is not his meeting and that it is the commissioners' meeting and the public's meeting. He said that he has heard both sides and that this is a difficult decision, but seemed to be swayed by an experience that his wife had seen where she saw kids being ridiculed because they didn't participate in prayer. He said that he thinks we should do something and proposed a moment of silence or a silent prayer instead. Commissioner James Jenkins made a motion for a verbal prayer before the meeting. Second by Commissioner Tommy Powers. This was approved in a 3-2 decision with Commissioner Tamra Jarrett and Chairman Briar Johnson opposed.
There were a lot of questions about this. Who will do this and how are at the top of the list of questions that commissioners had. County Attorney/Interim County Manager Rob Morton said that the Meeting Protocol Ordinance will have to be changed in order to allow a prayer to be placed on the agenda as a regular part of the meeting. Commissioner Tamra Jarrett emphasized that we do have freedom of religion, but she said that there are parameters to be followed and cited the Supreme Court ruling Marsh v. Chambers which says that it is legal to have prayer in public meetings, but that we need to be mindful of our parameters. This will be on the May 8th agenda for further discussion.
e. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive public input on SE-13-04 – Christine Curry and William Chamberlain, property owners, and Christine Curry, applicant, are requesting a special exception in an A-R zoned district to allow for the operation of a Bed & Breakfast in a historic home. The property, located at 1722 Chapman Road, has approximately 238 feet of frontage along the west side of Chapman Road. The property is located in land Lot 165 of the 8th District of Pike County, Georgia. The property consists of 1.20 acres and is further identified as Tax Map Parcel #080 009.
Action: Approval/denial of special exception request.
f. Approval/denial of revised Planning and Development Fee Schedule, relative to the rezoning fee reduced at the prior Board meeting.
g. Approval/denial of proposal from Johnson Electric Systems, Inc. to install and provide offsite fire alarm system monitoring for the renovated Pike County Courthouse.
9. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
a. Mr. Robert E. Adams, Jr. desires to address the Board regarding professionalism.
b. Parrish Swift desires to address the Board regarding Magistrate Court, the budget and prior issues.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION
11. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.
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