2026-05-26 · City Council · Minutes · Work Session Meeting · Minutes

--- page 1 --- stockbridge Where Community Connects CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SUMMARY MINUTES TUESDAY MAY 26, 2026 6:00 P.M. Mayor & City Council Mayor Jayden L. Willams At-Large Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander — Council District 5 Councilmember LaKeisha Gantt — Council District 1 Councilmember Antwan Cloud — Council District 2 Councilmember Kyle D. Berry, Sr. — Council District 3 Counciimember Yolanda Barber — Council District 4 Administration Shawn Edmondson - City Manager Frank Milazi — City Treasurer Cassandra Lester — Interim City Clerk Quinton Washington - City Attorney Megan McCullough — Associate Attorney Mission: To provide visionary leadership and superior municipal services that enhance the quality of life for citizens while creating a welcoming business atmosphere focused on sustainability and expansion of tourism and cultural events. The Work Session Meeting of the Stockbridge City Council was called to order by Mayor Jayden L. Williams at 6:02 PM. The invocation was delivered by Counciimember Kyle D. Berry, Sr., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Interim Clerk Lester called the roll. A quorum was established. Councilmember Cloud arrived at 6:04 PM, and Councilmember Gantt arrived during executive session approximately at 8:36 PM. Motion to adopt the agenda was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 3-0. The following amendments to the agenda were added during the meeting: Add Item 8 (Amphitheater Operating Hours) Motion to amend the agenda to add discussion regarding the Amphitheater Operating Hours made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander, seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 4-0 Add Item 9 (Amphitheater Rental Policy) Motion to amend the agenda to add discussion of the Amphitheater Rental Policy, made by Councilmember Barber seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-0 1|Page --- page 2 --- Review of the Minutes Review the May 11, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes. The May 11, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes were presented for review. Public Comments Two public comments were received. Charlene Woodruff presented photographs alleging that a developer trespassed on and disturbed her property, cutting down mature hardwood trees, and described resulting adverse impacts to her quality of life. Kathy Walker summarized ongoing community concerns regarding the development, including unanswered questions about changes made since the original 2022 approval, the absence of a buffer restoration plan, and pending inquiries from the Attorney General's office. Following public comments, Councilmember Barber moved to direct staff to plant mature cypress trees to restore the buffer for affected homeowners. The motion did not receive a second and therefore died. Mayor Williams noted that the City Manager had been directed to mail updated information and a fact sheet to affected residents within the coming week. New Business Invitation to Bid (ITB) American Tank Maintenance Council considered approval of the fifth renewal of ITB No. 16RFP101216-DRR with American Tank Maintenance, LLC for the Full-Service Tank Maintenance Program in the amount of $61,419.00, funded from Water Department Budget Account No. 505-44200-522210. Staff confirmed there is no price increase under this renewal and that the Procurement Department recommends approval given the limited number of qualified vendors in Georgia and the benefit of fixed long-term costs. Motion to approve was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-0. Prime Contractors, Inc Council considered approval of a change order with Prime Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $219,594.79 for the installation of water, sewer, and fire main for the new Maintenance Shop, funded from SPLOST VI Account No. 321-42200-541318. The change order was necessitated by a fire line requirement that was not identified at the outset of the project. Motion to approve was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 4-0. (Amphitheater Operating Hours) Motion to amend the agenda to add discussion regarding the Amphitheater Operating Hours made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander, seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 4-0 Dianna Hunt & Associates, Inc Council considered approval of a contract amendment with Dianna Hunt & Associates, Inc. to provide right-of-way acquisition services for approximately 43 parcels associated with the Tye Street Multi-Use Path Project, increasing the contract from $40,000.00 to $107,500.00, funded 2|Page --- page 3 --- from TSPLOST Account No. 335-42200-541404. The amendment was necessary due to a miscalculation of services required to secure the easements. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Cloud and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-0. Rock Quarry Rd. Widening — Water and Sewer Utility Relocation Council considered approval for the City to contract with the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA\) to supply labor, materials, and coordination for the relocation of City water and sewer facilities in conflict with the Rock Quarry Road widening project, in the amount of $617,085.95, funded from SPLOST VI Account No. 321-43300-541405. The Service Delivery Strategy permits the City to contract with HCWA for this work, and the relocation will serve as an infrastructure upgrade. The Rock Quarry Road widening project is a GDOT project estimated for completion in 2028. Motion to approve was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 4-0. Resolution Approving a Memorandum of Understanding for a Martin Luther King Sr., aka "Daddy King Statue." Council considered a resolution approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Stockbridge and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for a phased approach to the design and construction of a statue honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Sr. The DDA is not requesting financial support from the City at this time. The MOU establishes permission for the DDA to study the use of Municipal Park for the statue site, with the City retaining final approval authority over all design and construction decisions. Public charrettes and council input are planned as part of the first phase. The disposition of the existing statue at Municipal Park was identified as a matter to be addressed in Phase 1. Motion to approve was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 3-1. Barber Opposed Councilmember Barber opposed with the following comments for the record: "Members of this governing body, the newest members, are going to have to realize they will have to answer for all of the decisions that they're making. You're making decisions based on half information that you're being given. You're making decisions that are affecting my district. This governing body is making a whole lot of decisions about my district but yet they're not spending much time in their own districts where their residents and business owners can hold them accountable for their decisions. You can't keep making decisions about my district and not hear from me. You're hear from me every time. But eventually, the 2 well, 3 newest members of this governing body are gonna realize they are being manipulated. | jumped that ship years ago. | will stand on my own 10 toes down on every decision that | make. Every one of them. You can't keep making decisions in my district affecting the people in my district and not be held accountable for it. That's all." 2026 Budget Amendment No. 1 City Treasurer Frank Milazi presented Budget Amendment No. 1 for Fiscal Year 2026, increasing the total adopted budget from $34,768,690 to $37,880,690, an increase of $3,112,000. The primary driver of the increase is a $3,000,000 land acquisition line added to the General Fund. Additional changes included: removal of phone expenses from the Governing Body budget (relocated to IT); a $257,200 increase to HR for workers' compensation and general liability expenses; a $50,800 increase in Economic Development for unbudgeted contractual services; a $50,000 increase in Community Development equipment; and internal 3|Page --- page 4 --- reallocation of expenses within the Police Department, Municipal Court, and City Clerk's Office with no net change to their respective budgets. Mr. Milazi also announced that the City had received three recent grants, including two new law enforcement vehicles (EVs) and a bulletproof vest grant, which will be formally presented to Council for acceptance at a future meeting. Council discussion also highlighted the City's improved financial position, including an approximately $15,000,000 fund balance (approximately 50% of the operating budget, well above the GMA-recommended 25-30%), and a total of approximately $21,000,000 recovered following prior Department of Justice audit findings. The City Treasurer received recognition for the City receiving a Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) award for fiscal year 2024 Motion to approve 2026 Budget Amendment No. 1 was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry Discussion: Counciimember Barber asked the governing body to vote on the Amphitheater Rental Policy as a separate item and to table that item until the next council meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander made a point of order to vote on 2026 Budget Amendment No. 1, removing the Amphitheater Rental Policy and voting on each item separately. seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 3-0-1. Barber Abstained Councilmember Barber abstained, citing the inability to locate the adopted FY 2026 budget on the City's website for reference. (Amphitheater Rental Policy) Motion to amend the agenda to add discussion of the Amphitheater Rental Policy, made by Councilmember Barber seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-0 Operating Hours of the Amphitheater Mayor Pro Tem Alexander raised the issue of amphitheater operating hours in the context of the May 24 concert, during which inclement weather caused a delayed start and a hard cutoff at 11:00 PM, resulting in abbreviated performances. He proposed amending the noise ordinance to allow a midnight end time in cases of inclement weather or force majeure, an 11:30 PM limit for shows running late due to operational factors, with the standard 11:00 PM curfew remaining the default. Council discussion acknowledged competing interests between concertgoers, the City's fiscal responsibility, and the quality of life of nearby residents. Councilmember Barber opposed any extension of concert hours, citing the impact on homeowners in the surrounding district. Councilmember Berry expressed support for a compromise that would allow reasonable weather-related grace periods without significantly extending disruption to residents. City Attorney Megan McCulloch noted that any change would require formal enactment, including amendment of the noise ordinance and public notice, and confirmed she would prepare a more complete draft ordinance for a future meeting. No formal action was taken on this item. Amphitheater Rental Policy Councilmember Barber noted that the Council has never formally approved or adopted an amphitheater rental policy and moved to table the item to the next regular council meeting to 4|Page --- page 5 --- allow for a full presentation by the City Manager and amphitheater management staff. The motion to table resulted in a 2-0-2 vote (two in favor, two abstaining) and therefore failed. Mayor Pro Tem Alexander subsequently moved to adopt a temporary rental fee schedule as recommended by staff, to take effect inmediately, with a full presentation from City Events staff and the City Manager at the next regular meeting for final action. Motion to adopt a temporary amphitheater rental fee schedule pending formal review at the next council meeting was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 3-1, with Councilmember Barber opposed. Executive Session Council convened to Executive Session for the purpose of discussing personnel matters. Motion to adjourn to Executive Session was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-0. Motion to end Executive Session was made by Councilmember Berry and seconded by Councilmember Cloud. The motion passed 5-0. Action from Executive Session Upon returning to open session, Council voted to appoint Wanda Dallas as Municipal Court Judge. Motion to appoint Wanda Dallas as Municipal Court Judge was made by Councilmember Gantt and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 4-1, Barber opposed. Adjournment Motion to adjourn was made by Mayor Pro Tem Alexander and seconded by Councilmember Berry. The motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:16 pm. Respectfully submitted by: / Cassandra Lester, Interim City Clerk (Zyge% %ams, Mayor s 5|Page