Debbie Lurie-Smith debbie@jcnews.com
Gray City Council members voted to give the next council a salary increase, opted out of HB 581 and agreed to support a broadband grant in their February meeting.
Mayor Ed Barbee called the Feb. 3 meeting to order. His mayor’s report was short and to the point as was the remainder of the meeting. Barbee announced a new restaurant, Slim Chickens, is coming. The restaurant will be located between Ranchers and Surcheros.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins was not at the meeting, which meant councilmen Terrell Fulford, Terry Favors and David Tufts had to vote in favor of a motion for it to pass.
Council had the first reading of an ordinance that will increase the salary for the next council when they take office in 2026. The increase is simply an additional $100 per month. That brings the mayor’s annual salary to $8,400, mayor pro tem $7,800 and each councilman $6,600.
Council members voted unanimously to authorize Barbee to sign a letter of support for Tri-CoGo’s application to Georgia’s BEAD grant program.
The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is an effort by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to expand broadband across the state, supporting every Georgian’s access to high-speed, reliable internet.
Grant funds for the program are from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Favors made the motion for the City of Gray to opt out of HB 581. The city had the third of the required public hearings prior to the business meeting. The motion was approved unanimously.
The councilman also made the motion to reschedule the city’s Feb. 17 meeting due to the President’s Day holiday to Feb. 18.
Main Street Gray Director Ashley Roberson presented council with a calendar for the 2025 dates requiring approval for the public consumption of alcohol. Those events included Saturday’s Galentines celebration, the April 25 Hometown Spring Festival and monthly Second Saturdays.
Fulford made the motion, and the calendar was approved with a unanimous vote.
The final two agenda items were budget adjustments. The first was to transfer beer and wine tax collections to the water and sewer account, which is an annual occurrence, and the second a budget adjustment to accept LMIG funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The next meeting of the City Council is its meeting of all committees Feb. 18.
