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Savannah Beach, Georgia
August 18, 1971
The regular monthly meeting of Savannah Beach City Council was
held this afternoon at 3:00 P.M. with Mayor Michael J. Counihan
presiding and the following councilmen in attendance: John H.
Daniels, Jr., Edward Jung, Robert F. Cary, Edward Towns, James
Stettler and George Schwarz. City Attorney Bart Shea was also
in attendance.
Visitors and petitioners at the meeting were Mrs. Evelyn Butler,
Mrs. Annie Guyer, Mr. Dwight L. Davis, Mr. R. E. Van Buren,
Mr. Charles Rockwell, Mrs. Irene Brown, Mr. Earl Anderson, Mrs.
011ie Palmer and Mr. Matthew Doyle.
Mr. Dwight L. Davis, who was at the meeting to protest the new
sewer and water charges, read a letter which he stated he had sent
to council on July 23rd, in which he called for a review of the
system now in effect and bring these charges more into line with
the thinking of the people who had to pay them. Mayor Counihan
disputed some of the estimated costs of the new treatment facilities
and, for the benefit of Mr. Davis and the visitors present at the
meeting, gave some true figures of the revenue to be produced by
the new charges and the amount of money to construct the new plant
and facilities. Mayor Counihan stated further that the amount of
water being allowed for the minimum charge at the present time was
being discussed and it was the intention of Council to allow more
water for the minimum charge than is being allowed at the present
time.
Mr. Davis stated that he had been talking to his attorney, Mr.
Doremus, who represents the taxpayers and was informed by him that
a meeting would be held on September 6th, at which time they
would try tO bring out the facts - what the county is going to try
to do to help the municipalities on this pollution problem.
Mayor Counihan reminded Mr. Davis and the visitors present that
Mr. Doremus was the same one who is prosecuting us in court about
the pollution. Mr. Davis stated that a sales tax of some kind
should be adopted by the General Assembly. He said everybody
makes pollution and that everybody should help pay for it. Mayor
Counihan said he felt that Chatham County should pay a portion of
the city expenditures, stating Savannah Beach was a recreational
area for Chatham County. Mr. Davis agreed with this.
Mr. Earl Anderson, Secretary of Savannah Beach Board of Zoning
Appeals, suggested that while the extra summer help is still
working that we have all of the overgrown lots cleaned and bill
the property owners for it. Mayor Counihan stated that we were
in the process of getting this accomplished now by notifying the
property owners that our Ordinance in regard to lot cleaning was
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going to be enforced.
The Meeting was then formally opened by the Mayor.
Councilman Ed. Towns moved that the Minutes of the regular meetings
of July 14th, July 21st and the special meeting of July 22nd be
approved as written. The motion was seconded by Councilman Daniels
and unanimously carried.
Councilman Daniels stated that since we have many retired citizens
making their homes at the Beach and further that a study and history
of the new water and sewer charges which have been in effect now for
approximately three months, revealed that a good many of this type
resident were having a difficult time living within the 5,000 gallons
presently allowed for the $4.00 minimum charge, he felt like a little
more water should be allowed for the minimum charge. He then moved
that seven thousand gallons be allowed for the minimum charge and
requested City Attorney Bart Shea to read the amendment to the water
ordinance and that it be placed on first reading and that the effec-
tive date be October 1, 1971. The amendment was then read and
explained by Attorney Shea. Following a discussion, Councilman Schwarz
seconded the motion. Councilman Cary then stated that since he was
the chairman of the water and sewer committees, he had something to
say before the question was put and he wanted to be heard. He said
that he was not against giving more water but if everyone knew the
facts, he felt like they would go along with the five thousand
gallons per month presently allowed. He stated that the sewer
system was over urdened with the amount of water being pumped into itb
at the present time and all these sewer lines needed replacing.
He saidifurther that we could not wait for the county to take
over and that this work needed to be done now. He also stated
that the water and sewer ordinances, as orginally adopted, were
disigned to produce the revenue to take care of these. Council-
man Cary stated that for these reasons he would vote against
increasing the minimum gallonage. The motion was then voted on
and carried. Councilman Cary voted against the motion.
Mayor Counihan requested the Clerk to read a letter recently re-
ceived from the Chatham County Commissioners which he stated was
pertinent to the question of funding the pollution abatement program.
In the letter, Mr. Lovett, who is Chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners, stated that at the present time Chatham County does
not have jurisdiction within incorporated municipalities for such
things as water and sewer charges. Chairman Lovett further stated
that the County Commissioners could not offer Savannah Beach any
encouragement at this time toward the construction of municipal
sewage treatment and collection facilities.
Councilman Cary stated that he had heard numerous complaints con-
cerning our cut -on and cut -off charge of $10.00. He, therefore,
moved that our Water ordinance be further amended to change this
cut -off charge of $10.00 to $5.00; or $2.50 cut -off and $2.50 cut -on
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charga to become effective October 1st. The motion was seconded
by Councilman Schwarz and Council voted unanimously to accept this
amendment on first reading.
Councilman Cary stated that we also needed to further amend our
Water Ordinance so as to clarify the section pertaining to shallow
wells, or surface wells and properly identify them as either deep
wells or limerock wells and sand or grafiel wall wells to designate
a shallow well; also, to put a limit on the number of feet a well
can be dug. He then put this in the form of a motion which was
duly seconded. Following a long discussion as to what constitutes
a deep well, a vote was called for the question. The motion was
approved 5 to 0 and placed on first reading, with Councilman Daniels
abstaining.
Councilman Daniels informed Council that application for an
alcoholic license had been made by Mr. Ed. Corley who proposed
to take over the business formerly operated under the name of
"The Tank" and was brought up at the last meeting. He stated
that it was not considered at that time due to the fact that the
application was deemed incomplete in that it did not have a check
attached in payment of the license charge. He stated that since
then the applicant had given us a certified check for the licenses
involved. He said that the Police Committee had now conducted an
investigation of the applicant and they recommended that the license
be denied. The motion was seconded by Councilman Cary and unanimously
carried.
Councilman Stettler informed Council that the Georgia Southern Area
Planning and Development Commission had received word that they
would be phased out and their area would be taken over by the
Altamaha Planning and Development Commission out of Brunswick. He
stated that he felt that since we had received such fine coopera-
tion from Georgia Southern Area Planning and Development Commission,
we should do everything in our power to retain this agency. He
statedfurther that we should do this, if for no other reason, for
wl-iat they have done for us as a community. He said Governor Carter
should be made aware of our position on this. In this connection,
Mayor Counihan requested the Clerk to read a recent communication
from Mr. Lawton M. Nease, Regional Chairman of the Georgia Southern
Area Planning and Development Commission. The letter was dated
August 16, 1971 and was addressed to all Councilmen. The letter
stated that the Bureau of State Planning and Community Affairs,
in a letter of August 6th, had set new boundary lines for all Area
Planning and Development Commissions which had the effect of
abolishing Georgia Southern at Statesboro. The letter further
stated that in opposition to this, a meeting was being held with
local officials to discuss this action in the Savannah Area Chamber
of Commerce on Thursday, August 19, 1971 at 4:00 p.m. and every-
one was strongly urged to attend. Mayor Counihan requested that
everyone make an effort to attend this very important meeting.
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Bills for the various departments were approved for payment.
Mr. Matthew Doyle requested that he be brought up to date as to
date as to the status of a request that he made back in April for
the Land Cruiser Park. Mr. Earl Anderson, a member of the Board
of Zoning Appeals, stated that he had received information to the
effect that this request had been turned down by the Planning
Commission and was being returned to Council. Mr. Doyle stated
that this was good because the procedure as outlined in the
Ordinance states that this matter should have been referred to
the Board of Zoning Appeals as they are the only ones having
jurisdiction over text amendments and a variance.Mr. Doyle stated
further that when this matter is received by Council if they will
direct it to the Board of Appeals, the matter can be brought to a
head.
Another lenghty discussion on Mr. Doyles° request for a Land Cruiser
Park followed. Finally, City.: Attorney Shea clarified the position
the City should take stating that this matter goes to the Zoning
Board of Appeals and then, if they refuse him, he has the further
right to appeal to the courts on the basis that he may be discriminated
against, but right ,now, having just gotten a letter from Statesboro,
as he put it, he doesn't have any further rights and he should be given
the right to pursue the remedies that he has.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Clerk of Council
ity of Savannah Beach
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