Flowery Branch swears in new mayor, councilman

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch once again has a full city council and a presiding mayor with the Thursday night swearing in of a new mayor and city councilman.

James 'Mike Miller', who won the post in Tuesday's special city election, and Joe Anglin, who ran unopposed for Council's Post (4), took their oaths of office and then attended their first council meeting in their new seats. Miller vacated Post (4) to run for mayor and won the race with 410 votes over challenger Mike Pitts' 143 votes. Anglin received 400 votes.

Mayor Miller told the audience he looked forward to serving all the citizens of Flowery Branch and working with City Council. He said he sees capital improvements as a goal and a challenge for the city.

"We've got some neglected infrastructure over the past few years and we need to address those issues," Miller said. "Water, sewer and roads, if we've got growth coming and we don't have those services then that's a major concern so we've got to get a plan in place for those."

The Mayor said over the five years he sees a real need for improvements and he said he has instructed staff to prepare a ten-year plan to guide Mayor and Council toward setting priorities.

ZONING AMENDMENTS

City Council gave first reading approval to amendments intended to update the city's zoning code brought on by recent changes in federal and state land use law. City Manager Bill Andrew said one amendment brings Flowery Branch into compliance with the federal requirements for religious land use.

"You have land use regulations that don't restrict churches to any areas that you would restrict other land uses that would be similar, such as assemblies," Andrew said.

Another amendment complies with state law, which stops cities from barring modular home construction in single-family residential subdivisions. Another zoning code update expands the time permitted for temporary special event signs.

EXECUTIVE SESSION CHANGE

At the end of the regular voting session council members decided to limit their closed door executive session discussion to pending litigation issues, dropping personnel from the list.

Council members Tara Richards and Joe Anglin, newly sworn in, indicated they were not prepared to discuss the personnel issue and did not want to discuss it with Councilman Chris Fetterman absent and out of town on business. Mayor Pro Tem Chris Yardley said the personnel item could go on the next meeting's executive session agenda.