BROOKS TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Brooks GEORGIA-- MINUTES December 16, 2024 Mayor Langford led the Invocation and thel Pledge, then called the meeting to order at 6:30p.m. Mayor: Daniel Langford Ted Britt Kay Brumbelow Brian Davis Scott Israel Todd Speer Council Members Present: The proposed agenda for Monday, December 16, 2024, was emailed to the Mayor and Council Members for review before tonight's meeting. Council Member Todd Speer motioned to approve the agenda; Council Member Scott Israel seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. The draft Council Meeting Minutes for Monday, November 18, 2024, were emailed to thel Mayor and Council Members for review before tonight's meeting. Mayor Langford asked for ai motion to approvet the Council Minutes; Council Member Scott Israel motioned to approve thel November 18, 2024, minutes, as presented; Council Member Kay Brumbelow seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous with Council Members Ted Britt and Brian Davis abstaining. Recognitions: MayorLangford presented certificates of excellence tot thel Brooks Bear football team, coaches, and the Brooks Elite II cheerleaders and coaches. The Brooks Bear football team was recognized for being four-time Super Bowl Champions, and the Brooks Elitel II cheerleaders were recognized for achieving four grand champion and first-place awards, three spirit awards, and one sportsmanship award. Five team members of each category and two of their coaches were present to accept the certificates in person. Public Hearing: Opened at 6:38 p.m. / Closed at 6:46] p.m. Fence Variance- - 113 W. McIntosh Rd - Resident/Applicant Aaron Edge: M. Ungaro reviewed the proposed variance request, stating that the residentlapplicant had applied forand: received approval toi install a 6' privacy: fence approximately 60' offthe rear ofhis] property line. The fence's purpose is to provide privacy from the traffic and activities on the Hwy 85 Connector. Once the fence slats were installed, staff informed the applicant that the height was ine excess of the allowed limit. Thei resident/applicant was allowed to continue installation provided that a variance be applied for; ifthe variance is approved, no further action would bei needed; ifthe variance is denied, the resident'applicant will cut 2" off the fence that has been built, and the remaining fence would be ata 6' height. pg. 1 Council Member Kay Brumbelow askedi ifthere were any negative ramifications to the height; M. Ungaro stated no, there were not. The resident/applicant stated the fence is for privacy in his Mayor Langford asked ifthere were any further questions or comments, and after hearing none, he backyard and to help block the lighting from Hwy 85 Connector. declared the public hearing closed. New Business: Fence Variance-113 W. McIntosh Rd.: With no additional questions or comments regarding the variance request, Mayor Langford asked ift there was a motion regarding the fence variance on 113 W. McIntosh Rd. Council Member Brian Davis motioned to approve the fence variance as presented. Council Member Kay Brumbelow seconded thei motion. The vote was unanimous. HB 581 Homestead Property' Tax: M. Ungaro presented an overview oft thej proposed HB: 581 Homestead Property Tax bill, passed in November, tol become effective on January 1, 2025. HB: 581 was passed to address rising property tax concerns and alleviate burdens for eligible Georgial homeowners. Ifal local government decides not to opt-out, property valuations for 2025 will be based on 2024 and can only increase by the value oft the CPI; therei is no fixed numerical value, and it can fluctuate either up or down and only on homestead properties. It would not apply to second homes, agricultural, industrial, or rental properties. Other local municipalities, including the county and school board, have until March 1, After al lengthy discussion between thel Mayor and Council, Mayor Langford asked ifthere was a Council Member Ted Britt motioned that the' Town ofl Brooks NOT to opt out ofHB 581; Council 2025, to decide. motion regarding thet town's position on. HB581. Member Todd Speer seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Alternative. Access for Liberty Tech: M. Ungaro showed a sketch that reflects the cemetery expansion areas and the potential location for alternative access to Liberty Tech Charter School. The potential access road is approximately 600' long andi ise estimated to cost $37,678.1 Itist based on a 12' wide gravel road with a6 6" compacted sub-base. It would allow cars to turn from Hwy 85 Connector to Price Rd by laying 600' of gravel inside thel Brooks Football Field complex and utilizing it as a cut-through to eliminate the backup Council Member Scott Israel stated he sent an email regarding a possible fund-raiser or other options to share in the cost of the alternative access to Liberty Tech. Still, as of this evening's traffic on Hwy 85 Connector. meeting, no response has been received. pg. 2 Council Member Ted Britt asked ift the FCBOE was interested in sharing the costs; M. Ungaro Council Member Todd Speer asked ift the town needs to create a legal easement access document between the town, the charter school, and FCBOE before construction on the school property can M. Ungaro stated that $18k of the project costs are for labor and equipment costs that the Fayette County Road Department would charget thet towni for the work to be done; M. Ungaro said he would work on reducing those costs, and Mayor. Langford said he would call Commission Heamn to see: if M. Ungaro will work with someone from the FCBOE to review the proposal and attend a council replied that they had not been approached about the project yet. begin. M. Ungaro stated! he would investigate. the costs fort thel labor and equipment could be reduced. meeting to: field questions or requests from thel Mayor and Council. Committee Reports: Mayor's Report: Mayor Langford reported that hel has two meetings with other cities regarding HB581 and will attend another meeting this coming' Thursday. Planning and Zoning: M. Ungaro stated there was: nothing to report at this time. Recreation: Chris Moody thanked thel Mayor, Council, and' Town staff for recognizing the accomplishments of the football players and cheerleaders. Library: K.J Bradley reported no new developments at thel library; only two full-size lots and five cremation lots are available for sale. Town Clerk Report: November. L. Spohr reported that the 2025 business license renewal forms were mailed out the last week of Finance Officer's Report: L. Spohr reviewed thel November: financials. LOST: revenue for November is up 22.42% compared tol last November, and LOST YTD: is up 9.18% compared to the previous year. 2023 SPLOST for October is up 22.92% compared to last October, and YID2023SPLOSTisI up 7.78%. pg. 3 Town Manager Report: Transportation: The County Road Department has recommended a cost-effective alternative to the culvert replacement on Woods Rd. Previously, the Town Engineer specified two 6' concrete culverts (paired), putting thet total replacement cost at around! $450,000. The solution recommended by the County is an aluminum box culvert system that would reduce the price by half. This will allow thet townt to complete this SPLOST project much earlier than anticipated. Wecould get this project done and paid for in early spring, provided an approved IGA with the county. This would be a two-week: process, and thel life span far exceeds the concrete culverts. Cemetery: The cemetery expansion plan allows for an additional access point on Price Rd and up to forty parking spaces. The current price structure reflects potential revenue for the lots on the Price Rd section over $800,000. A Columbarium site is also included in the expansion plan but not in the projected revenue stream. This allows cremation remains to be placed in a vault at a lower price Wel have installed two posts at the current entrance to block access to the cemetery during Libert Tech functions, which draw excess attendees. Recently, we. have had school attendees park in the cemetery, which is acceptable to a point, but numerous drivers have parked on graves-which is unacceptable. This measure was put inj place after conferring with the SRO, who fully supports it. Since this measure was instituted, we. have had zero issues with errant parking and no complaints Mayor Langford asked when the chain goes up. M. Ungaro replied only during Liberty Tech events, shortly before an event begins, and it is removed once the event has concluded. than a cemetery plot. from attendees. Brooks Market: The Christmas Market had a fantastic turnout on Sunday, December gth. Santa arrived at 4:15 p.m. via a Fayette County Fire truck at the town tree and then was driven to the chapel via a golf cart. Thank you tot thel Edge family for donating the use oft their golfcart. Bagpipes escorted the children and parents up to the chapel. We had a new food truck vendor (BBQ) who is looking forward to attending the entire 2025: market season. Any Other Business: Resident Bishow Watts presented a proposal for a Brooks Municipal Flag Design contest that, if approved, would begin on January 1, 2025, and end on July 1, 2025. The contest form, rules, guidelines, and design aid sites to assist in creating a flag for consideration are available on the Town's website, Town Hall, andl Brooks Library. All flag designs must be submitted tot the' Town Hall inl hardcopy form, either inj person, by email, or by USPS. All entries willl bej posted in' Town Hall for the public to see. All residents within the 30205 zip code are eligible to enter. At the end of the contest, the flags will be reviewed by a panel ofj judges (yet to be determined), and a winner willl bes selected from those entries. pg. 4 Mayor Langford asked if there was a motion regarding the flag design competition. Council Member Scott Israel motioned to approve the flag design competition as presented. Council Member Ted Britt seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Adjourn: With no further business to discuss this evening, Mayor Langford requested a motion to adjourn. Council Member Brian Davis motioned to adjourn, and Council Member Kay Brumbelow seconded it. The vote was unanimous. Thei meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Lorey Spohr Town Clerk pg. 5