Loading...
October 16, 1995 Council Meeting October 16. 1995 The regular scheduled meeting of Mayor and Council was held at Smyrna City Hall. The meeting was called to order by presiding officer Mayor A. Max Bacon at 7:30 o'clock p.m. All council members were present except Ron Newcomb who was out of town on business. Also present was City Administrator Bob Thomson, City Clerk Melinda Dameron, City Attorney Charles E. Camp, Fire Chief Larry Williams, Finance Director Claudia Edgar, Assistant Public Works Director Ray Curtis, Police Major Kent Sims, Library Director Michael Seigler, Parks and Recreation Director Steve Ciaccio, Community Relations Director Kathie Barton, Clean and Beautiful Coordinator Ann Kirk, Personnel Director Mary Ann White, City Engineer Ken Hildebrandt, Chief Building Official Scott Stokes and representatives of the press. III' Invocation was given by Reverend Jim Mitchell, pastor of Smyrna First United Methodist Church, followed by the pledge to the flag. CITIZENS INPUT: (A) Proclamation - "Red Ribbon Week" Mayor Bacon asked the members of the American Legion and the Auxiliary who were present to come forward and accept the proclamation. Mayor Bacon recognized Pat Brown, Betty and Steve Turley. Mayor Bacon then asked Councilman Lnenicka to read the proclamation. Councilman Lnenicka read an announcement advertising a seminar to be held at Osborne High School on Tuesday, October 24, and the purpose of the meeting is to challenge the social norms that exist in Cobb County concerning tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Mr. Lnenicka then read the proclamation. Mr. Turley introduced the members who were present -- Jenna Cogswell, of the Governor's office, coordinator of the Red Ribbon Program statewide; Pat Brown, President of the Auxiliary; Betty Turley, past-president; Bill Brown, 5th District Junior Vice President; Frank Boykin; and others. Mayor Bacon then presented the proclamation to those present. Mayor Bacon recognized several Campbell High School students who were in attendance at the Council meeting -- Melika Meadows, President of the Junior Class and then asked the others to stand and introduce themselves. .. Mayor Bacon then asked that Item 4-A of the agenda be discussed at this time. Mayor Bacon then asked Joe Daniel and Frank Boone to come forward and explain the Resolution supporting efforts of the 1-75 Welcome Center Task Force. (A) Resolution Supporting Efforts of 1-75 Welcome Center Task Force Mr. Boone stated that earlier this year, Cobb's 1-75 Welcome Center Task Force set about to coordinate the initial planning and implementation of a proposed welcome center (at Wade Green Road on 1-75), an effort that will soon culminate with a request to Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Wayne Shackelford for stated funding of the project. Mr. Boone stated Ms. Frances Green, Executive Director of the Cobb County Visitor's Bureau, has been very instrumental in gathering much of the data necessary to make this project a reality. Mr. Boone also stated all the municipalities in the county have been asked to support the concept with a resolution and expressed his appreciation to the City of Smyrna for their support. Mayor Bacon asked Councilman Wood to read the proclamation. Councilman Scoggins made a motion the resolution be accepted. Councilman Hawkins seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. Councilman Wood then presented the resolution to Mr. Boone, Mr. Daniel and Ms. Green. .... Mayor Bacon recognized Martha Blanton. Ms. Blanton announced the Smyrna Community Center is hosting a Golden Jonquil's Masquerade Ball on Saturday night, October 28, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and that the Don Miolla band will be playing, there will be a costume contest (costumes are optional), good food, dancing and a floor show. Ms. Blanton announced anyone wanting tickets should call Patty Bacon at 431-2842. Mayor Bacon recognized Victor Yankowski, candidate for Cobb County Commissioner District 4. Mr. Yankowski asked for the support of the citizens of Smyrna and thanked the Mayor and Council for allowing him to introduce himself. October 16, 1995 meeting - continued PUBLIC HEARINGS: (A) Business License Request - A-Bail Bonding Company of Cobb County - 2357 Austell Road Mayor Bacon asked if the applicant was present and asked if there was anyone present in opposition to the granting of this license request. There was none. Mr. Thomson stated this is a new application that was submitted to operate a bail bondsmen company within the city. Mr. Thomson stated the applicant, R. Scott Hall, has included with the application a list of all the outstanding bonds. He further stated the Smyrna Police Department has completed their investigation and has found nothing that would prevent Mr. Hall from obtaining the license. ..." Mr. Gary Hayes, Vice President of the corporation, stated the applicant was not present tonight due to a family member requiring emergency surgery. Mayor Bacon asked when Mr. Hall could be present. Mr. Hayes responded Mr. Hall could be available for the next meeting of Council. Councilman Wood made a motion this item be tabled until November 6, 1995. Councilman Cramer seconded the motion. Motion to table this request was approved 6-0. (B) Variance Request - 2740 Morris Circle - Reduce Side Yard Setback from 10 Feet to 4 Feet Mr. Thomson stated the applicant, Mrs. Bonnie Brown, has built a free standing car shelter which is too close to her side property line. Mayor Bacon stated this is a public hearing and asked if anyone was present in opposition to the granting of this variance request. There was none. Mayor Bacon then asked Ms. Brown to come forward. Councilman Scoggins stated that on the letter of hardship, Ms. Brown indicates she comes in late at night and the carport is needed for security reasons. Mr. Scoggins asked Ms. Brown to explain how why this variance was necessary. Ms. Brown explained they were trying to improve the property and make it look better. Mr. Scoggins congratulated the Browns on the appearance of the property and thanked them for ...., improving the property. Councilman Scoggins made a motion the variance request at 2740 Morris Circle to reduce the side yard setback from 10 feet to 4 feet be approved. Councilman Lnenicka seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. (C) Variance Request - 4200 Ridgehurst Drive - Reduce Front Yard Setback from 35 Feet to 33.5 Feet Mr. Thomson stated the applicant, Mr. Scott Monjeau, is requesting this variance because the garage encroaches into the font yard setback by 12 inches on one corner and 18 inches on the other corner. Mayor Bacon stated this is a public hearing and asked if there was anyone present in opposition to the granting of this variance request. There was none. Mayor Bacon asked Mr. Monjeau to come forward. Councilman Lnenicka stated this garage does not encroach on anyone else's property. Mr. Monjeau stated that several changes were made to the house plans and the foundation crew built the garage two feet larger than planned and that error makes the variance necessary. Mr. Monjeau stated the home is approximately 30% complete. Mr. Monjeau stated the bank survey actually discovered the encroachment. Mr. Monjeau stated this is the last lot to be developed on Ridgehurst and it is also a very steep and sloping lot which prevented the house from being placed elsewhere on the lot. Councilman Lnenicka made a motion the variance request at 4200 Ridgehurst Drive to reduce the front yard setback from 35 feet to 33.5 feet be approved. Councilman Wood seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. ....." (D) Alcoholic Beverage License - Agent Change - Package Beer and Wine - Five Points Grocery - 1649 Roswell Street Mr. Thomson stated the Five Points Grocery submitted an application for an Alcohol Beverage License for package beer. Mr. Thomson stated Ms. Won Suk Seo has been given a copy of the alcohol beverage ... ... .. October 16. 1995 meeting - continued ordinance and the business license officer has gone over the guidelines with Ms. Seo. Mr. Thomson stated the Police Department investigation has revealed nothing that would preclude the issuance of this license request. Mayor Bacon asked the applicant to come forward and announced this is a public hearing and asked if there was anyone present in opposition to the granting of this license. There was none. Councilman Scoggins asked Ms. Seo if she has held a license before and she responded no. Mr. Scoggins asked Ms. Seo if the business license officer had gone over the requirements of being the agent holder for this type license. Ms. Seo responded they had. Councilman Hawkins asked Ms. Seo if she fully understood the ordinance requirements for the city of Smyrna as well as the State requirements. Ms. Seo responded she did. Councilman Scoggins commended the present owners for their renovations at the business location and thanked them for improving the property. Councilman Scoggins made a motion the alcoholic beverage license - agent change - for package beer at Five Points Grocery, 1649 Roswell Street, be approved. Councilman Lnenicka seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. FORMAL BUSINESS: (A) Resolution Supporting Efforts of 1-75 Welcome Center Task Force This item was discussed above. (B) Presentation of FY95 Audit Councilman Wood stated the City has an outside, independent auditor that audits the city's books on an annual basis. He further stated that Mr. Brett McClung, Anderson Hunt and Company , CPA, and Ms. Jan Fenton are here tonight to present the audit. Mr. McClung stated it was a pleasure to be here tonight and present the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report or the "CAFR" as it is commonly referred to. He further stated this is the report of the balance sheet, results of operations, statement of financial condition of the City of Smyrna for its fiscal year ended June 30, 1995. This report is divided into three basic sections -- introductory, financial and a statistical portion. He also stated the introductory portion is probably the most important and the best part of it. He stated what it represents is a transmittal letter primarily that outlines the basic goals and objectives of the city from a financial standpoint, what the accomplishments are and what the major outlooks of the city are and it was prepared by Ms. Edgar, CFO, for the city. He stated this is an excellent portion of the CAFR and he stated he hoped everyone would read it in detail. Mr. McClung stated the financial section of the CAFR includes the basic financial statements of the city, balance sheet, statement of operations and the statistical section includes demographic information over the last ten years basically; things like the largest taxpayers, expenditures over the last ten years, revenues over the last ten years and includes a lot of useful information. He stated the three sections are outlined by the GFOA (Government Finance Officer's Association, that is a governing body to which this report is submitted. He stated this reported is reviewed by an independent review panel who uses a check list basically to make sure all the pertinent information is included and it is in the proper format. He stated if the document passes that review it receives the Certificate of Excellent Achievement in Financial Reporting. Mr. McClung thanked Ms. Edgar for the assistance she and her staff provided the auditors. Mr. McClung stated he was going to let Ms. Jan Fenton, Audit Manager, and Mindy Maple, member of the audit staff talk to the Mayor and Council at this time. Ms. Fenton, Audit Manager, stated she was going to review the basic parts of the CAFR and then would answer any questions the Mayor and Council might have. Ms. Fenton stated the General Fund summary indicates the city has an excess of revenues over expenditures of approximately $1.2 million and it looks great. She stated it is a healthy General Fund and even with the residual equity transfer, which is a technical name for transferring money in order to get the Municipal Services building underway, and even with that $1.5 transfer, the fund balance is still at $4.4 million and that is great. Mayor Bacon asked if she was saying the city has revenues over expenditures - which means the city does not have a short fall - and Ms. Fenton responded that was correct. Mayor Bacon then asked Ms. Fenton if she had checked "both" sets of books and if so did both sets of books indicate the same thing. Ms. Fenton responded both sets of books would be the budget and the CAFR. Mayor Bacon stated he just October 16, 1995 meeting - continued wanted the citizens to know both sets of books [Budget and CAFR] have been examined and the city is $1.2 million revenues over expenditures. Mayor Bacon stated he thought the council should be proud of that accomplishment, the department heads should be proud of that and the citizens should be proud of that and the fact that there is an independent auditor standing here, who audited the books, and is telling everyone that the city has a $1.2 million surplus. Ms. Fenton responded that was correct and that on page 30 of the CAFR, provides the General Fund budget actual numbers and you can see the favorable and unfavorable variances there. Ms. Fenton stated the next fund is the Capital Projects area -- and she stated she basically wanted to say the capital projects fund has been separated a little differently which will result in a little different monthly report. She stated there is now a fund for the new Municipal Services building, separate fund for Police and Jail facility, and the Downtown Development Fund. Ms. Fenton stated the Downtown Develoment Fund is everything the DDA does and she feels this will help with budgeting purposes and accounting purposes. Ms. Fenton stated the next fund is the Water and Sewer Fund. Ms. Fenton stated under the Proprietary Fund Types there is a heading titled Enterprise which is the water and sewer fund and is designed as an enterprise fund to maintain itself. Ms. Fenton stated in operating revenues $6.4 million; in operating expenses $4.8 million which leaves an operating income of approximately $1.6 million. She stated the bottom line is that that fund has a net income of $377,000 for the year ended June 30, 1995, which means it has a retained earnings, balance, of approximately $8 million at June 30, 1995. Councilman Hawkins asked if that seemed like a reasonable amount and Ms. Fenton responded yes. Ms. Fenton stated under the Enterprise column you will see about $1.7 million in reserve for renewal and replacement of water/sewer lines which says part of the $8 million is being reserved to be used if there was a major break that could be repaired. Councilman Wood stated he wanted to re-emphasize that that includes debt service reserves as well as renewal/extension reserves. Ms. Fenton responded that was correct. Ms. Fenton stated that the reserve for debt service Mr. Wood is referring to is under the Enterprise column and reflects approximately $700,000 which is reserved for debt service. Mr. McClung stated he would like to interject that when you are talking about the water/sewer fund and the revenue bonds that are outstanding, one of the statistical section pages identifies what the revenue bond coverage has been for the last ten years and that takes the gross revenues and makes adjustments to it according to the bond ordinance and says how much money is available to cover the debt service and the debt service ratio last year was 3.2. Mr. Wood stated that means there is three dollars of coverage for everyone dollar of debt and Ms. Fenton said that was correct and that was an excellent ratio. Mr. Wood asked Ms. Fenton about Section Two - the Financial Section - which is were Anderson Hunt and Company put their stamp of approval on the audit report which he called a "clean opinion", which means they found nothing of material alterations or problems of any kind. Ms. Fenton responded that was correct -- it was a clean opinion. Mr. Wood asked if in addition to the independent auditor's report of the overall finances, they also did an independent report on the special 1 % sales and use tax which is a required separate audit. He then asked if they found any problems at all with that in terms of internal controls. Ms. Fenton responded they did not. Ms. Fenton stated that opinion is found in the special reports section of the CAFR. Councilwood asked if in looking at the overall financial picture of the City of Smyrna for the year ending June 30, 1995, would it be fair to say, in your opinion, that it reflects several things -- that the city is very financially sound overall, well reserved in all areas, strong balance sheet, relatively low debt in terms of bonded debt for a city of this size. Ms. Fenton responded that was correct. Mr. McClung stated that according to State guidelines, which is 10% of the total assessed value of the property in the city and its environs, you are allowed a legal debt margin of $62 million and we are substantially under that and that would be just the general obligation debt and wouldn't incorporate the revenue bond debt. Mr. Wood stated he believed that was approximately $28 million in bonded debt and Mr. McClung stated that was correct. Ms. Fenton stated she would like to clear up that issue and stated on page 18, the outstanding debt of $23 million is the principal portion of the DDA bonds, the DDA revenue bonds; and on page 19 there is $4.2 million in the water and sewer revenue bonds - principal only and that is a total principal balance of what is due on both types of bonds of $27 million. She then asked them to look at the bottom of page 19 and that shows that for the next several years the principal and interest of everything that is due, the $45 million in total, that is due all the way from 1996 to the year 2020 includes interest. Again, the enterprise column of $5.8 million, water/sewer bonds that is principal and interest due from 1996 until 2020. Mr. Wood stated if you were showing on your financial statement, and it would be accurate in this case as of this date, the bonded debt outstanding $27,665,000 and the general obligation date of only $23 million. Mr. McClung stated when you look at the debt of the city, it is comparable to the following. If you pay $100,000 for a house and you get ...", ...., -- October 16. 1995 meetin~ - continued a 30 year fixed mortgage the total payments over the 30 years are approximately three times that or $300,000 or $290,000 so if you prepare a financial statement, you prepare your financial liability as $100,000 however over the next thirty years the total payments would be $300,000 because you pay for the right to use that money over the 30-year period. He stated the financial liability remains at $100,000. .. Mayor Bacon then stated that for someone to say the city is $60 million in debt, that's.... Ms. Fenton responded that is a matter of semantics. Councilman Hawkins asked about the term "annual debt". Ms. Fenton responded she had heard the term "annual debt service". Mr. Hawkins stated he took the term "annual debt" to mean the money it would take to operate the city for one year plus any outstanding notes such as bonds during that year and that is what he understands the term "annual debt" to mean. Councilman Lnenicka asked Mr. McClung if he or any of his staff had any indication that any members of the Smyrna Finance Department have withheld information from the councilor attempted to deceive the council on the budget and the operating expenses. Mr. McClung replied, "No sir, absolutely not." Mr. Lnenicka then stated he had not either but just wanted to hear Mr. McClung say so. Councilman Wood stated that it is important, too, that Anderson, Hunt and Company is required to make certain determinations relative to the internal controls of the City of Smyrna or any other client that you serve and that you also are obligated to make note of that and, in this case, advise the Mayor and Council of any such shortcomings or any problems in that respect. Mr. McClung stated that was correct. Mr. Wood then asked Mr. McClung if he found any problems. Mr. McClung responded no sir. Mr. McClung stated that as a part of their audit, they are required to look at the structure of internal control and determine that the administration, the Mayor and Council, everyone has put into place the necessary financial controls to ensure that the revenues that are received are reported and deposited, expenditures made are recorded and expended, that all expenditures do actually show up on there, that there aren't any expenditures that don't relate to the operations of the city, that all revenues that are due the city do come in and are deposited, and based on their analysis of this internal control, they did not find any major deficiencies in that system. Councilman Hawkins asked if Anderson, Hunt and Company does audits for other municipalities and counties. Mr. McClung responded they do. He then asked Mr. McClung how he rated the City of ... Smyrna, overall, poor, good or excellent in the area of the way the finances of the city are handled. Mr. McClung stated he would say overall the City of Smyrna does an excellent job. He stated the City of Smyrna has an excellent financial system, the council receives timely information, they were able to come in on a timely basis to perform the audit procedures for fiscal year end and the procedures that are in place are excellent and you receive an excellent budget document. Councilman Wood made a motion the Mayor and Council accept the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995, as presented by the independent, outside auditing from of Anderson, Hunt and Company. Councilman Hawkins seconded the motion. Mayor Bacon stated there was a motion and a second to accept the "CAFR", this is what comes from the auditor, and this does not go to the auditor as some people think it does. This CAFR is the final audit. Mayor Bacon then expressed his appreciation to Claudia Edgar, Finance Director, for the good job that she and her staff have done this past year. He also expressed his appreciation to all the Department Heads because if they had not done their jobs, the report would not have been as good. Motion was approved 6-0. COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS: (A) Temporary Building Permit - 2552 South Cobb Drive - Temporary Emission Station - Georgia Emissions Testing Mr. Thomson stated Georgia Emissions Testing will be using the same building used last year at the same location. ... Councilman Cramer stated the applicants are not present but he has no problem with granting the temporary building permit. Mr. Cramer made a motion the temporary building permit for Georgia Emissions Testing at 2552 South Cobb Drive for temporary emissions be approved. Councilman Scoggins seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. (B) Building Permit - Medical Office Building - Northwest Georgia Medical Care Group - 562 Concord Road Mr. Thomson stated the estimated cost of construction of the medical office building will be $1,850,00 October 16, 1995 meeting: - continued and the building will be 20,000 square feet and it will be located between the old Sing Convenience Store and the Cobb General Medical Office building. Councilman Hawkins stated this will be a great addition to the city and made a motion the commercial building permit for Beers Construction to build a medical office building, Northwest Georgia Medical Care Group, at 562 Concord Road. Councilman Scoggins seconded the motion. Motion was approved 5-0 with Mr. Wood abstaining. Mr. Wood serves on the Board of Directors for Promina/Northwest Health Systems and abstained from the vote. ..." BID AWARDS: (A) Bid #95018 - Skid Steer Loader for Public Works Department Councilman Scoggins made a motion the bid award for a Skid Steer Loader for the Public Works Department be awarded to the low bidder meeting specifications, Great Southern Rental and Sales for $17,965. Councilman Cramer seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. (B) Bid #95020 - Street Restriping Councilman Scoggins stated this bid is for thermoplastic pavement marking of all the city's major streets. This method of street restriping will enable the citizens to see the center line during rain or after dark. He then stated the Public Works Committee recommends the bid be awarded to the low bidder, Traffic Markings South for $91,546.30. Councilman Hawkins seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6-0. (C) Bid #95019 - Rescue Unit - Fire Department Councilman Hawkins stated thirteen bids were sent out for a rescue truck and only two bids were returned. He then stated the Fire Committee recommends the bid be awarded to Smyrna Truck Body and Equipment, the low bidder meeting specifications, for $75,034. He also stated this bid is about $15,000 less than the other bid received. Councilman Cramer seconded the motion. Motion was approved 5-0 with Mr. Scoggins abstaining. -- CONSENT AGENDA: (A) Approval of October 2, 1995, minutes (B) Approval to Use City Hall Council Chambers - October 30, 1995, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. for Ward 6 Neighborhood Meeting (C) Transfer CDBG Funds - $101,254.52 (D) Installation of Speed Humps - Sherwood Road (E) Approval to Request Bids - Poplar Creek Project Councilman Hawkins made a motion the consent agenda be approved. Councilman Cramer seconded the motion. Councilman Hawkins stated there is a petition on file in the City Clerk's office requesting the speed humps on Sherwood Road. Councilman Cramer stated only a part of the Sherwood Road residents had requested the speed humps so they would only be placed on a portion of the street. Motion was approved 6-0. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Councilman Wood stated there is no report from the Finance Department. Councilman Wood expressed his appreciation to Ms. Edgar and her staff for their efforts with the audit. He stated Ms. Edgar has been with the city a long time and has come up through the ranks and attained the position of Finance Director . Ms. Edgar expressed her appreciation to the Mayor and Council, Department Heads and her staff for their assistance during the past year and especially during the audit. She expressed her appreciation to the Anderson Hunt staff for their assistance during the audit also. -- Councilman Lnenicka stated there is no report from the Police Department this evening. He then announced that there will be a Ward 6 neighborhood meeting at 7:00 p.m. on October 30, 1995, at City Hall and notices to the Creatwood Subdivision residents will be forthcoming; also, he commended the city staff for their response to the storm damage caused by Hurricane Opal. October 16, 1995 meeting - continued Councilman Cramer asked Steve Ciaccio for a report on the Parks and Recreation Department. Mr. Ciaccio reported there are new officers in the Smyrna Athletic Association Basketball program and he the new board members are: President - Ray Lanier, Vice President - Bill Adams, Secretary - Candy Paetzold, Treasurer - David Martin, Fund Raising Coordinator - Janet Lautch, Sponsorship Coordinator- Lillian Cozier(?), Equipment Coordinator - Margot Marcus, Team Mother Coordinator - J. C. Salter, Senior Division Coordinator - Tony Dunning, Junior Division Coordinator - Darrel Williams. Steve then reported the Golden Jonquils Masquerade Ball will be October 28 at the Community center; Jonquil Arts and Crafts Festival will be October 28 and 29; Halloween Carnival will be October 31 from 6:00 - 9:00 .. p.m. at the Community Center; job opening for a Park Ranger position. Council Cramer announced there had been a cook-out for Ward 5 on Natalie Lane this past weekend and he also encouraged everyone to watch the political forum of the candidates for Smyrna Mayor and Council positions to be aired on Wednesday, October 18, at 7:00 p.m. Councilman Cramer expressed his displeasure with phony allegations being touted by one of the candidates and further stated that as a city councilman and city resident he would not cover up any "second" books and indicated his honor and dignity had been challenged by these allegations. Councilman Hawkins asked Chief Larry Williams for a report from the Emergency Management/Fire Department. Chief Williams reported he was proud of the response from city staff during the recent storm. He also stated Smyrna (Cobb County) has been declared a disaster area by presidential declaration and therefore qualifies for funds used during this situation. He also stated that funds will be recovered from the State and Federal government and therefore funds expended from the contingency fund will be recovered and should not cause a negative impact on the budget this year. Chief Williams then reported "Fire Prevention Week" was a success last week. He stated at the conclusion of Fire Prevention Week there is a ceremony honoring firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty the previous year. He also stated there were 107 firefighters who died nationally last year and one firefighter, Mary Jo Brown, from the Georgia Forestry Division who died while assisting firefighters out west. He then expressed his sympathy to the family of Ms. Brown and the other families of firefighters who lost their lives last year. .. Councilman Lnenicka stated his wife had received a call from an organization who claimed to be assisting firefighters and their families asking for a donation. He asked Chief Williams if that was a legitimate organization. Chief Williams stated Smyrna was not involved in that fund-raising event and do not do any phone solicitation for assistance. Chief Williams reported this organization is legitimate representatives are legitimate but they are not representatives of the City of Smyrna Fire Department. Councilman Hawkins expressed his appreciation to the members of the city staff who assisted during the Hurricane Opal storm. He also stated "Clean Up Week" is going exceptionally well but asked the citizens to be patience with the Public Works Department as they are working as hard as they can to pick up trash and debris. Councilman Hawkins then expressed his appreciation to the city staff for their excellent work during the past year which resulted in a surplus in the budget. Councilman Scoggins congratulated the Public Works Department for their efforts during the Hurricane Opal storm and asked the citizens for their patience with the trash pick up. Councilman Scoggins then asked Kathie Barton for a report on the Community Relations Department. ... Ms. Barton stated there is an article about Solid Waste in the Marietta Daily Journal that is totally inaccurate. She explained the figures reflected for Smyrna are actually much higher than they should be as the figures reported for Smyrna include commercial customers as well as residential. Mayor Bacon expressed his displeasure with the reported per person charge of $60.47 for solid waste disposal and asked Ms. Barton for a more accurate figure. Ms. Barton responded it should be $38.55 or less. Mayor Bacon stated he had spoken with the staff at the paper and they indicated to him there would be a follow up story to this article. Ms. Barton then reported the fall calendar should have been received by the citizens of Smyrna with their recent water bill and encouraged everyone to read about the events scheduled in the City. Ms. Barton also announced the "Inside Cobb" magazine had recently been released and several Smyrna businesses received the "Best of Cobb" award. Councilman Scoggins asked Ann Kirk for a report on Smyrna Clean and Beautiful. Ms. Kirk thanked the Goodwill Industries for their participation on September 30 recycling drive. She also reported the October 16. 1995 meeting - continued Jonquil bulb sale is progressing very nicely and 7,000 bulbs have already been sold and are available at Burgers Market, Reeves Garden Shop and the Recycling Center. Ms. Kirk expressed her appreciation to the twenty-seven "Hands On" volunteers for their participation on Saturday, October 7. Ms. Kirk explained they had donated 110 hours of volunteer time to the city of Smyrna and seven city volunteers from the Smyrna Clean and Beautiful and the community who assisted with the clean up project; the ten young people from "Outward Bound" for their River Awareness Program on October 3 for 1200 middle school students at Nash Middle School and Griffin Middle School; the recycling figures for September reflect the city recycled almost 200,000 pounds of material with 90% participation rate; $8,342 was saved in tipping fees to date this fiscal year. Ms. Kirk announced the "Adopt A Mile" event is scheduled for Saturday, October 21, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and volunteers should report to the Recycling Center and the Cobb Clean Commission is hosting a picnic for those participants at Laurel Park after the event and all volunteers are invited to the picnic. Ms. Kirk announced the landscape in-service event has been rescheduled for November 10 for all city employees from 12:45 - 4:00 p.m. Ms. Kirk also announced that the Public Works Department has requested that the citizens who have heavy items for pick-up, e.g. refrigerator, etc., to call their department asking for a pick up. ..... Councilman Cramer stated he had been contacted by Mike Worley, Georgia Power Company, complimenting the Public Works Department crews for their assistance in clearing power lines during the recent storm. Councilman Patrick asked Mary Ann White for a report on the Human Resources Department. Ms. White reported the police officer and firefighter recruitment effort progressed smoothly Saturday. Ms. White reported there were 86 police officer and 99 firefighter applications received. She reported there were 76 police officer. candidates and 93 firefighter candidates who sat for the exams last Saturday. Ms. White announced there is an opening for a Park Ranger in the Parks and Recreation Department; and a part-time position for a Community Center Supervisor in the Parks and Recreation Department. Councilman Patrick asked Michael Seigler for a report on the Library. Mr. Seigler reported the Friends of the Library will be meeting on Thursday night, October 19, at 7:30 p.m. and the guest speaker will be Mr. Elmore Stewart. Mayor Bacon expressed his appreciation to the Public Works Department for their work during the storm .... and reported that 95% of the storm debris has been picked up from the storm; 425 tons has been chipped and has saved the city approximately $9,000 in tipping fees. Mayor Bacon stated Councilman Newcomb is out of town on business. Mayor Bacon recognized State Representative Randy Sauder. Representative Sauder announced that on October 23 at 7:30 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Illegal Immigration Task Force at City Hall and encouraged interested parties to attend. He also expressed his appreciation, as a city resident, of the tremendous effort expended by city staff during the storm. Councilman Patrick expressed his appreciation to the city departments for their outstanding performance during the past year and especially to the Public Works Department for their efforts during the storm clean up. Mayor Bacon recognized Reverend Mitchell who stayed for the entire city council meeting. With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. .... October 16, 1995 meeting - continued ~~JJ m~~ / MELINDA DAMERON, CITY CLERK fi A. MAX BACON, MAYOR .. . ivG6~ J;!!;;;.TRICK. WARD 1 ~OoJ JJLJ; RON NEWCOMB, WARD 2 r ~GM{~A-J .. ACK CRAMER, WARD 5 {?~ rfh ... ...