Tuesday night was the second virtual council meeting. Please be patient with us as we are all working to get used to holding meetings in this format. Due to technical difficulties the Mayor, was not able to run the meeting, and I stepped in at the last minute. We do what we have to do to keep moving forward!
I hope that all are staying healthy and safe and doing what ever it is you need to do to keep your anxiety levels at a minimum during these trying times. Now for the recap!
Unfinished Business
No items for consideration.
New Business
Discussion and presentation was had on the draft Parking Study conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission on behalf of the City. Presentation was given by Mr. Sidney Douse who oversaw the study. The biggest take ways from the presentation was that at this time there is a surplus of parking in the city and charging for parking would not be recommended. It was recommended that signage could be added to clarify the location of parking, to show time limits of parking and to indicate where parking was only allowed for residents. After much discussion among the council the Administration was asked to present a plan to add the additional signage. The hope is that the signage will be a deterrent to some of the normal parking issues the City faces. I will add that the study was conducted in 2019 and did not reflect the conditions experienced lately during the pandemic.
City manager gave a report on the first quarter financials and miscellaneous items. It was reported that general fund revenues are reporting at 1% below the benchmark through March 31st. This is approximately $65,000 less than what was estimated. With the ongoing public health emergency, administration is closely watching the City's financial situation to ensure that the money budgeted in reserves will cover any shortfalls. Shortfalls can come in the form of reduced sales tax revenue, permit and license fees, and ticket or court fees. We will not know if the pandemic will have an impact on property tax revenue until later in the year. At this time it is not anticipated that the City will need to obtain a tax anticipation note (TAN) to cover any cash flow shortfalls.
City manager also reported that as of May 4th City Hall is back to normal operating hours and staff has been brought back with appropriate safety measures put into place. However, it is anticipated that City events will still stay cancelled through the State of Public Health Emergency which is set to expire on June 12th. Additionally, public meetings of Council, DDA, HPC, and possibly Parks and Rec will continue virtually to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. It is anticipated however that due to zoning laws, and in person Planning and Zoning meeting will be scheduled, but will still have to adhere to the amount of people allowed into the space.
Executive Session was held to discuss personnel and appointments. There was no action to be taken from the discussion.
New Ordinances and Resolutions
No items for consideration.
Committee Discussion Items
Planning and Zoning - anticipated that a in person meeting will be scheduled in the near future. Date and time to be determined.
DDA - Thank you to everyone who has participated in the ongoing discussion on the Downtown Master Plan. There will be more public involvement meetings in the next couple of months. In the meantime please visit the project website: www.villageforward.com . There is online survey on the website.
HPC - will hold a virtual meeting on May 6th at 6pm.
Parks and Rec - Working to schedule a virtual meeting, date and time to be determined.