Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout20091022CityCouncilMinutes Prepared11/02/09dw Page 1 of 7 20091022 City Council Minutes Mayor Jason Buelterman called the Consent Agenda meeting to order at 6:30pm on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Council Members present were, Mayor Pro Tem Wanda Doyle, Councilman Charlie Brewer, Barry Brown, Eddie Crone, Dick Smith and Paul Wolff. Also present were City Attorney Bubba Hughes, City Manager Diane Schleicher and Planning and Zoning Director Jonathan Lynn. Mayor Buelterman listed the following items on the Consent Agenda: City Council Minutes for 10/08/09 Special Events Application-Sundae Café – Alcohol Served off Premises Permit for Special Event Beer and Wine License-October 30th Memorial Park Pavilion Approved by Chief Price Special Events Application –Grand Opening Gayle Bolton’s Galley By the Sea- Special Event Beer and Wine License- November 7th 1016 (E) Hwy 80 Approved by Chief Price Special Events Application-Lights on for Tybee. Friday, December 4th beginning at 6:30pm Requesting closure of Tybrisa Street including area around the roundabout (5:30-8:30pm), tree to be set up on 11/28/09. Special Events Application-Tybee Island Christmas Parade: Requesting parade route street closure per attached map, 14th Street parking lot closure for staging, TIPD to lead the parade. Out of State Travel for Woody Hemphill to the National Association RV Parks and Campgrounds Conference-Orlando, FL. November 8th -12th, 2009. Corrpro Maintenance Agreement Renewal for Water Storage Tank/Clarifier Cathodic Protection - Contract Period 01/01/10-12/31/10 Cost $925.00 Approval of proposal for topographic and hydrographic surveys of the federally authorized beach renourishment project between the North Terminal groin and Horse Pen Creek on Tybee Back River – Georgia Tech -$13,500 Part of the O & M requirements for the Beach Renourishment Project. Budget Line Item #100-6125-54-1402. Recommended by Beach Task Force. Budget Adjustment for $2,700 to Yeepies line item #100-6110-57-2004 from Contingency line item #100-9000-61-1000. Hotel/Motel Tax Audit. Audit Committee to review. Mayor Buelterman adjourned the Consent Agenda. Executive Session A Motion by Councilman Wolff to go into Executive Session to discuss Litigation was seconded by Councilman Brown. The vote was unanimous. A Motion by Councilman Wolff to end Executive Session was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Doyle. The vote was unanimous. Prepared11/02/09dw Page 2 of 7 Mayor Buelterman called the regular meeting of the City Council to order at 7:00pm. Those present at the Consent Agenda were also in attendance for the regular meeting. Rev. Jack Nietert of All Saints Episcopal Church gave the invocation and everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Mayor’s Announcements Mayor pro tem Doyle announced the Citrus Fruit Sale Fundraiser for St. Michael’s Catholic School. Reports of Staff, Boards, Standing Committees and/or Invited Guest A presentation was given by Michael Bodine of the City’s IT Department on the City’s Notification System to the citizens of Tybee. The presentation included Outbound Communications, Emergency Communications and Media Communication via TV, Web, etc. Diverse ways are greatly improving the communications between the City and its’ residents. An update was given by Chantel Morton on the continued efforts to obtain the Better Hometown designation. She announced the City has received a small grant for the Third Thursday’s Program. She also announced the joint efforts between the City and several of the area businesses and organizations for enhancements to the business corridors. Ms. Morton also gave an update on the events and activities planned for the holidays on Tybee. Citizens to be Heard Alvin Davis addressed council with a request to move the portable restrooms that are in the 14th Street parking lot in front of his house, to the other end of the lot by the business trailer. He presented council with pictures of the current situation and a scaled drawing of a site plan on the possible change. Discussion was held on the possibilities of making the move. Councilmen Brewer and Wolff stated they had been looking at the proposal with Mr. Davis and his plan could be possible with the cost being covered by the revenue of the parking spaces we would pick back up. Mayor Buelterman asked the city manager to research the possibility, review it with the Infrastructure committee and bring back a proposal including cost factors, to council at the November 12th meeting. Kathryn Williams of Tybee Beautification gave an update to council on the last beach sweep which had a record breaking attendance of 700 volunteers. She thanked all the sponsors and organizations that helped make the event possible. She also announced the next Adopt-a-Highway on Saturday, November 14th at 9:00am at the Tybee sign. Brenda Marion with the Blood Alliance announced the next blood drive on Saturday, November 28th at the North Beach Grill with an Oyster Roast and Horseshoe Tournament for donors. She also announced the Blood Alliance has a Donor Recipient Program where people in need of transfusions can create an account and donors can donate into that account and they receive 20% back on their bill for blood products according to what they have in their account. The next dedicated blood drive is Sunday, November 8th, 12:30-4:30pm at Stingrays for Brian Cail, one of their employees. Prepared11/02/09dw Page 3 of 7 Public Hearings: Site Plan Review for parking lot expansion (Section 5-080) 1107 & 1111 Butler Ave; Pins 4-0006-19-005, 4-0006-19-013, 4-0006-19-014 & 4-0006-19-015 Zone R-2 (Proposed Neighborhood Grocery) Petitioner: Mike Hosti, Tybee IGA Market/Planning Commission recommended approval on 10/20/09. Mr. Lynn stated this is an updated site plan, as petitioner was previously before council on September 24th but there were some questions on what the applicant was required to do. It was returned to the petitioner and the planning commission for review and agreed by all parties to bring this plan back to council. This plan does show the regulated parking as discussed in the last meeting and meet the number of spaces per square footage requirements as proposed in the Neighborhood Grocery Store District. Staff received the plan on October 7th from the applicant and it was reviewed by Planning Commission on October 20th. The Planning Commission recommended approval of this site plan with no conditions. Mayor Buelterman asked what the vote was with the Planning Commission. Lynn responded 4 to 1 for approval. City Attorney requested the zoning map be placed in the room and Jonathan Lynn did so. Tom Mahoney addressed council on the site plan and stated applicant had done everything possible to address questions or concerns council had in the previous meeting. In consideration of the ordinance and amendment to create the Neighborhood Grocery Store District, he believes this is a proper map and text amendment to allow this long time establishment to continue to service the citizens of Tybee. Henry Levy spoke in favor of the petition and to also allow the IGA to expand to meet the needs of the residents to have a larger grocery store. Carly Fuller presented a slide presentation to the council of the current delivery truck activities at the IGA Market. She spoke in opposition of the petition and the effect it will have on the property value of the surrounding residential properties and because it is not in agreement with Tybee’s MasterPlan. She also does not see any trees on the site plan which is not in keeping with our “Keeping Tybee Green” plan. Mr. Lynn stated, according to our current ordinance, if the area is pervious it is considered green space. On site plans, we do not require a tree mitigation plan. We do ask for one when they apply for a building permit. That will be reviewed and approved before the permit is issued. Jimmy Brown spoke in opposition of the petition. He requested if council does grant approval, to do it with the least amount of impact on the neighborhood. Camilla Ward spoke in opposition of the petition due to the increase of traffic and noise and reduction of property values. Prepared11/02/09dw Page 4 of 7 Gloria Leonard spoke in opposition of the petition due to deceasing property value in the neighborhood. Leslie Fuller spoke in opposition of the petition due to the violation of property owner’s rights. The Land Development Plan calls for preserving property values and she asked council to help the property owners to do so. She also asked council to prevent traffic increase on Lovell by preventing the entrance or exit of the parking lot to Lovell. Michael Hosti addressed council and stated he has tried to develop the lot with the least intrusion into the neighborhood and thanked everyone for their time and effort. Mark Boswell, site engineer, was present and stated he was available for questions. Councilman Brown asked if the larger trucks would be able to turn thru the parking lot. Boswell stated they probably could with a wider radius but he would have to run a template to make sure. He was not sure if there would still be room for the gate. Councilman Brown asked Mr. Hughes if hours of operation would remain the same. Hughes stated normally the ordinances would not control that. The noise ordinance would help with this. It could also be included or added to the text amendment being considered tonight. Councilman Wolff stated he had no problem with granting more parking but felt restrictions needed to be put on the access to Lovell to prevent further intrusion into the neighborhood. What was approved several meetings ago with buffers on Lovell and the North side of the property was a much more equitable solution. Councilman Brown stated if Mr. Hosti can get some of the big trucks into the parking lot then that will get at least some of them off of Lovell. There will still be some jam up when people come in from Butler and they may even have to back up if parking is not available towards the Lovell end. A Motion by Councilman Crone to approve was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. The vote was Doyle, Brown, Brewer, Crone, and Smith in favor and Wolff opposed. Consideration of Ordinances, Resolutions 2nd Reading: Text Amendment to Section 4-050(Q) including Zoning Map Amendment to Sec 13.009 of the Land Development Code for the Neighborhood Grocery District. Discussion was held on the hours of operation. Prepared11/02/09dw Page 5 of 7 Councilman Wolff again stated his disagreement with proceeding against Mr. Hughes recommendation for Conditional C2 Zoning and going with establishing a new district. A Motion by Councilman Crone to approve was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. An amendment to the motion by Crone to include hours of operation of 8am to 9pm was not accepted by Doyle. Original motion stands. The vote was Mayor pro tem Doyle, Councilmen Brown, Brewer, Crone, and Smith in favor and Wolff opposed. Mr. Hughes stated there is one ordinance that amends sec 13-009 that is a list of map amendments. You’ve already affectively adopted the map virtue of amending the text. Mayor Buelterman then confirmed there was not a separate vote needed on Item 2, The Map Amendment. Mr. Hughes agreed but he stated for the record the Zoning Map is in the room. Consent Agenda: A Motion by Councilman Wolff to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. The vote was unanimous. City Manager’s Report - Diane Schleicher The Dog Park looks closed because of the construction going on with the expansion of the cell tower but it is open and useable. The city’s benches and garbage cans in the South End Business area are being picked up and refurbished due to rust and will be returned as soon as possible. Mayor pro tem Doyle spoke on the parking situation and has an appointment set up on October 26th with DCA to look at our parking. They have reviewed the last traffic study and have agreed to work with the city in trying to find some solutions. She also stated the last three years we have had free parking on the island for the holidays and would like to see this continued. A Motion by Mayor pro tem Doyle to approve free parking on the island from Thanksgiving Day (11/26/09) through December 31, 2009 as recommended by the City Manager was seconded by Councilman Smith. The vote was unanimous. City Manager asked if the Saturday hours for the cashier could be eliminated during the month of December since most of the walk-in traffic was normally for paying parking tickets. Council agreed. Councilman Brown stated property owners on Tybee even though they may not live on the Island, should be allowed one parking decal per residence. They pay a lot of taxes. Mayor Buelterman stated Prepared11/02/09dw Page 6 of 7 this could have a great financial impact on the city. Councilman Brown and Mayor Buelterman asked the City Manager to research the financial impact and add this to the next Action Item List. The City Manager reviewed the Rivers End Campground Monthly Financial Report. Councilman Brewer asked if Salaries could be broke down to give clarification on full time employees since this is one of the largest parts of the budget. Councilman Brewer also discussed the cabins performance and trends. Mr. Hemphill stated the September projections were a little overshot because of unanticipated events. Mayor Buelterman asked about this year’s revenue vs previous years. Mr. Hemphill stated we are up significantly for 2009. We are now where we were at the end of the calendar year last year, and we still have three months of revenue to go. Councilman Brewer asked how expenses compare to last year. Hemphill answered we do have the cabin expenses we didn’t have last year but we are tracking it very carefully. Mrs. Schleicher stated we are also looking at decisions on staffing for seasonal possibilities. Councilman Smith asked about the revenue bond principle and the interest on the general fund note. In the past it had been broken down monthly but we are not showing it anymore. Ms. Schleicher said it is only paid once a year but we can change it and break it down for each month. Council, Officials and City Attorney Considerations & Comments Councilman Smith held a discussion on purchasing new chairs for the city hall auditorium. There were three examples to be reviewed. Mayor Buelterman asked if this could come back on the next agenda and give him time to get some additional information. Councilman Smith agreed. Councilman Smith stated it would cost $35,907 to give 1.5% COLA raises to the employees. We did not have this in the budget but it needs to be done. It would have to come from the contingency fund. Councilman Brown stated he would also like merit raises given to employees that warrant it. If we can find $55,000 for turtle signs we should be able to find funds for our real good employees. Councilman Wolff stated he had heard the Commissioner of DNR in a meeting apologizing to his employees for not being able to give raises this year and also requiring them to take one furlough day a month. Wolff recommended giving merit raises to employees based on performance instead of giving an across the board cost of living, when that is even going down in some areas. Mayor pro tem Doyle stated she agrees with the cost of living raise and the merit raises need to be discussed at a later time. Councilman Brewer stated he thought rewarding your best employees with merits is better than across the board. Raises should be used as incentives. Councilman Smith stated council had agreed to revisit the COLA raises mid-year when they were not included in the budget. That is what is on the agenda and being discussed now. The merit raises should be addressed at a different time. A Motion by Councilman Smith to approve COLA raises to employees for six months starting January 1st , 2010 at 1.5% for a total of $35,907 from contingency was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. The vote was Mayor pro tem Doyle, Councilmen Brown, Crone and Smith in favor and Councilmen Brewer and Wolff opposed. Prepared11/02/09dw Page 7 of 7 Request to apply for two Grants through GEFA: Grant Amount $300,000 each with City’s 10% match of $30,000- Will require Staff person to administer funds and provide loan compliance inspections and an administrative assistant. Councilman Wolff stated one of the grants would be used to set up a revolving loan fund for residents and businesses that want to do energy efficiency upgrades such as better windows, better insulation, solar panels, etc. They can borrow money from the fund and pay it back with money they save on their energy bills. Our chances for getting the first grant would increase if we do the 10% match. The other grant would not need a city match but it would be for city buildings. Mr. Wilson with DPW has identified areas in city hall, fire station, etc that could use this. Councilman Wolff stated part of the $30,000 could also be as in-kind. A Motion by Councilman Wolff to approve application of the Grants with 1st Grant matching funds of $30,000 coming out of contingency, and no matching funds for 2nd Grant was seconded by Councilman Brown. The vote was unanimous. Executive Session A Motion by Councilman Wolff to go into Executive Session to discuss Personnel was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. The vote was unanimous. A Motion by Councilman Wolff to adjourn Executive Session was seconded by Mayor pro tem Doyle. The vote was unanimous. Adjournment A Motion by Councilman Wolff to adjourn was seconded by Councilman Smith. The vote was unanimous. ________________________________ Jason Buelterman, Mayor __________________________________ Vivian O. Woods, Clerk of Council