Blairsville City Council dispels Eclipse Day fears, lowers 2017 Millage Rate, reveals need for major Blairsville City Water System upgrade

Blairsville, GA – The Blairsville City Council convened at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017 for the regular August Meeting. Mayor Jim Conley, City Attorney David Barrett, City Clerk Kaye McCann and all Council Members were present.

Michael Collins, owner of Michaelee’s Italian Life Caffe, asked Conley for an update on preparations for the upcoming Eclipse Day on Sept. 21st. Collins said that he was asking, not only for himself, but for all business owners in the immediate downtown Blairsville area. Conley responded that all Blairsville Police Officers and all Union County Sheriff’s Deputies will be on duty that day (double shifts). Conley said there will be Porta-Potties on The Square. Conley said, and other Council Members agreed, that no one really knows what to expect or how many people to prepare for, so, they’re going to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. He said no road closures are expected at this time. Conley said estimates on the influx of visitors in Union County range between 8,000 and 40,000 people, depending on who you’re talking to; parking, he said, will be the major concern during the approximately two minutes of the event. He said the third and final closed EMA Meeting to discuss Eclipse Day planning/preparations will be on Thursday, August 17th .

McCann explained to the Council the need for decreasing the millage rate. She said because of property revaluations ordered by the State of Georgia, the City of Blairsville Tax Digest (total amount of property tax liability) had increased. To avoid having to advertise that there had been a tax increase (in total revenue, not the rate), she said the Millage Rate would need to be reduced. The Council voted unanimously to reduce the Millage Rate from 2.0 mils to 1.945 mils in order to keep the total amount of tax revenue the same as last year.

Chip McGaughey, engineer with EMI, addressed the Council regarding the grit problem at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. McGaughey described the problem as sand that enters into the sewer system via rainwater which, in turn, goes into the Wastewater Treatment Plant and damages the pumps. Conley commented that there is a dire need for a grit removal system to keep the grit away from the new sophisticated Water Treatment system, which is costing the City thousands of dollars each year in maintenance costs. McGaughey ‘guesstimated’ the total cost of the project to be in the neighborhood of $750-800,000. He strongly suggested that the Council take steps to apply with Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) for Principal Forgiveness (Grant) and a low interest loan. He requested that the Council authorize his firm to proceed with an environmental study, which is the first step in the loan process with GEFA. McGaughey also requested that the Council allow him to order a survey so he can begin a formal cost analysis for the project. The Council unanimously approved McGaughey’s requests to proceed with an environmental study and a survey.

Conley addressed the Airport Liability Insurance Agenda item. He said there will be a $420/yr. increase in the General Liability & Products/Completed Ops insurance in order to raise the limit to $5,000,000. The addition of Airport Hangar Keeper’s Legal Liability Insurance will cost $8,033/yr. The total yearly premium for both would be $10,033yr. Conley said that he would rather be safe than sorry and advised approval. The Council voted to approve the insurance with Rhonda Mahan abstaining to avoid conflict of interest.

UCBI (United Community Bank, Inc.) Fraud Protection for City of Blairsville Checking and Money Market Accounts was tabled until the next regular Meeting. The cost of the protection would be a one-time $100 ACH set-up fee plus $115/mo. The Council discussed the pros and cons of this expense and decided to research the service over the next few weeks before voting on it at the September Meeting.

Larry Stephens, Superintendent of the Blairsville Water Treatment Plant, addressed the Council. He reported that a concrete apron had been poured around the new storage building and that gravel would need to be laid down to level up the area around it. Stephens requested the Council approve the purchase of a chemical sensor ($2,371.36) and a used forklift ($7,500) for the Plant. The Council unanimously approved the purchases.

Darren Harper, Blairsville Downtown Development Authority Manager, said there have been a lot of inquiries about Blairsville due to the 2017 Eclipse Event. He said the next DDA Meeting would be on August 8th from noon to 1:00 p.m. at City Hall. Upcoming events in August include the Blairsville Cruisers Car Show on Saturday, Aug. 19 and, that same evening, the first Concert on the Square featuring the Tom Ford Band from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Harper said that the DDA would be assisting the Union County Historical Society with the upcoming Heritage Festival scheduled for September 2nd & 3rd from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. Harper also said that negotiations concerning the concept and design of the building going in behind Kings Five & Dime were ongoing; that W.C. Nelson was leading the effort on behalf of the DDA and that he would keep the Council apprised of any developments as soon as he was informed.

John Hamler, Blairsville Airport Manager, reported that he had attended a GDOT Aviation Division Regional Meeting and had learned a lot about Airport Grants. He also reported that he and Conley had been on a conference call with GDOT Aviation Division and David Brown Transportation and had secured a new AWOS (Animated Weather Observation System) with proper grounding plus all the ‘bells and whistles’ and LED read-outs in the new Airport Terminal Building at no cost to the City of Blairsville. Harper said the new Terminal Building is ready for the Grand Opening, which has, again, been rescheduled for Saturday, August 19th. That will be the Saturday before the Eclipse Event, he said, and they are expecting a crowd. He said that he is already expecting the airport to be inundated with traffic flying in for the 2017 Eclipse.

Otis Franklin, Superintendent of Water/Sewer Maintenance, reported a good month for his department. He said 32 apartments were ready for people to move in behind Butternut Creek Shopping Center.

Johnny Carroll, Blairsville Police Chief, reported 162 total calls for the month of July, which included 20 automobile accidents.

The Council ratified the agreement to purchase a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe for the Blairsville Police Department.

The Council approved the Agreement with Freeman Gas to renew their annual contract (FY 09/01/2017 – 08/31/2018) to purchase LP gas at a price of $1.09/gal. for the coming year.

The Council approved:
• Occupational Tax Certificate Application
o Melissa’s Custom Cakes, LLC, 102A Cleveland Street, Melissa Roberts, Owner

• Sign Permit Applications
o Blairsville Dance Project, 417A Blue Ridge Street, Angela Puleo, Owner

• Occupational Tax Certificate and Sign Permit Applications
o Christine Manno, Attorney at Law, 94 Town Square, Suite K, Christine Manno, Owner
o The Book Cellar, 112 Wellborn Street, A4, Shirley Maurer, Owner
o A1 Smoke Shop, 199 Highway 515W, Suite D, Bhoomikaben Patel, Owner

With no further business to conduct, the Meeting adjourned.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at www.fetchyournews.com