The meeting of all committees for the Gray City Council included current projects, past issues and considered additional benefits for employees.
The Oct. 21 meeting was called to order by Mayor Ed Barbee with all council members present except Benny Gray.
The first committee report was from Finance Committee Chairman Councilman Terrell Fulford. He stated that 91 percent of the 2023 taxes had been collected. The total of collected taxes was $1,150,747 with $11,265 remaining.
City Clerk Cindy Yancey noted that the city’s 2024 property tax bills would be mailed Oct. 29 and would be due Dec. 29.
Fulford said the city received a proposal for the renewal of its Workers Compensation Insurance. He said the proposed premium was $43,866, which was less than last year’s premium of $47,416.
The councilman said agent Tom McEachern would be at the Nov. 4 meeting to present the renewal and for a vote from council.
City Superintendent Cheyenne Morgan reported for the Water and Sewer Committee. He said the city had completed its waterline inventory, and there were zero lead pipes found.
Morgan said 363 galvanized pipes were identified and would need to be replaced.
The superintendent said those pipes could be replaced at a rate of 3 percent per year.
He said, after the report was received by the EPD, the city would be notified how to proceed.
Morgan said the city cannot require residents to replace the galvanized pipes on their property, and at this time the city cannot go onto private property.
“We’ll need to develop a policy,” he said.
Morgan said he expected there would be grants in the future to help with replacement of those pipes.
The superintendent later expanded on the reason for the inventory. He said it was a federal EPA regulation that was passed down to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to enforce.
“Every water system in the country has to comply, triggered by the Flint, Michigan, lead in the drinking water disaster,” he said.
Morgan talked about a generator for one of the city’s pumping stations. He said the city had received a grant for a permanent generator for the Glover Lane pumping station. He said he should receive the specs for the generator in a couple of weeks so it can be put out for bids.
City Attorney John Newberry gave an update for the well agreement with Cedar Creek Land and Development. He said at this time one of the taps for the homes being built was free.
“I keep hoping the project will work out,” he said.
Newberry said developer Scott Jackson could pay for taps for the other houses he is building, and if the well agreement comes to fruition, he could be reimbursed for the tap fees.
The attorney asked for any ideas of council members.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins asked if the change of the location of the well was the problem and if the well was still on the table for the city.
Jackson said there was not a lot he could do with the property with the well on it because the well has to be 100 feet from the property line.
“It’s not possible to divide it into single family plots,” he said.
The developer went on to say the holdup was costing him money. He said there was also an incident where the water to the construction areas was abruptly cutoff.
Jackson said he did not appreciate the way that was handled and the implications involved.
“It was not handled well. If you have something to say to me, you need to call me,” he said.
Newberry said he needed to put together a new agreement for the well that has a timeline.
Councilman Terry Favors asked what would happen if the rezoning of the property never happened.
“Would the deal be dead?” he asked.
Morgan pointed out to council members that the city has $65,000 tied up in the proposed well.
Favors said he agreed if Jackson pays for the tap fees and the city gets the well, the fees would be refunded.
Main Street Gray
Main Street Gray Director Ashley Roberson reported for the agency. She said an estimate of $4,000 was received for the roof of the city’s building at 102 East Clinton Street.
The property was previously rented out and had been handled by Roberson on behalf of the DDA. She said the property is vacant now.
“My question is are
Before
After
you wanting to repair the roof or are you thinking about demolishing the building?” Roberson asked.
The director said there was no reason to try to do anything until the roof was repaired. She said the previous plan for the rentals was to earn money to put toward a new complex for City Hall.
Collins asked what else needed to be done to the building before it could be rented.
Morgan said there were several issues, and a contractor needed to walk through it.
Collins asked if Roberson would get a cost estimate of what renovations needed to be done for the building to be rented.
Roberson also announced that the streetlights that will run from the streetscape to the courthouse had been received and would be installed before the holidays.
The mayor pro tem said the city had given police officers a raise, and he wanted to look at other ways to take care of city employees. He said currently the city medical insurance only covers the employee, not families.
“I want to look at a way to help. I think being able to offer insurance to families would be the right thing to do,” Collins said.
Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe said there were circumstances where that needed to be looked at.
Collins stated that the insurance would also be an excellent recruiting tool for officers.
“We are seen as a family community. It would be good to show we take care of the families of our employees,” he said.
Newberry said council members need to confirm the amount of the raises it agreed to at the Oct. 7 meeting. Members agreed it was to be a $100 a month raise across the board for council members, mayor pro tem and mayor.
The attorney said he would start the process and that the raises would not take effect until 2026.
Streets
Street Committee Chairman Councilman David Tufts complimented McLeRoy, the company that completed the Dolly Street project.
“They did a fantastic job. They had a good work attitude and did all that was asked,” he said.
Morgan said that was the same company that recently repaved the crossing intersection in downtown Gray. He said they did a good job there, too.
Tufts said now the city needs to figure out how to keep trucks off of downtown streets.
Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe said the city would have to put it in the city’s code to designate the downtown streets as a “No Truck Route.”
Newberry said that was the idea of the bypass.
“Unless they are making deliveries, the trucks need to be forced to use the bypass,” he said. “Deliveries are fine, but the bypass was meant to keep trucks out of the city.”
The attorney said a city ordinance for the No Truck Route would give law enforcement the authority to issue citations.
Lowe said signs would be put up for several months before it would be enforced.
Morgan asked if the ordinance would use the weight of the trucks or the number of axles.
Lowe noted that the city already has ordinances preventing trucks from traveling on the neighborhood streets unless they are making deliveries.
Newberry was tasked with putting the No Truck Route ordinance together and bringing it back to council members.
The conversation moved to the problem with the safety of traffic on the road behind Dairy Queen.
The attorney questioned where the city street stopped but said he would find out. It was suggested the resolution could be a stop sign or the repainting the yellow lines on the street.
Barbee reported that the former Haskins Furniture shop building on Ross Street was being used this year for to store the Toys for Tots donations. He requested the city turn on the water for the building.
Council members agreed by consensus to turn on the water.
