---
date: 2024-04-25
title: 04-25-2024 Minutes
source: 2024-04/2024-04-25_04-25-2024 _Minutes.pdf
pages: 1
---

Where Community Connects
C TY COUNC L SPEC AL CALLED MEET NG
SU ARY M NUTES

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 6:00 PM.
& C Coun cil
Mayor
Mayor nt or 1- ar e;
Mayor Pro Tem Ky [6my; .

_1strrct_3

Counc llmember E lton Alexander Councrl Dlstrlct 5
her Yolanda Barber Council District 4
Councllm ember LaKersha Gantt Counml Drstrrct 1

C0unc1lmember Alphonso Thomas Counc1l D1str1ct 2

Adminis tration
F redericl? (lararner
l lrty Manager
Vanessa Hol C Ity CJerk
Cassandra Lester QDU Clerk
Lakersha Games Interim rty reasurer

Qumton Washmgto n City Attorney
Samantha bmbry C my Attorney

Missio [1 :To providelyision eadership and s uperjor municipal services that enhance the
aryfi
qual Ity ofi Ife for ottgzeng .w I le creating la wel comgng busmess atmosph ere focused on
sustalnabll Ity a nd expans on of tourism and cuitu ral events.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Ford at 6:01
pm.

invocation by Mayor Ford

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

City Clerk, Vanessa Holiday was asked to proceed with a verbal roll call. All members
were present except Mayor Pro Tem
Berry.

Motion to adopt the Agenda was made by Councilmember
Alexander; seconded by
Councilmember Gantt. The motion passed unanimously 4-0.

NEW BUSINESS
1. Council Consideration to approve an Ordinance to allow patrons to
bring alcohol to
the Amphitheater during the concerts.
Presented by Frederick GardinerCity Manager, Quinton Washington, City

Attorney and Harold Young, Amphitheater General Manager

Mr. Gardiner referenced the vote of the Council
during the February 2024 Retreat
to prohibit alcohol and food sales during the Amphitheater concerts and that when
the action from the Ordinance was recently announced to the
public, Mr. Young,
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the Amphitheater Manager, received push back and negative feedback from the
public, promoters, and members of Council.

Councilmember Barber noted the decision was made by the City Council in
February at the Retreat and prior to the advertising of the first five shows, and that
pushback should have been expected when making this announcement just a few
weeks prior to the first concert; and questioned why directives from the Council are
not carried out and followed through by staff.

Mr. Gardiner noted that the intention was to go live with the announcement after
the vote in February, however, as Mr. Young began to receive pushback from the
industry and discussions with members of Council, the idea was to see if there
was a way to retract the action.

Councilmember Barber stated that she has not been included in any conversations
regarding the pushback prohibiting alcohol or food at the Amphitheater and asked
that the full Council be included in all conversations.

Mayor Ford noted his recollection was that he had spoken to members of the
Council regarding food and alcohol and the negative comments and pushback.

Councilmember Barber stated that her conversation with Mayor Ford related to
tickets, not food and alcohol.

Mayor Ford noted a Legal Opinion was still pending regarding tickets

Councilmember Thomas stated the Agenda item being discussed relates to the
Alcohol Ordinance, and noted the intent of the Amphitheater was to enhance the
quality of life for the community, and that while the Amphitheater is still in its
infancy stage and experiencing growing pains, he is sure that the city will get it
right and the Council will make decisions to make the Amphitheater enjoyable and
sustainable.

Councilmember Gantt agreed, noting she wants to make sure the city gets it right,
and referenced other venues the city has to compete with and those venues are
allowing food and alcohol, and that the decisions cannot be personal, noting this is
a business decision where she would obviously prefer to see the Amphitheater full;

and noted her vote at the Retreat in February was not in support of prohibiting
alcohol at the Amphitheater.

Mayor Ford referenced the vote at the February Retreat to prohibit alcohol Passed
4-0-1
(Gantt Abstained); and the vote to prohibit food Passed Unanimously 5-0.

Councilmember Alexander stated the Alcohol policy has nothing to do with the
ticket sales, noting the policy to prohibit alcohol was not announced until last week,
however, the ticket sales are low, and there had been no mention of the increase
in ticket prices, which would have affected his vote at the February Retreat.

Councilmember Thomas called for a Point of Order to limit the discussion to the
Agenda Item relating to the Alcohol Ordinance.

ZlPagc
Councilmember Alexander agreed, noting a Special Called Meeting such as this
should have happened prior to the notice going out.

Mr. Young noted that he advised the Council during the February Retreat that
vendors had complained about alcohol sales and that it is important for the City
owns its product(s), and noted artists have stated they prefer the Stockbridge
Amphitheater due to the Chick-Fil-A experience, and that the 2024 season will
have a new alcohol vendor with no drink priced over $14 and will have servers
walking through the stands selling drinks.

Mayor Pro Tem Berry joined the meeting at 6:38 pm.

Councilmember Gantt suggested the City revert to the previous policy to allow
alcohol and food, and referenced other venues, noting the experience is not at the
level that is experienced at the Stockbridge Amphitheater.

Councilmember Alexander noted 2021 food and alcohol was allowed; 2022 no
food, alcohol or water was allowed, and in 2023 food, alcohol and water was
allowed, noting there needs to be consistency.

Mr. Tony Starling, the Amphitheater Operations Manager, noted he has an
extensive history of producing concerts, and there are a number of expenses
incurred for each concert, and noted 325 commercial advertisements are running

every week for the Stockbridge Amphitheater concerts.

Councilmember Barber inquired about municipalities managing the operations of
their Amphitheater venues, and asked if Mable House was operated by the City of
Mableton, the response was no; asked if Chastain was operated by the City of
Atlanta, the response was no; asked if Wolf Creek was operated by the City of
South Fulton, the response was yes and the venue is currently closed; and asked
if the Macon Amphitheater was operated by the City of Macon/Bibb County, the

response was no; and stated that she cannot support any action that will have a
negative financial impact on the city.

Mr. Young stated that allowing alcohol will have a negative financial impact,
noting
the City receives 30% of alcohol sales, and reiterated the importance of the city
seeking its own licenses for the 2025 year.

Motion to approve an Ordinance to allow patrons to bring alcohol to the
Amphitheater concerts was made by Councilmember Gantt; seconded by
Councilmember Thomas:

During the discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Berry requested the number of shows and
gross alcohol sales for 2021, 2022 and 2023; and later asked that 2021 not be
excluded noting there were only being two shows.

Councilmember Barber stated she has made multiple requests for the
Amphitheater financial reports for 2022 and 2023.

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During the discussion, Mayor Ford suspended the vote until Mr. Young could
provide the requested data for alcohol, ticket, and concession sales for
the 2022 and 2023 concerts.

Councilmember Gantt questioned why the Interim Treasurer, Lakeisha
Gaines was not in attendance to respond to the financial inquiries for the city.

Mr. Young noted that concert reports have been submitted to the city for the two
concerts in 2021, the 21 concerts in 2022 and the 23 concerts in 2023, and noted
the city received more revenue when alcohol was prohibited.

Mayor Pro Tem Berry noted the overall goal is to manage the Amphitheater
efficiently, and noted that it is not necessarily about math, but rather the analysis
shows a correlation to the emotional satisfaction and a feel good anecdotal that

you cannot quantify.

Mr. Young presented data for 2022 and 2023 concerts, and Mayor Ford called for
the vote to approve an Ordinance to allow alcohol at the Amphitheater during the
concerts. The motion Failed 2-0-3 (Gantt/Thomas In Favor);

(Alexander/Barber/Berry/ Abstained); Councilwoman Barber cited the Abstention
due to the lack of supporting financial documents and data.

Motion to revisit the consideration to approve an Ordinance to allow patrons to
bring alcohol to the Amphitheater during the concerts with the required data of
alcohol, concession, and ticket sales with documentation to include all manual and
computer-generated reports to be presented at the April 30, 2024 Work Session
meeting was made by Councilmember Alexander; seconded by Mayor Pro Tem
Berry. The motion passed unanimously

Council Consideration to approve a Resolution to allow patrons to bring food and
beverages to the Amphitheater during the concerts.
Presented by Frederick Gardiner City Manager, Quinton Washington, City

Attorney and Harold Young, Amphitheater General Manager

Councilmember Alexander noted that he was okay with the food and service
provider, however, there are concerns with the customer service experience due to
complaints of long lines.

Councilmember Thomas agreed that the wait time needs improvement.

Mr. Young noted that the Amphitheater was constructed with only two concession
areas, and that has presented a challenge, however, G. Garvin has a variety of
quick items on the menu and is accustomed to server thousands of patrons at
State Farm Arena; and noted there will be (4) four lines of service with a third
portable station for concessions and is certain the wait times will be better, and
provided a list of food choices scheduled to be served.

Councilmember Gantt noted the venue was constructed to include space for food
trucks.

4|Page
Mr. Gardiner noted the issues with food trucks in the Amphitheater include carbon
monoxide emissions and grease and oil staining the concrete.

Mayor Ford asked Mr. Young to send the G. Garvin menu to the City Manager and
City Clerk. Mr. Young confirmed.

Councilmember Thomas agreed Council needs to see the data and information for
the prior years 2022 and 2023 and offered the opinion to allow alcohol to be
brought in for concerts.

Councilmember Gantt agreed the financials for the prior years should be submitted
to the Council and offered her support that alcohol should be allowed at the

Amphitheater concerts.

Councilmember Barber noted that the Stockbridge Amphitheater cannot be
compared to other venues where the operations and funding are not run by a
municipality, and that it is the responsibility to use taxpayer dollars
appropriately, and the reporting will show the financial impact to the city, noting
revenue both in and out should have been captured in the financial reporting
for 2023 and likewise, the GRA reporting should be accounted for in the
finances for revenue in and out for 2022.

Motion to approve a Resolution to allow patrons to bring food and non-alcoholic
beverages to the Amphitheater during the concerts in a 12x12 cooler per patron
and task staff with finding more food service options to be made available to
concert patrons to be presented at the May 27, 2024 Work Session Meeting was
made by Councilmember Alexander; seconded by Councilmember Gantt. The
motion passed unanimously 5-0.

Council Discussion of Amphitheater Operations for the 2024 Concert Season

Mr. Gardiner noted it is "I advised for councilmembers to
engage in the day to day
operations of the Amphitheater, but rather look for private partnerships; noted the
way the Amphitheater is being run today is not sustainable and the City Council
needs to look at an alternative, noting the three City Events Juneteenth, July 4th
and BridgeFest would continue to be free to the public; and allow a
contractor/promoterto rent the facility, and bring in the artists, and foot the bill.
Councilmember Alexander asked if there would be a city budget required.

Mr. responded, no

Councilmember Barber noted the City needs to seek more sponsorships and a
sponsor for naming rights; and asked that she be allowed to speak without
interruption; Councilmember Barber stated that she has been constantly asking for
financial information for the Amphitheater and supports an outside entity to
complete Phase II of the Amphitheater concerts, but only through the competitive
bidding process.

Mayor Ford referenced the Amphitheater Rental Policy and the city seeing
Mr. contract through.

5|Pagc
Mr. Gardiner noted the Amphitheater Rental Policy would go away if a

entity were brought in to complete the second half of the concert season and
recommended the city pivot.

Mr. Young cautioned the Council, noting that bringing in a third-party promoter
would require the entity to be thoroughly and properly vetted.

Councilmember Barber noted those conversations regarding the operations of the
Amphitheater should be had with the City Manager, who is over the operations,
and Legal who will advise accordingly.

Councilmember Alexander noted his support of a third-party entity forward for
Phase II of the concert series, have the entity vetted, have the entity front the
funding to secure the artists and expenses, and takes the city off the hook
financially.

Councilmember Thomas noted the Council moved too quickly, and too fast before
and made mistakes, and needs to see a laid-out plan and documentation before
proceeding with a third party for Phase II and does not support a change in the
structure at this time without have the information provided to the full Council.

Mr. Young provided the Council with a Price Level report; and referenced big
sponsorship opportunities that were lost; and referenced the different ticking
pricing structures based on the artist, as recommended by Councilman Alexander.
Councilmember Gantt wanted to clarify that the goal is to accomplish a process for
Amphitheater operations.

Mr. Gardiner noted he has met with a long-standing Stockbridge family who is
interested in naming rights for the Amphitheater.

Mr. Young presented the 2024 Concert Lineup, noting the concerts that are
confirmed and those that are still pending.

Councilmember Thomas referenced the Amphitheater Rental Policy that has yet to
be completed. Mr. Young noted there is currently no rental policy in place.

Ms. Madonna Baker, Amphitheater Staff, cautioned on micromanaging, and noted
better communication is needed among the Council, noting perception can
negatively influence sponsorship.

Mr. Young referenced a block of tickets purchased by McDonalds, a PBS special

highlighting the Amphitheater, and potential sponsorship from Aflac.

Mr. Baker noted there are several advertisements on the radio, tv spots, and
billboards.

Councilmember Barber noted the members of Council should not be
micromanaging the Amphitheater, noting the Amphitheater General Manager
should be working with the City Manager who will keep the full Council updated

6|Page
and informed

Councilmember Gantt asked how the City can help market the Amphitheater.

Mr. Young responded that all members of the Governing Body are Ambassadors
who should always look to promote the Amphitheater, and offered an example of
the Mayor of Macon, who personally solicited sponsors for the Macon
Amphitheater.

Mr. Young stated that he is proud to represent the Stockbridge Amphitheater and
provide the patrons with a picnic experience; noting Ticketmaster fees are huge at
18% of the base price, booked based on availability.

Councilmember Alexander asked Mr. Young if he was affiliated with any other
Amphitheater. The response from Mr. Young was no, and advised he would follow
up with the Interim Treasurer and submit the requested financial information to the
Council.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion to convene Executive Session for Personnel, Real Estate and Litigation
was made by Mayor Pro Tem Berry; seconded by Councilmember Gantt. The
motion passed unanimously

Motion to adjourn Executive Session and sign an Affidavit with No Action was
made by Councilmember Thomas; seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Berry. The
motion passed unanimously 5-0.

Motion to reconvene the meeting was made by Councilmember Alexander;
seconded by Councilmember Thomas. The motion passed unanimously 5-0

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mayor Pro Tem Berry; seconded by
Councilmember Alexander. The motion passed unanimously 5-0 at 10:13 pm.

Res pectfully submitted by .

VH/WAAW
Vanessa Holiday, City lerk Ant hEny S. Ford, r

7|Page
