2025-08-18 · City Council · Transcript · Special Called Meeting

--- title: Special Called Meeting date: 2025-08-18 source: 2025-08-18_Special_Called_Meeting.wav --- [0:11:47, 0:11:50]: Yes, sir? Yes. [0:11:50, 0:12:02]: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna get started on our special call meeting. Uh this is August 18th, uh 2025, and I have 926. Okay. [0:12:03, 0:12:05]: Please stand for the invocation. [0:12:08, 0:12:28]: Lord, thank you for bringing us together once again to do this business of the citizens that we that serve, that we serve in this aspect. Allow us to make good, solid decisions in reference to the items that come before us. Give us strength to go forward and continue to do the best we can for our community. Be us always, Lord, in your name. Amen. [0:12:28, 0:12:41]: Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To the Republic of what it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, liberty, justice for all. [0:12:42, 0:12:43]: Madam Clerk, Roll Call, please. [0:12:46, 0:12:51]: Mayor Ford? Present. Mayor Pro Tem Gantt. Present. Councilmember Thomas. [0:12:52, 0:12:55]: Councilmember Thomas is not in attendance. Council Member Berry. [0:12:56, 0:13:16]: Let the breaker reflect. Councilmember Berry is not in attendance. Councilmember Barber. Present. Council Member Alexander. Present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Appreciate that. Council, I need a motion to adopt the agenda, please. So moved. Okay. Second. Okay, from Mr. Alexander. Ms. Gantt all in favor, please indicate. Thank you very much. Announced decision there. We have new business. Council consider. [0:13:16, 0:13:31]: consideration to approve the resolution encouraging the attainability of a floss tax relief and collaboration between the Henry County and its receptive respective uh cities, presented by um Sean Evanson, our city manager, sir, please. [0:13:33, 0:13:53]: Uh good morning, uh Mayor and Council, uh community. Uh yes, to uh before you we have a resolution uh before you that we are requesting to be adopted. Uh just to give some context and some reference behind this particular document. For the last several weeks, uh the city of Stockbridge, along with the other [0:13:53, 0:14:13]: Municipalities here in Herring County have met uh with the county in reference to floss. Uh these meetings um had some substantive conversations and discussion on the best uh course of action in the distribution in the collection and distribution of floss. Uh for the people that don't know what floss is. [0:14:13, 0:14:33]: Uh FLOSS is a local option sale tax approved by voters that allows municipalities to collect a dedicated sales tax for specific purposes, usually tied to local needs such as infrastructure, public safety, or community development. Unlike general sales tax, FLOSS funds are restricted in use and cannot be spent outside voter tax. [0:14:33, 0:14:53]: Or approved categories. Um, so that that's just a little background of what floss is. So we um after these uh the last few weeks of discussion and talks about floss, uh the municipalities decide to the best way forward in the distribution, collection, and distribution of the floss tax is to use. [0:14:53, 0:15:13]: Use the model that has been used before with the counties and the municipalities, such as the loss and SPLOS. The county proposed a different method, which was referred to them by a consultant from Rochester that wanted to deviate. [0:15:13, 0:15:20]: [927.6, 947.6]: 34.22% across all entities in the county to include the minute municipalities. However, after careful consideration and looking at the different breakdowns, the municipalities decide that the best way to collect and distribute the flaws tax. [0:15:47, 0:16:02]: Tax is through the model once again that was established uh long before uh FLOS came about, which was Loss and SPLOS. So pending your questions, uh this is how the resolution came to be. [0:16:02, 0:16:15]: Uh we understand the county's position on this, um, but once again, after further discussion with other municipalities, we believe that this would better serve the city of Stockbridge uh electing this particular model. [0:16:17, 0:16:27]: Thank you, uh, Mr. Edmondson. Yeah, uh maybe I might have missed something. Just a sort of clarification. Uh upon approval, provided we approve this, this still has to go to referendum for a citizens vote in November. [0:16:28, 0:16:32]: Yes. So the goal for today is to basically uh [0:16:33, 0:16:44]: get a formal decision from the mayor and council on our stance, which is the adopting the model of loss, um, to present to the count uh [0:16:44, 0:17:04]: the board of commissioners uh so that they can make a determination whether or not they will accept or not. Um so our hopes is that the county will accept the model that the municipalities have agreed to uh elect for distribution and also collection. So [0:17:04, 0:17:12]: It is our hopes that the county sees that, you know, we all in agreement and this is the direction of the city and adopt that model as well. [0:17:13, 0:17:22]: And a part of approval I would imagine we myself, or excuse me, we collectively, along the other cities have to sign some type of agreement with the county in reference to this as well. [0:17:22, 0:17:42]: Yeah, so these r this resolution just basically formalized our decision and adopting that the loss model for flaws. Uh however, what would happen upon its its acceptance is they would uh construct a IGA, which will come down as well, and uh we'll adopt the IGA as well as they develop it, depending on what determination. [0:17:42, 0:17:50]: Is is is is comes about from all the municipalities and what the county decides to agree. So appreciate it. Mr. Alexander. [0:17:50, 0:17:51]: You had a question? [0:17:51, 0:18:11]: Yes, thank you so much. I appreciate this. I just want to speak directly to the citizens for a second, which is certainly this is an opportunity of a lifetime that has been presented, and we like to thank our state legislature and our state legislative board. Property owners have been taxed and taxed. [0:18:11, 0:18:31]: Taxed and taxed. This is an opportunity to reduce property taxes on the county level and on the city level. According to the Georgia Municipal Association, most of the cities in Georgia would be practically able to eliminate their city property tax, which we instituted in 2021. [0:18:31, 0:18:51]: twenty three should this one cent sales tax pass on the ballot in November. But in order for it to get to the ballot, the Henry County and all four cities have to agree on the method. And you know, it was great to be at the municipal dinner the other night and have everybody. [0:18:51, 0:19:11]: Say and feel that uh co cooperation and unity was in the air. And certainly as we approve uh our recommendation, we're gonna go to the table with a sense of humility and understanding that we're gonna put the citizens first and we're not gonna have [0:19:11, 0:19:31]: These uh the contentious debates between the city and the counties, we're going to come with a sense of collaboration and that we're all going to work together because, in the end, in my calculations that I have done basically for a homeowner like myself, basically it would save me about a thousand. [0:19:31, 0:19:50]: A year or a homeowner like yourself who lives in a house between$350,000 and$400,000, it would save you about$1,000 a year minimum in property taxes. Because what we need to understand is that this FLOSS works exactly like the SPLOSS tax. So every time somebody comes to Henry County. [0:19:50, 0:19:52]: And they stay at a hotel. [0:19:53, 0:20:13]: They pay that tax. Every time somebody comes to Costco to shop, they pay that tax. Every time we any type of transaction takes place at a cash register here in the city of Stockbridge and Henry County wide, those citizens will be assisting us in moving forward. And certainly, let me speak for myself. [0:20:13, 0:20:33]: It was a tough decision to implement a city property tax here in the city of Stockbridge when we uh formed a police department and we moved forward with the amphitheater. And I understand that we're paying that off here in August, that we made that decision, but it certainly would be. [0:20:33, 0:20:53]: Be uh an amazing thing to say that we implemented a city tax in 2023 and we're basically able to help the citizens eliminate that tax here in the year 2025 and have complete support for the police department, uh the amphitheaters, such. [0:20:53, 0:21:13]: Such other facilities that we have throughout the city, public works, because it would provide uh monies that would go directly uh to relieving property taxes dollar for dollar. And I think it's very important. Number one, uh the most important thing is to emphasize: should voters decide to approve this. [0:21:13, 0:21:33]: Tax in November, every single cent has to be used for property tax relief. You can't use it for anything else other than that. It is restricted to relieving property taxes on the county and city side. The money cannot be used for anything else in the city besides that. [0:21:32, 0:21:44]: So I appreciate it and um I just wanna make sure that we're going to the table with a sense of collaboration because this is something that really would benefit the citizens and as a win for everybody. [0:21:45, 0:21:48]: Thank you, sir. Counsel any other c I'm sorry, do counsel any other comments? [0:21:49, 0:21:51]: I have to do that. [0:21:51, 0:21:52]: Um [0:21:52, 0:21:53]: So [0:21:54, 0:22:04]: The county had proposed thirty four point two percent to be divided amongst all the count all the s municipalities. Is that what took place? That left them with um [0:22:06, 0:22:18]: That was a difference of three point three percent. So had we agreed with what the was suggestion was, they would have gotten an additional three point oh three percent. But instead [0:22:19, 0:22:25]: We decided to go based off are we going off of the census or so we're going off of the twenty twenty census still? [0:22:26, 0:22:46]: No, we're not going off the uh it's it's based on the proceed the proceeds based upon the twenty twenty-four years census survey and a matter which parties exhaustively negotiated and resolved recent jurisdiction sale tax, which was the loss. So that's right. So that's basically what we decided to go with instead of the recommended thing from the consumer. [0:22:45, 0:23:05]: And I think that's fair. It's a little bit more of an accurate number. Um, as you know, we've had to go through that based off of the population and the annexation of Stockbridge. Right. So those numbers to me are a little bit more fair. And if that's the case, then I definitely would approve this. I I my um because [0:23:05, 0:23:12]: 'cause I think that's in the best interest of Stockbridge and other municipalities. Um [0:23:12, 0:23:23]: And I don't will it completely replace it won't replace the property taxes, but it will help reduce right some of the um expenditures and rollback. Is that what we're hearing? [0:23:23, 0:23:43]: Yes, ma'am. It it offsets it um by a percentage. We the the closer you get to a hundred percent is eliminated altogether as Councilmember Alexander has said before. Um and that's the reason why we chose this model, because had we chose the other percentage breakdown, we get farther and farther away from completely eliminating it. And so [0:23:43, 0:24:02]: You know what I mean? So if we took a different collection rate, is no way the offset won't be as much as we could for our residents. So that's the reason why we elected this model. Okay. And our rate is fourteen point seven three at this final collection. Yes. All right. All right. Thank you. Um, okay, go ahead. Is Barber's comments? [0:24:03, 0:24:23]: I'd like to make a motion to approve a resolution encouraging the obtainability of floss tax relief in collaboration between Henry County and its respective cities. Second. All right, for Miss Barber and Mr. Alexander are all in favor of indicate. She announced the decision. Thank you very much. Thank you. And on that note, I need a motion to adjourn. [0:24:23, 0:24:26]: Yep. You got anything else there? No. [0:24:26, 0:24:32]: So move. Okay. Is there a second? Second. Okay, from Miss Gantt to Mr. Alexander on favor, please indicate. [0:24:32, 0:24:34]: Our media is down journal. God bless you all. [0:24:37, 0:24:38]: Only minutes to the next one.