Back

Work Session Notes                                                                               

June 14, 2007

Present:  COUNCILMEMBERS:  Mayor Scott Dean, Councilman Tom Blalock and Councilwoman Root; STAFF:  City Manager Jean R. Dove, City Clerk Debra E. Moore, and City Attorney Barry Fleming; ABSENT:  Mayor Pro tem Rudolph Dixon and Councilman John Thigpen; VISITORS:  John McClellan, Jerry Baldwin, and Daniel Cason.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Dean at 7:00 p.m.

The Invocation was given by Councilman Blalock.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilwoman Root.

Engineer John McClellan:

• Proposal Groundwater Exploration: Mr. McClellan recommends doing Phase I (Groundwater Exploration; Analysis to Site Wells).  A & S Environmental Services presented a cost estimate of $7,940.00. Council has already approved $5,000.00 for this; they will have to approve the additional $2,940.00 appropriation.  Phase II (Test Well Drilling) and Phase III (Production Well Drilling) are associated with a project and will be bid out once a well is found.  A study will be done and a recommendation will be given for where to drill sites for the best source of water.
• Water Shed Monitoring Plan:  Mr. McClellan reported that this was part of the approval process for the expansion of the WWTP.  This must be submitted to EPD for approval.  This has to do with the sampling of the creeks.  Mr. McClellan presented proposals he had received from several companies.  Some of the companies provided prices on only particular items that were required.  Professional Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) provided a price for all three items required; their price was $22,470.00.  Mr. McClellan is recommending for the City to accept the proposal from PSI, Inc.  This will come out of the funding from the expansion (GEFA).
• Capital Recovery Fee:  Mr. McClellan presented to Council a Water and Sewer Connection Fee Analysis.  The Capital Recovery Fee is in addition to the current connection fees.  After a brief overview, he recommended to Council that if we implemented the Capital Recovery Fee, we might want to look at reducing our current tap fees as the CRF would cover the labor for the installations of taps, meters, etc.  Mr. McClellan asked for any comments or questions.  Councilman Blalock commented that he felt that these were realistic numbers.  Mr. McClellan stated that Council would most likely want to reevaluate this in the next two to three years or whenever new projects (big) come in the area or if our projected growth does not meet expectations. 

Engineer John McClellan:

Mr. McClellan gave additional updates on the following:

• Hardy Station:  Mr. McClellan reported that he and Mr. Cason had spoke today on Hardy Station II.  The construction plans have been approved by them and they are ready for the preliminary plat approval.  Mayor and Council were under the impression that this had already been done.  It has not; what was done was the PUD change approval.  City Manager Dove to revisit the ordinance to see where it stands.  The developer is ready for start construction.
• TE Project:  Mr. McClellan spoke with Richard Coleman (?) of Georgia Power.  There are concerns with their holdup of the project.  He was told that there was a problem with internal funding on the movement of the poles.  City Manager Dove reported that she had spoken with Tim (?) of Georgia Power and he told her that everything was okay and there were no problems. City Attorney Fleming had a few questions on when the agreement had taken place as to when the work would be done and if there was anything holding them up from getting the work completed.  It was agreed upon back in November 2006 and there was nothing to stop them from coming in to do the work.  Mr. McClellan is receiving letters from JHC Corporation stating that they are being held up from being able to get the work done because of this.  We need to get this issue resolved.
• Sewer Rehab Project:  Mr. McClellan reported that we will have some Contingency money left in the GEFA funding.  He wanted confirmation if we wanted to use this in the Stone Street and Evelyn Street area.  This area was videoed previously that needs to be evaluated.  He would get Council further information on this later.

Fire Truck Purchase-Chief Jerry Baldwin:

Mayor Dean asked Chief Baldwin to address Council on this issue.  Chief Baldwin stated his reasoning for the need of the new truck.  He has received some additional quotes since the original information given at the Public Safety Committee meeting.  Fireline came in at $137,000.00 and Pierce came in at $146,000.00.  The Fireline truck is similar to Engine 2.  His recommendation is to get a new truck and not a used truck; he previously had some information on costs of used trucks.  The equipment will be taken off of Engine 1.  Chief Baldwin did get financing information from the vendors.  Pierce was coming in at about $1500.00 per month or $18,000.00 per year and Fireline came in at about $1475.00+/- per month or $17,000.00 per year; a savings of $1,000.00 per year.  The interest rates ranged from 4.9% to 4.99%.  Chief Baldwin is also recommending the surplus of Engine 1 and possibly the Fire Knocker; it has only been used twice since January 1.  The new engine will not fit in Station 1 but will fit in Station 2.  Council will need to officially waive the ordinance pertaining to the bid process; City Manager Dove to check on this and have City Attorney Fleming look this over.  City Manager Dove requested if these prices were state contract prices; Chief Baldwin responded that they were not and that the State contract prices were higher.

Housing Authority Commission-Reappoint Ann Blalock: Councilman Blalock stated that Ms. Blalock would be interested in continuing serving on the Commission.  Mayor Dean reported that he was aware of one person who was interested that lived there and his recommendation would be for them to become the “resident” board member with no voting power.

Update-Building Code Ordinance:  City Manager Dove reported that this would be ready by the next Work Session; this is more involved than what was originally thought to be.  This is not just the building codes; it covers the electrical, plumbing, mechanical, etc. codes as well.

Other:  City Attorney Fleming reported that he had received a check from Wal Mart in the amount of $2,500.00 as a donation to the Harlem Foundation.  City Attorney Fleming also reported that there were a couple of small grants in the Legislature for approval; they were $12,500.00 for the City Park and $10,000.00 for the Headstart (Community Building) project.  Council was appreciative.

The meeting was closed at 7:47 p.m.

Debra E. Moore

City Clerk

Regular Meeting, City of Harlem, Georgia                                                         Page 2364

June 18, 2007

Harlem City Hall

The City Council of the City of Harlem, Georgia met for the Regular Meeting on Monday, June 18, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at Harlem City Hall with Mayor Scott Dean presiding.

Present:  COUNCILMEMBERS:  Mayor Scott Dean, Councilman Tom Blalock, Councilwoman Robin M. Root, and Councilman John Thigpen; STAFF:  City Manager Jean R. Dove, City Clerk Debra E. Moore and City Attorney Barry Fleming; ABSENT:  Mayor Pro tem Rudolph Dixon.  VISITORS:  Daniel Cason, Rick Hammonds, Scott Johnson, Valerie Rowell, John McClellan, Jerry Baldwin, Charles Sanford, Dee Tapley, and John Willis.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Dean at 7:00 p.m.

The Invocation was given by Councilman Blalock.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by City Attorney Fleming.

Approval of Minutes:  Mayor Dean called for a motion to approve the Minutes of the May 21, 2007 Regular Meeting as written; that motion was made by Councilman Thigpen; 2^nd by Councilwoman Root.  Motion carried; all in favor.

Department Reports:  The following reports were given for the month of May 2007:

Police Department                                            Jerry Baldwin, Public Safety Director

Fire Department                                               Jerry Baldwin, Public Safety Director

Public Works Department                                 Daniel Cason, Public Works Director

Family Connections                                          Scott Dean, Mayor

Planning & Zoning Department              Dee Tapley, Department Head

Administrative Department                                Jean Dove, City Manager

Museum                                                           Robin Root, Councilwoman

Public Comment:  Received two requests; Rick Hammonds and Charles Sanford.  Rick Hammonds decided he had no comments at this time.

Charles Sanford:  Charles Sanford addressed Council on the issue of traffic.  He commented on the roads being blocked in the New Street area and not being able to go through the area.  He also expressed his concerns with the management of traffic during construction on both Hwy. 221 and Hwy. 78 (DOT paving).  He feels that no one has been trained in flagging traffic.  He also commented on the delay of the traffic light going from North to South and vice versa.  Mayor Dean stated that we would pass on his concerns to the contractor and DOT.

Regular Meeting, City of Harlem, Georgia                                                         Page 2365

June 18, 2007

Continued from page 2364

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Streetscape Project:  City Manager Dove reported that City Attorney Fleming checked with Georgia Power.  City Attorney Fleming reported that he had spoken with them and that they had trouble with the first contractor in that they did not have the proper equipment to complete the job.  They are supposed to have two new contractors to come out to look at and bid on the project and should be finished by the first of August.

Watershed Monitoring Plan-Award Bid:  City Engineer John McClellan reported to Council that he had solicited bids to do the Watershed Monitoring that is required by EPD as part of the WWTP expansion.  This is the monitoring of the streams and sampling.  His recommendation is to use PSI, Inc. (Professional Service Industries, Inc.) out of Kennesaw, GA; their bid was $22,470.00 to do the total project.  The next closest would have been CSRA Analytical at $17,000.00, but their bid did not include item #1 of the required tests.  Mayor Dean called for a motion to approve the recommendation of City Engineer McClellan to award the bid for the Watershed Monitoring to PSI, Inc. (Professional Service Industries, Inc.) for the total project (use of one lab) in the amount of $22,470.00; that motion was made by Councilman Blalock; 2^nd by Councilman Thigpen.  Discussion:  the funding will come from GEFA.  Motion carried; all in favor.

Groundwater Exploration Proposal:  City Engineer McClellan reported that the City had been looking at the possibilities of rehab the old Godwin well.  The estimated cost of this was $5,000.00, which Council approved previously.  At this time he is recommending actually finding a better water source.  He presented a proposal from A&S Environmental Services, Inc. in the amount of $7,940.00 to do Phase I (Groundwater Exploration and Analysis of Sites) and is recommending that we proceed with this phase.  Phase II and III have to do with Test Well Drilling and Production Well Drilling and would be done as part of a project and would be bid as such.  In order to proceed, Council will need to approve the additional funds needed.  Mayor Dean called for a motion to proceed with Phase I for the Groundwater Exploration and the approval of the additional funds in the amount of $2,940.00; that motion was made by Councilman Thigpen; 2^nd by Councilwoman Root.  Motion carried; all in favor.

Other:  Councilman Thigpen wanted to address the issue of paving on E. Trippe Street.  City Manager Dove reported that the sewer rehab project should be completed in the next two to two and a half weeks.  City Engineer McClellan will address this with the contractor.  Councilwoman Root questioned if the areas that are being patched will eventually be repaved; City Manager Dove responded that only the areas on the South side of town would be.  This side of town would receive only spot asphalting.  Public Works will place more crush and run.  The streets will be included in the DOT LARP requests.

Regular Meeting, City of Harlem, Georgia                                                         Page 2366

June 18, 2007

Continued from page 2365

UNFINISHED BUSINESS (cont’d):

Other (cont’d):  Councilman Thigpen addressed the issue of the right turns made at the red light by the semis and how it will affect the improvements made during the Streetscape project.  City Engineer McClellan reported that these areas will actually be moved back some to help alleviate this problem.  City Attorney Fleming stated that he had seen in other City’s where they had placed some type of granite column in the area that would stop the semi’s from running over the corner (damage to their trucks).

Councilman Thigpen addressed the issue of the turn signal at the red light (east/west).  Mayor Dean reported that every indication had been given that a left turn signal will be installed and not just a left turn lane.  City Manager Dove also stated that she was going to get with City Attorney Fleming about issuing another letter to DOT to assure that this is what was going to happen.

Councilman Blalock addressed the issue of the paving being done at the red light when he was under the impression it would be done with the Streetscape project.  Mayor Dean responded that DOT could not hold off any longer; City Engineer McClellan felt that it would still work out.

Rick Hammonds chose at this time to ask a question concerning why so much money was being spend on curbing and main street when other streets were in more need of paving.  Mayor Dean addressed this issue by starting out explaining that this was not the time for comments and that Council normally does not interact with the Citizens during the Council meeting, this is done at Work Session.  He responded to his question that the projects going on at this time are being funded by Grants received from DOT; this project was approved several years ago and it has taken this long to get the project going.

NEW BUSINESS:

Housing Authority Commission-Reappointment of Ann Blalock:  Mayor Dean called for a motion to reappoint Ann Blalock to the Housing Authority Commission; that motion was made by Councilwoman Root; 2^nd by Councilman Thigpen.  Motion carried by a vote of 2 to 0 with Councilman Blalock abstaining due to a conflict; Councilman Thigpen and Councilwoman Root voted in favor.

Fire Truck Purchase-Chief Jerry Baldwin:  Mayor Dean asked Public Safety Director Baldwin to address the Council to explain why there is a need for a new truck.  PSD Baldwin responded that currently the 1971 Pumper is basically out of commission; the 1985 Class B holds 750 gallons and due to ISO ratings, we need to have Class A Pumpers.  Mayor Dean stated that due to our normal bid process, PSD Baldwin will request sealed bids from the three companies that submitted proposals.  These bids will

Regular Meeting, City of Harlem, Georgia                                                         Page 2367

June 18, 2007

Continued from page 2366

NEW BUSINESS (cont’d):

Fire Truck Purchase (cont’d):

need to be received by noon on Monday, June 25 and there will be a Called meeting on Wednesday, June 27 at noon to open the bids.  The trucks should be apples/apples (like) comparisons or suitable substitutions.  The trucks should include racks, hose reel, and a 1” hose with nozzle; the equipment will be transferred from Engine 1.

Announcements:

June 19                                    Community Connections Meeting 9:30 a.m. HUMC

June 19                                    Museum Volunteer Meeting 4 p.m. Museum

June 20                                    Oliver Hardy Festival Meeting

June 23-25                               GMA Training & Conference Savannah

July 4                                       Holiday

July 9                                       Tax Hearing 6:30 p.m. City Hall

July 12                                     Work Session 7 p.m.

July 16                                     Tax Hearings 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

July 16                                     Council Meeting 7 p.m.

Executive Session:  Mayor Dean called for a motion to adjourn to Executive Session with a two minute break; that motion was made by Councilwoman Root; 2^nd by Councilman Thigpen.  Motion carried; all in favor.  The Regular meeting adjourned at 7:39 p.m.; Executive Session convened at 7:41 p.m.

Mayor Dean called for a motion to adjourn Executive Session; that motion was made by Councilman Blalock; 2^nd by Councilwoman Root.  Motion carried; all in favor.  Executive Session adjourned at 7:54 p.m.

Mayor Dean called for a motion for the approval of his signature to the Affidavit affirming that only one legal issue was discussed and that no final action was taken; that motion was made by Councilwoman Root; 2^nd by Councilman Thigpen.  Motion carried; all in favor.

Other:  Mayor Dean announced that he will be asking Council to approve a tax mill rate reduction from 5.42 mills to 5.35.

City Attorney Fleming addressed the issue on the purchase of the Fire Truck and the use of Council’s Emergency Powers.  Due to Council’s proceeding with the bid process on the Fire Truck he recommends that Council do a motion to the effect that there is a sufficient emergency for the truck and to exercise those powers to waive the advertising time limit.  Council will direct PSD Baldwin to fax an official request to each of the three vendors interested and inform them of the time they are to turn in their sealed bids. 

Regular Meeting, City of Harlem, Georgia                                                         Page 2368

June 18, 2007

Continued from page 2367

Other (cont’d):

Mayor Dean called for a motion to accept the City Attorney’s recommendation and states that Council feels that a sufficient emergency exists with Engine 1 basically out of commission, that there is a need for a new truck and to set aside and follow the execution of emergency powers as stated in the City’s Purchasing Ordinance to request a one week bid without the month long advertising requesting bids as stated in said Ordinance; that motion was made by Councilman Thigpen; 2^nd by Councilman Blalock.  Discussion:  Councilman Thigpen asked if it was the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee that there was an emergency need; Councilman Blalock, Committee Chairperson, stated that it was and also included that the railroad tracks exacerbates the situation.  Motion carried; all in favor.

Being no further business, Mayor Dean called for a motion to adjourn the meeting; that motion was made by Councilwoman Root; 2^nd by Councilman Blalock.  Motion carried; all in favor.  The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Debra E. Moore

City Clerk