Newspaper Page Text
November 9, 2022
Page 8B
•Reporter
Monroe Countians honor veterans with flags
Above front, Claude and Marty Curlee were the driving force
behind the project to secure funding for flags to honor veterans.
They also worked to obtain permission from Monroe County to
put the flags on display around the courthouse for Federal holi
days. (Photos courtesy of Denise Herring)
Representatives of Monroe County
Republican Party, Vietnam Veterans of
America Chapter #946 and Lt James
Monroe National Society of the Daugh
ters of the American Revolution worked
this week to put up United States flags
around the Monroe County Courthouse
square in anticipation of Veterans Day
on Friday. They also added flags of the
various U.S. military branches.
Above, on North Jackson Street, Peyton and Cash Smith
assist in placing the U.S. Army flag. Left, on West Johnston
Street, Harrison Rogers and his father, Michael, helped place
the U.S. Coast Guard flag.
A traditional Veterans Day program is planned on the lawn of the Monroe County Courthouse at the 11th hour of the 11th day
of the 11th month (Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.) In case of rain the program will be moved to the Monroe County Clubhouse on
Chambers Street, behind Monroe County Library.
Annexation
continued from 5B
they are paying now.
“I’m for annexation, but
we have to be careful,” said
Wilson. “How will we pay
for services with no new
found revenue?”
Wilson said that after an
nexation the city will show
population growth in the
2030 census and will merit
a larger percentage of the
LOST revenue.
Addressing a goal of
better communication with
state legislators, Stroud said
he hasn’t found the legisla
tors that represent Forsyth
responsive and feels they
need to come to Forsyth
and reach out to council.
Wilson suggested hosting
the legislators in Forsyth
before the holidays, to in
clude Robert Dickey, Dale
Washburn, John Kennedy
and David Knight. Stroud
said that was too quick,
that they should host them
after the 2023 legislative
session. They agreed to
ask the Georgia Municipal
Association to coordinate
a meeting with legislators
in September or October
2023.
The third goal for 2023
to be discussed was public
transit and funding for it,
Stroud said public trans
portation is a topic he hears
at his town hall meetings,
particularly for the elder
ly. He said there is a need
and the solution could
involve a partnership with
the county. Wilson said
there is a state program
called “5311” that provides
transportation by making
appointments. He said it
can be a partnership with
the county.
The next goal discussed
was infrastructure, includ
ing water, sewer and roads.
“We need to sit down as
a council and envision our
role as a water producer,”
said Wilson. “We need a vi
sion for growth. We know
it’s coming on the interstate
corridor. It’s going to hap
pen; we need to plan.”
“We need to look at traffic
patterns,” said Stroud. “It’s
already backed up. It’s
horrible.”
Dodd asked Hall for a
current map of the city
limits to help council plan
for annexation and public
transportation. Hall said
she has up-to-date maps
and would provide them
to council but they aren’t
on the website or accessible
except through her. Hall
didn’t provide the city lim
its map to the Reporter.
Stroud asked who is now
handling code enforcement
for the city since the former
code enforcement officer
is no longer working full
time for Forsyth. Hall said
that she and ‘Henderson
are responsible for code
enforcement. She said no
one currently with the city
is folly trained in code
enforcement. She said
training isn’t required but is
an advantage.
Stroud then said that the
city’s public works building
on Cabaniss Road should
be torn down and a new
building constructed. Hall
agreed with him and said
Mike Batchelor, utilities de
partment head, is working
on a plan. Hall said the city
would like to tear down the
current building and build
a combined fire station and
shop. She said it is import
ant to have enough parking
for public works. Hall said
the city turned the old
block building at the Splash
Pad into the “best looking
bathrooms in the city” and
would like to transform the
public works building in
the same way and “get out
of that rat hole.”
She said the plan is to
move public works into
the city inventory building
temporarily to give em
ployees a decent place to
report and to sit down on
breaks and eat.
“Look at the difference
between this building [the
new city hall] and that,”
said Stroud.
There was discussion
about how to provide ad
equate parking, including
parking for the city’s bucket
trucks, and how to provide
access for delivery trucks.
“We need to give them a
safe working environment,”
said Stroud.
“It will mean volumes to
them,” said Hall.
Discussion then moved
on to the need for afford
able housing in Forsyth,
including what “affordable”
housing currently means.
Stroud said Forsyth needs
to recruit developers of
lower pricer housing,
showing parcels that are
available and zoned for
development. Discussion
followed on the impact
of devaluation of Plant
Scherer on the tax base.
The impact is greater on
the county than the city,
but Wilson said Forsyth
needs to seek industrial
growth and diversity in the
economy to bring jobs that
will offset the loss.
Stroud then opened dis
cussion of traffic problems
in the area os Kimball
Street and Harris Street.
Council has previously dis
cussed making the streets
one-way or closing one of
the streets. The streets are
near Jonah’s on Johnston
and Fox City Brewing
Company. Stroud said
that parking is more of an
issue than the traffic on the
streets.
Dodd said he is opposed
to making the streets one
way and thinks that raising
the sidewalks will help.
Hall said the city engineer
doesn’t agree with raising
the sidewalks because of
the stormwater drains.
Stroud suggested removing
all of the concrete bumpers
so that vehicles can pull
further forward and have
better vision when leaving.
Wilson said the city must
be sure to cut all rebar if it
removes the bumpers.
Stroud said the area near
Alderman Hall, Forsyth
Presbyterian Church and
the dance studio has horri
ble blind spots for drivers.
Dodd said the area at Tiff
College Road and Patrol
Road is also dangerous,
and Stroud added the roads
near the new Quik Trip as
another traffic concern.
Hall said Georgia DOT is
looking at the traffic near
the new Quik Trip.
Stroud asked what prog
ress is being made on the
Parks plan; Hall said the
city presently has funding
to complete half of the
plan and the city engineer
is working on it. Stroud
said he never sees anyone
using Milledge Circle Park
or Hill Street Park. Hall
said the plan is to remove
playground equipment
at Hill Street and expand
the basketball courts,
upgrading the playground
at Milledge Circle. Stroud
said if residents aren’t using
the park equipment maybe
the equipment should be
removed and Hill Street
and Milledge Circle should
be green space parks like
the city’s Park Circle park.
Stroud said he doesn’t
even see anyone using the
playground at Kynette Park
since there was a fire at
Kynette. However, he sees
a lot of use of the city park
on Country Club Drive.
Dodd, who lives near
Country Club Drive, said
he is seeing younger fam
ilies with children moving
into his subdivision and
using the park Stroud
said the new pickle ball
courts will bring even more
people to the Country Club
Drive Park.
“I want to make sure we
don’t go back to the 70s
and 80s when we had a
white folks park and a
black folks park and the
black folks park doesn’t get
adequate funding.”
Hall said the city doesn’t
have equipment or staff
to properly maintain the
park even if it only com
pletes half of the planned
additions. Wilson said the
city should contract out its
grass cutting and landscap
ing so as to use city staff in
more needed areas.
“A vibrant city keeps up
its cemetery” said Dodd
in relation to grass cutting
and landscaping.
Wilson asked Ivie to
present a project she is
working on at city hall. Ivie
said she saw a wall gallery
at a conference in Athens
and is working to utilize
the open space in the lobby
of city hall in the same way.
She started by enlarging
pictures of the recent city
hall open house and will
change out the pictures as
new events happen.
Stroud said he wished
there were some historic
pictures, such as Buddy’s
Tastee Freeze, the origi
nal Dairy Queen and the
Nancy Cinema, to display
at city hall. Me said she
will ask Monroe County
Historical Society for some
old pictures.
“I think it’s important for
us to remember where we
come from,” said Stroud.
In other business Stroud
proposed a work session in
2023 for updating Forsyth’s
zoning ordinances, espe
cially regarding lot sizes
and mixed use zoning. Hall
said she has tasked Forsyth
economic development
director Cody Ellis with
reviewing city ordinances
and he is bringing one
to council about fencing
around pools. Hall would
like to see zoning change
in areas like Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive where busi
nesses are repeatedly com
ing to Planning & Zoning
for variances.
Hall said the $30 million
USDA loan to Forsyth for
water and sewer improve
ments should close soon
and the city will begin
reimbursing itself for the
emergency water and
sewer repairs it has funded
while waiting for the loan
to close. It will provide the
water and sewer tie-in’s for
the H&H property. Hall
said the city will open bids
for replacement of the
sewer line to Highway 41
noon Nov. 8.
In discussion of appoint
ments to city board for
2023, Stroud said board
members shouldn’t serve
more than two terms and
that Forsyth needs more
diversity on boards. Stroud
said the Planning & Zoning
Board needs new blood.
In response, the difficulty
in folding citizens who
will agree to serve on
city boards and who will
then be dependable about
attending meetings and
being informed was noted.
“If not them [members
of Planning & Zoning who
have served faithfully for
many years], then who?”
said Wilson.
Hall said there are
different requirements for
different boards. Whereas
Planning & Zoning mem
bers must either live or
operate a business within
Forsyth city limits, the
Housing Authority serves
a radius 10 miles outside
of city limits. Housing Au
thority terms expire in May
instead of December like
the other boards, and the
mayor makes the appoint
ments rather than council.
The CVB Authority
board members must rep
resent specific segments of
economic development in
the city, but the Tree Board
has an unlimited number
of members and there are
no dates of appointment.
On other boards, like the
Library board, the Health
Department board and
the Regional Commission,
the city only appoints one
member.
Wilson said many cities
pay stipends to board
members for attending
meetings and stipends
might be a way to im
prove attendance and get
more citizens interested in
serving. He said it is usually
$25 or $50 per meeting.
Hall said there are about
28 people on city boards;
at $50/meeting, that would
cost the city $16,000/year.
She said paying board
members might threaten
the non-profit status of the
CVB board; Hall said she
will check with the city
attorney on the impact
stipends would have on
boards.
In a discussion of the
city’s 2023 budget Hall said
the initial proposed budget
shows a $750,000 surplus
but that doesn’t include any
salary increases or adjust
ment for increased health
insurance costs. Health in
surance has been negotiat
ed down some but will still
have a substantial increase
because of four large claims
that total about $535,000.
One claim is $400,000 and
three others are $70-80,000
each.
Hall said for the last five
years the city’s increased
cost for health insurance
has been none to very small
but is expected to increase
$285,530, which is 54
percent, in 2023. She said
it has been recommended
that the city not go to self
funding or other plans
where claims would be
reviewed. She said in past
years the city has accepted
a lower bid from a compa
ny one year only to have
a significant increase the
following year.
Ivie said she is reviewing
information from other
cities on the utility fees
they charge, including
reconnection fees, re-read
ing meters, after hours
service, having personnel
at events, hydrant meter
charges, connections for
developers during con
struction, etc. She said that
software makes it hard to
let customers pick their due
dates or to allow a pre-pay
utilities plan.