About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2023)
A2 Fayette County News Wednesday, August 23,2023 Fayetteville Holds Second Millage Rate Hearing Final Public Hearing, Adoption Set 9 a.m. Aug. 24 Nieber Named Building Official, Director of Fayette Building Safety Leslie Nieber has been named the new building of ficial/director of Fayette County Department of Building Safety, according to county representatives. Nieber will deliver services including permitting, plans examination, and inspec tions, in accordance with the construction codes and standards for the safety, health, and welfare of Fay ette citizens. "Leslie has the knowledge, skills, and operational ex perience to enhance the ef fectiveness of our day-to-day building and safety operations," Stephen Leslie Nieber Fayette County Rapson, Fayette County manager said. "I appreciate her service and willingness to lead Fayette County’s de velopment in the future. We are very fortunate to have her skills and expert - Luke Haney Editor lhaney@upsonbeacon.com During its Aug. 17 meet ing, Fayetteville City Coun cil held the second of three public hearings related to the proposed 5.646 millage rate which remains the same as 2022, creating a 17.65 percent digest in crease, derived from a 10.34 percent increase based on reassessment values and 7.34 percent from new growth. Director of Finance Mike Bush presented the information, explaining that the 10.34 percent in crease from reassessments and 7.31 percent from new growth will provide an ad ditional $1,327,887 in tax collections for the city over 2022. In 2022, the net digest in the city was $1,332,449,213. The 5.646 millage rate generated $7,523,008. The antici pated additional tax collec tions of $1.3 million are from reassessment values totaling an additional $146,979,178 and new growth adding $498,042.89. Total anticipated collec tions for 2023 equal $8,850,895.58. Bush explained that a homestead property in the city valued at $350,000 will see a tax increase of $76.06 per year or $6.18 per month, and non-homestead properties valued at $800,000 will see a tax in crease of $169.28 per year or $14.11 per month. Additionally, Bush pre sented an example of how tax dollars are divided for city residents. Of every tax dollar, 66 cents will go to the board of education, 16 cent goes to the board of county commissioners, and 18 cent stays in the City of Fayetteville. As the school board is the only of these entities proposing a millage rate in crease, Bush says that if a home is worth the same amount as it was in 2022, taxes will rise $7 because of the BOE changes. Of the total 5.646 mil lage rate, 5.199 mills will be used for the general fund and the remaining 0.447 mills go toward capital proj ects, of which most items being purchased are for public safety needs. Council will hold a final public hearing of the pro posed millage rate at 9 a.m. on Aug. 24, and potential adoption is scheduled for 9:10 a.m. following the pub lic hearing. In other news: •Council unanimously approved an amendment to the animals and fowl ordi nance to align with Fayette County Animal Control, which provides animal con trol services to the city through an intergovern mental agreement. Council also approved an amend ment to the animal control agreement with Fayette County alongside the ordi nance changes. •Council approved an ordinance for speed detec tion permit renewal. Police Chief Scott Gray told coun cil that an ordinance to use speed detection devices was approved last year, but as the school year ended in mid-2023, the board of education said school times have changed. The ordi nance will now mirror the school time zones, begin ning at 7 a.m. •Council approved an amendment to the unified development ordinance which Community and Eco nomic Development Direc tor David Rast says will “make the UDO more user friendly.” •Council approved a res olution to apply for Fayette County Development Au thority’s loan funding pro gram, which allows for three years interest free and requires a 50 percent match from the city. The funds will be used for the ongoing West Fayetteville Sewer Line Project, estimated at a total of $4.45 million. Commissioners Call Public Hearings Aug. 24 Fayette County Board of Commissioners will hold two special called public hearings on Thursday, Aug. 24, for the purpose of hearing public input on the millage rate in crease. The first hearing will be held at 10 a.m. and the sec ond hearing at 6 p.m. Both will be held in the public meeting room of Fayette County Administrative Complex, located at 140 Stonewall Avenue West in Fayetteville. Fayetteville Aug. 29 Work Session Canceled The Fayetteville City Council work session scheduled for Aug. 29 has been canceled due to lack of discussion items, according to city officials. The next work session is slated for Sept. 26. Tyrone DDA Partners with Collins Woods for RFQ V • Locally Owned • 7 floor Plans • Home-Cooked Meals • Housekeeping & Laundry • Saltwater Pool • Wellness Programs • Activity Programs • Assisted & Respite Care • Transportation • Dedicated Team • LPN on Duty CALL MIRNA TO SCHEDULE LUNCH WITH US! 105 Autumn Glen Circle Fayetteville, Georgia 770.461.0039 azaleaestatesfayetteville.com Plan to Redevelop Fire Station into Restaurant Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net Tyrone Downtown De velopment Authority con tinues to make strides in improving the experiences for Tyrone residents ven turing downtown, and during the Aug. 14 meet ing, members approved a partnership with Collins Woods for a request for qualifications to redevelop a fire station into a down town restaurant. The discussion of the RFQ was first mentioned earlier this year when the DDA considered the RFQ process to solicit a devel opment partner to lease and redevelop the 1.1-acre property that was once Fayette County Fire Sta tion 3. The project is to in clude developing the prop erty into a restaurant with an established business. The official title for this selection was “considera tion to approve applicant, Collins Woods, who is also the executive chief chef for the restaurant, for the RFQ for the fire station redevelopment project.” Tyrone DDA Chairman Billy Campbell said that it will be a great partnership and that Woods will be a key part of the positive things that are occurring in the town. In a press release written by the Town of Ty rone, the DDA announced that the restaurant “Neighbors” will be com ing to Tyrone in the down town district. “After a proposal and interview process, the 'Neighbors' team was awarded an RFQ to part ner with the DDA to ren ovate the old firehouse in the heart of Tyrone’s Town Center District (downtown) across from Town Hall. This innova tive project will transform the property into a mod ern restaurant, breathing new life into Tyrone’s core,” representatives from the DDA wrote. DDA members next approved a memorandum of understanding with Woods regarding the proj ect. DDA also approved a grant application for fund ing from the Fayette County Development Au thority. According to Community Development Director Philip Troquet, FCDA has a $300,000 grant program, and the DDA has completed a presentation to submit to FCDA for the grant, which will go toward the redevel opment of the fire station. k*t_ * ^ l)<m r.lt‘t \ youj* leg pain Find relief from: ( Varicos<? Veins Spider Veins Leg Swelling Tired, Achy Legs Heaviness or Fatigue Restless Legs at Night Itching, burning legs Leg ulcers TRUFFLES VEIN SPECIALISTS 874 W Lanier Ave. Fayetteville, GA 30214 678-833-1444 trufflesveinspecialists.com FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS P.0. Box 96, Fayetteville, Ca. 30214 Phone: 770-461-6317 ■ fayette-news.net Award-winning member of the Georgia Press Association and the National Newspaper association. The Staff: Luke Haney Editor, Digital Media Coordinator • support@fayette-news.net Leah Banks Investigative reporter • leah@fayette-news.net Jennifer Lyons Legals, General Manager • jennifer@fayette-news.net Brigitte Greer Advertising Consultant, Staff Writer • bgreer@fayette-news.net Debbie McClain, Publisher, Co-owner Bridge Turner, Editor in Chief, Co-owner Fayette County News (USPS 188-420) is published Wednesdays for in county rates of $40 yearly. Georgia out-of-county is $50, and out-of-state is $60. Published by Upson Newspapers, Inc., 219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, GA 30286. Periodicals postage at Fayetteville, GA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fayette County News, P.0. Box 96, Fayetteville, GA. 30214. Our Goal: Fayette County News is proudly published for the citizens of Fayette County and East Coweta by Upson Newspapers, Inc., owned and operated by Debbie McClain and Bridge Turner. Our goal is to produce qual ity, community-oriented publications of which our readers can be proud. We will attain that goal through diligence, teamwork, and dedication to printing the truth in an accurate, fair, balanced, and objective manner. Our Policies: Signed letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. We do not edit for content, only grammar, spelling, and punctuation when necessary, as designated by Associated Press style guidelines. Unsigned, li belous, or profane letters will not be published. Please limit letters to 400 words or less and to only two letters per month. Liability for errors in ad vertising will not exceed the space occupied by the error. We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials. The Meeting Place Fayette County Board of Educa tion meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Fayette County Commission meets the second and fourth Thurs day of the month at 5 p.m. Fayette County Planning Com mission meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Fayetteville City Council meets the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Fayetteville Planning Commis sion meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Fayetteville Work Session meet ing on the last Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. at Fayetteville City Hall. Peachtree City Council meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Peachtree City Planning Com mission meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Town Council meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Planning Commission meets the second and fourth Thurs day of the month at 7 p.m. Tyrone Downtown Devel opment Authority meets at 9 a.m. on the second Monday of the month. Brooks Town Council meets the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m.