About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2025)
A6 Fayette County News Wednesday, October 8, 2025 PTC, Continued from Front troduce an item under staff and council topics, and con sensus had to be reached in a public meeting, by mayor and council, to determine if further investigation and re search into the matter was warranted prior to bringing the item back for official ac tion at a subsequent meeting. Items were not allowed to be placed or discussed on the agenda if council had decided the issue within the previous 180 days. The newly amended ordi nance retains the same proto col for staff requesting adding items. The new version of the or dinance now allows for “any council member [to] submit a written request to the city clerk for inclusion of an item on the agenda of a regular council meeting, provided such request is announced in council/staff topics at least one council meeting prior to the scheduled meeting date. A motion or item pre NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE The Mayor and Council for the Town of Tyrone, Georgia have tentatively adopted a millage rate which will require an increase in property taxes by 1.86% percent in 2025. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increase to be held at the Ty rone Municipal Complex, 950 Senoia Road, Ty rone, Georgia 30290 on October 16, 2025 at 7:00 pm. The times and places of additional public hearings are at the Tyrone Municipal Complex, 950 Senoia Road, Tyrone, Georgia 30290 on October 21, 2025 at 9:00 am, and October 23, 2025 at 6:00 pm. Final adoption will be held at a special called Council meeting on October 23, 2025 at 6:30 pm. This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 2.889 mills, an increase of .063 mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 2.826 mills. The proposed tax in crease for a home with a fair market value of $525,000 is approximately $13.10 and the pro posed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $425,000 is approx imately $10.71. CURRENT 2025 PROPERTY TAX DIGEST AND 5-YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY TOWN OF TYRONE 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 REAL & PERSONAL 489,201,170 521,129,376 601,796,842 662,874,823 714,767,510 760,681,785 MOTOR VEHICLE 5,196,310 4,202,760 3,851,020 3,646,170 3,236,200 2,998,310 MOBILE HOMES 50,553 48,793 48,673 48,673 133,440 175,424 TIMBER - 100% 0 0 0 0 0 0 HEAVY DUTY EQUIPMENT 69,573 25,165 19,709 5,542 94,430 69,974 GROSS DIGEST 494,517,606 525,406,094 605,716,244 666,575,208 718,231,580 763,925,493 LESS M&O EXEMPTIONS 17,765,461 16,309,132 15,238,612 20,519,144 21,721,873 54,476,772 NET M&O DIGEST 476,752,145 509,096,962 590,477,632 646,056,064 696,509,707 709,448,721 GROSS M&O MILLAGE 5.700 5.619 5.426 5.515 5.558 5.715 LESS ROLLBACKS 2.811 2.730 2.537 2.626 2.669 2.826 NET M&O MILLAGE 2.889 2.889 2.889 2.889 2.889 2.889 NET TAXES LEVIED 1,377,337 1,470,781 1,705,890 1,866,456 2,012,217 2,049,597 NET TAXES $ INCREASE 80,781 93,444 235,109 160,566 145,761 37,381 NET TAXES % INCREASE 6.23% 6.78% 15.99% 9.41% 7.81% 1.86% viously decided by council shall not be placed on the agenda or brought before the body within 180 days of its disposition, except by a member who voted with the prevailing side. “All proposed agenda items shall be accompanied by an item description, support ing documentation, including draft materials, relevant back ground information, and source citations, if applicable, to be submitted to the city clerk by the mayor, council members, or city staff prior to publication of the meeting agenda packet.” When the item was intro duced for discussion on Oct. 2, Mayor Pro Tem Clint Holland immediately moved to amend the ordinance. He stated his proposed changes serve the following purposes: •Safeguard the rights of council members so none are denied opportunities to place items on the agenda for con sideration. •Allow for re-addressing issues if discovered that changes are necessary, made only by members of the pre vailing side. •Promote transparency and preparation by requiring agenda items be disclosed to council members ahead of time. •Ensure availability of supporting documentation in cluding drafts and documen tation materials for review by council and the public prior to a meeting. Councilwoman Laura Johnson explained she and Holland had discussed the issue and she was grateful for a change and appreciated ad ditional transparency, rec ommending additionally requiring a memo be sub mitted alongside supporting documentation. She also asked if staff had time to review the proposed amendment prior to the meeting, which staff con firmed. No members of staff presented objections. Mayor Kim Learnard ex pressed her opposition to a rushed vote, saying she needed more time to consider. She claimed she was “just seeing it for the first time this morning,” adding that al though she was “not prepared to support it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit.” Johnson agreed with Learnard, adding that council rarely calls for votes during work sessions. “Transparency is our goal, and we want transparency for council as well,” Johnson stated. “You have the support you need, but I think we can consider it [later].” Councilwoman Suzanne Brown said she would accept tabling the item if potential changes discussed during the meeting would be integrated into the next discussion. Holland then made a mo tion to amend his original mo tion to include requiring an item description alongside agenda item requests, which was approved 3-1 (Learnard opposed). While discussing the mo tion for amending the ordi nance which was still on the table, Johnson reiterated she would be more comfortable voting in the next meeting and allowing staff more time to re view. With staff stating they did not see any changes needed Tyrone, Continued from Front “Once this is done, how long do you anticipate until we are ready to go?” ‘We have a drinking foun tain we are going to be install ing, and we have three sinks and three toilets. The plumb ing is basically for all the bathrooms, there is no other plumbing but those,” said Langford. “After this we will be getting the electrical stuff. I’m thinking somewhere by the end of this calendar year.” Langford cited total proj ect costs are estimated at about $200,000. The meeting continued with Assistant Town Manager Phillip Trocquet presenting a contract revision with Keck and Wood regarding scope of services, which was approved. He stated the original con tract excluded onsite inspec tions and reviews of landscape plans. “These were services staff intended to include in the contract scope but were over looked,” said Trocquet. “No change has been made to the terms of condition of the con tract or to the hourly rates that were listed.” Council then approved a change order request for Ty- Langford, Continued from Front ‘“I am proud of the record we have built in Brooks,” Langford said. “Folks keep finding our little piece of heaven and settling here, which must mean we’ve done something right to make it so desirable a place for new residents. I think there are at least four components to that trend. “First, we sincerely strive to be as un-intrusive a government presence as for clarification, Brown noted the action was a procedural change for council actions that can be done again, if needed. “We have latitude of mak ing those changes,” she said. “If we discover something fit to tweak, we can easily do that. It’s not like putting in a full ordinance.” Prior to calling for a vote, Learnard said her final thought was that there was merit to the proposed amend ment but opposed rushing a vote and noted she could not support it since she first saw the proposal that morning. The amended ordinance was approved, 3-1, with Lear nard in opposition. In other business, council: •Adopted the 2025 official intent resolution (reimburse ment resolution) that will allow the city to seek reim bursement through the Gov ernment Finance Corporation financing process for budgeted expenditures made prior to the actual financing arrangement. According to city staff, the resolution follows approval of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and is adopted to include, in future financing, any money paid directly or indirectly by rone’s incoming Shamrock Park Pavilion project regard ing contracted time of sub stantial completion. Terms are now set from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, with no additional cost as sociated with the delay. Delays reportedly oc curred due to issues like weather and third-party ma terial delivery complications. Associated companies have confirmed with staff that they are confident in this extension to be able to complete the project. “Do we really need this?” asked Campbell. “We do require [change orders]. They are necessary because, essentially, they are amendments to the contract,” said Trocquet. “Do we ever put a penalty clause if they don’t meet their date?” questioned Campbell. “These are not penalties, they are liquidated damages,” clarified Town Attorney Den nis Davenport. During public comments, a resident expressed concerns about living next to a “board ing house” and requested as sistance from council to help mitigate issues. “I stay next door to a boarding house,” he stated. “I have a wife and three small children, and that is some- possible. We are a com munity where nearly every one knows everyone else, and heavy-handed govern ment tactics that might seem normal elsewhere would be inappropriate here - we have to live with the folks we’re governing, and have to be able to look them in the eye and explain our decisions when we meet on the main street, in church, in the post office, or wherever our paths might cross, which we do. “Secondly, we are a very the general fund prior to fi nancing of expenditures for projects to be financed under the lease/purchase plan. •Adopted a resolution au thorizing staff to submit the city’s 2025 capital improve ments element annual update to Atlanta Regional Commis sion and Georgia Department of Community Affairs for re view and approved. The an nual submittal is required to retain status as a Qualified Local Government. •Approved a new alcohol license request for Smore Bake Standard at 310 Willow- bend Road, represented by Cole Isaacson. Staff stated the new busi ness will serve baked goods and plans to offer cake baking and decorating classes, for which wine will be served, prompting the need for an al cohol license. •Approved a new qualified location permit for Let’s Go Pickleball, located at 1001 Moba Drive, Suite A. Staff stated the business does not sell or serve alcohol during daily operations, but the QLP allows the company to apply for special event alcohol per mits when necessary. thing I just don’t want to tol erate.” He expressed how his family has been impacted negatively and how it is be coming a growing issue due to previous incidents with other residents that occupy the space. In other business: Council awarded a con tract to Goodwyn Mills Ca wood, LLC for engineering services associated with Han dley Park Public Works Building project’s electrical design at a cost not to exceed $5,000. •Town Manager Brandon Perkins presented a request from AMWaste to implement an upcoming rate increase based on the consumer price index, which was approved. Perkins cited an increase of 6.3 percent, raising prices per quarter from $65.85 to $70. According to staff re search, $70 is still lower than rates for customers in New nan, Fairburn, and Peachtree City, and a quote from Pollard Sanitation returned at $73 per quarter. “AMWaste will send noti fications to customers during the first week of December of this year,” said Perkins. conservative government from a fiscal standpoint. The Town of Brooks has no debt at any time, except for recurring bills that have just come in and not yet been paid, and we have adequate cash reserves. We are his torically very hesitant to in crease property taxes, and we try to run as lean a gov ernment as we possibly can. “Thirdly, I am proud to say that Brooks is just plain pretty. It almost seems at times that our downtown is sort of a Norman Rockwell scene in real time, it’s so pic turesque. This well- scrubbed appearance has taken a long time to accom plish, and it’s a fur cry’ (as we say in the South) from the rather down-at-the- heels look much of Brooks had for many years. “From our retro-looking downtown streetlights and our brick sidewalks to our character-laden old build ings that gleam with good care and keeping, down- town Brooks is beautiful. And as someone who has known Brooks for all his 62 years, I can assure readers that has not always been the case. “Finally, I think most folks in Brooks would say the mayor and council are just ordinary folks who try to do what they believe is best for the people of Brooks, with all the discern ment, common sense, inte grity, and decency they are able to bring to the task. “I believe my good record stands for itself, and I respectfully ask for your vote on Nov. 4,” Langford concluded.
