Retreat Gives City Council Chance To Brainstorm About The Future
It was a time for thinking big and throwing out ideas. The Commerce City Council spent last weekend at Smithgall Woods near Cleveland trying to plot a course of action for the next two to five years.
A new city park off Waterworks Road, a second public safety complex near Interstate 85, increased support of the chamber’s economic development effort, an overhaul of the zoning ordinance, control of blight, increases to employees’ retirement benefits and city water and sewer rates and improvements to an oxidation pond were all tossed onto the table for discussion as potential projects.
Walt McBride of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia had the participants, including all elected officials plus City Manager Clarence Bryant, Finance Director Steve McKown and City Clerk Shirley Willis, “vote” on a list of topics selected by the participants to determine their level of importance to the group as a whole.
Of most importance, the results indicated, were recreation facilities and programs, growth, economic development, community facilities, retirement and blight.
Finances, water and sewer issues, the city’s relationship with the school system, national and historic resources and changes to the liquor by the drink ordinance wound out the list.
The group took no action. The result of the retreat is expected to be an order of priorities and a timeline.
But a discussion of city finances indicates that the city will find accomplishing all of the things participants think should be done sufficiently challenging.
“We have just about milked our utility funds for everything we can unless you want to be known for having the highest rates in Georgia,” warned Bryant, who said he projects 4.9 percent more costs for the General Fund in the upcoming fiscal year, but revenue growth of only two percent.
“There is no money to do all these capital items,” he said. “If you want to do the parking lot behind the civic center, for example, you’ve got to come up with $150,000.”
There are some ways to add a few dollars, including increasing some fines and fees that haven’t been adjusted in years, and using confiscated drug money to offset some of the police department’s capital costs. On the other hand, a need to increase the employees’ pension benefits and the per-diem travel costs will absorb more revenue.
Assuming the money can be found, here’s what officials expressed an interest in accomplishing in the near future:
Economic Development
Mayor Charles L. “Buzzie” Hardy proposed contributing at least $10,000 a year to the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Fund. This helps the chamber as it markets not just Commerce, but all of Jackson County to industrial prospects.
Bryant noted that interest among industrial prospects has not slowed down. He mentioned one company expressing an interest in half of the Commerce-85 Business Park. Hardy said there are 14 major projects looking at Jackson County at present.
“Jackson County is going to get some of them,” he predicted, “and sooner or later Commerce is going to get some.”
Officials said the long-delayed Bana Road is due to be built this year, and that building is imminent on the Bouchard property on the opposite side of the interstate.
Growth
“We’re as ready as we can be. Our infrastructure is ready,” the mayor said.
“I think the question is, are our regulations ready?” replied Bryant, which led to a discussion of upgrading the city’s zoning ordinances.
Ward 4 Councilman Bob Sosebee stressed the need to have better restrictions on stormwater runoff, citing the retention ponds planned for the new Walgreens and the new high school.
Recreation
The group discussed creating another park around the city’s old reservoir off Waterworks Road. Jackson County officials apparently plan a second attempt at a recreation bond issue, from which some money might flow to the city.
Bryant pointed out that Jefferson has a $1.4 million recreation budget, compared to about $400,000 for Commerce, and he noted that all of that money comes from the general fund.
“Everything you do above what we’re doing now, you’re talking about a tax increase,” he warned.
“I know there is a desire among the population we have for more recreation services,” Sosebee countered. He pointed out that the city “has fairly good recreation programs for children, but for mature people, nothing.”
Community Facilities
Items mentioned included a “spray and play” area being added at the city pool, the city serving as conduit to get a community development block grant for a Boys and Girls Club facility (a private donation for the matching funds is expected), and adding playgrounds and rest rooms at Veterans Memorial Park and Ridling Field.
Blight
Councilman Richard Massey complained that building officials are not pursuing the eradication of blighted buildings, leading to a discussion of whether the city needs a marshal. Bryant mentioned the possibility of training some city police officers to be part-time marshals when they’re off duty.
“I rode through town and came up with a list of 12 projects we’re going to jump on,” Bryant said. “If you’ve got a piece of property you want cleaned up, call me and I’ll put it on the list.”
Bryant also defended the department, saying that it takes a long time for the process to be completed to remove a building, and pointing out that building officials still continue to issue permits and do inspections even when housing starts are down.
The discussion also covered problems with parking on the streets in Brentwood Subdivision, problems with the parking lot across from the civic center (the concrete slab is slick when wet) and even a discussion of shooting squirrels that are damaging property.
Public Safety
Hardy revealed that John Rooker is willing to donate a site for a satellite public safety complex in the Commerce-85 Business Park. The mayor said the city will ask if Rooker will also donate a building.
“The number one complaint I get is about the police department,” complained Ward 3 Councilman Mark Fitzpatrick, who conceded that many of the complaints are from citizens who don’t understand how the department works. One of the most frequent complaints, officials said, is of two or three officers involved in one traffic stop. However, two officers per stop is a standard procedure for officer safety, Hardy noted. “If you see three, they’ve found something,” he said.
Sewer Rates
Bryant said he will recommend a sewer rate increase of 50 cents per 1,000 gallons and a water rate increase of 15 cents per 1,000 gallons to help meet debt service. Neither increase will affect the minimum bills for those low-end users.
Entrance Signs
Hardy got a nod from the council to have designs finalized for “gateway signs” to be located on Homer Road, Maysville Road and near Wayne Neal Chevrolet on the south end of town.
Hardy showed artist’s renderings by Todd Miller and said the Public Works Department has indicated it can build them.
Liquor By The Drink
Sosebee proposed reducing the license fee to $2,000 or $200 per month.
“They way we have it now, nobody can use it,” Sosebee complained, but Hardy disagreed.
“We don’t have the right people yet to use it,” the mayor stated.
Sosebee argued that they didn’t realize that the “mom and pop” restaurants would not be able to afford the licenses when they approved the ordinance.
“Some of us did realize that when we did it,” Hardy countered, adding that the goal was to limit the licenses. “A lot of citizens, me being one of them, don’t want to see it downtown,” he added.
Water Issues
The group mentioned its ongoing efforts to get out of the statewide level four water restrictions and manage its reservoir with its drought contingency plan.
Relationship With Schools
This discussion covered comments on the proposed new high school.
Hardy reported that he was “very disappointed” to see that the performing arts center is designed to seat only 450, and that school board chairman Dr. Paul Sergent told him it would cost another $1.5 million to expand the auditorium to 950 seats.
“They must be gold seats,” commented Fitzpatrick.
“We need at least 700 to 750 if we can’t build 950,” Sosebee said. “I hope they’ll go back to the drawing board.”
Fitzpatrick expressed a desire to “repair the relationship” with the board of education. “It’s a two-way street. They’ve got to be willing to work with us.”
“It’s more them than it is us,” Massey replied.
“A lot of people are under the impression we run the schools,” Fitzpatrick said. “They (the school board) asked us for a divorce, and we granted them one,” he added, a reference to relatively recent changes that made the school board an independent taxing authority.
“I don’t know of anything they’ve asked us for that we haven’t done,” said Sosebee.
“We don’t have a week that goes by that we don’t have some of our people over there working at the schools,” added Hardy.
McKown told the group that “several” members of the school board are under the impression that the city owes the BOE for unpaid back taxes - even though the city does not bill or collect taxes for the school system.
Downtown Development Authority
The DDA was one area where all of the comments were positive.
“The DDA did a great job in hiring Hasco,” said Hardy, referring to the DDA executive director Hasco Craver. Hardy pointed out that Craver stays in communication with him, with City Hall and others.
“He’s doing a heck of a job. He’s smart, young and aggressive. We’re seeing the results in the downtown,” said Sosebee. “People are buying and using buildings.”
Sosebee also pointed out that Claudine Smith and Chris Bray of the DDA have visited more than a dozen towns promoting Commerce. “There’s people working to get people to come into the downtown,” he said. “We’ve got the best DDA board we’ve ever had. It’s the most active board and it’s really getting things done.”
Oxidation Pond
Perpetually a problem, the oxidation pond at the old Davis Brothers location has again been cited by the EPD. Most of the problem, said Bryant, is grease coming from three or four restaurants at Banks Crossing.
“We’ve got to get aggressive on grease,” he warned. “It’s not right for us to spend a quarter of a million dollars treating grease for three or four restaurants. If we have to turn off their water at a quarter to noon, do it ... We’ve got to take the attitude that we’re not going to take your grease, and if we do, we’re going to fine you heavily.”
Bryant said the city will dredge the pond, reduce its size, install a bar screen where the effluent comes in and a chlorination system where it leaves the pond - all mandated by EPD.
