---
date: 2021-04-27
title: 04-27-2021 Minutes
source: 2021-04/2021-04-27_04-27-2021 _Minutes.pdf
pages: 1
---

StOCkbridge
Where Community Connects

WORK SESSION MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES

TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021 6:00 P_M.
Mavor & Citv Council '7
Administration
Mayor Antho ny 5. Ford Randy Kni hyon, Ci_ty Manager
Mayonj Pro Te m Elton Alexander Vanessa! ollda , City Clerk
Counc: I woma n Yolanda Barber John Ity Treasurer

Councilman John B|o_unt Qumton Clty Attorney
Councillwoman LaKeIsha Gantt Jeremy T. Berry, City Attorney
Councnlman Alphonso Thomas

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 meeting was called to order by Mayor Ford

Invocation by Randy Knighton

Pledge of Allegiance was recited all in unison

City Clerk, Vanessa Holiday was asked to proceed with a verbal roll call. All
members were present.

Councilman Blount motioned to amend the Agenda: To call for a full investigation of
Mr. Elton Alexander relating Charter Section 2.17 and the $1.725 million dollar lawsuit
settlement: BIount/Gantt failed 2-0-2 (Barber/Thomas abstained Alexander did not

participate in the vote). Councilman Blount asked Mayor Ford to restate the vote. Mayor
Ford stated there were two votes in favor of the motion, no votes against and two votes
abstained, noting Mayor Pro Tem Alexander did not participate in the vote and restating
the motion failed, and the action was confirmed by Attorney Washington.

I. Review of the Minutes for the following meetings: No Action
1. 03/08/2021
2. 03/30/2021

Page I 1
PUBLIC COMMENTS
All public comments must be submitted to
the Clerk no later than one hour
prior to the meeting
The Public Comment Form can be found
on the
webpage on the City page at:
https://stockbridqe.sea m Iessdocs,com/f/200kdz4mo7xb and the form must
include your name,
phone, and email contact information Comments are limited to
(3) three minutes and will be read
by the Clerk during the meeting, respecting a" members of the elected
body, officials, and staff.
Comments including defamation, unruIiness and/or
swearing will not be accepted
The City Clerk read comments submitted from
the public:

> Mindy Mayers In support of Mayor Pro Tern Alexander
remaining in office.
Charles Marshall In support of Mayor Pro Tem Alexander
remaining in office.
Yvonne Marshall In support of Mayor Pro Tern Alexander
remaining in office.
Tamika Robinson In support of Mayor Pro Tem Alexander
remaining in office.
Z Griffith Supports Mayor Pro Tern Alexander
> Dolton19 In support of Mayor Pro Tem Alexander
remaining in office.
> Bernice Peters In support of Mayor Fr0 Tem Alexander

remaining in office.
Sunny Randazzo Expressed concern 5 about the Amphitheater construction and
cost;
being able to attend City Council meetings in-person; supports the removal of
Tem Alexander.
Mayor Pro
> Andrew Dixon Expressed his concerns of Councilmembers civility and actions towards
each other, allegations against officials; called upo n the Council to
respect each other,
restore meeting decorum, and
represen I the pe opIe of Sto ckbridge,
Ralita Mirns In support of Mayor Pro Tern Alexander

VV Alicia Boyd In support of
Rhonda Brown
rem aining in office.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander rema thing in office.
Comments were sent to Mayor Ford.

INFORMATION
3. 2020 DCA Hotel/Motel Tax/Tourism
Report
Presented by Laura Luker, Director of Tourism
Ms. Luker noted the Henry
County Bure au Iau nched their logo and
name Visit Henry County GA in 2020 a statin
g the name change better reflects
the Mission, is more modern and noted due
to the pandemic, the new brand
and visitors guide was launched online
by vi deo and i ncludes Floyd Chapel
Baptist Church, Stockbridge hotels, free ci ty spread a nd is distributed at the
four Georgia Welcome Centers in broc hure
racks custom made by
Barn Bea utifuI; n oted new ads to
Explore Stockbridge incl uding th e Bed &
Brea kfastat Sto ckbrdge
i Lake s, M L King, Sr.
Heritage T rail, and Panola
Mountain Park; referenced the OTT/CTV Videos
being advertised on Hqu and
Smart TV's; noted the website has the
City of Stockbridge landing page was
one of the top 10
landing pages for 2020 with up 95%
referenced working with Main Street staff
regarding robust Artisan Trail wh ich
is gaining great traction; noted the COV ID-19
impact and program specific
information pages that have been included; noted the
partnerships with local
hotels, restaurants and event facilities and the free Lunch and Learn
training
sessions that were implemented to assist these
businesses to operate during
and post pandemic; noted the
monthly Customer Service Awards. free Summ er
Webinar Series featuring Social Media B est Practices
Artist Consortium

formed in 2020 made up of members of the arts
community, free marketing
opportunity offered to tourism partners; and part nerships wit h Arabia Mountain

Page | 2
and Panola Mountain State Park to promote the new PATH extension; and
reviewed 2021 noting the recent launch of the Guest Experience 101 with free,
online customer service training for tourism partners and will launch this
summer the Hospitality for All: A Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program which
will be a free online course taught by experts in their field for tourism partners;
and the Bushy Tail Art Trail consisting of Squirrel picnic tables decorated by
local artist and installed in public parks, noting 10 have been installed so far;
and referenced legislation changes HB317 Effective July 1, 2021 where all
Short-Term Rentals will be required to collect and remit hotel/motel tax which
will increase the revenue for municipalities; and gave an overview of the
FY2020 Annual Hotel/Motel Tax Report for the City of Stockbridge where
$167,817.90 was collected, noting a sharp decline in revenue due to the
pandemic, and reviewed the expenditures where the City of
Stockbridge, the City of Hampton, the City of Locust Grove and Henry County
participated and shared costs for CVB operations.

OLD BUSINESS
4. Council Consideration to approve the Henry County/City of Stockbridge

Aquatic Center IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement)
Presented by Randy Knighton, City Manager
Randy Knighton, City Manager noted the Aquatic Center was approved by
the County with a SPLOST project which would be located within the City
Limits of Stockbridge at the bridges of Jodeco. Mr. Knighton noted the
Resolution was passed by the County, and the Intergovernmental
agreement will cover several things such as construction and operations of
the facility and will be handled by the County. Mr. Knighton also noted some
changes have been made to the road that would provide ingress and egress
to the facility which would be handled by the County; utilities and
infrastructure which would normally be a part of the construction project, the
County has asked for a waiver of impact fees and permit fees. Mr. Knighton
noted another thing added was indemnification for the City.

Mayor Ford noted he looks fonNard with working with the County

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander expressed the County and City should work
collectively together and thanked everyone for allowing the agreement to
happen.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander motioned to approve the Henry County/City of
Stockbridge Aquatic Center IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement): Second by
Councilwoman Gantt. The motion passed 4-0 (Councilman Blount was not
present).

Page | 3
NEW BUSINESS
5. Council Consideration to approve Amphitheater Change Order No.16 in the
amount of $67,022.00. Funding Source: Bonding
Presented by Randy Knighton, City Manager and Carl Trevathan -
Keck &
Wood
Mr. Knighton noted Carl Trevathan was on the call and noted this item was
a part of the overall budget and not unexpected.

Mr. Trevathan noted there are two items with the
change order:
1: adding more canopies and coiling doors on several of the
buildings out of
necessity in the amount of $33,682.00.
2: noticed flowing ground water out of one of the banks of the retention
pond
which was continuous and is a natural flowing
spring; and was determined
to be subsurface water and will require stabilization;
designers also
recommend it should be done with something other than rib raft foundation
and to use river slick which would be more stable and would be in the
amount of $31,430.00.

Mayor Ford noted it could be a blessing to have natural spring water enter a
pond.

Councilwoman Barber inquired if this would be the last change order.

Mr. Trevathan noted it may not be and that
during the review of the project,
it became apparent the acoustic on the
ceiling of the stage needs to be
improved.

Mayor Pro Tem Alexander motioned to approve Amphitheater Change
Order No.16 in the amount of $67,022.00: Second
by Councilwoman
Barber. The motion passed 3-0-1 (Councilwoman Gantt abstained
noting
she was not present for the discussion due to phone
difficulties);
(Councilman Blount was not present).

COMMENTS FROM THE MAYOR
Mayor Ford noted we are still in a pandemic with vaccinations being the priority;
noted testing is available at the Henry County
Heritage Recreation Center in
McDonough with free COVID testing 9am 3pm and Sat 9am -noon
noting an appointment is required; noted vaccinations are key to stomping out the
virus and the number to call for a reservation is 888-457-0186 Mon Fri 8am
8pm and Sat & Sun 8am 5pm; noted vaccinations are taking place at the Atlanta
Motor Speedway on Tuesdays 8:30am 1pm, 1pm 3pm and with extended
hours from 3pm 7pm and Fridays at Mt. Carmel Park in Hampton; noted
reservations can be made online at where you will
be asked for your demographic, gender, race,
ethnicity, age, medical history,
current illnesses, COVID diagnosis, previous COVID
testing and vaccinations, and

Page | 4
contact information; noted the last ten days have been hectic and contentious
times for the City and asked everyone to keep the faith
saying things are going to
get better; stated for himself and the Council, all need to remain above board and
stay above the fray be respectful to each other and the citizens as well; asked that
everyone not get too emotional and remain steadfast on the mission that you were
elected for and do what is best for the citizens; noted there are lots of
great things
coming for the City and lots of great things going on; and remain focused and work
towards the goals and the betterment of the City as a team and to be mindful of
what you say publicly and/or privately and via social media; asked that citizens
also be mindful of what you say and post on social media as well; noted the
City
has a great venue opening up very soon, noting the
Amphitheater will be a game
changer in Henry County and the region along with the development of the
downtown area; noted the briefing earlier in the meeting from the tourism bureau
and the excitement about the Amphitheater; noted the Cultural Arts Center
being
developed soon and everyone being able to get out to social events and doing the
things we like to do such as Tasty Tuesday and Bridgefest; noted the City is
moving forward with a police department and is in the process of hiring a Police
chief and that the City is going down the path of success for its citizens and
taking
this diamond in the rough and make it shine, as it is in the best interest for all of
us;
noted the City has a bright future ahead of us with lots of
potential and asked that
everyone maintain their composure, be respectful to each other, noting no one is
perfect, we are human, and to do the best that we can for the citizens we serve;
asked that the City be kept in prayer and to keep the faith.

CITY OFFICES ARE CLOSED D U E TO COVlD-19 PR ECAUTI ONS

As a COVlD precaution, City offices are closed to the public until further notice. Staff is
operating under telework protocol. Please contact the webpage
cityofstockbridge.com to contact each department for service and information.

CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY. MAY 31ST IN OBSERVANCE OF
MEMORIAL DAY.

UPCOMIN G MEETINGS & ANNO UNC EMENTS

Meeting will be held via Zoom until further notice. Meeting dates and times are subject
to change. Please visit the website www.cityofstockbridge.com for the meeting
invitation link, Facebook page or contact City Hall offices at 770-389-7900 for
updates.

City Council Meeting at 6:00 pm. Via Zoom 2nd Monday of each month. (May 10)

Main Street Advisory Board Meeting, at 9:00 am. Via Zoom 2nd Friday of each
month (May 14)

0 Downtown Development Authority Meeting, at 6:00 3rd Tuesday of
pm. Via Zoom -

each month (May 18)

Youth Council & Advisory Meeting, 6:30 pm. Via Zoom 3rd Tuesday of each month
(May 18)

Page I 5
City Council Work Session at 6:00 pm. Via Zoom
unless otherwise noted.
(May 25)

Planning Commission Meeting, at 6:30 pm. Via Zoom 4th Thursday of each
month (May27)

CITY EVENTS
Please join the City of
Stockbridge for a Virtual Memorial Day Musical Tribute and
Remembrance -

Monday, May 31, 2021

COUNCIL INITIATIVES
Pleasejoin Councilman John Blount for the Virtual National
Day of Prayer Thursday,
May 6,2021 at 6:30 Watch it on Facebook Live at
@StockbridgeCityHall
Councilman Thomas motioned to
adjourn: Second by Councilwoman Gantt. The
motion passed 4-0 (Councilman Blount
was not present)

submitted by:

Vanessa Holiday, Clerk MMC
ny 8. Ford,

Page | 6
