---
date: 2020-02-18
title: 02-18-2020 Minutes
source: 2020-02/2020-02-18_02-18-2020 _Minutes.pdf
pages: 1
---

gtockbridge
Where Community Connects

C O UNCI LRET REAT
Summary Minutes
February 18, 2020
8:00 a.m. —

5:00 p.m.

Ofﬁcials in Attendance: Mayor Anthony 8. Ford, Mayor Pro Tem Alphonso Thomas, Councilman Elton Alexander,
Councilwoman Yolanda Barber, Councilman John Blount and Councilwoman LaKeisha Gantt

Staff in Attendance: Randy Knighton City Manager, Camilla Moore Assistant City Manager/Community Dev. Director,
Decius Aaron Public Works Director, Vanessa Holiday City Clerk, John Wiggins City Treasurer and Michael Williams
City Attorney, Lindell Miller Procurement Manager Heather Hubbell of TSW, Kirk Voelkel of H. J. Russell Co., Dr.
Malik R. Watkins, PhD of UGA Carl Vinson Institute, Adam Price, John Palmer and Skip Layton and of Falcon
Engineering & Design Consultants.

Mayor Ford called the meeting to order.
Invocation by Councilman Blount
Pledge all in unison

Roll Call —
All members of the Council were in attendance
Motion to adopt the Agenda: Gantt/Alexander —

passed 5-0

DAY TWO AGENDA
Facilitated by Randy Knighton —

City Manager

Recap of Day One
Mr. Knighton recapped Day One: Mauldin & Jenkins FY2018 update; overarching financial outlook
for the City; $18 million dollar Fund Balance includes restricted funds, and is more along the lines of
$16 million dollars with associated commitments that will reduce the balance such as Land
Acquisition, the De—annexation expenses and associated legal costs; it was also noted the City’s
Fund Balance for FY2019 was reduced by the purchase of the upgraded HVAC systems and Road

improvements; and there was a review of the upcoming items to be presented on today’s Agenda.

Councilman Alexander referred to the City’s Fund Balance

Mr. Knighton reminded the Council of their commitment of funding towards the Amphitheater, Road

Projects Cultural Arts Center and the new Public Works Facility.

February 18, 2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Mayor Pro Tem Thomas asked that there be a follow up soon on the directives issued in Day One by
the responsible parties.

Capital Improvements Process
Ms. Moore reviewed the start to finish process for Capital Improvement Projects to include surveys,

design, drawings, construction documents, engineering, project management, modifications,
payments, construction changes, and noted a typical 18 to 24-month timeline. Ms. Moore noted
permit fees for the project were exempt; noted the homes that were demolished on N. Lee Street had
to become part of the Amphitheater’s site plan; and noted Amphitheater construction meetings take

place every Wednesday at the job site trailer.

Mayor Ford asked about naming rights for the Amphitheater.

Mr. Knighton stated he does want to see Stockbridge incorporated in the name, and that the names

typically last a certain number of years.

Ms. Moore noted there was a Stream Buffer EPD required to be resolved; noted TSW did not do the

engineering portion of the project, and noted 571 parking spaces would be required, and noted the
committed costs to date of the Amphitheater to be $20,049,831.00 and does not include other costs
for furnishings, stage lighting, equipment, building restorations, licensing, startup costs and other
unknowns.

Councilwoman Gantt requested that on future projects, all associated cost for projects be disclosed in
advance.

Councilman Blount stated this presentation should have been made to the Council earlier to allow for
informed decisions.

Mr. Knighton noted the information of the roads had previously been discussed and presented at a
Council meeting and that the roads are in fact included in the $15.8 million.

Ms. Moore stated ADA requires roads to be included in the Amphitheater project.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas asked for clarification on the City's Engineer and Ms. Moore responded that
Charles Abbott & Associates was the Engineer of Record.

There were questions raised regarding a potential cemetery behind the former Hightower property on
East Atlanta Rd. Ms.Holiday stated staff was made aware of the rumor of a cemetery in the area
more than 2 years ago and a quote from Omega for ground penetration was forwarded to staff in April

2019; and the Construction Project Manager from H J Russell was also made aware of the rumor of a
cemetery in that location in October 2019.

Ms. Moore stated the Amphitheater construction project is expected to be an 18 to 36-month process

February 18, 2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Pag€|3

Amphitheater Update
Mr. Kirk Voelkel of H. J. Russell Co & Amphitheater Project Manager gave an update on construction

progress noting there are currently 23 sub-contractors, no recorded accidents, and noted the rain
delays have really hampered the project. Mr. Voelkel stated the anticipated completion date is
February 2021 if all goes well.

Procurement Process
Ms. Miller gave an overview of the City’s Procurement processes currently in place and outlined new

procedures to be implemented. Ms. Miller referenced several RFP’s issued to include the City’s
Project Manager (Keck & Wood), Canon Copiers, Hwy. 138 Beautification/Landscaping (CGL),
Facilities Management Uniforms, Demolition Services, Renovation of the Ted Strickland Community
Center, Amphitheater, and others; noting the Amphitheater to be a game changer for the City;
referenced the implementation of departmental training and improvements to vendor relationships;

plans to establish internal controls; request storage of bids to be secured; development of a
Procurement Manual; amend procurement functions for Agenda items and the City's Financial
Software (lncode); purchase Local Vendor Registry software, move to a P-Card system for City

purchases; plans to provide more vendor and community outreach; noted all contracts were
canceled/terminated relating to City Hall, Court and the Events Centers.

Councilman Blount asked who is responsible for following up with contracts once the bid has been
awarded.

Ms. Miller stated the Facilities Manager oversees the landscaping contract, and the user agency

(department) is responsible for monitoring contracts.

Councilman Alexander stated City Hall and surrounding areas especially should always be pristine in

appearance.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas agreed and asked who is accountable for the Main Street area ofthe City

Ms. Moore stated the City is responsible for 25' of right-of-way

Councilman Blount asked for a Plan of Action to contact with the Railroad, GDOT and State where

they have properties that run through the city limits.
Councilwoman Barber asked if there were enough crew members to pick up trash in the City daily.

Mr. Aaron noted the schedule to be Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas advocated for the General Maintenance Supervisor to ride the City daily to
see the areas that are unkept; and increase the trash pickup days to each weekday instead of three

All agreed.

February 18, 2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Ms. Miller noted the procurement office is putting together a list of qualified vendors for all

departments to access; noted the positions in the department consist of the Procurement Manager,
Procurement Clerk and will be hiring a Procurement Specialist; noted the Local Vendor Registry
Software will cost $10,000 -

$24,000.

Architectural Projects Update
Ms. Heather Hubbell of Tunnel-Spangler-Walsh, the City’s On-Call Architectural Design Group, gave
an update on the proposed Cultural Arts Center noting additions were made during Council briefings;
noted the estimated cost of the building is $14.7 million and with furnishings the cost would be
estimated at $18 -
$19 million dollars.

Councilman Alexander expressed concern that the building may be another subsidized facility

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas asked how the facility would sustain itself or be a revenue generator

Ms. Hubbell asked if the priority of the building was to be the theater. All agreed

Councilman Alexander stated showing movies would be great

Ms. Hubbell was tasked with revising the design to allow for a 100—seat ballroom area, opposed to 60
seats noting the design is currently 38,000 +/— sq. ft. with an estimated cost of $14.7 million dollars
and includes some furnishings; and noted the Theater would be the priority of the facility.

Ms. Moore noted the required 244 ADA parking spaces are not included in the total.

Police Dept. Feasibility Study Update
Dr. Malik R. Watkins, PhD of the UGA Carl Vinson Institute presented the City with an updated report
of the proposed Police Department in the City to include an estimated 57 officers, equipment,

weapons, insurance & benefits and a pension plan at approximately $5.3 million dollars with a start-
up cost of $4.6 million dollars. This study was compiled based on comparable services from the cities
of Villa Rica, Dunwoody, McDonough and Woodstock.

Mayor Ford noted a series of community town halls would need to take place to get public buy—in

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas asked how this fits in to the SDS Agreement.

Mr. Knighton referred to the $3.8 mils residents are paying and noted the City of Stockbridge should
be receiving the same level of service as unincorporated county residents, where they are mainly

patrolling main streets and not neighborhoods; and further added that if the City does not have control
of police services, Henry County will determine how they police the City.

Councilman Alexander noted crime is not going anywhere and the City needs their own police

department; and stated the City needs an extra layer of coverage as the City grows.

February 18, 2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
3 GD e|5

Attorney Williams noted the Command Staff may have a contiguous agreement.

Ms. Moore referenced the City of South Fulton who transitioned their police department in phases.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas stated he did not want the Mayor & Council to leave the Retreat without an
approach to the County for a policy and better services and asked what the Council needs to do.

Mr. Knighton stated that to this point there have been several meetings with the County Manager,
Cheri Hobson—Matthews, Attorney Michael Williams, Chief Command Staff regarding police services
and the County has indicated they are not going to move on anything other than providing the same
level of services that will be provided to unincorporated Henry County residents and does not want to
be micromanaged.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas stated he would like to see an increase of neighborhood patrol and
enforcement of City ordinances.

Mayor Ford and Councilwoman Gantt stated there is significant patrolling in Monarch Village

Mayor Ford noted if there is a desire for a police department, the City would need to be truthful about
the cost and put it out to the citizens.

Councilman Alexander stated he does not believe a city tax would be necessary to fund a police

department.

Councilman Blount noted the City’s Fund Balance would determine if the City if comfortable with that
decision.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomas stated there needs to be more discussion locally

Mr. Knighton stated he needs to hear the sentiments of the Council for proper dialogue during SDS

discussion, suggesting the same level of service as county residents, and a millage rollback.

Engineering Projects Update
Mr. Adam Price, Mr. Skip Layton and Mr. John Palmer of Falcon Engineering & Design Consultants

gave an update of the projects they are working on for the City to include: the right turning lane at
East Atlanta Rd. from Love Street to N. Henry Blvd.; South Lee Street and North Lee Street

realignment and widening; the Burke Street Alleyway Project; Country Club Dr. @ Corporate Center
Traffic Study (completed); and Patrick Henry Pkwy. and Country Club Drive.

Mr. Price noted the right turning lane would be on East Atlanta Road from Love Street to North Henry
Blvd.

Councilman Blount asked if there would be a left turn signal @ Harrell Drive

February 18,2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Page I6

Mr. Price noted GDOT would need to be involved as North Henry Blvd. is a State road

Mr. Price noted the lanes on both sides of N. Lee Street will need to get Right-of—Way approvals from
First Baptist Church and residents and noted the church uses the City’s Municipal Court parking lot
for services and activities; proposed 6’ sidewalks, and will look at pathways after the survey has been

completed; noted based on the current Amphitheater design, 4 ponds are required as there is no
stream of water, noting Everly designed the ponds sketch.

Mr. Price referenced the City’s Alleyway Project between M. L. King Sr. Heritage Trail and Burke
Street noting the proposal is to install gravel which will help with stormwater issues; trash bins will be

placed in two centralized locations; more grease traps will be needed as more restaurants come in to
the downtown area; and recommended pavers similar to the Alleyway Project in College Park and the

pavers used in the Locust Grove project.

Mr. Price noted the Country Club Dr/Corporate Center near Atlanta Heart had been completed and
noted Henry County GDOT has required a light for the TruHilton Hotel @ Patrick Henry Pkwy. @

Country Club Dr. and recommends the City remove Country Club Drive from the LMIG list and use
the funding in other areas of the City where road improvements are needed; and lowering the speed
limit on Country Club Drive from 35 to 25 noting the blind curve.

Ms. Moore stated she would provide a copy of the GDOT Report requiring a light at Patrick Henry

Pkwy. and Country Club Drive to Falcon Engineering noting the Hotel Developer is bearing the cost

Falcon Design recommended, adding a Flashing Light to slow down in the area of Atlanta Heart
medical office

Motion to adjourn: Alexander/Blount —
Passed 5-0

Respectfully submitted by:

Vanessa Holiday, City Clerk CMC y S. F M

February 18, 2020 130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030
