City of Donalsonville Council Meeting-February 6, 2024 Official Minutes  Mayor Ron. Johnson, Jr. called the Council Meeting to order at 6:001 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. After which Mayor Ron. Johnson, Jr. gave the invocation, then allj joined in the Pledge of Allegiance tot the United States of America. Councilmembers present for the meeting included Mayor Ron. Johnson, Jr., Mayor Pro Tem Ed Bond, CP Mitch Blanks, CPN Mitzy Moye, CP Travis Brooks, and CP Flossie Smith. Councilperson Lindsay Register joined the meeting later. Staff present were City Manager Jeffrey Hatcher, Police Chief Kem Pugh, Fire Chief Dean King. Public Works Superintendent Bert Adams and City Attorney Chip Stewart. City Clerk Approval oft the Agenda: Mayor Pro Tem Bond made ai motion to approve the Agenda, with CP Smith seconding. Motion carried. Next was the approval of the minutes from the January 2, 2024, Council Meeting. City Manager Hatcher requested clarification on the inclusion ofs specific segments from the Investigative Committee's record in the January 2, 2024, minutes. After some discussion, CP Blanks made a motion to table the approval of the minutes from the. January 2, 2024, Council Meeting until the March Council Meeting and directed City Manager Hatcher to present back a quote ont the cost to run the entire investigative report in the newspaper. Mayor  Christina Corvers was absent from the meeting.  Pro Tem Bond seconded. Motion passed.  At 6:05 PM, Councilmember Lindsay Register arrived att the meeting. APPEARANCES: Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Director Tori Gravlee gave an update on the Board's recent and upcoming activities toi include the following:  Thel DDA Website is complete and will soon be live. Wednesday February 21, 2024, at 12:001 PM. will soon be opening in a section oft the Old Fire Station. continued restoration oft the Osceola Event Center.  Landscaping on the DDA property behind' The Rodeo Cantina and Grill will begin within The Quarterly Small Business Meeting for Downtown Merchants will be held Continuing to move: forward with the transfer of the Old Fire Station. A new business Thel DDA is sponsoring the Daddy/Daughter Dance which will bel held Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 6:001 PM at the Osceola Event Center. All proceeds will go to the The Firehouse BBQ Festival is scheduled for March 15-16, 2024, at the Donalsonville The DDA will be hosting the 2nd Annual Hop-n-Shop Downtown on! March 30, 2024. Next, David Maxwell spoke on behalfoft the Chamber of Commerce and gave an update on the recent Youth Leadership Class Graduation Ceremony and thanked the City of Donalsonville for Millie Shorter then thanked the City of Donalsonville Council and City Employees, especially the Public Works Department, for all their efforts ini maintaining the roadways. Next, Ronald Foskey presented aj packet to the Mayor and Council of ideas he had prepared that might be helpful in the City's procedures for regular meetings. These included several ideas to  the coming week.  Fire Department.  sponsoring the program.  improve government efficiency and accountability.  INTERNAL BUSINESS  INTERNAL BUSINESS: The Financial Statements for December 2023 were presented and reviewed with comments! made by City Manager Hatcher on the current status, along with  discussion on the three-month analysis.    OLDI BUSINESS  OLDI BUSINESS: City Manager Hatcher discussed the necessity for ani increase in Water, Sewer, and Sanitation fees due to rising electric, utility and fuel costs. City Manager Hatcher noted that there hasn't been ani increase in Water, Sewer, or Sanitation fees fors several years and that the millage rate was not raised this year to offset these costs. City Manager Hatcher then proposed a 10% increase in utility fees and ani increase int the base charge by $5.00 for city residents and businesses, with an additional $5.00 surcharge for non-city customers, to equitably distribute the costs of delivering utilities. After some discussion, CP Smith made aj motion to approve the proposed 10%i increase in utility fees and ani increase in the base charge by $5.00 for city residents and businesses, with an: additional $5.00 surcharge for non-city customers, beginning Next, Councilmember Blanks opened discussion on eDonalsonville. City Manager Hatcher reviewed the financial statements for eDonalsonville, highlighting a revenue of $30,749.20 and expenditures of $36,328.91 up to December 2023. City Manager Hatcher addressed that approximately $15,000.001 in insurance reimbursements for storm repairs were credited tot the General Fund instead ofe eDonalsonville. therefore impacting the financial summary. City Manager Hatcher emphasized that with the correct allocation, eDonalsonville would reflecta year-to-date profit, bolstered by additional USDA funds earmarked for expansion and equipment replacement. After some discussion, CPI Blanks made ar motion to table the discussion oft the eDonalsonville project until the end of the fiscal year (May 2024) andi requested a detailed expenditure report be provided to the Council on a monthly basis. CP Register seconded; motion  June 2024. CPI Register seconded; motion carried.  passed.  NEW BUSINESS  NEW BUSINESS: City Manager Hatcher stated that after thorough review and scoring process ofall RFP's sreceived from the local banks, recommended the City of Donalsonville accept the bid from First Port City for banking services, with a contract term oft three years. After some discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Bond made a motion to accept the bid from First Port City for banking services and enter into a Next, City Manager Hatcher presented an annexation request for the property intended for anew housing development, partly within City Limits. City Manager Hatcher stated that by annexing thep property. the housing development would be completely inside the city limits of Donalsonville. City Manager Hatcher recommended approving the annexation request, pending collaboration with the City Attorney and City Manager to finalize the process. After some discussion, CP Smith made ar motion to approve the annexation request for the development ofa City Manager Hatcher presented an alley closure request off of South Wiley Avenue, noting its current use by property owners as parking space and its paving status. City Manager Hatcher recommended approval contingent on the submission of required documentation, as the alley provides limited utility tot the City. After some discussion, CP Blanks made a motion to approve thea alley closure request pending submission of the closure request from Ameris and the full Plat, with Mayor Pro Tem Bond seconding. Motion carried. After further discussion, CPI Blanks made amotion to authorize City Attorney Stewart to prepare the form and Plat for a Quit Claim Deed Next, City Manager Hatcher stated that Georgia Power has requested an underground easement toi install the previously approved Charging Stations to be located in the City Parking Lot. City Manager Hatcher recommended approval of the underground easement, subject to coordination with Public Works to minimize utility line disruptions. After some discussion, CP Blanks made a motion to approve the underground easement request pending coordination with Public Works City Manager Hatcher then presented the first reading of the proposed amendment concerning alcohol sales at special events, which seeks to remove the food: sales requirement and introducea requirement for as security officer funded by the event organizer. City Manager Hatcher recommended tabling the proposed amendment concerning alcohol sales at special events until the March meeting. CP Smith then made a motion to table the proposed amendment concerning  three-year agreement. CP Smith seconded; motion carried.  new housing project, with CP Brooks seconding. Motion passed.  fort the alley. CP Smith seconded; motion passed.  Superintendent Adams. CP Smith seconded; motion carried.    alcohol sales at special events until the March meeting, with CP Register seconding. Motion Next, City Manager Hatcher stated that the current ordinance for on-premises alcohol sales mandates that establishments with alcohol licenses must generate at least 51% oft their sales from food. City Manager Hatcher discussed the challenges this presents for certain business models and events. City Manager Hatcher requested the opinion oft thel Mayor and Council on whether he and City Attorney Stewart should research options and present ar revised Ordinance to the Mayor and Council at al later date. After some discussion, the Mayor and Council directed City Manager Hatcher to move forward with presenting a revision at al later meeting. Next, Councilmember Blanks presented as sample Defense and Indemnification Ordinance from the City ofCamilla fort the Council to consider for legal coverage of official actions taken by City Officials and City Staff. Afters some discussion, CP Blanks made a motion tot table the discussion on the Defense and Indemnification Ordinance and authorize City Manager Hatcher and City Attorney Stewart tor research options and present back to the Mayor and Council ata Councilmember Moye then read as statement to the Mayor and Council regarding recent actions from the Investigative Committee. Councilmember Moye requested the Council open a formal investigation intot the Donalsonville Police Department. Police Chief Pugh, along with the other Police Officers involved with the statement presented to the Investigative Committee from then Cadet. Joseph Williams. After some discussion, CP Moye made a motion for the Mayor and Council to open an official investigation into the actions of members oft the Police Department relating tot the previous Investigative Committee hearings. Receiving no second, the motion died. City Manager Hatcher then gave an update on the Communications Department, with review of the eDonalsonville monthly report. City Manager Hatcher stated that USDA continues to review the application for disbursement of funds for the upgrades to eDonalsonville equipment. He has continued to work on the city camera system to bei incorporated into the county camera system. This will facilitate better response for City and County law enforcement activities. City Manager Hatcher also stated that the City has recently had ani issue with graffiti being painted on certain buildings. Lastly, City Manager Hatcher stated that he has been working on equipment in the police vehicles, ast the Police Department has been modernizing some ofi its equipment to enable better response and more presence int the community as part ofa community policing practice. Next, Fire Chief King gave an update on the Fire Department, stating that the Ladder Truck had been repaired andi is back ins service. Lastly, Fire Chief King stated that the department has applied for the Golden Triangle RD&C Grant, along witha a few others and will report back to the Council Police Chief Pugh gave an update on the Police Department's s new Firing Range and thanked the Next, Public Works Superintendent Adams stated that hel had nothing new to report on at this time. City Manager Hatcher stated that the Public Works Department had replaced a memorial bridge signt that was severely faded. Lastly, Mayor. Johnson expressed his appreciation for the  passed.  later time. CP Smith seconded; motion carried.  once the grants have been awarded.  Mayor and Council for their support with the project.  Sanitation department with their extra work during recent events. City Manager Hatcher then gave an update on the following:  (1) Record Retention Initiative: Discussed plans for addressing record retention, including hiring a professional company for proper shredding of outdated documents, with due (2) Housing Development Update: Relayed information from Bill Burke's presentation to the Lion'sClub: about the housing project, detailing plans to construct 53 homes in the next two years as part oft the project's first phase and acknowledge the support from City and County (3). Jazz Music Festival Proposal: Discussed details regarding the organization ofa. Jazz Festival, with potential venues toi include the Cultural Corridor, and collaboration prospects with Moses James to provide additional entertainment options for City residents.  consideration to retention requirements. governments for the Westbrooke project.    With there being no further business to come before the Mayor and Council, at 7:15 PM, CP Smith made a motion to adjourn, with CPI Blanks making a second; and the motion carried.  ADJOURNED  City of Donalsonville Ron. E4  Jr., Mayor  Attest and Certification:  I,C Christina Corvers. do here Attest and Certify that the above written is a true and correct representation oft thel business and actions conducted during the February 6, 2024 meeting oft the Mayor and Council oft the City of Donalsonville.  Mufn Christina Corvers, City"Clerk