Cars,trains,street lights and more for FBCC

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch City Council Thursday night had police cars, a model train, qualifying for a special election, and street lights to deal with during their two hour session and City Hall.

The streetlights and the election qualifying took up a lot of time during the meeting, with the focus on what was fair for everyone in the city. Council is set to hold its final public hearing on the creation of street lighting special assessment districts at its next meeting October 20th, and then act on the measure.

Mayor Mike Miller observed that some council members are supporting a $10 per property fee that amounts to a tax increase to pay for street lighting, but he wants a different approach.

"I think the current subdivisions that do not pay for their street lights need to pay for them," Miller said. "But we have common area lights such as downtown Main Street and those should be covered out of the general fund."

With Councilman Chris Yardley's resignation to run for the South Hall state legislative seat, Council has set March 6th, 2012, "Super Tuesday" as the date for the special election to fill Post (3), but it took two votes before Council settled on a qualifying date.

Councilman Chris Fetterman's motion to set qualifying for the week of December 12th was voted down, and Council voted for qualifying to run from November 2nd through the 4th, with Mayor Miller casting the deciding vote.

"I think the sooner you get candidates qualified the more time it gives the public to get to know them and be an informed voter," Miller said.

On first reading votes Council agreed to annex and rezone the waste water treatment plant spray field on Thurman Tanner Parkway and Atlanta Highway, and they decided to amend the alcoholic beverage code to state that Sunday package sales in Flowery Branch would take effect after the results become certified.

City Manager Bill Andrew got Council's consent to officially record the purchase of five new police patrol car and one investigator's car.

"I couldn't find it properly recorded in the minutes but I know it was voted on," Andrew said.

Andrew said the cars are ordered and should arrive by the end of the month.

And there was another bit of record keeping or lack thereof that Andrew brought to Council's attention concerning the model train in the Depot Museum.

"I received an email from an organization that had donated a train to the city about us reporting on its condition and did not realize we had a contract with them," Andrew said. "We could not find it in the minutes so we tightened that up tonight."

The model is a scale replica of the Southern Crescent that used to stop at the Flowery Branch Depot back in the 1920's. The Lawrence Wilkinson Foundation donated it.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/10/242565