---
date: 2021-03-17
title: 03-17-2021 Minutes
source: 2021-03/2021-03-17_03-17-2021 _Minutes.pdf
pages: 1
---

stockbridge
Where Community Connects

COUNCIL RE T REAT
March 17, 2021

Summary inutes

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Ford.

Invocation by Mayor Ford

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

Roll call: Mayor Ford, Mayor Pro Tem Alexander, Councilwoman
Barber, Councilman Blount,
Councilwoman Gantt, Councilman Thomas all in attendance.

Staff Attendees: Randy Knighton, City Manager Vanessa Holiday, City Clerk, John Wiggins,
City
Treasurer Alan Peterson, Economic Development Director Decius Aaron, Public Works Director,
Quinton Washington & Jeremy Berry, City Attorney, Robert
Bonds, IT Support.

DAY ONE AGENDA

Facilitated by Randy Knighton City Manager

Welcome and Introductions Mayor Ford
Mayor Ford welcomed everyone to the 2021 Spring Council Retreat.

Retreat Overview -

Randy Knighton, City Manager
Mr. Knighton gave a brief overview of the
Agenda noting a full day of presentations and
information and the importance of each item; noted that as items transition from
one item to another
on the Agenda, everyone brings something to the table in terms of
skills, experience and knowledge,
and forums such as this allows for the experience and
knowledge to be shared and to cultivate and
allow for good decisions to be made; noted the
opinions and thoughts of each participant should be
equally shared and respected and looks forward to presentations. Mr. Knighton further noted
that following the Financial Update from Mr.
Wiggins, he will give an update on the American Rescue
Plan that was approved last week, noting the
plan includes benefits that will impact local government;
referenced the decision to implement a police department and noted the
job description of the
Police Chief had been posted and noted Judge Matthew McCord would be
presenting information on
the potential impact of Municipal Court; referenced the S.W.O.T.
(Strengths, Weaknesses,

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Opportunities and Threats) analysis from lnnerComm that relates to the City's Strategic Plan; noted
an update on the Unified Development Code and later in the afternoon a discussion on the

Aquatic Center, noting a recent favorable meeting he and City Attorney Washington attended with the
County Manager, Cheri Matthew and referenced the Resolution recently passed by the County
relating to the Aquatic Center; and noted Day Two presentations would include an Amphitheater
Project update from Kirk Voelkel of HJ Russell, Chief Grogan from the City of Dunwoody, who was
instrumental in implementing their police department startup, Annexation discussion
referencing the
Carl Vinson Institute of Government Feasibility Study; Project Updates from Falcon
Design
Consultants, and Procurement Policies and Procedures led by City Attorney Jeremy Berry; Day Three
will include an update from TSW primarily on the Cultural Arts Center and trying to finalize the

parameters for that facility and other future projects and the TSPLOST Referendum to be voted on in
November 2021, with a Joint Meeting of the County taking place on April followed by any
Executive Session matters that may need to be addressed; and looks forward to the discussions

today and the next couple of days for a very productive retreat.

Financial Update -
John Wiggins, City Treasurer
Mr. Wiggins reviewed the Finance Mission Statement and Department Description;

gave an overview of FY2020 General Fund Unaudited Statement of Revenue, Expenditures and Net

Changes, noting the audit was underway where additional changes would follow. Mr. Wiggins
reviewed FY20 Operating Budget to Unaudited Actual Revenues, Expenditures and Net
Changes,
noting the increased revenue from the surplus sale of (3) city vehicles, transfers out and loan
payments on city hall of $12 million with a net change of surplus revenue of $2.6 million (unaudited);
compared FY19 Operating Budget of $9,782,905 to FY20 Operating Budget of $12,744,646 noting a
difference of $2,961 .741, with investment income as the largest gain; noted expenditures were about
the same; Water & Sewer, Solid Waste and Stormwater Enterprise Funds for FY20 have a net
gain of
$683,409; Non-Major Enterprise Funds which include the T300 and MMCC and have losses due to
Covid-19 and have a net loss of ($674,421); 2020 SPLOST IV Update balance $5,885,707
noting
funding allocated for the Amphitheater Road, Public Works Facility, New Park Equipment at Reeves
Creek Bridge; noted current FY21 to date reflects two months of data and is in line with the
proposed
budget

Mayor Ford noted the expenses increased in FY2020 and facilities were closed due to

Mr. Wiggins noted, that while the facilities were closed, there were
operating costs that were ongoing
along with unexpected start-up costs moving to a teleworking and virtual work environment.

Mr. Knighton reminded the Mayor & Council to keep in mind the numbers presented are unaudited

Mr. Wiggins noted that while the City has received notification from the State to extend the deadline

to submit the audit, he believes the City will be submitting by June 20, 2021.

Mr. Wiggins also noted that the Georgia Power franchise payment was less than
anticipated, and as
had been anticipated, the Occupational Tax numbers were up.

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Mayor Ford asked where the Cares Act funding was referenced in the budget.

Mr. Wiggins noted these funds were in and out as the funds were submitted to the
Henry County
Chamber who also distributed those funds.

Mr. Knighton noted $1.1 million dollars in grant funding was distributed to 108 businesses and non-

profit agencies in the City due to Covid.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander thanked Mr. Wiggins for the Finance presentation, and for the confirmation
that the City is growing referencing the increased revenue of$1 million dollars; and tasked Mr.

Wiggins with providing the Mayor & Council with the SPLOST lll, IV balances and collections to this
point as collections will start in April 2021 SPLOST V; and emphasized that the City is growing and
the City is able to move forward with the next project being the Cultural Arts Center and it
being the
perfect time to start up the Stockbridge Police Department; noted the FY2020 Budget was sound and
in line with expenditures and reflects the aggressive growth of the
Mayor & Councils decisions and
noted the unaudited Fund Balance from FY19 and FY20 to be around $21millions
dollars, and asked
that Council discuss placing the funds into a Capital Improvements
Projects account rather than Fund
Balance; thanked staff for his guidance through the pandemic and continuing to keep the City is a
good financial position.

Mayor Ford noted there would be further discussions would be coming fon/vard regarding City
projects and the funding sources for those projects.

Councilman Blount asked that when Finance is giving the Council presentations to
give accurate
numbers instead of proposed and projected numbers noting what was presented did not include the
$5million allocated Amphitheater project and wants the presentations to include specifics to enable
the Council to make sound decisions; noted FY20 was an
interesting year, and that he thought the
numbers were not as great as he thought they would be; noted his
agreement with moving excess
funds into a Capital Improvement account ratherthan fund balance.

Councilman Thomas commended Mr. Wiggins and others forthe presentation; noted both
Mayor Pro
Tem Alexander and Councilman Blount have valid points; asked Mr.
Knighton about the audit
timeline, noting no funds would be moved to Fund Balance or a Capital Improvements account until
after the books had been audited and the City has real numbers, and asked Mr.
Knighton to speak to
the audit process.

Mr. Knighton noted the audit is an extensive process that is
currently unden/vay; Mr. Wiggins
confirmed and noted the audit is on target to be completed by June and that more defined
numbers should be available in May.

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Mr. Knighton noted the numbers presented are based on general
accounting principles of revenues
and expenditures and when Mauldin & Jenkins has the audit complete, the final numbers will be

presented.
Mayor Pro Tem Alexander agreed with Councilman Thomas with moving funds to a Capital
Improvements Projects account following the completion of the audit.

Municipal Court -

Judge Matthew McCord
Mr. Knighton noted with the City moving in the direction of starting
up a police department, that it
to be Important to bring in Judge McCord to have a conversation with him
sharing his thoughts and
the proposed impact on Municipal Court.

Judge McCord noted he is grateful to be affiliated with the City and Officials and advocates for the
City as one of its biggest cheerleaders; noted that if the City chooses to move forward with
implementing the police department, the City needs to do it well and at full force because going half.
way could be dangerous and because of the uncertainty of assistance from the County. Judge
McCord referenced the City of Lawrenceville being comparable in size and services and
anticipates
2014 levels of $1 ,177,000 of revenue, the need for (4) four Court Clerks, (1) Solicitor with no need for

an investigator and holding court 4-5 days with 8-10 sessions per month; referenced the prior
restructure of the salary, noting his current salary is $400 per session; and noted the logistics
of personnel in the building with a full capacity court; noted the possession of has
marijuana changed
in the State of Georgia, and noted Stockbridge does not have a viable
city ordinance to prosecute
such cases and needs a new ordinance in place to do so, and noted almost
everything in the City of
Hampton is prosecuted under City Code allowing the funds to remain with the City and not bounding
those funds over to the State.

Councilwoman Gantt referenced her former position of Solicitor where there were 200 cases
per
session, and the use of the Code to acknowledge the charge but to also keep minor offenses from
going on an record, and asked Judge McCord how he intends to manage court sessions.

Judge McCord noted that he joined the bench the year following Councilwoman election to
the City Council and inherited a backlog of cases where the court was
managing 400 cases at the
9am session and again at the 1pm session which caused him to quickly learn how to become
very
efficient; and because of the pandemic, the calendar will need to be layered for social distancing.
Judge McCord noted that he has already expanded the pretrial interventionprogram; and noted the
City needs to revamp the Code to allow for misdemeanors cases not to affect a record by
meeting with the Solicitor and weeding out those cases, while not excusing the charge, and having
the opportunity to make their lives better and keeping them out of the
system and not becoming a part
of it.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander noted he agrees with what may be seen as decriminalizing
misdemeanor marijuana offenses and supports a $75 ticket versus an arrest.

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Attorney Washington asked if there would be a need for more judicial services with the potential of
more warrants being issued on a 24-hour basis, and Attorney Berry asked the same regarding
increased Failures to Appear.

Judge McCord responded he would be available with access to his cell phone

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander noted he supports community service with the activities taking place within
the City.

Judge McCord agreed with community service, noting supervision with the right people needs to be in
place, as this could be a burden on the City and referenced an instance that did not have a positive
outcome.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander spoke to the public stating the idea of the bringing in police services is to
protect and provide public safety; Judge McCord agreed.

Mayor Ford asked Judge McCord if the supervision of community service workers would be someone
assigned by the City or the Court.

Judge McCord noted he would seek the guidance from fellowjudges and otherjurisdictions who have
community service in place and get back with the City on what that would look like.

Mr. Knighton noted the supervision is typically under the direction of someone who is
post-certified
and asked Judge McCord if he saw any challenges with
jail transports; the response was no, and he
welcomed the officials to reach out to him with
any additional questions.

Mayor Ford thanked Judge McCord for providing the information and insights and looks fonNard to
moving this initiative fonNard.

American Rescue Plan Update Randy Knighton, City Manager

Mr. Knighton noted on yesterday, (GMA) Georgia Municipal Association had a session on the
American Rescue Plan with a representative from the National
League of Cities, who discussed how
funds can be spent, noting there seems to be more latitude with
respect to the program than the
Cares Act which primarily was a look back at expenses that had
already been incurred with a window
of August 2020 December 31, 2020 to spend the funds of $1 .4 million dollars,
noting the City of
Stockbridge used the funds primarily in support of small businesses and non-profit support. The
American Rescue Act allows the city to recoup lost revenues, make
necessary investments in water,
sewer or broadband infrastructure, and support of small and non-profits as was done with the Cares
Act; and noted the City of Stockbridge is estimated to receive approximately $9.4 million dollars of a
pot for local governments of $130.2 billion dollars, noting local governments cannot receive more than
75% of the previous annual operating budget; with funds being distributed in two
payments, 12
months and the first payment expected in the next 60 to 90
days, noting funds can be spent through
the year 2024.

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Mayor Pro Tem Alexander questioned if the funds from the $9.4 million dollars American Rescue Plan
could be used towards the public safety police department startup, and if
so, hopes the Council will
support the use of those funds.

Councilman Thomas referenced the use of funds for plexiglass installations and other Covid-19

protections in city facilities.

Mr. Knighton Covid precautions and retrofitting have taken place at City Hall and other city buildings
and will continue to do so and noted details were still unfolding
regarding the American Rescue Plan
and he would certainly review the guidelines and report back more defined uses toto the
Mayor &
Council.

Strategic PIan/SWOT Analysis -
Bill Stark, lnnerComm
Mr. Knighton introduced Bill Stark noting lnnerComm who is an organizational consultant who has

worked with several jurisdictions, as well as our own, to enhance professional development to
further the vision of the City and works with local governments as it relates to
Strategic Planning,
which is vital to any local government, which is a component of the
Strategic Plan and Mr. Stark will
facilitate the discussion of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats)Analysis
which will be very important to identify those things that you believe into those categories and allow
staff to use as a foundation of completing the process of the Strategic Plan. .

Mr. Stark noted lnnerComm works with several local governments in the area of
strategic planning as
well as provides professional development, noting the Strategic Plan gives the citizens of

Stockbridge, the elected officials and gives the staff direction, a sense of focus and purpose of where
the City is going in the future; noting the vision is a long-term 20yr view,
noting involving the public is
part of the plan and the SWOT is another part which is the exercise that will take place today, SWOT
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) exercise is normally a 2 -
3-hour exercise and
has been compressed for meeting and asked he elected official to participate in the SWOT
Analysis and referenced the document that had been sent in advance of meeting.

Strengths:
Mayor Ford -
the great financial stability, great professional staff who does the heavy lifting
daily and carries out the legislative agenda with the governing body complimenting the staff; City is
connected to the King family legacy with Stockbridge being the ancestral home of the
King family, the
potential development of the downtown area, the Amphitheater and Bridges @Jodeco and the
Aquatic Center.

Councilman Thomas echoed the list and added community engagement as a big asset with
the historic churches established in the 1800, great organizations
including the sororities, and values
in the citizenry and partnerships, churches, and historical relevance.

Councilwoman Barber -
close proximity to l-75 and 675, downtown Atlanta and the airport

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Councilwoman Gantt -

Mayor & Council are on the same page when it comes to projects.

Councilman Blount -
concurred with what has already been stated

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander agreed with previous statements

Weakness:

Mayor Ford -
Not having a controlled central message; lack of space for city staff.

Councilman Thomas -

Organizational distractions; process of agreeing or not agreeing, level of
respect for the vote.

Councilwoman Barber the lack of a SWOT Analysis; areas of improvements at the staff level; lack
of written policies & procedures; lack of communication; lack of follow
up; need to improve community
engagement and getting the public more involved; lack of a marketing strategy and advertising; lack
of human service programs with an increased homeless population.

Councilwoman Gantt lack of planning; lawsuits; no utilizing the PIO (Public Information
Officer) as
one voice; racing to be first.

Councilman Blount agreed

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander inexperienced Council as it relates to zoning matters, hurting the city,
and needs to take a class to understand customary practices and understand the
law; needs to have
the courage to vote under political pressure; the appearance of 2nd & 3rd
generation old buildings; no
city-wide development authority.

Opportunities
Mayor Ford need better relationship with County Commissioners; need
public/private partnerships;
need development at Bridges @ Jodeco; move fonNard with Norfolk Southern
quiet zone.

Councilman Thomas good finances allow for opportunities to improve infrastructure; create a better
environment; better position to make improvements; influx of new residents.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander opportunities are limitless; improve 2nd & 3rd generation buildings;
opportunities for new development; willing to rezone and embrace density; multifamily development;
dense population will pay for commercial; price right.

Councilwoman strengthen partnerships with local, state, and legislative delegation; increase
tourism.

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Councilwoman Gantt gain new business relationships; open for business; retention of affordable
housing.

Threats

Mayor Ford collectively working as a team and not allow external threats; may need to impose a city
property tax.

Councilman Thomas historically, some internal threats are out of your control; turnover of elected
officials and staff; con continuity to continue with the
goals and objectives; elected body is only as
good as the staff carries out; transportation grid lock; need smart growth.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander -
the threat is us; nothing to fear but fear itself; do not be afraid of
making
a mistake; act and lead with courage; Henry County property taxes increase every
year; historic
progress over the last 12 months.

Councilwoman Gantt

Councilwoman Barber Pandemic and unforeseen

Mr. Stark will follow up to continue with the
Strategic Plan efforts

Unified Development Code Update -
K. C. Krzic, The Collaborative Firm
Ms. Krzic gave an update on the status of the Unified Development Code and reviewed the
data collected from the online survey and citizen
input from the townhall which shows the preferred
designs, buildings townhomes and landscaping for the City; referenced Code issues, and updates to
be made and noted the next Townhall is scheduled for
April 6, 2021 at 6pm and encouraged
everyone to participate in the online survey located on the website.

Aquatic Center Discussion
Randy Knighton -

City Manager, Quinton Washington, and Jeremy Berry -

City Attorney
Mr. Knighton referenced a meeting with the County
Manager C. Matthews, County Attorney
P. Jaugstetter and City Attorneys Washington and
Berry regarding an IGA between the County and
the City relating to the proposed Aquatic Center; noted the
County approved the naming of the
building as the Aquatic Center and the interior swim area Kelsey Grace.
By consensus of the Council, the City agreed with the terms of the Henry County Resolution
regarding the construction and maintenance of the Aquatic Center facility; and authorized the
attorneys to present a Resolution to the Mayor & Council for approval to include any necessary
language to protect the City.

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Review of Day 1
Mr. Knighton reviewed Day One noting the Financial
Update; American Rescue Plan with
approximately $9.4 million dollars for the City; Municipal Court impact to
staffing,logistics, code, and
community service; SWOT Analysis of elected officials; UDC update and next townhall April 6, 2021
at 6pm and online survey ongoing; Council
agreed with the provisions of the Henry County Resolution
regarding the Aquatic Center to be brought back to the Council for a vote; tasked staff with providing
the SPLOST 3, 4 and 5 account balances and last and the year prior fund balance amounts.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 pm.

Resp submitted by:

Vanessa Holiday, MMC City Clerk 8 r

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