City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10,2024  I. Call to Order  Mayor. James Carter called to order the regular meeting of the Woodland City Council at 6:15 PM on. June  10,2024, at the Woodland City Hall.  II. Roll Call  The followingi persons werei in attendance: Mayor James Carter, Mayor Pro' Tem Ebonye Holt, Councilman T.L.Carter, Councilwoman, Allison Owens, Councilman John Haralson, Councilman Jeffery Mitchell, City Clerk Allissa Gresham, Municipal Clerk Cynthia Powell, and City Attorney Garyl Byrd.  III. Approval of Agenda Motion carried. IV. Approval of Minutes  Mayor Pro Tem Holt made ai motion to approve the agenda. Councilman Carter seconded. All approved.  Thel May 13, 2024, Regular Meeting Minutes, thel May 13, 2024, Executive Session Minutes, and thel May Mayor Pro Tem Holti made ai motion to approve thel May 13, 2024, Regular Meeting Minutes, thel May 13, 2024, Executive Session Minutes, and thel May 20, 2024, Work Session Minutes. Councilwoman Owens  20,2024, Work Session Minutes were distributed.  seconded. All approved. Motion carried.  V. Guest Speakers:  a) William Hart of Charles Abbott &. Associates discussed providing the City of Woodland with a Codel Enforcement Officer. Mr. Hart stated he emailed Clerk Gresham a quote for $ 79.00 per hour with a minimum off four billable hours. Mr. Hart stated this is an as-needed service, and when the City of Woodland needed an officer, they would bet there for ai minimum of fourl hours. He stated they could go up to eight hours per week ifneeded. Councilwoman Owens discussed what would bei included in a Code Enforcement Officer's duty. Mr. Hart stated it would: include blighted property, junk vehicles, and any local code violations. He stated they could also help the City update the City ordinances. Attorney Byrd stated that since the city did notl have aj police department or city judge, the' Talbot County Magistrate Judge would be taking on the code violation cases for the City of Woodland. Mr. Hart stated taking the cases to the Talbot County Magistrate Judge would be: no problem. Clerk Powell stated she contacted. Joshua Murray from the City of Thomaston fora a Codel Enforcement Office quotel but had never heard back from him. The Council will further discuss hiring a Code. Enforcement Officer before making a decision. b) Jamie Huff, the Talbot County Tax Commissioner, disçussed concerns the Councill had with property owned by' Talbot County within the City of Woodland. Mayor Pro" Tem Holt discussed Mr. Huff clarifying thej property tax sales process. Mr. Huff stated that in the pasti ift thej property was not purchased at at tax sale, the County would purchase it and1 hold: it for three years before doing a surplus auction. Mr. Huff stated this was not done anymore. Councilwoman Owens    City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10, 2024  discussed ift the City of Woodland would get notification of the property tax sale. Mr. Huffs stated the tax sales are: ran int thel local newspaper's legal section. Councilwoman Owens discussed, since' Talbot County is responsible for collecting the City property taxes, how would the City of Woodland know ift they got paid for the property owned by the County. Mr. Huff stated the City receives ai monthly check and report from the County. Mayor Pro Tem Holt discussed how often property tax sales are done. Mr. Huffs stated that tax sales arei normally done once a year, usually in November, and he stated the City can purchase the property. Mr. Huff discussed some properties not selling because the taxes owed were more than what thej property was worth, and thel best thing to do with this property would be to auction it off. Mr. Huffs stated hei is hoping to do at tax sale in October 2024. Mr. Huffs stated the County levies on the third year. Councilwoman Owens discussed whether the County is responsible for the upkeep ofp property they own. Mr. Huffs stated hel believed it should be, and the Council would need to contact the Talbot County Commissioners Office on this matter. Mr. Huffreviewed thel Delinquent Tax Report with the Council. Councilwoman Owens discussed the City of Woodland receiving a quarterly Delinquent Tax Report from' Talbot County. Clerk Gresham will request a quarterly delinquent Tax Report from Talbot County. Attorney Byrd discussed the City of Woodland receiving thel Mill Rate information from Talbot County. Clerk Gresham stated Tiffany Prather of the Talbot County Tax Commissioners Office stated she was hoping tol have thei information approximately June 20, 2024. Mr. Huffstated this was earlier than in thej past. He stated that August 01, 2024, is the deadline for the County to submit the digest to the state.. Attorney Byrd discussed ifthe City would have thel Mil Ratei information by the. July 08, 2024 Regular Council Meeting. Mr. Huff statedi it would depend on when the County received thei information. Attorney Byrd stated in previous years, the City had not received thei information int time to go through thel hearing process ifthey wanted to raise the Mil Rate. Mr. Huff stated ift this was the case, the City could request more time, and he could be contacted ift the City needed assistance. Hes stated this would delay" Talbot County printing thel bills. Mayor Pro Tem Holt stated if the City receives quarterly reports the City could refer to what was collected the previous year and would be able toi make an  informed decision.  VI. Attorney Report  a) Attorney Byrd stated he followed up with Terrell Jacobs of the Georgia Municipal Association, and hel has not found aj prospective Code Enforcement Officer or a company that provides that service. He stated he contacted the Talbot County attorney, Edl Davis, andi he is looking fora b) Attorney Byrd stated his staff has worked on the "City Park" Project on several occasions during the last month. Hes stated his wife could not find thel box with the original annexation paperwork, which would have been done in the 1990's. Hes stated the boxes in his warehouse in Pine Mountain are stacked about 15 feet high. He stated they will look again at some point. Attorney Byrd stated they did find the legal description for the new charter passed by the Georgia State Legislature that shows the park City limits, the Higgenbotham deed to City Lots 5,6,7,8 and 9, totaling 5.59 acres. He stated they found the plat for the Higginbotham survey, the deed from Robert Williams to City Lot 10, and the deed from Margaret Holmes to City Lot 11.Attorney  resource for the City of Woodland.    City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10, 2024  Byrd stated they were: not able tol locate the "GA DOT" lot deed and the original annexation c) Attorney Byrd stated1 he drafted ai new Hold Harmless Indemnity Agreement for thej persons engaged in public cleanup work on City property and emailed it to Clerk Powell. d) Attorney Byrd discussed. Antonio Sanchez, the owner oft the Ambulance Facility, wanting a zoning certification filled out by the City of Woodland to sell used cars.. Attorney Byrd stated that the: zoning statute isi inconsistent with what Mr. Sanchez is doing. He stated that the property is zoned industrial, and) Mr. Sanchez can manufacture, assemble, disassemble, andj package products. Attorney Byrd stated thej property would need tol be zoned commercial for Mr. Sanchez tosell used cars.. Attorney Byrd suggested tabling this matter until Mr. Sanchez can attend a Council Meeting to discuss what he wants to do. Clerk Gresham will contact Mr. Sanchez. e) Attorney Byrd presented Clerk Gresham with thei monthly invoice for services.  paperwork, so this willl be an ongoing project.  Mayor Pro Tem Holt made a motion to accept the Attorney Report. Councilman Carter seconded.  All approved. Motion carried.  VII. Grounds Maintenance Report  a) Kanel Robinson ofl Robinson' s General Services, LLC was absent. Clerk Gresham presented the emailed Grounds Maintenance Report she received from) Mr. Robinson. Councilwoman Owens discussed the streets and sidewalks needing to be trimmed and edged. Councilwoman Owens discussed Mr. Robinson making time to attend the monthly City of Woodland Regular Council Meetings and the City employees following up on Grounds maintenance to make sure they are doing what they were contracted to do. Mayor Pro Tem Holt stated this matter needed tol be b) Mayor Pro Tem Holt discussed whether aj property owner was liable for treel limbs overhanging the City's right of way. Attorney Byrd stated thej property owner should maintain their trees and could be asked to trim limbs impeding the City's right of way. He stated that this matter could be turned over to a Codel Enforcer. Attorney Byrd stated the City also has thei right to cut thel limbs overhanging the City right of way. Councilwoman Owens suggested contracting someone to be on call to trim and cut trees in the City when needed. Mayor Pro Teml Holt discussed the tree trimming quote Clerk Gresham received from Jacob Stone of. JJS Outdoor Solutions, Jeff Harrison ofHWR Water Solutions suggested putting together a SPLOST project for tree trimming andj putting it out on the Georgia Procurement website: for bid. Clerk Gresham stated ARPA funds could be used for tree trimming. The Council discussed getting more quotes before c) Clerk Gresham discussed the quote she received from Robinson General Services, LLC for installing the new street signs at $100.00 per sign. Mayor Pro Tem Holt discussed the quote Clerk Gresham received from JJS Outdoor Solutions fori installing the new: street sign at $250.00 per sign. Mayor Pro Tem Holt discussed if Clerk Gresham had contacted Mr. Robinson toi inquire if  discussed during the Executive Session.  making a decision.    City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10,2024  his quote included taking down the old concrete sign markers. Clerk Gresham stated she contacted! Mr. Robinson' but had not heard back from him before the Council meeting.  VIII. Water Report  a) Jeff Harrison ofHWR Water Solutions stated the City of Woodland produced 1.1 million gallons ofwater and billed out 638,000 gallons ofv water. Clerk Powell stated there was 92,000 gallons of b) Jeffs stated HWR read meters for the month and repaired al leaking service line on Peach Drive. c) Councilwoman Owens discussed whether there was aj program that refurbished old meters. Jeff stated there is a company that will purchase the old meters at $2.50 per meter. Councilwoman Owens suggested. Jeff contact the company toj purchase the old meters. Jeff stated he would get d) Mayor Pro Tem Holt discussed whether Jeff contacted InDepth about cleaning the City water tank. Jeffs stated he contacted InDepth but had: not heard back from them. e) Clerk Powell distributed the Water System Totals Report and thel Delinquent Account Report for May 2024. The water report shows the total billed was $7665.00 and the total received was Councilwoman Owens made a motion to accept the water report. Councilman Mitchell seconded.  water] loss.  Clerk Gresham and Clerk Powell the contact information.  $8592.95.  All approved. Motion carried.  IX. Clerk Report  a) Clerk Gresham distributed the 2023 Final Audit Report to the Mayor and Council. Clerk Gresham stated the City of Woodland accountant, Richard Hartley would: need the paperwork signed and sent to thes state agency by June 30,2024. The Council discussed the audit findings for the City ofWoodland. Mayor Pro Tem Holt suggested Clerk Gresham email Richard about the finding stating the City owed payroll and sales taxes for previous years to inquire how much the b) Clerk Gresham discussed the Council voting on aj project for the 20241 LRA Grant at tonight's meeting. She stated the deadline to apply fort the granti is. June 15, 2024. Clerk Gresham suggested repairing the culvert pipe and ditch on Peach Drive. Mayor Pro Tem Holt made ai motion to repair the culvert pipe and ditch on Peach Drive with the 2024LRA Grant funds. Councilman Carter c) Clerk Gresham discussed the City of Woodland Event Calendar being revised to change the Community Yard Sale date. Shes stated the date was set for. July 20, 2024, but the park was already rented for that day. Clerk Gresham stated. June 22, July 06, and. July 13, 2024 were open.  City owes and for what years.  seconded. All approved. Motion carried.  The Council moved the Community Yard Sale to. July 13,2 2024.    City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10, 2024  d) Clerk Gresham discussed Talbot County. Assistant Manager Ronnie Hendricks camel by City Hall and stated the City of Woodland would need. Attorney Byrd to draw up an Intergovermmental Agreement with Talbot County. Mr. Hendricks stated the County would not be doing anything pertaining to public works for the City unless there was an agreement. Attorney Byrd stated he  spoke with the Talbot County attorney about drafting aj proposal. e) Clerk Gresham presented the month' 's financial reports.  Councilwoman Owens made ai motion to accept the Clerk Report. Mayor Pro' Tem Holt seconded. All  approved. Motion carried. X. Open Business  a) Guest speaker William Hart previously addressed the discussion of blighted property,junk cars, b) Clerk Powell discussed quotes for purchasing bleachers for the Community Park softball field. Mayor Pro" Tem Holt discussed having Robinson General Services, LLC tear down the old wooden benches and clean up the area for the new bleachers. She suggested tabling and discussing which company toj purchasel bleachers from until the. June 17,2024, Work Session. c) Clerk Gresham distributed the quote she received from One Call to thel Mayor and Council. Clerk Gresham reviewed the quote with thel Mayor and Council. Mayor Pro Tem Holt suggested getting  and code enforcement in thei meeting.  emails for the City customers to email them notifications.  XI. New Business  a) Clerk Gresham stated she] purchased the four ceiling fans for the Community Building porches. Mayor Pro Tem Holt made ai motion to approve the installation ofo ceiling fans for $300.00 or b) The discussion of quotes for tree trimming and street signi installation was discussed previously c) Clerk Powell discussed whether the park could be rented during the daytime hours fora ai family cookout on. July 4,2024. The Council suggested not having a. July 4th event and renting thej park d) The discussion of the 2023 Final Audit Report and Findings was discussed previously during the  less. Councilman Carter seconded., All approved. Motion carried.  during the Grounds Maintenance Report.  for the fmily cookout. Clerk Report.  XII. Executive Session  Mayor Pro Tem Holt made ai motion to begin Executive Session to discuss personnel matters.  Councilwoman Owens seconded. All approved. Motion carried. Those present for thel Executive Session were as follows:    City of Woodland Meeting Minutes June 10, 2024  Mayor. James Carter, Mayor Pro Tem Ebonye Holt, Councilman T. L. Carter, Councilwoman Allison Owens, Councilman John Haralson, Councilman Jeffery Mitchell, City Clerk Allissa Gresham, Municipal  Clerk Cynthia Powell and Attorney Gary Byrd. Executive Session began at 8:401 PM. approved. Motion carried. XIII. Regular Session  Councilwoman Owens made ai motion to return to Regular Session. Councilman Carter seconded. All  Regular Session resumed at 9:09) PM.  Councilwoman Owens made ai motion toj pay the bills. Councilman Mitchell seconded. All approved. Motion  carried. XIV. Adjournment carried.  Councilman Mitchell made ai motion to adjourn. Mayor Pro' Tem Holt seconded. All approved. Motion  Mayor. James Carter adjourned the meeting at 9:14PM.  Minutes Submitted By:  Allissa Gresham City Clerk  Approval Date