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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20200625AmendedMinutesCity Council Minutes June 25, 2020 Consideration of Items for Consent Agenda Mayor Sessions called the consent agenda to order at 6:30PM on June 25, 2020. Those present were Monty Parks, John Branigin, Jay Burke, Barry Brown, Nancy DeVetter and Spec Hosti. Also attending were Dr. Shawn Gillen, City Manager; Bubba Hughes, City Attorney; Tracy O’Connell, EPRA Law Firm, George Shaw, Director, Community Development; and Janet LeViner, Clerk of Council. Mayor Sessions listed the following items on the consent agenda: Approval of Courtware Government Software Solutions for Tybee Island Municipal Court. $11,000 Opening Ceremonies Call to Order Invocation: Jan LeViner, Clerk Pledge of Allegiance Citizens to be Heard Shirley Wright approached Mayor and Council to discuss the Residents expectations for local leadership (copy attached). Mayor Sessions thanked Ms. Wright for her comments and confirmed her letter would be made part of the official record. David Baker approached Mayor and Council to appeal to Mayor and Council sense of fairness regarding Cockspur Grill and their request for an entertainment license. (copy attached). Mayor Sessions thanked Mr. Baker for his concerns and comments and confirmed they will be made part of the official record. Patricia Leiby approached Mayor and Council to speak on Racial History. Ms. Leiby stated she is a member of the MLK Human Rights Organization and a full time resident. She read her requests (attached) and asked Mayor and Council to consider. Mayor Sessions thanked Ms. Leiby for her comments. Rachel Perkins approached Mayor and Council to speak on Juneteenth and MLK celebrations. She offered a short presentation on the recent Juneteenth celebration. Mayor Sessions thanked Ms. Perkins for her presentation. Andy Davis approached Mayor and Council to speak on the 14th Street Crossover as he is requesting the crossover be moved further south so it is not directly next to his residence. Mayor Sessions thanked Mr. Davis for his comments. John Branigin, 1406 7th Avenue, approached Mayor and Council as a citizen regarding the Alcohol and Entertainment License request for Cockspur Grill. Mr. Branigin is aware of Mr. Baker’s concerns regarding noise with the Cockspur Grill and understands his concerns. Mr. Branigin explained he and his partner, Spec Hosti, did take Mr. Baker’s concerns into effect when completing the Entertainment License. The Grill is not going to be a late night venue and will be closed by 11:00PM every night. The music they would like to have will be mostly acoustical with minimal amplification, not full bands. Their intent is for those who are sitting on the patio to be able to talk to each other and not yell at each other while listening to light music. Mr. Branigin stated they are not the old owners but the new owners and will strictly adhere to the noise ordinance. He requested approval of the request and give them a chance to prove they can and will be good neighbors. Mayor Sessions thanked Mr. Branigin. John Branigin returned to the dais. Barry Brown made a motion to approve the consent agenda. John Branigin seconded. Vote was unanimous, 6-0. Public Hearings Second Reading of the Proposed 2021 Budget. Dr. Gillen stated the budget remains unchanged since the first reading and represents a $1.8M reduction from last budget cycle. The property tax revenue is based on the same millage rate as last year. There is also a scheduled payback to fund balance in anticipation if we needed to use fund balance to finish up this fiscal year. Mr. Parks complimented Dr. Gillen and Staff for their work on the FY2021 Budget. Roger Huff approached Mayor and Council stated he had concerns with the proposed budget which he sent to the City Manager. He questioned the percentage of the budget going to the police department. He also questioned the availability of the budget as he could not review in advance. Mayor Sessions responded this is the second hearing on the budget and the budget has been available not only in the Clerk’s Office but also on line for three weeks. There was a brief discussion regarding the portion of the budget that is allocated to the police department. Monty Parks made a motion to approve. John Branigin seconded. Vote was unanimous to approve, 6-0. Third Reading of the Proposed Millage, 2020-2021. Mayor Sessions stated this is the third public hearing on the budget as the City is required by law to have three readings. She asked Dr. Gillen to address the millage. Dr. Gillen stated the millage rate for the City is going to be same as last year, 3.931. He stated residents pay taxes to the County, School District and the City. The City’s millage rate is 3.931, School District is 18.81 and the County is 11.54. Mayor Sessions thanked Dr. Gillen for his explanation. Mr. Parks stated as the tax digest is increasing, citizens are paying slightly more taxes each year and he would recommend a roll-back so the City’s taxes break even. John Branigin made a motion to accept as presented. Barry Brown seconded. Voting in favor were Jay Burke, John Branigin, Barry Brown, Nancy DeVetter and Spec Hosti. Voting against was Monty Parks. Motion to approve, 5-1. Consideration of Local Requests & Applications – Funding, Special Events, Alcohol License Agenda Request: Alcohol and Entertainment License: Scofflaws of Tybee LLC dba Cockspur Grill Liquor/Beer/Wine/Sunday Sales 725-B First Street. John Branigin, Spec Hosti, and Jay Burke Recused. Mr. Hughes recommended there be two motions: (1) a motion for the alcohol license and (2) a separate for the entertainment portion of the license. Barry Brown made a motion to approve the Alcohol License. Monty Parks seconded. Vote was unanimous, 3-0. Mr. Parks stated historically there have been restaurants in that area and operated very successfully with the caveat there is only acoustic music and recommended Cockspur Grill hold to the hours stated which is 7:00 – 9:00PM and 2:00PM – 5:00PM on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as it is very reasonable. The specifications would be music is only acoustic, no electrified bass, no percussion, and they hold to their hours. He continued, he does this based on the fact the public safety committee is reconsidering the Noise Ordinance to make it more amenable to residents rather than businesses. Mayor pro tem Brown stated he would recommend no amplified music and maintain the hours as stated in the application. He continued, this only applies to the patio and not the inside of the venue. Mayor Sessions confirmed no amplified music, no speakers and microphones. Monty Parks made a motion to approve the