CITY OF GRAY
A member of Gray’s City Council, who has been missing from council meetings for an extended period of time, made an appearance at the August meeting, albeit virtually.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins called the Aug. 7 meeting to order in the absence of Mayor Ed Barbee, who continues to recover from multiple surgeries.
Councilmen David Tufts, Terry Favors and Terrell Fulford were in attendance.
The reason for the appearance of Benny Gray via Facetime, who had not been at a meeting since before his re-election in November of 2021, became evident with the second item of new business on the meeting agenda.
Council went into a public hearing to discuss two variances needed to allow Fulford to build a second dwelling on his property on Virginia Avenue that would be under the allowed minimum size of 750 square feet.
A variance was needed to allow the second dwelling on a lot under 1.1 acres and another to allow the size of the construction to be 600 square feet. Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski explained the need for the variances but noted that staff does not give recommendations on variances.
Fulford explained that his wife’s sister is in bad health, and the building was for her.
The hearing was exited, and the council meeting resumed.
Fulford was required to recuse himself from the vote, and with the Mayor Pro Tem presiding, without Gray there would not have been a legal vote. Three votes are required, and the presiding member does not get a vote.
Under Georgia Law, elected officials may attend meetings virtually twice a year and retain their voting ability. There is no state requirement for how many meetings the officials can miss without being removed from their positions. That would need to be included in the code or charter of the government entity.
The motion to approve the variances was passed with a unanimous vote that included Gray.
The first agenda item was a first reading of an ordinance to allow brewery production and sales in the city. The second reading and vote on the ordinance will be on the agenda for the September council meeting.
Resolutions
The first resolution to be considered was to approve a license agreement with Attorney Bert King. The license will allow him to reserve five parking spaces in front of his office on South Jefferson Street for the use of his staff and clients during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All maintenance and marking of the spaces shall be at King’s expense. The resolution was not explained in the meeting but was approved with a unanimous vote.
Other approved resolutions included the sale of a surplus 2013 Ford and budget supplements. The supplements were for the purpose of the sale of Main Street Carts and the acceptance of a grant for the Gray Fire Department in the amount of $22,500.
A final resolution was to adopt a job title and description for a deputy municipal court clerk.
The resolutions were each unanimously approved.
More business
Council members approved the adjustment of boundaries for Main Street Gray’s Downtown Historic District from Washburn Drive to Pinewood Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Forest Street.
The date of the September council meeting was changed to Sept. 11 due to the Sept. 4 Labor Day holiday, and the public consumption of alcoholic beverages was approved for the next Fridays on Main event Aug. 28.
A beer and wine license was approved for Tarak Chokshi for the BP on West Clinton Stree,t and council members approved the request to add Collins as a signer on the City of Gray’s bank accounts.
Public comments
Donnie Melton asked about what he referred to as the council’s interest in alcoholic beverages in the city for the last 24 months. He said the liquor store was denied in 2021, but recently there has been the sale of alcohol on Friday nights.
The liquor store the speaker reference was a referendum to allow package liquor stores on the ballot during the 2021 election, which lost by one vote. The Friday night sale of alcohol is the public consumption of beer and wine at the Fridays on Main events that take place the last Friday of the month designed to bring people downtown to eat at local restaurants and food trucks and shop downtown.
The consumption of alcohol at each of the events is required to come before council.
Melton went on to talk the ordinance to allow a brewery in Gray, which had its first reading earlier in the meeting.
“This trend is bothersome to me,” he said. “I was raised in a household with an alcoholic daddy.”
Melton said events in Gray were always family friendly, but he would not want to bring children to events where there is alcohol. He asked the reason for serving alcohol and the advantages of a brewery.
Collins said there were still daytime family- friendly festivals, and alcohol was only served at the evening events geared toward adults. The brewery idea is about economic development.
Melton said he thinks it is a mistake to move away from family-oriented events.
“You are the gatekeepers. You can bring in things that help or hurt,” he said.
