---
date: 2015-02-09
title: February 9, 2015 Minutes
source: 2015-02/2015-02-09_February 9, 2015_Minutes.pdf
pages: 1
---

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APPROVED MINUTES
COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF STOCKBRIDGE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015 6:00 PM

Mayor & City Council Administration

Tim L Thorrpson, Mayor lvichael Harris, Gty Manager

Alphonso Thomas, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Holiday, City Clerk

Robin Busdnman, Councilwoman Randi Rainey, Deputy City Clerk

Anthony 5. Ford, Councilman lvﬁchael Williams, City Attorney
LaKeisha Gantt. Councilworrnn

Regina Lewis Ward, Councilwormn

The Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Thompson at 6:00 p.m. The City Clerk, Vanessa Holiday
was asked to proceed with a verbal roll call. All members of the Council were present and a quorum was
conﬁrmed.

Councilwoman Buschman provided the invocation.

All in the chamber recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Councilman Ford made a motion to adopt the Agenda; second by Councilwoman Gantt. The motion passed
5-0.

Reverend E.C. Cochran of Floyd Chapel Baptist Church provided the invocation.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.

Councilman Ford made a motion to adopt the Agenda removing item #7— Annexation of property located
at 519 Country Club Drive in Stockbridge, GA from; second made by Mayor Pro Tem Thomas; the motion
passed 5-0.

Councilman Ford made a motion to approve the Meeting Minutes of the January 12, 2015 Council Meeting,
the January 27, 2015 Special Called Meeting and the January 27, 2015 Work Session Meeting;
second made by Councilwoman Gantt; the motion passed 5-0.

NEW BUSINESS

Item #1 —
State of the City Address Mayor Timothy L. Thompson

Mayor Tim L. Thompson welcomed all of the special guest, former City of Stockbridge employees and
citizens attending tonight's meeting. Mayor Thompson gave the State of the City speech which reads

“I would like to report that it's a good day to live in Stockbridge!

Great things are taking place in the areas of business, both in our city as well as metro Atlanta. We are
situated so perfectly to reap the benefits of projects such as the Aerotropolis and all it offers with Porsche

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and other companies coming to South Atlanta. in addition, having two exits along Interstate 75 ;’provides

opportunities for travelers to dine, shop and fuel up each day while on their way to up and down the
eastern seaboard.

We saw over 1,000 business licenses issued in 2014 and we anxiously awaited the opening of our own

Krispy Kreme, which created a good measure of excitement for our community! Goodwill viewed
Stockbridge as the best place to open a corporate career center. A number of independently owned
businesses such as Bridgeview Country Cooking, and Autumn Leaves of Stockbridge, Senior Living

community opened in 2014 and enjoy doing business here.

Our churches and non-profits continue to be wonderful partners with the City and often serve as the first
line inproviding assistance to our citizens. We're proud to have the best in healthcare services with
Piedmont Henry Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta both located in Stockbridge, along with

top doctors and specialty care centers. We are looking forward to the opening of Symphony Senior
Services at Eagles Landing which is set to break ground soon and will offer luxury housing options for
seniors with a variety of needs.

Stockbridge has beautiful parks and recreational areas to enhance the quality of life for our citizens and
2014 saw the completion of the Reeves Creek Trail project. Citizens are enjoying the opportunity to walk
and ride bikes on this 1 % mile trail that extends from Flippen Road to Memorial Park. We held a ribbon

cutting in August for Monument Park at Eagles Landing ——
the gateway to the Eagle's Landing
Communities that represented a successful public/private partnership venture (meaning that the City did
not entirely fund the effort!) The Stockbridge Community Arts Center held a number of productions
affording our residents the opportunity to see quality theatrical performances in their own backyard.

The City was pleased to show support for our citizens by contributing to local non-profits that provide
food and medical assistance for the underserved, the homeless, and children who might otherwise go

hungry. In working together with these partners, we are making a difference in the lives of people in our
community.

To encourage people to come downtown, we offered concerts on the lawn and the annual BridgeFest
that featured a Friday night concert performance by the Tams; the annual Christmas Festival, complete
with Santa arriving in a reindeer—drawn sleigh —which was enjoyed by more than a thousand people! We
held a Memorial Day March; “Don't Trash Stockbridge" Day; a Veterans Day Parade and luncheon; a
Breakfast for families with children who have special needs; and we assisted several efforts on behalf of
the Boy Scouts to enable several to achieve goals.

We had the opportunity to put a great leadership team in place at City Hall. We appointed a new City

Manager, Treasurer, and City Clerk, and subsequently brought on several other key staff members, who
have, and continue to work tirelessly to ensure that city continues to move fonn/ard—in the right direction
to serve our citizens in new and exciting ways.

We continued to provide excellent water and sanitation services, to ensure the beauty and vitality of our

City with a Public Works staff that serves our citizens well. And we did all these things in a fiscally
responsible manner with the funding that we had. This type of fiscal responsibility enables you, the

citizens of Stockbridge, to continue NOT to pay City taxes!

Now what do we have in mind for 2015 and beyond?

We have revisited the Livable Communities Initiative (LCI), and are currently in the process of updating
and amending our zoning codes to ensure that as development trends continue to rise, we will be
prepared to meet these growing demands in a manner that only enhances our current building and
development guidelines. This renewed focus has helped to create numerous new and exciting

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opportunities within our city, some of which have already started to take shape from the redevelopment

beginning to sprout up along North Henry Boulevard (such as Denny’s), to the new, highly anticipated
senior development at Patrick Henry Parkway (Symphony). Several others remain in the planning

stages, and I hope to reveal more about those in the coming months.

I can tell you that I am personally working with local leaders in an effort to improve Rock Quarry Road by

adding a traffic signal at the intersection with Banks Road as well as a road widening project complete
with sidewalks. We are also working with our county elected officials to build support for the Rock Quarry
Road extension project that has been in the works for far too long. In 2013 we acquired a large tract of
land to get the process started, but I found out recently that the county's matching funds to support the

project have been reallocated to another part of the county. I encourage you to please call or send a
letter and let your commissioners know you support the Rock Quarry Road extension. Upon completion
it will create enormous economic opportunity for our Downtown area and JOBS JOBS JOBS for our

community. Planning and implementing new development for our Downtown area will enable
Stockbridge to thrive for decades to come.

We are also looking at options to implement enhancements to our sanitation program including a City-
wide recycling program. This will enable us to join other cities and municipalities in being a positive force
in preserving our environment and saving taxpayer dollars. This initiative, in conjunction with our renewed

emphasis on increasing our cleaning and maintenance efforts throughout the city, will only help to
continue to set us apart as a premier city in Georgia.

We attained Main Street certification in late January. Let me tell you why that’s important.
By being a
Main Street City we can now make a more concerted effort to make Stockbridge a destination city a —

place where people want to come, to spend time, to spend dollars and to enjoy family activities in a

welcoming community.

In 2015 we will continue to make technological advances at City Hall to assist our citizens and customers.
From enhanced bill paying options and streamlined business license procedures, to a simplified, more
user—friendly reservations system for our parks and rental facilities, the City will continue to implement
new technology in a manner that serves to assist our citizens, and that allows us to function in a more
effective and efficient manner.

Our SPLOST program is moving into full gear, as we prepare to move fon/vard on several key projects
that were identified and approved by the citizens. Notably, some of those are:

c A new Public Works facility
0 New playground and park equipment
Continuing to improve and expand our sidewalk network
Converting old water meters to new "SmartMeters"
o And major upgrades to our Water and Sewer systems

We renewed the City’s protective services that the former administration shut down on December 31,
2013 and enjoyed great protection and service from both the Police and Fire Departments. In fact, they
not only do what they do well, they are such a pleasure to work with during the course of the events that
the City spearheads. We couldn’t be happier to work with this team of professionals.

Finally, it is my hope that we are getting close to bringing the litigation with the DDA to a close. This issue
has had significant impact on our city, causing us to be unable to complete our 2013 audit and costing
thousands in legal fees. However, by taking action when we did, we saved the City from being obligated
to millions of dollars in loan guarantees and obligating taxpayer dollars to fund a lopsided public/private

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partnership. in the future, as long as I am mayor, all public/private partnerships entered into by this City
will be thoroughly vetted and there will be more private money at risk than taxpayer money.

We will continue to communicate with our citizens on a regular basis. We send out quarterly newsletters,
ensure an updated website, Facebook page and employ an application known as SeeClickFix to allow
you to quickly and easily let City Hall know about issues within our borders.

I made it a point to be as accessible and responsive to people in office as l was when I campaigned for
the office. If you call or email me, I do respond. I want to thank each of you for the support you’ve given
me this first year of my term of office —
and I look forward to more successes and projects to report this
time next year. I also look forward to continuing to serve the people of Stockbridge. Feel free to contact
me at City Hall and thank you for coming tonight”.

Item #2 —
Consent A enda

Agreement -
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) -

Georgia Main Street and City of Stockbridge,
GA.
As the City of Stockbridge Main Street Program has received its Georgia Main Street Accreditation as of

January 26, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding must be signed to validate the agreement entered into
by the Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs Office of Downtown Development (DCA) and the City of
Stockbridge, and to ensure the City's meaningful participation in the Georgia Classic Main Streets Program.

Resolution —
To establish the Stockbridge Citizens Academy
Councilwoman Lewis Ward recently provided staff with information concerning the creation of a Citizens
Academy, for the purpose of familiarizing citizens with Stockbridge City Government. The proposed

program would consist of eight (8) sessions, each focusing on a different component of Stockbridge
government. The sessions would be facilitated by City staff members, as well as members of the Henry
County Police and Fire Departments. The principle goals of this program will be to educate the public on
the functions of their local government, and increase citizen awareness and interest in city government.
The estimated annual cost to fund this program is $1,200.00, which would include course materials (paper,
binders, etc.), light refreshments, and graduation materials. Funds are currently available in the Council's
budgeted administration line item.

Councilwoman Buschman made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda; second made by Councilman
Ford; the motion passed 5-0.

ITEM #3 —
Main Street Advisory Board Appointment
Main Street Manager, Kira Harris-Braggs stated that Ebony Gurndy is a member of the Main Street Advisory
Board and would like to move from her current position as the representative from a ﬁnancial institution to
the business owner outside the Main Street District because she is no longer employed by the financial
institution, and now owns a business outside of the Main Street District.

Ms. Harris-Braggs stated that Ms. Gurndy's vacated position will must be filled by a representative from a
financial institution. Applications were received from:
Bryan Byrd (Georgia United Credit Union)
o Micki Anita Seltzer (Wells Fargo, lnc.)* Not in the City of Stockbridge area, but applicant is a resident
of Stockbridge.
Kay Embrey (SunTrust Bank)
Mayor Pro Tem Thomas made a motion to appoint Kay Embrey as the representative from a financial
institution; second made by Councilman Ford; the motion passed 5-0.

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Councilwoman Gantt made a motion to appoint Ebony Gurndy as the business owner outside of the Main
Street District; second made by Councilwoman Buschman; the motion passed 5-0.

Item #4 —
Ordinance Parliamentary Procedures

City Manager, Michael Harris stated that this item was discussed during the previous Work Session meeting
regarding the adoption of parliamentary procedures. Mr. Harris also noted that Mayor Thompson had made
the request of staff to prepare the parliamentary procedures and asked for the adoption of Robert's Rules
or a modified version of Rosenberg’s Rules as the City does not formally use Robert's Rules.

Mr. Harris stated if Mayor and Council are not prepared to vote tonight, he will fon/vard additional information
to the Council for their feedback.

Councilman Ford stated that it would be best to get additional information for Council to consider.

Mayor Thompson stated requested that Mr. Harris bring this item back to the next Work Session with
additional information. There was no vote on this item.

Item #5 —
Resolution —

(IT) Information Technology Managed Services
City Manager, Michael Harris stated that at the last Work Session, Council determined and directed staff to
proceed with seeking out bids for (IT) Information Technology Managed Services. Staff is currently looking
at sending out new request for proposals to make sure the City has updated information. Mr. Harris stated
this will be a Resolution to move forward with putting back out bids, quotes and proposals and staff will also
prepare an RFP.

Councilwoman Gantt made a motion to approve the Resolution to move forward with the proposal of IT
Managed Services; a second was provided by Councilman Ford; the motion passed 5-0.

Item #6- Resolution- Opposing House Bill 170, known as the “Transportation Funding Act of 2015".
City Manager, Michael Harris stated that Mayor Thompson received information that the State Legislature
is currently considering a Transportation Funding Bill (HB 170) which, if passed in its current form, could
have dire financial repercussions on local governments. The City received a number of alerts and emails,

particularly from the Georgia Municipal Association, as well as a number of other municipal jurisdictions
regarding the issues of this transportation funding bill. The principle issue being, that while the state was
not proposing a tax increase, the bill in its current form was a shifting of funds from local cities and counties
to the state to make up for the $1 billion dollar deficit to fund some of the transportation projects. Mr. Harris

applauded state lawmakers for attempting to address the traffic concerns and transportation issues,
however, after he, along with the City Attorney and Treasurer reviewed the numbers the ﬁnancial impact to
our local jurisdiction indicated an estimated annual loss of approximately $817 to 825 thousand dollars per

year for the City of Stockbridge alone from both the L.O.S.T. and S.P.L.O.S.T. revenue. There is an
additional 1% from the County for ESPLOST and that impact would be directly felt by the county school
board.

Mr. Harris noted that the request made tonight is for the Council to adopt a Resolution follows suit from a
number of otherjurisdictions that have already passed or may be considering passing and this would send
a message to the local delegation that there are concerns about this particular bill (HB 170), in its current
form, and, if it is the desire of Council to send letters to our local legislators, staff would follow that directive.
Mr. Harris further noted that he has reached out to members of the local delegation and made them aware
that this action may be forthcoming. The letter to them would state that the City opposes the legislation in
its current form based on the adverse financial impact to the City. There is talk of an amended version, but
this particular Resolution would only speak to the current version.

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Councilman Ford asked know how soon the letter and signed Resolution would go out to the delegation,
and Mr. Harris indicated that it would happen within the week.

Mayor Thompson noted that if this legislation passes, local communities, cities and counties could impose
their own separate tax for transportation items.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas referenced the proposed amended version of HB 170, and questioned whether or
not the Council should move forward on the vote of this Resolution now, or wait to get more information on
the amended version.

Mr. Harris stated that as more information comes in, he would immediately fonlvarded it to Council, and
present that infonnation at the next work session.

Mr. Bill Thornton with General Municipal Association thanked the Council for taking an interest in the issue
and that this bill is in its early process and will likely have several versions.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas noted that this particular item was not reviewed during the previous Work Session
and while not speaking for the Council, intends to go with staff's recommendation.

Councilwoman Gantt made a motion to approve the Resolution to oppose House Bill 170; second made by
Councilman Ford, the motion passed 5-0.

Mayor Thompson noted that Item #7 had been removed the Agenda.

COUNCIL'S COMMENTS
Councilwoman Buschman thanked everyone tonight to see friends and past council members and
personally, she has seen the growth in the City from the conservation and fiscal responsibility led by Mayor
Rudy Kelley and Ted Strickland and is very proud to have be able to reap the benefits of the prior
administration, and maybe someday someone will think of her as they do Mayor Rudy Kelley.

Councilwoman Lewis Ward thanked everyone for coming and was happy to be able to match names with
the faces. She also echoed the comments of Councilwoman Buschman regarding Mayor Kelley.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas reflected back to 2009 when the Stockbridge Civic Association and members of
the community came before the Council to ask to rename a street in honor of Mrs. Carrie Mae Hambrick.
Mr. Thomas stated that he knew that Mayor Kelley, Mrs. Manders (former City Clerk) and Mr. Strickland -

(former City Manager), had a personal relationship with Mrs. Hambrick and knew what she stood for, and
without hesitation, Mayor Kelley took the lead in honoring Mrs. Hambrick. Mr. Thomas stated that the
community thanks Mayor Kelley for his leadership.

Councilman Ford thanked Mayor Kelley, distinguished guests and citizens for coming out this evening
and noted that it is a great day in the City of Stockbridge. Councilman Ford also stated that this intent is to
have many great days in the City and invited all to return for meetings of the Council for great dialogue.
Mr. Ford extended congratulations to Mayor Kelley and stated that this is just the beginning of good things
to come.

Councilwoman Gantt thanked everyone for coming, especially Mayor Kelley. Ms. Gantt offered a special
thank you to special guest and all who have served Henry County. Ms. Gantt asked for continued prayers
and looks forward to doing great things for the City.

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MAYOR'S COMMENTS
Mayor Thompson echoed all ofthe comments from the Council and ofthe night and thanked even/one for
coming out tonight. Mayor Thompson also thanked all whom have reached out to him, as he has been in
the position for only one year, and is in awe of Mayor Kelley having held the position for 31 years. Mayor

Thompson thanked the Council for their support of this event tonight and stated that it is an honor to be
here tonight.

There were no Public Comments.

Mayor Thompson read the Announcements of Upcoming Meetings & Events:

- Work Session Meeting —

Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 6:00pm

0 4th Annual Afrlcan—American Heritage Celebration Sat. Feb. 28, 2015 Red Oak UMC 4pm
Sponsored by Alphonso Thomas, Mayor Pro Tem

0 Main Street Meeting —

Friday, March 5, 2015 at 12:00pm —

City Hall -
Levi Meeting Room

o Public Safety Committee Meeting —

Friday, March 6, 2015 at 10am —

City Hall —
2nd Floor Meeting
Room

- Council Meeting —

Monday, March 9, 2015 at 6:00pm

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas announced the upcoming Town Hall Meeting with 5th District Commissioner Bruce
Holmes, and himself to be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 9:00am, at Merle Manders Conference
Center.

Mayor Thompson asked Mayor Kelley to join him and the Council on the dais where he proceeded to read
a Proclamation honoring Mr. Raleigh Gossett "Rudy" Kelley, Sr.

Mayor Thompson thanked Mayor Kelley for the high standards and that he is a great example for him to
follow.

Mayor Kelley thanked the Mayor and Council for the honor and acknowledged the team of individuals that
included staff and former Councils who were all a part of his success. Mayor Kelley jokingly added: “Thirty-
one years was enough!"

Following the reading of the proclamation, a portrait of Mayor Kelley was unveiled and Mayor Thompson
noted that the portrait would hang in the lobby of City Hall and asked all in attendance to join in the
celebration reception to be held in lobby immediately following the adjournment of the meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas made a motion to adjourn at 6:56 pm; second was made by Councilwoman Gantt.
Motion passed 5-0.

Respectfully submitted by:

Vanessa Holiday, City Clerk Alphonso Thomas, Mayor Pro Tem

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