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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19710818CCMeeting1 1 113 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 14 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 1 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. 16 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 1