A discussion about truck parking took up the majority of time in the June meeting of Gray’s City Council.
The June 1 meeting was called to order by Mayor Ed Barbee. The opening prayer was led by Councilman David Tufts, and Barbee led the pledge.
In his mayor’s report, Barbee said he had a video meeting last week with representatives of the Georgia Department of Transportation about the traffic signal at the main downtown intersection.
The mayor said the GDOT would be conducting a traffic study at the railroad tracks when school starts again.
“It was a nice meeting, and they seemed receptive to help,” he said.
The first item of New Business was a Planning and Zoning hearing. The request from Matthew Billings, owner of the property located at 133 James Street, was a variance to allow the parking of two to four tractor trailers on the property.
The mayor adjourned the council meeting and opened the public hearing.
He asked if anyone wanted to speak in favor of the request, and Billings came forward. He said the previous owner allowed the trucks to park, and he continued that when he purchased the property.
“This is a simple request. Commercial drivers ask to store their trucks on nights and weekends,” he said. “They are local residents and park there to keep from driving on smaller neighborhood roads.”
Billings said the drivers use the bypass and help keep the trash in the area picked up. He said the property had been used as a landfill, and that has hindered its development. When complaints were made, he took steps to correct the issues.
“Development of this property is limited, but I have tried to make the best use of the available space to benefit the community,” the petitioner said.
The property consists of two acres with 180 feet of frontage.
Jane Whitehead also spoke in favor of the request. She said she could not find an ordinance prohibiting the truck parking on private property in a non-residential area.
“I don’t understand why we can’t help these drivers who can’t take their trucks home,” she said.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins asked City Attorney John Newberry if he was aware of an ordinance prohibiting the parking. Newberry said he was not prepared to discuss it.
Barbee asked if anyone wanted to speak in opposition to the variance, but no one came forward.
As councilmen began to ask questions, Newberry suggested closing the hearing and reopening the council meeting.
The mayor complied and called the council meeting back to order.
Fulford asked to clarify that the trucks parked there before Billings owned the property, and the owner said that was correct.
Tufts said he wanted to be sure no more than four trucks would be parked there.
Billings said the truck drivers who park there regularly let him know if others park in the lot.
Collins asked if Billings has contracts with the drivers who park their trucks in the lot, and the owner said he does.
Councilman Terry Favors said he has received complaints about the parking because it is right downtown. He also noted that the city had to repair the curb in front of the property.
Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski was out of town and not at the meeting.
Collins asked to postpone the decision on the variance until the next meeting when Pitrowski could be there to answer their questions about what is allowed.
The mayor pro tem made that motion, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
More New Business
The next agenda item was to appoint Collins as the city’s representative for the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce. The motion was made by Councilman Terrell Fulford, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Council voted to authorize City Clerk Cindy Yancey to transfer $100,000 from the Wastewater Treatment Plant account to the Water and Sewer Maintenance and Operations Account and authorized Barbee to sign the 2026 supplemental LMIG application to repave more city streets.
With no more business, the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting of the city council is its All Committees Meeting scheduled June 15.
