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HomeMy Public PortalAbout020_20110324 City Council MinutesMayor Buelterman recognized and expressed appreciation to Judy Thompson on her retirement with Eighteen years of service to the City of Tybee Island. She served as Chief Deputy Clerk for the Tybee Island Police Department. Appointment of additional members to the Ethics Commission.: Wanda Doyle asked how many appointments were needed. Bubba Hughes responded and said this is one commission that was reduced to seven members. Mayor Buelterman stated this commission is required to hold an annual meeting but has had to postpone it due to not having a quorum. Doyle asked what they would do if they cannot get enough people to apply to serve. Would they dissolve the commission? Hughes said they would change its size or they could abolish the commission; although in order to be a certified city of ethics there is a requirement for a separate commission. Doyle asked would we change the number to five in the ethics ordinance. Hughes answered yes. Mayor asked for the will of council. Shirley Sessions stated the people who have stepped up and agreed to serve are to be commended. Kathryn Williams said we need to increase our efforts to get the word out to people in the community, expressing that this is an area in which we need volunteers. Shirley Sessions moved to approve the reappointment of Frances Strickland to the Ethics Commission, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. Mayor Buelterman stated they have one citizen vacancy on the shore protection review ad hoc committee and Frances Strickland and Dale Williams have submitted applications. Paul Wolff moved to appoint Dale Williams to the Shore Protection Ad Hoc Committee, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. Paul Wolff gave a report on the East Coast Wind Symposium held in Boston. It was a long two days in which he never left the hotel but it was very productive. There were fifteen people invited representing twenty coastal states. Among the people participating were the Regional Energy Director for the State of Massachusetts and the lady that lead the support movement for Cape Wind, which is the only fully permitted offshore wind farm in the country. There were representatives from the Great Lakes, where there are two wind farms about to complete the application process. Wolff said he learned a lot and the participants agreed towards the end of the workshop to continue to act as sort of a semi formal committee, sharing resources and setting up a website open to the public to help educate and provide resources for citizens and stakeholders to learn more about offshore wind and its positive and negative effects. One of the best things that came out of this was, the United Kingdom has enacted legislation requiring the installation of thirty three gig watts of offshore wind by 2030 and they do not have the supply chain to accomplish this themselves. This is an incredible opportunity for the United States to step in and fill needs for the demand of wind turban components. There are thousands of components in these; there are ball bearings, gears, cogs and blades. They talked about working through the Atlantic Governors Alliance, formed last year in which we are notably absent. I plan to talk with Ron Stephens and see if we can’t talk to Governor Deal about signing up to become a member of this alliance, which represents everyone but Georgia on the East Coast in pursuit of developing off shore wind resources. This is an incredible economic development opportunity that we can participate in and now is the time. Kathryn Williams announced the second meeting to discuss the Memorial Park Master Plan Update. The meeting will be held on April 4th at 6:00pm at City Hall. She described the meeting as very informal and she encouraged everyone interested to attend. They intend to discuss the original recommendations and determine which ones they want to move forward on. Their recommendation list is as follows: Comprehensive drainage plan for the park. Seek the services of an environmental biologist and involve them in developing a drainage plan. They cited a biologist with DNR. The City Attorney needs to address the encroachment issues cited in the final report of the committee. Bubba has already started working on that. We discussed ADA compliance and we want the city to make sure that we are in compliance or just confirm it. It was brought up that we have handicap assessable picnic tables but there isn’t a ramp to get up on the slab of the pavilion. At the time of the original park committee, Cullen Chambers agreed to research the history of the pavilions that were constructed back by the CCC and also apply for any grants to rehabilitate them. Williams stated this is the list the committee wanted to present to council at the next council meeting. Woody Hemphill, Campground Manager announced the Vintage Trailer Tour coming up on April 9th from 11:00 to 2:00. Tickets can be purchased at Seaside Sisters and there is a web link on our websites: riversend.com and cityoftybee.org Hemphill gave the campground financial report for February 2011. Revenues were $57,100 up 25% from the February 2010. We had a good month but unfortunately it is a winter month in which our expenses exceed our revenues. March looks strong and seasonal is just about here, if not already here. We had a strong St. Patrick’s Day and are looking forward to a great April. Diane Schleicher said this information can be found on our website on the finance page, where we keep all of our financial documents. Wanda Doyle gave a public safety update. She said one of the items on today’s agenda was the stop signs on 2nd Ave. The consensus after a vote was taken was to make sure that all of the stop signs stay where they are. The recommendation was to do something at 7th and 13th. Mayor Buelterman asked how the stop signs are organized between Butler and Jones. There are some streets that have them and some do not. Doyle said she doesn’t know but it seems that over time they have been installed according to citizens requesting them. The committee discussed having a protocol and putting a procedure into place. Buelterman recommended the committee look at installing more stop signs between Butler and Jones to discourage people from using those streets in order to avoid traffic backups on Butler or Jones. Doyle agreed to have the committee review this issue. Wanda Doyle explained a proposal coming from the Police Department for a student internship program through Armstrong, Savannah State and South University. They’ve talked to these three colleges and there is a really big interest in getting interns who are seniors and are getting their Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, to come and help with bike, foot, and beach patrols. Schleicher and Hughes will work out the specifics but the students will have to be screened and have a background check. The plan is for only one student from each college. This program is working well in Virginia Beach. Chief Bryson and Demory Bishop have worked together to get the information for this proposal in order to bring it to council. Schleicher clarified that the interns will not have arrest powers but will be observers and will be assisting by observation. They will not have a uniform that looks like a police officer. Kathryn Williams stated for clarification back when council was exchanging e-mails on the stop sign, it was brought up when Diane came to Tybee one of the questions she asked in trying to establish what she had authority over was signage. If we are going to change the way we handle that process, I think we need to have some dialogue about it and come up with the protocols so that we are not informally changing it but are doing it through the proper channels and everyone is on the same page. Chantel Morton gave a brief update about the better hometown program. She said Main Street is Economic Development within the context of Historic Preservation. She recently attended Downtown Development Day at the Georgia Capital and the following statistics from Main Street and better hometown communities were shared: Net new jobs created 2,600; roughly 900 new businesses opened in 2010; $130 Million private and public investments in 2010; 3.5 Million people attended events within downtowns of these communities. For the City of Tybee there were 6 new businesses opened; twenty four new jobs created; $257,843 public/private investments and over 10,000 people have attended events staged in the corridor since July, 2010. She gave updates on the Tybee Shuttle and the Locals Appreciation Card. Third Thursday’s start up again on April 21st from 5:30 to 6:30 at the South End. The third annual BHT Community Visioning Workshop will be on April 20, 2011 from 5-6:00pm in the City Hall Auditorium. Mayor Buelterman commended Chantel for doing an outstanding job. Wanda Doyle gave the Public Safety Committee’s recommendation to council to accept the new Special Event Application revision. She explained the revisions are helpful because they tell you who to see for the permits associated with special events. Diane Schleicher explained that one of the more significant items is standardizing that all the parades on Tybee could start as late as 3:00 with the exception of the Beach Bum. Wanda Doyle moved to approve the changes to the special event permit application, Frank Schuman seconded. The vote was unanimous. Mike Neil, President, Tybee Island Marine Science Center Foundation gave updates on programs such as Sidewalk to the Sea, where literally thousands of children will be coming out to Tybee; Turtle Trot on April 30th; Sea Kayak race on June 4th. He requested city council to look into an ordinance banning the taking of non regulated live shells including sand dollars and hermit crabs. He said we all enjoy walking along the beach and collecting “dead” shells but the harvesting of live shells threatens this practice. We need to protect the asset of these live animals for the future and visitors. Frank Schuman stated there is a lot of rental property surrounding his property and he often sees ghost crabs running across his property. People go out at night and collect them along with live sand dollars that you see lined up on their driveways. People don’t realize that sand dollars are a sand stabilizer. He is in favor of creating an ordinance to protect these valuable assets. Dick Smith stated that the proceeds from Sisters on the Fly will go to the Tybee Theater. Please buy a ticket because we need the money to get the theater up and running in order to have plays and movies on Saturday mornings. Mayor Buelterman gave the list of consent agenda items and called for a motion. Paul Wolff moved to approve the consent agenda, Frank Schuman seconded. The vote was unanimous. 1st Reading Section 34.85, Business Site Location: Parking Area -removal 13th Street from available sites. Discussion: Mayor Buelterman said this item came out of the Saturday workshop and the consensus of council was to remove the location from the ordinance. Wanda Doyle moved to approve the removal of 13th Street location from the beach business ordinance, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. 1st Reading, Section 3-020, continuance of nonconforming uses/structures. Bubba Hughes said 3-020 has been changed according to discussions at the workshop and the provisions have been made that basically permit the expansion of non conforming residential uses or structures, if it won’t further encroach and will otherwise comply with all the other building codes. It’s for structures that are only non-conforming to the extent that they already encroach on the setback. Kathryn Williams moved to approve 1st reading on section 3-020.Paul Wolff seconded. The vote was unanimous. 2nd Reading, Section 3-070, Permissible Structures per lot/accessory structures-1st Reading was approved on December 13, 2010. Bubba Hughes said this is a troublesome ordinance but Dianne Otto is anxious to get something on the books regarding this topic because right now we don’t have anything. Doyle asked for the definition of accessory structure. Hughes said it is a building subordinate to the main building on the same lot and used for purposes customarily incidental to the use of the main building. It’s just an accessory it can’t be used as a residential or commercial building. It’s intended to address it as a storage shed, green house or detached garage; anything of that nature. This subject comes up frequently because you can have only one principal structure on a lot. Buelterman asked for definition of principle structure. Hughes said in residential it would be the main house. Kathryn Williams moved to approve 3-070 on 2nd Reading, Paul Wolff seconded Bill Garbett suggested 3-070 be carried over to the next meeting. Kathryn Williams said given that two council members did not receive a copy of the ordinance, she would withdraw her motion, Paul Wolff withdrew his second but said the ordinance contains only the changes suggested during the council meetings and workshop that they all agreed upon. Hughes suggested having all new black and white documents of proposed ordinances for council’s review at the next meeting. After discussing Buelterman suggested Hughes provide what he thinks is best for council to review. Shirley Sessions moved to continue 3-070 to April 14th, Wanda Doyle seconded. The vote was unanimous. 1st Reading, Section 3-080, Off Street Parking Requirements. Hughes said the changes from the workshop are highlighted, Buelterman suggested they approve it as 1st reading and come back and amend the table at 2nd reading based on if somebody can find out if there are state or national standards with respect to dimensions for off-street parking. Kathryn Williams moved to approve section 3-080 on 1st reading, Paul Wolff seconded. The vote was unanimous. 1st Reading , Article 3, Sections 3-010, 3-090, 3-100, 3-110, 3-120, 3-150, 3-160, 3-165, 3-170, 3-180, 3-210, 3-220, 3-230, and 3-240. 3-010-Paul Wolff moved to approve for 1st reading, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. 3-090- Bill Garbett moved to approve as written, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. 3-100- Paul Wolff moved to insert requirement for special review before any alteration, damage or removal of dunes is allowed, Kathryn Williams seconded, Paul Wolff moved to amend his motion to exempt the city from the requirement to have a special review for public projects, Kathryn Williams seconded. Doyle asked if this would mean the organizers of the Polar Bear Plunge would have to have a special review in order to put that little fence up. Williams said she didn’t see how that would apply to altering, damaging or removing the dunes. Buelterman said that should be determined as part of the special event permits process. The vote was Wolff, Williams, Garbett, Schuman and Sessions in favor and Doyle opposed. 3-110-Paul Wolff said there is a huge distinction between modular homes and manufactured homes. He recommended changing the wording from manufactured to modular homes. After discussion it was decided to ask Bubba Hughes to look into those distinctions and get the right wording. 3-120-Council looked at this ordinance and determined no changes were needed. 3-150 Prohibited uses in Residential Districts. Kathryn Williams moved to approve Section 3-150 with striking of the phrase in open areas, Bill Garbett seconded. The vote was unanimous. 3-160 Screening between adjacent residential and commercial. Wanda Doyle asked if grass could be used. Paul Wolff said no because this is talking about screening. Bill Garbett said his notes reflect that grass can be used because it was discussed when Gerald was asking about a vegetative buffer and we said yes that 6 feet of grass was the vegetative buffer. Bill said if you are in a C-1 or C-2 district you should expect commercial activities next to you and why wouldn’t the residential user have to provide as much of the buffer as the commercial user. Bubba explained his interpretation; if this ordinance is passed like it is, the burden would be on the commercial establishment. Kathryn asked that they discuss this more at a later time because it has a lot of implications. Action Items List: Wanda Doyle requested the addition of Salt Meadows/the extension of Polk Street under zoning to keep it moving forward. Schleicher said they are getting estimates on the cost to present during the budget. Shirley Sessions asked if Jack Kingston had been able to check out derelict structures at low tide. Buelterman answered no, it was high tide when Jack Kingston visited on St. Patrick’s Day. Mayor Buelterman asked if they could remove #6 -the Coast Fest from the list because whenever he asks about hosting they say “it isn’t going to happen”. Kathryn agreed. Kathryn Williams asked if # 2, about the restrooms had been completed, She said we can change on-going to completed. Mayor Buelterman asked that anyone with additional items to be added or deleted send an e-mail. Paul Wolff asked if anyone had any ideas about how to use the ceramic building. He said the building has been cleaned out and has a lot of space with new windows and new roof. Diane Schleicher said we would have to do an asbestos remediation before we could use that building because the floor has asbestos. It would have to be budgeted. Paul asked if anyone had ideas on how to use it once it is remediated. Kathryn Williams asked about #22 The trash ordinance labels and where we are with getting them on the trash cans with an update on enforcement. Schleicher said she would have the Chief send a report on how many stickers have been issued. Paul Wolff requested a second sticker for repeatedly overflowing trash receptacles. To be addressed with vacation rentals or an amendment to Waste Pro contract for extra pickup or extra cans. Kathryn Williams said that #33 the Personnel Ordinance needs to be more extensive and address accrued time off. Shirley Sessions asked for an update on #21 Occupation Tax Update. Hughes said it has been done. Paul Wolff requested scratching # 28. The Beach Task Force letter has been done. Kathryn Williams and Paul Wolff commented that we need to keep this list clean in order to avoid going through fifty things every time. Kathryn Williams asked Diane Schleicher if she wanted to bring anything on the short term work program to council’s attention. Schleicher said she was not prepared to address that at this time. Shirley Sessions thanked the council committees’ for submitting their minutes and asked if the bicycle committee took minutes. Diane Schleicher said she has received Jonathan Lynn’s CD and has not has a chance to review its contents. Kathryn Williams asked for council’s response to take back to the Memorial Park Committee concerning the recommendations requested tonight. Mayor Buelterman asked if they were all budgetary issues. Kathryn answered no; the drainage plan would be and maybe the services of the environmental biologist because she doesn’t know if they would do that as a service provided by the DNR; Bubba is working on the encroachment issue. She asked Diane if Joe would be the one to insure that we have ADA compliance throughout the park. Diane responded yes he would. Diane said she looked at the pavilion at the park and there is a ramp going into the pavilion. Kathryn said we could certainly talk to Cullen about doing some research and applying for grants if council is in agreement. Bill Garbett said they have budgeted for the Bike Path but they are waiting to get the drainage. Diane Schleicher explained we have engineering budgeted with Downer through the zoning and planning dept., but, it depends on the cost and she has asked him to do a cost estimate on doing the work on that floor plan and also a new survey for the project. Paul Wolff moved to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel, Kathryn Williams seconded. The vote was unanimous. City Manager and Clerk of Council were excused. Paul Wolff moved to return to open session, Frank Schuman seconded. The vote was unanimous. Paul Wolff moved to adjourn, Frank Schuman seconded. The vote was unanimous.