CITY OF GRAY
Gray City Council members held a brief called meeting to handle a couple of items of business before getting to work with city committees.
Mayor Ed Barbee scooted into the Oct. 16 meeting on his electric wheelchair to call the meeting to order. Barbee was assisted to the Oct. 2 business meeting by his son, Jason Barbee, but he displayed his independence Monday by driving his electric wheelchair from home.
The mayor’s physical challenges are the result of developing septic shock following an outpatient procedure in May.
All council members attended the meeting with the exception of councilman Benny Gray, who resides in a nursing facility.
The items at the called meeting were ratification of the city’s participation in Jones County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and the approval of the public consumption of alcohol during the Oct. 27 Fridays on Main Event.
The items were approved separately with Mayor Pro Tem James Collins making the motion to approve each. The votes to approve the motions were both unanimous.
Following those votes, the called meeting was adjourned.
Committees
Collins called the meeting of all city committees to order, and the first report was from Councilman Terrell Fulford, who is the chairman of the city’s Finance Committee. He said 99.69 percent of 2023 property taxes have been collected.
The total collected is $1,059,182, and the remainder of unpaid taxes is $3,285.
Councilman Terry Favors suggested not giving the Gray Downtown Development Authority the $20,000 that was approved in the city’s 2024 budget. He cited reasons of the DDA collecting rent on their buildings and no plan to repay the city for the funds used to purchase those properties.
“We were originally told the city would be repaid, but that has not started,” Favors said.
Councilman David Tufts, who is also a DDA member, said repairs are needed on the buildings and that was discussed at last week’s meeting. He asked if council would wait until they can take care of that.
Favors pointed out that the roof was leaking in City Hall and those repairs needed to be made.
City Attorney John Newberry said the agreement between the city and the DDA was their funds would be used to maintain the properties.
Favors said with the money the DDA has in the bank, the city cannot keep funneling funds to them.
Tufts said it would be a disservice not to give the DDA the funds that council approved in the budget, and Favors countered that to him it was a disservice to give the funds to the DDA.
Collins said he thought the funds could be a valid discussion for next year’s budget, but this year’s budget had been approved.
Favors seemed to acquiesce but stated it was time to look at it.
“I’m just asking you keep it in mind,” he said.
Water and sewer
City Superintendent Cheyenne Morgan spoke for the Water and Sewer Committee. He said the city received permission from the EPD to drill its test well Oct. 12. He said the city is coordinating with the drilling company for the drilling to begin.
Favors said the city’s new wastewater treatment plant is coming online soon. He said the city has gone up on customers’ sewer bills more than once. He asked for the city to raise tap fees for new customers to pay for growth and not go up on sewer bills.
“The water bill is not unreasonable. It’s the sewer bill,” he said.
Favors said he was just throwing one more thing on the table to be considered.
“When that new wastewater treatment plant opens; they are coming,” he said.
Under the Plan Committee, Main Street Gray Director Ashley Roberson talked about an upcoming city event. She said the Not So Scary Grayberry Spectacular was the upcoming Saturday. She said 90 trunks had signed up and there were lots of food trucks.
“It’s a free community event,” Roberson said.
Streets and Sanitation
Morgan said it was time to apply for 2024 LMIG Funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation. He said the application is due in December, and it was time for council members to decide what to do.
Tufts said the city needs to continue the repairs and paving down Dolly Street from Highview to the city limits.
Morgan said West Clinton Street also needs attention.
Council members agreed on the two suggestions, and Morgan said he would start measuring to prepare for the application.
Morgan said one bid had been received for the Autumn Ridge drainage project in the amount of $86,000. He said bid packages had been sent out to several companies, but only one submitted a bid. The superintendent added that he doubted getting a better response if they tried again.
Fulford said he would like the city to try putting out bids one more time.
Representatives from several sanitation companies who submitted bids for the city’s trash collection were in attendance for the bid opening for that service. Morgan had a spreadsheet with a quick look at the proposals received from four companies. The cost per residential cart spanned from $12 to $18.75.
Tufts said he would like to have a called meeting to go over the bids in detail in order to be ready for a vote on the bids at the city’s Nov. 6 business meeting.
The final report at the meeting was from Roberson about Main Street Gray. She said the Main Street Gray Hometown Christmas Market was scheduled Nov. 25, which is the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The director said 78 vendors had already signed up for the event that would take place from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
She said the lighting of the city’s Christmas Tree would take place a 6 p.m. and she invited councilmen to attend.
Roberson said she had been working with Jones County High School in the JC Flex business competition. She said the 10 student business plans had been selected and hopefully they will be set up at the Christmas market.
The director said the winner of the JC Flex competition would go to the state competition.
Miscellaneous
Collins said he would like to put the brewery ordinance amendment on the November agenda for a first reading.
“I feel like the citizens deserve a vote on the ordinance,” he said.
Favors said he did not object to putting the first reading on the agenda, but he does not like the idea of people being able to drink beer on site.
“That’s the first step to having a bar,” he said.
Newberry said the council has the discretion to put what they want in the ordinance.
Favors stated people are against the brewery.
“You can’t ignore that,” he said.
Roberson said there are people who support the ordinance who council members had not heard from.
Newberry said council members have had several opportunities to make changes to the text of the ordinance.
“This isn’t cutting edge,” he said.
Council members discussed the requirement of serving food. Favors said he was not opposed to making the beer and allowing tastings.
“I just don’t think they should be able to buy and drink it there. That’s a bar,” he said.
Tufts said he was on council when the question of selling beer and wine in groceries and convenience stores was passed. He said people were opposed, but after seeing how much revenue it brought to the city, the opposition went away.
Collins said he thinks the city needs to know where the council stands on the ordinance, and Newberry agreed it needed clarity.
Council members agreed to put a discussion of the ordinance amendment for the brewery on the agenda for the November committee meeting. The date of that meeting is Nov. 20.
The next scheduled meeting of the city council is the Nov. 6, business meeting.
