The resolution activating Gray’s Downtown Development Authority was passed unanimously and without comment last week during the city council’s monthly meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem Loretta Lipsey presided over the Sept. 2 meeting due to the absence of Mayor Jason Briley.

Lipsey began the meeting complimenting department heads because of an $18,000 reduction of expenses for the month before the council approved the paying of the monthly bills.

Finances appeared to be the focus of the meeting, and one of the first items of business was a discussion of the need to increase a loan the city recently acquired from the Georgia Environmental Facility Association (GEFA).

The city was awarded the $833,000 loan from GEFA at the rate of 2 percent beginning in March, but Richard Akin was at the council meeting to explain why that amount was no longer enough.

The loan was procured because of the city’s need to purchase a belt press as the first step of a wastewater improvement process that is intended to end with the building of a new wastewater treatment plant.

Akin said $250,000 more is needed to purchase the belt press and construct the building to house it. He said the city was approved for the funds at a rate of 2 percent and he suggested Gray officials ask for an increase in the GEFA loan. He explained the loan is a credit line, and if the city finds the funds from another source, the money would not have to be used.

City Attorney Joan Harris said the bid to do the work was awarded to Tommy Griffin Heating and Plumbing. She said the company’s references had been checked and he was the lowest bid.

City Superintendent Decius Aaron said the city should be receiving $300,000 more from SPLOST funds that would more than cover the overage.

Councilman Ronnie Miller asked why the cost had increased, and Akin said it was a matter of the rise in the cost of fuel and construction prices. He said the estimate of the job was not rechecked as these costs escalated.

Akin said the additional funds should give the city a safety net and it was not necessary to submit a new application to GEFA.

“We can look at the original application and update it. The city has raised its water and sewer rates and have the reserve accounts set up. You have done what GEFA has asked,” he said.

Council members voted unanimously to apply for the additional funds.

New school

Earl Colvin, facilities director for Jones County Schools, returned to city council to ask for permission to hook to the city’s water and sewer lines in order to provide service for a new school that will be built on Turnerwoods Road.

Colvin had approached council members at their Aug. 4 meeting requesting that Gray provide the service, and, at that time, he was instructed by the mayor to go to Jones County commissioners and acquire an agreement for the improvement of Morton Road before the service would be approved.

The director told council members that he had been to the commissioners and they did agree to make improvements to the road prior to August of 2010 when the school is scheduled to open.

“I don’t have any details, but I made some suggestions about a caution light on Highway 18 and perhaps making the road one way during certain hours,” Colvin said. “They agree to support us. They’ve already done a good bit of work on the road, and it is scheduled to be paved and striped in the next 30 days. Basically I’m here to say I did what you asked.”

Councilman Benny Gray did not hesitate to make the motion to grant Colvin’s request, and it was passed unanimously.

Harris explained the next item of business, which was rezoning for the property of Ann Lusk. The council voted to approve Lusk’s petition to annex her property into the city at the August council meeting but denied her request to rezone the property to commercial.

Harris told council members that when a property is annexed into the city it must be zoned from county to city zoning. Council members voted to rezone the property to R1A, rural residential.

Lusk’s rezoning request had been before the council each month since it was first presented in May. Her 13.4 acres is located on Gray Highway and her neighbors objected to zoning the property commercial in large part because the property owner had no plan or prospects of what type of commercial development or business would be located on the site.

Council approved the signing of a Georgia Power contract and heard the first reading of a resolution concerning city employees and take-home vehicles.

Streetlights

Louis Lashley came to the council requesting streetlights for Nature’s Walk subdivision. He said he understands installing the lights is the developer’s responsibility, but the developer of Nature’s Walk is in bankruptcy.

“We need to know what to do,” he said, speaking for the residents of the subdivision.

Lashley gave council members a copy of a petition signed by the residents asking for help with the streetlights.

Lipsey said she spoke earlier in the day with a representative of Colonial Bank, the company that now owns the subdivision. She said she told the representative that the developer has been responsible for installation of streetlights and the city pays the electric bill once the lights are installed.

“The gentleman at Colonial politely told me there was no way they were going to pay for streetlights,” she said.

Lashley asked if someone else bought the subdivision, could they be required to install the lights?

Planning and Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski said he is not aware that the city mandates streetlights be installed.

Tufts said it was more of an agreement between the city and developers.

“In the past, developers or residents put in the lights, and we paid the light bill after they were installed,” he reiterated.

Lashley said it is his understanding the power lines for the lights were installed, and about 16 houses are currently in the subdivision.

“The entrance is the main thing. It’s very dark, and you could hit someone very easily,” he said. “It’s such a safety issue, it does seem like the city should have an ordinance requiring streetlights.”

Lipsey asked if the residents would pay for the lights, and Lashley said he did not know. He said he knows some of them paid an extra $350 when they bought their home that was supposed to be for streetlights.

“We want a solution,” Lashley said.

Tufts asked if the city can require streetlights, and Harris said yes. She said the city can require it going forward but cannot do anything for existing subdivisions.

The resolution for a Downtown Development Authority was next on the agenda. Without any discussion, the motion to adopt the resolution was made by Tufts and seconded by Councilman Terrell Fulford. Council members voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.

Text amendment

Attorney Bruce Elliot represented Anita Joyce Hadden Park pertaining to a request for a text amendment to Gray’s zoning ordinance to allow drive- thru restaurants in the C-1 zone. Park’s property is located on West Clinton Street, and three fourths of the property is zoned C-1. He said the zoning allows for a restaurant but not a drive- thru window.

“If approved, the text change will affect every C-1 property in the city,” he said and suggested requiring a conditional use would protect the surrounding property.

Elliott said the Park property is big enough to buffer a restaurant from its neighbors and to be sensitive to their requests.

“I’ve been involved with the property since 1994, and a business will bring more jobs and a higher tax base to the city,” he said.

Fulford said his personal preference is not to see the house torn down, and the text amendment would impact the entire city.

Paul Butts, who lives in the neighborhood near the property, said he has lived on Washburn for 30 years and hopes to live there 30 more. He said in his opinion changing the text of the zoning would be opening a can of worms.

“I ask you not allow a drive- thru restaurant in C-1. It may bring money to the community, but it would degrade the quality of life in our neighborhood,” Butts said.

Fulford made the motion to deny the request and council memebers agreed unanimously.

Larry Brown asked for a variance to reduce the setback for the urgent care center being constructed next to Walgreens and promised to make up for the buffer reduction when the next lot is developed. Council agreed.

Delinquent taxes

Lipsey said the city has approximately $65,000 in delinquent taxes and all attempts to collect them have failed. She said she talked to a company in Carrollton that would collect the taxes at no cost to the city.

“I believe this is the only way we can get them,” she said.