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Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Vol. 13 No. 6 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Hoschton mayor, council races contested
The upcoming March 24 special elections Hope Weeks and Shannon Sell qualified on the Hoschton City Council since she is main (see related story),
to fill the unexpired seats of Hoschton mayor for the Hoschton mayor’s seat during qual- seeking the mayor position. That leaves the Meanwhile, the election to fill Cleveland’s
Theresa Kenerly and councilman Jim Cleve- ifying last week. Weeks, who has served on city council inoperable until the March 24 seat will also be a contested race, with Ra-
land will both be contested. the council since 2018, had to resign her seat election since only two council members re- phael Mayberry facing James Lawson.
The Hoschton City Council held a called meeting
Jan. 9 to approve an updated spending policy that
will allow the town to operate until April without
council votes. Council member Hope Weeks (left)
resigned her position the following day to run for
mayor, leaving only two council members, Adam
Ledbetter (center) and Shantwon Astin (right). Two
members aren’t a quorum so the council will likely
not meet again until April.
Hoschton council
‘on vacation’
Council
meetings on
hold until April
as no quorum
possible
By Mike Buffngton
mike@mainstreetnews. com
And then there were —
just — two.
With only two sitting
members left, the Hoschton
City Council’s ability to
hold votes and conduct
business will be on ice until
April.
Although the council had
a meeting slated for Jan. 13
— and did a preliminary call
to order with a roll call, a
prayer and the pledge to the
flag — the council couldn’t
hold an official meeting to
discuss or transact business
since it no longer has a quo
rum of members.
Following last week’s res
ignation of council member
Hope Weeks, who qualified
to run for mayor and had to
relinquish her council seat
to do so, only two members
of the council are left —
Shantwon Astin and Adam
Ledbetter. (See other story
for city election updates.)
City attorney Thom
as Mitchell told the small
crowd of citizens that with
out a quorum, the city can’t
do business and that the
meeting “fails for the lack
of a quorum.”
If there is some kind of
major emergency before the
March election to fill two
empty council seats, Mitch
ell said the city would have
to go back to court and seek
a solution that would allow
just two council members
to vote. The town had pre
viously gotten court clear
ance to hold votes with
three members, but without
a mayor following the res
ignation of Theresa Kenerly
in December.
Saying there would likely
not be any meetings until
April, mayor pro tern Led
better joked that the next
three months would be “a
vacation for everyone.”
Ledbetter and Astin did
take some comments and
questions from citizens on
Jan. 13, including a com
ment from planning and
zoning board member Jan
Gailey who questioned why
Ledbetter had attended the
Jan. 10 meeting of the city’s
planning and zoning board,
saying that was improper.
Ledbetter said he had
never attended a planning
board meeting before and
wanted to see how it oper
ates. Mitchell said it wasn’t
improper for Ledbetter to
attend the meeting.
WORK AROUND FOR
FINANCES
While the council may
not be able to meet for a few
months, it did anticipate the
problem and last week, ad
opted a tentative spending
plan that will allow the town
to function financially with
out an official council vote.
In a called meeting Jan.
See Hoschton, page 2A
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www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com
Braselton leaders sworn-in
JOEDECKE SWORN-IN
Jim Joedecke is sworn-in at the Braselton Town Council’s Jan. 9 meeting. Joedecke was elected to the
council in the Nov. 5 election. Pictured are (L-R): Braselton mayor Bill Orr, Jim Joedecke and Stephanie
Joedecke.
RICHARDSON SWORN-IN
Mayor Bill Orr swears in Braselton Town Council member Becky Richardson at the council’s meeting
Jan. 9. See more on page 3.
Three failed votes lead to deferral
Braselton tables
decision on large
residential project
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
After three unsuccessful votes,
Braselton leaders voted Jan. 13 to
defer a request for a large residential
development near Chateau Elan.
In a split vote, the Braselton Town
Council voted to defer a decision on
annexation, rezoning and a master
plan change for the 141 acres off
Duncan Creek Rd. Meritage Homes
of Georgia plans to develop 321 de
tached single-family lots on the prop
erty.
The deferral came after three votes
failed to get a majority.
New council member Jim Joedecke
first made a motion to deny it with a
second by Bill Orr. When that failed
to get a third vote, Hardy Johnson
made a motion to approve the request
with a second by Becky Richardson.
That vote also failed and Peggy
Slappey made a motion to defer the
request until the next meeting. Her
motion failed, too, and town manag
er Jennifer Scott notified the council
that no action meant automatic ap
proval. so Joedecke voted to defer
the request until March. The vote was
split, but ultimately approved.
In discussions about the project, Jo
edecke said he struggled with calling
the development a planned unit de
velopment (PUD). (Most of the prop
erty — excluding 30 acres requested
for annexation — is zoned PUD and
was originally part of the larger Cha
teau Elan PUD.)
Joedecke argued Meritage’s project
doesn’t fit the PUD zoning standard.
“The PUD statute says that zoning
district is intended to establish a truly
unique development in which con
ventional design requirements and
districts cannot accommodate.” said
Joedecke. “And, at least from what
I heard in the testimony (at the work
session Thursday, Jan. 9), I don’t
think we have that here,”
Joedecke noted a PUD must have
two separate land uses, a requirement
the proposed development doesn’t
meet.
MINI-GOLF REQUEST NIXED
In other business, the council re
jected a conditional use that would
allow a mini-golf establishment.
Joanne Liu requested the condi
tional use for 2.3 acres at 7304 and
7310 Spout Springs Rd.
Liu initially planned to put a min
iature golf course and batting cages
on the property, but eliminated the
request for the batting cages ahead of
the Jan. 9 work session.
The request raised opposition from
area residents, who cited concerns
with property values, noise and light
ing nuisances.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also at its meeting, the council ap
proved:
See Braselton, page 2A
