FBCC takes in street lights

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch City Council Thursday night agreed to help out a city subdivision with their street lighting cost and that help could lead to a new street light ordinance.

Madison Creek Subdivision homeowners said Georgia Power Company would not help them reduce what they said were high street light bills, so they came to City Council. Mayor Mike Miller said Council voted to take in the streetlights if the homeowners paid off the power company. The City would contractually require a reimbursement of the cost of the street lights by the Madison Creek HOA as a condition for accepting the street lights.

Madison Creek resident Fred Richards said the homeowners met with Georgia Power and the company indicated there was nothing to negotiate.

"We're just at their mercy," Richards said

"They would pay $900 to end their contract with Georgia Power and they would be deeding over those lights to the City of Flowery Branch," Mayor Miller said.

Miller said this could lead to a new street light ordinance aimed at getting everyone to pay their fair share for streetlights.

"This would include everyone who does not have a homeowners association that takes care of the lights," Miller said. "We do have neighborhoods that take care of their lighting through their homeowners association."

SOME GOOD INDICATORS

City Manager Bill Andrew brought council members a budget update and pointed to a couple of revenue streams that indicate the economy may be improving, at least in Flowery Branch. Andrew said the budget is in the black, with expenditures two percent below projections and revenues above the budget by three percent. Andrew pointed to impact fee revenues, up because of residential construction activity.

"The impact fees in and of itself are funds we collect for the county, we receive a small three percent administrative fee from that, but what it shows is that there are housing starts and construction happening that we had not anticipated, so we're ahead of what we felt would be happening this year," Andrew said.

Andrew added there is increased revenue from the hotel motel tax as well.

"There are more people staying in the hotel than what we had felt would be happening and these both good signs," Andrew said.