Columbus, Georgia

MINUTES

COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA

REGULAR SESSION

MAY 10, 2005





The regular weekly meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was called

to order at 9:03 A.M., Tuesday, May 10, 2005, on the Plaza Level of the

Government Center, Columbus, Georgia. Honorable Robert S. Poydasheff, Mayor and

Honorable John J. Rodgers, Mayor Pro Tem presiding.



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PRESENT: Present other than Mayor Poydasheff and Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers were

Councilors R. Gary Allen, Wayne Anthony, Glenn Davis, Berry Henderson, Julius

H. Hunter, Jr., Evelyn Turner Pugh, Nathan Suber and Evelyn Woodson. City

Manager Isaiah Hugley, Assistant City Attorney Jamie Deloach, Clerk of Council

Tiny B. Washington and Deputy Clerk of Council Sandra Davis were also present.



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ABSENT: Councilor Charles E. McDaniel, Jr., was absent, but was excused upon

the adoption of Resolution Number 266-05. City Attorney Clifton Fay was also

absent.



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INVOCATION: Offered by Councilor Wayne Anthony.



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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers



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URBAN LEAGUE:



Mayor Poydasheff called Mr. Reginald Pugh of the Metro Urban League to

come forward to introduce his special guest.



Mr. Reginald Pugh said first of all, he would like to commend the Mayor

and Council for the great job that they are doing with the budget. He said he

would urge you to keep up the good work and said if there is anything that they

can do to help out at the Urban League, don?t hesitate to call on them.



Mr. Pugh said his special guest on this morning is Commissioner of the

Georgia Department of Corrections, Mr. James Donald and he is going to share

with you why he is here this morning.



Mr. James Donald said he is humbled by the opportunity to come back to

this great community, which is absolutely beautiful. He said every time he

comes back he finds out he knows several members serving on this City Council;

many who are his dear friends.



He said he is here today to talk about the re-entry program with the

County inmates. He said the young men who are out keeping this area beautiful

here in the City of Columbus, by their estimation is about $1 million in

taxpayer?s revenue for the work that they do for you.



Mr. Donald said Columbus is the largest County Correctional Institution

that they have in the State Government and said they are excited about that

partnership, because as they work, they develop work ethics that help to

rehabilitate them and redeem them back to the community. He said 95% of the

inmate population in the State of Georgia will come home and they will live

next door to you and I.



He said he appreciates the Urban League inviting them to come down today,

as they are partnering for an initiative that will allow them to bring all

these individuals back home and keep our community safe.



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GEORIGA CITIES WEEK ESSAY CONTEST:



Mrs. Nancy Boren said she is here this morning to introduce the winners of

the Georgia Cities Week Essay Contest,? If I Were Mayor?.

She said they had 36 entries in this contest and of those entries we have the

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners here this morning, which are going to read

their essay to you.



She then called forward the following to read their essays, respectively:

1st Place winner - Timothy Short of Arnold Middle School, 2nd Place winner ?

Denilla Henry of Midland Middle School and 3rd Place winner Taylor Airhart of

Midland Middle School.



After each of the students read their essays, Mayor Poydasheff then

presented each of them with a gift bag. He said all of us will be leaving the

scene one of these days and said it is to these young people that this City of

Columbus and the State, as well as the Federal Government will be looking to

for leadership. He said he is very proud of these young people for

participating in this essay contest.



City Manager Hugley said he would like to thank Ms. Reather Hollowell and

her committee for their work on Georgia Cities Week in sharing with our

community much about our City government. He said on last week we also had

Public Service Recognition Week, where we really highlighted our employees and

the great work that they do. He said Ms. Hollowell and Ms. Boren worked on that

committee as well as did many others. He said he just wanted to thank them for

their good work also.

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***---------------------------------PROCLAMATIONS:



?BI-CITY MAYOR?S FITNESS DAY?:



With Ms. Cammie Curry, Ms. Celsa Muniz, Ms. Joy Hendrix, Ms. Betty

Winchester, Ms. Barbara Pascoe, Ms. Mary Ann Johnson and Ms. Annette Gibney

standing at the Council table, Councilor Davis read the proclamation of Mayor

Poydasheff, proclaiming May 10, 2005 as the ?Bi-City Mayor?s Fitness Day? in

Columbus, Georgia.



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?CLEAN AIR ACT?:



With Ms. Brenda Kennedy standing at the Council table, Councilor Hunter

read the proclamation of Mayor Poydasheff, proclaiming high honor and

recognition to the Columbus Tobacco Free Action Coalition in Columbus, Georgia

for its work and assistance in helping to get the Clean Air Act Bill passed.



Mayor Poydasheff recognized the presence of Mr. Ira Miles from Bill Heard

Chevrolet and thanked him for what he does in support of the Mayor?s Bi-City

Fitness Walk. He said he appreciates him and his organization.



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?TOURISM WEEK?:



With Mr. Peter Bowden, several of his staff members, as well as

representatives from Port Columbus, Civic Center, and the Sports Council

standing at the Council table, Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers read the proclamation of

Mayor Poydasheff, proclaiming May 7 ? 15, 2005 as ?National Tourism Week? in

Columbus, Georgia.



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?POLICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT WEEK?:



Mayor Poydasheff said the annual ceremony honoring those public safety

personnel who have died in the line of duty would be held on Thursday, May 12,

2005 at 7:30 p.m., on the Plaza Level outside of the Government Center. He

said he would like to urge all of Columbus to come out and show the families of

those who have lost loved ones,

our support.



He said on Saturday, May 14, 2005 there would be a law enforcement

memorial Poker Run, which will start at the FOP Lodge that morning.



Mayor Poydasheff also gave an update on Lt. Mark Starling stating that he

is at home doing well and said he will be getting a second opinion on his

condition before returning back to work.



With Police Chief Ricky Boren, Marshal Greg Countryman and Deputy Chief

Griffin standing at the Council table, Councilor Anthony then read the

proclamation of Mayor Poydasheff, proclaiming May 9 - 15, 2005 as ?Police & Law

Enforcement Week? in Columbus, Georgia.

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MINUTES: Minutes of the March 22, 2005 Strategy Meeting and the April 26, 2005

Council Meeting of the Council of the Consolidated Government of Columbus,

Georgia were submitted and approved unanimously upon the adoption of a motion

made by Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers and seconded by Councilor Allen and carried

unanimously by those nine members of Council present for this meeting.

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POLICE DEPARTMENT:



Councilor Woodson said she would like to thank Chief Boren for the

information that he provided to her from the question that she asked on last

week as to why we have so many applicants; however, not many of them are hired.

She said the Chief called her and explained to her that many of the problems

that we have is that many of the applicants put information on their

application and then when they go through the lie detector test, they fail it.



She said it was pointed out to her that if someone would lie on a test,

where we ask them basic information; how can we give them a badge and a gun and

let them protect our citizens and children. She said she wants the public to

know because she didn?t want anyone to leave with the same impression that she

had on last week. She said she was beginning to wonder if we just had all

criminals in Columbus where we can?t find good police officers.



Councilor Woodson said she thinks it is important for the citizens to know

that it isn?t that we aren?t trying to recruit officers, but said it is just

the caliber of applicants that are coming forth.



Chief Boren then responded to those comments made by Councilor Woodson.



Mayor Poydasheff said he knows that we are not satisfied with the entry

level of the Columbus Police Department, nor are we satisfied with the

compression issue, as all cities have this problem. He said we have had 88

applications and said we are now down to only six that may be qualified.



Chief Boren said those applicants were rejected on the basic

questionnaire, physical training or because of falsifying the questionnaire or

maybe rejected on the polygraph because some of the things they may have told

us originally, was not quite the truth.



Mayor Poydasheff said the process that this Police Chief uses to hire

people to serve this community; the background check is as rigorous as any

background investigation that he has ever filled out throughout his entire

career.



Chief Boren then responded to questions of Councilor Woodson regarding the

recent major drug bust that was held here in Columbus.

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ZONING PUBLIC HEARINGS:



THERE WERE NO ZONING PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR TODAY?S MEETING.

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CITY ATTORNEY?S AGENDA:



THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE, WAS ORGIGINALLY PLACED

ON THE AGENDA, BUT WAS REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF

COUNCLOR

ALLEN:





An Ordinance - Amending Section 13-167.3 so as to provide that

non-disposable garbage containers shall have a minimum capacity of

15 gallons and a maximum capacity of 64 gallons; and for other

purposes.

Councilor Allen said he talked with the City Manager on yesterday

and said we have agreed to look at some additional language for this

ordinance and said he would like to ask for a delay on this matter.



Mayor Poydasheff said on the new published agenda, that item was not

listed and said that your request is honored.



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THE FOLLOWING THREE ORDINANCES WERE SUBMITTED BY ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY

DELOACH AND THEIR CAPTIONS READ AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL ON SECOND READING

PURSUANT TO THE ADOPTION OF A SINGLE MOTION MADE BY MAYOR PRO TEM RODGERS AND

SECONDED BY COUNCILOR WOODSON, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS

OF COUNCIL PRESENT FOR THIS

MEETING:



An Ordinance (05-39) - Rezoning property located at 5019 Armour Road from

an R-2 (Low Density Residential) District to A-O (Apartment-Office) District.

(19-CA-05-Austin Group)



An Ordinance (05-40) - Rezoning property located at 3898

Mulberry Drive from an R-1A (Low Density Residential) District to an

R-3 (Medium Density Residential) District. (20-CA-05-Baker)



An Ordinance (05-41) - Regulating vehicular traffic in

Columbus, Georgia by deleting from the ?official street map, City of

Columbus, Georgia? the street segment and right of way line of

Bankers Boulevard from the North right-of-way line of Bankers

Boulevard South an approximate distance of 141 feet, declaring said

street segment surplus for disposal in accordance with the city code.



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PUBLIC HEARING- EDWARD BRYNE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT:

City Manager Hugley said this item is listed on his Agenda, but said it

does require a public hearing and said that does need to happen.



He said they were asking that this item be listed as a public hearing to

allow an opportunity for anyone who might wanted to be heard in this regard

could be heard.



City Manager Hugley said this is a grant in the amount of $132,686.00 from

the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which is formerly known as the Local Law

Enforcement Grant. He said this replaces that grant and it focuses on

activities preventing and controlling crime and improving the criminal justice

system.



He said traditionally they award these funds to our various public safety

agencies, to include the Police Department, Marshal?s Department and the

Sheriff?s Department.



City Manager Hugley said in the most recent review, the Police Department

will receive $68,000 to purchase tasers, Marshal?s Department will receive

$7,000.00 for the Junior Marshal?s Program and the Sheriff?s Department will

receive $18,000.00 for various equipment.



He said we wanted to hear from the public to see if they had any concerns

in this regard and as it comes up on the City Manager?s Agenda, then we will

ask for the Council?s approval on the resolution.



There was no one who came forward to be heard on this matter.



Councilor Woodson asked City Manager Hugley to provide to her some

information on the Junior Marshal?s Program.



City Manager Hugley said this is a new initiative by our new Marshal, Greg

Countryman. He said as you know, Marshal Countryman came into office in January

of this year and one of his campaign platforms was that he was going to do a

Junior Marshal Program and he got that program started. He said he didn?t have

a lot of money to initiate that program and he made a request through this

grant for some support funding to further the program from the schools that he

was involved in and it will go countywide throughout the Muscogee County School

system.



Mayor Poydasheff said there would be some foundation grants that will also

come along after this one.



City Manager Hugley said we would get some more detailed information from

Marshal Countryman.



Councilor Woodson asked that this information be brought back to a

Council Work Session, so that the public will be made aware of this program.

She said we know about the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy, the Cadet Program

and our Youth Advisory Council; however, this is another program that the

community should know about, in the event someone is interested in being a part

of it or someone wants to contribute to the program.



City Manager Hugley said we would ask the Marshal to appear at one of our

Work Sessions to talk about his Junior Marshal Program.

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PUBLIC AGENDA:



MR. LEE PIERSON, REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF PROPERTY TAX LATE PENALTY:







Mr. Lee Pierson said he is here at the suggestion of Mr. Bob Clouatre of

the Tax Commissioner?s office, who is the Deputy Tax Commissioner. He said Mr.

Clouatre suggested that he come before the Council and request that the

penalties and interest that was levied against a tax account on his business be

waived.



He said prior to the December 1st deadline they mailed the proper

statements and checks, but apparently they were not received by the City of

Columbus nor credited to their account. He said he didn?t get a second notice

of any kind on the tax liability and didn?t find out anything about this until

his attorney advised him that there was a tax fi fa placed against his

residential property. He said that very day, he came down and met with the

City and brought them a check for the full amount due plus the interest and

penalty.



Mr. Pierson said Mr. Clouatre suggested at that point and time that it did

look like there was an error because of address changes that they made during

the course of the tax year and that he should come to the Council and ask for

your forgiveness of penalty and interest. He said this is why he is here today,

to ask for the Council?s consideration in that matter.



Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers pointed out that we did receive a memorandum from

Tax Commissioner Lula Huff. He said her position is well stated in her

memorandum.



City Manager Hugley said Mrs. Huff is in route to the Council Chambers;

however, we did receive the memorandum as stated by Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers, and

we can hear from her once she arrives this morning.



Mr. Pierson then responded to several questions of members of the Council.



Mr. Pierson said he has been paying ad valorem taxes in this community for

thirty years and have never been late paying any of them. He said this is an

issue where he didn?t receive notice that it hadn?t been paid.



After more than twenty minutes of discussion on this matter, with several

members of the Council expressing their views on the issue and Ms. Lula Huff

and Mr. Bob Clouatre of the Tax Commissioner?s office responding to questions

of the Council, this matter was concluded with no action of the Council on Mr.

Pierson?s request to waive the penalty or interest.



After hearing many of the comments made by the Council, Mr. Pierson said

if it is the Council?s position that you can?t make exceptions based on facts

and on the character of the individuals that come down and make a presentation

to you, why does the Tax Commissioner?s office suggest that he come before the

Council, if your general consensus is that you can?t make exceptions.



Mayor Poydasheff said with all things being equal, the Council won?t make

exceptions unless there is an overwhelming reason or a preponderance of

evidence to show that an exception should be made. He said as Mr. Clouatre told

him, your ultimate authority would be the City Council.



Mr. Pierson said he obviously misunderstood that; otherwise, he would not

have been down here.



Mrs. Huff said the statement that should have come out of their office and

the one that she believes was stated, is that their office doesn?t have the

authority to waive penalties and interest. She said the only way for that to

happen is for it to come from the State Revenue Commissioner or this Council.



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MR. VAL MCGOWAN, RE: WATER PROBLEMS IN MOYE PLANTATION SUBDIVISION:







Mr. McGowan said he lives in a new subdivision, Moye Plantation, which they

are in the last phase to put in another 24 houses. He said it is his

understanding from his neighbors, which he has one here with him today, they

have had water problems in this subdivision since it has been developed. He

said it is still in its development stages.



He said what he is asking the Council to do is to go back and look at some

of the ways that things are being handled while it is in its development stage.

He said on his home, the State requires his footer to be 16 inches; however, in

some areas in his house, the footers are 36 inches. He said he is sure the

builder didn?t just bring in extra concrete because he is a nice guy.



Mayor Poydasheff said for the record, he would like to point out that

presently Mr. McGowan?s case is in mediation.



Mr. McGowan said it is in mediation with no attorneys, it is just he and

the builder.



Mayor Poydasheff said ethically, he feels that he must advise

Mr. McGowan that in as much as it is in mediation, whatever he says here at

this Council meeting can be used for or against him. He said if Mr. McGowan

understands that, he is comfortable with that.



Mr. McGowan said if this Council doesn?t want to hear from him, that?s

fine and that is why he brought his neighbor here because he has the same

problem, and they can hear from him.



Mayor Poydasheff told Mr. McGowan that we will hear from him unless the

City Attorney interposes an objection, but he wants him to understand that what

you say may or may not be to your interest.



Mr. McGowan said that is fine. He said he is just telling the truth,

however it comes out.



Councilor Woodson said if the development is still being developed, asked

City Manager Hugley if our inspectors are supposed to go out and inspect the

project, to make sure that the builder is adhering to the ordinance that was

set forth.



City Manager Hugley said this is Phase 3 of the Moye Estate Development,

on Moye Road off of Buena Vista Road. He said the developer on this subdivision

is Mr. Cantrell. He said the builder was Larry Walker Construction Company. He

said our inspectors have gone on site throughout this process and said they

have done what we are required to do under the guidelines of the City

government and monitoring those construction projects in accordance with the

Georgia Building Code. He said he went out to visit with Mr. McGowan and his

neighbor on yesterday. He said Mr. McGowan has a problem with the developer,

Mr. Cantrell and the builder, Larry Walker Construction Company. He said he is

in mediation with Larry Walker Construction Company; however, we have gone out

and done our part.

He said Mr. McGowan?s neighbor?s house was built in February 2004 and one of

the problems is the drainage that he has. He said he has just started

experiencing some drainage problems this season.



City Manager Hugley also said Mr. McGowan moved into his house in December

2004 and he has immediately experienced some drainage problems. He said our

inspectors have gone out and reviewed the engineering drainage designs and we

have gone through that process and they didn?t determine any problem with

drainage initially, but a year later with Phase 3 still being developed there

are some problems. He said we are going to continue to monitor the developer

and any construction companies in doing their construction work.



Mr. McGowan expressed some further concerns saying in the building of his

home, there were some changes done on site, but they keep no records of that

and this is something that he doesn?t understand. He said when they made

changes on site they don?t have to keep records of that. He said he feels that

these changes should be written down somewhere.



Deputy City Manager Bishop then responded to several concerns of Mr.

McGowan. He said it was his understanding that Moye Plantation was being built

in four phases and Mr. McGowan?s lot is in Phase 3, which has already been

accepted by the City as far as the streets are concerned. He said there are a

number of houses where the lots are being built on and the lot that is in

question is the most recent lot that was built on that side of the street.



He said he was out on site on Friday and where that house was built, it

looks like there could be a problem out there, but said it is all on private

property from all of their information that they have received. He said he saw

Mr. Cantrell on site on Friday and they had some discussion about it. He said

in a meeting with Mr. McGowan this morning, they agreed that he would set up a

meeting with him,

Mr. Cantrell, Ms. Donna Newman of the Engineering Department, as well as Mr.

Rufus Riggs to discuss the issue even further, to see if we can?t get it

resolved.



Deputy City Manager Bishop said the other section Phase 4 is the phase

that they haven?t accepted yet. He said they are beginning to cut the road in

and develop the drainage system that has already been approved by the

Engineering Department. He said on the question in regards to our inspectors,

our inspectors went out on the jobsite and when he got there, the typical

footing, which is 16 inches wide, 8 inches deep, the footing had been exceeded.

He said they had put a gravel bed in the footing and a wider 32 inches footing

in place.

He said there is no record that this was done that Mr. McGowan wants. He said

typically when one of our inspectors goes on site and he sees something that

exceeds the minimum standard, there is no recording of it. He said there were

no water in the trench and no indications there was a problem. He said his only

assumption is that the builder, if he had built other houses in that area and

saw the potential of water problems, he went ahead and dealt with it at that

point, to buy him some insurance. He said there are no records of that and

said Mr. McGowan is correct, that footing exceeded the minimum standard.



Discussions continued on this matter, with several members of the Council

expressing their views after which Deputy City Manager Bishop as well as Ms.

Donna Newman responded to questions of the members of Council.





After more than thirty minutes of this discussion, Councilor Anthony said

he has a point of order; which he said that we are debating a contract issue

without the other party in the contract being present and said this is being

done on public access channel using government funds and he would question

whether or not this is in order or not.



Mayor Poydasheff then asked Assistant City Attorney Deloach whether or

not, if there is anything inappropriate in listening to

Mr. McGowan.



Assistant City Attorney Deloach said she thought what the question being

presented to the Council is that, it is a subdivision issue as opposed to an

individual issue and it is outside of the contract; therefore, it is a public

welfare issue. She said she thinks that it would be appropriate to the extent

that we focus on public welfare.



Mayor Poydasheff said we would continue on with this, but asked Mr.

McGowan to keep the discussion more general.



Deputy City Manager Bishop then responded to further questions of the

Council.



Mr. Donald Collier, 6069 Walters Loop said he thinks it goes back to the

point that Councilor Woodson, as well as Council Davis made, which is that it

goes back to the design. He said he has lived there for one year, and he

doesn?t have the rights that Mr. McGowan has, as far as attribution is

concerned. He said he would have to go back and do the small claims.



He said he has lived there for a year and he has dug there around his

mailbox over this past summer, a planter box and as of April of this year, he

has started to have water seepage. He said he has a tremendous amount of it

around his mailbox and on the other side of his driveway. He said there has

been an ongoing drain of water over a month and a half. He said right now he

couldn?t use his front door because there are mosquitoes that have emanated

from that planter box up to his doorway.



Mr. Collier said when he said it goes back to the design, that wasn?t

there during the year he purchased his home. He said when Mr. McGowan

mentioned the police officer that just moved into the neighborhood, his house

was the last home that was built on his side of the road and since that time,

he has started to get drainage from underground; water seeping up under his lot

adjacent to his home.



He spoke for several minutes in expressing his further concerns regarding

this matter.



Deputy City Manager Bishop said Mr. Collier is absolutely right, in his

driveway and in the planter, there seems to be some type of underground spring.

He said they went out and tested it to make sure it wasn?t potable water, maybe

a leak with the water meter or something.



Mr. Bishop said the test that was done indicated that it wasn?t potable

water, so it looks like it is ground water. He said in his conversation with

the developer, Mr. Cantrell on Friday, he told him that he was going to be on

site on yesterday to put in a French drain in that area above Mr. Collier?s

lot, but he wasn?t. He said the developer said he hoped that the French drain

would capture some of that water, if it is a ground spring and if that is not

it, then he would go down some more. He said he thinks it is important that

they get back with the developer and make sure he follows through on some of

these things. He said even though it is on private property, they think that

they are in a position where they can help with the situation out there, and

they are more than willing to do that.



Mayor Poydasheff then asked Mr. Bishop to follow through on this matter on

today.



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MR. ARCHIE RAINEY, REPRESENTING THE COLUMBUS PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY

COMMISSION, RE: COMPREHENSIVE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS:





Mr. Archie Rainey, Chairperson of the Public Safety Advisory Commission

came forward and then introduced several of the other committee members who

were present with him in the Council Chambers, to include, Mr. Robert Loving,

Mr. Robert Turner, Mr. Harold Bryant and Mr. C. A. Hardmon.



Mr. Rainey said the ordinance that created the commission

requires them to make an annual report to the Council, as well as make

recommendations. He pointed out that they held meetings in several areas in the

community; however, the turnout has been extremely low.



He said what they have done is to identify the problem from the police

prospective in the community, that?s what everyone wants to talk about. He said

they didn?t delve into the fire department where a majority of the ambulances

are already being privatized.



Mr. Rainey said we value our public safety personnel, as well as the

safety of the community, and all persons and property. He said they feel that a

pay plan, along with adequate compensation is necessary. He said they agree

that the millage rate should be raised; however, there will have to be some

legal action taken by this Council.



He said they also agree that a one-cent sales tax is good; however, we

need some immediate relief because of the crisis. He said if the Council has

the authority to pass a garbage user fee, why not a public safety user fee;

which is their new recommendation. He said they suggest that we use the

electric billing to collect this tax for us. He said there are a lot of things

to work out on this proposal.



Mr. Rainey said they would like for the Council to give some serious

consideration to this fee. He said we are going down hill and we have got to

stop it. He said we can?t criticize the Council because we know they have only

a certain amount of money to work with; but said they can ask you to make a

consideration of something new and that is, a public safety user fee.



He said this would give a different stream of income to supplement the

present amount of money that is dedicated to public safety at this particular

time. He then concluded his presentation and said he would be glad to answer

any questions that the Mayor and Council may have.



Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers said his understanding or hope in the forming of

this Commission was for them to establish procedures and measures that were to

be used; to in effect make public safety more user friendly to the general

public. He said this was initiated in the wake of the serious incident that

happened in December 2003. He said it was with a great deal of discussion and

concern that this Council agreed to foster this type of approach in dealing

with the general public and in some cases, their fears of public safety and

wanting to know how the police handle certain kinds of situations. He then

asked Dr. Rainey, when is his committee going to deal with that aspect of it?

He said that it is important to him, because we have had recent incidents;

however, not fatal, that called in the question of the use of force and how

much force, and under what circumstances and condition should it be used.



He said he had hoped that this is where this Commission would spend most

of its time. He said we don?t diminish to any degree, what you have done in the

area that you have worked. He said we are painfully aware of the financial

situation, but he is more concerned in where we are going to go, in dealing

with the general public.



Dr. Rainey said the members of the Commission needed to get an overview of

the community, and as a result of that, they have toured the public safety

agencies and held meetings in the community, as well as engineered themselves

to look at many things and are very much concerned with the crime.



He said what they are looking at is going to their next step, which will

be to move forward in the community and bring in the Presidents of the

Neighborhood watch programs and start a dialogue with them to determine what

the problems are throughout the respective parts of the community. He said you

have to understand that they have only been in existence for a very short time;

however, they have a good firm base of what the community is and what they are

looking at.

He said you have to have that before you start looking at communication.



Mayor Poydasheff made some comments regarding the issues expressed by Mr.

Rainey.



Dr. Rainey said since they are now established, they will begin to take

that next step, in addressing the communication with the public safety agencies

and the community. He said they would be moving forward on that rapidly.



Several members of the Council then expressed their views on the

Commission?s report and thanked them for the work that they are doing.



After more than twenty five minutes on this subject, after

Dr. Rainey then responded to several questions and concerns of members of the

Council, this discussion was concluded after additional information was

requested by several members of the Council, to be brought back by the staff,

as outlined below.



PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMISSION:



Councilor Turner Pugh asked the Commission to publish information and to

provide a contact name and telephone number, as well as, some definition as to

how citizens can register their concerns to the Public Safety Advisory

Commission.



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WEB PAGE:



Councilor Woodson asked that the staff update the web page on our City

Government to show the current personnel in the Police Department.

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CLERK OF COUNCIL?S AGENDA:



AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCILOR HENDERSON, THE FOLLOWING ITEM WAS CALLED UP AS

THE NEXT ORDER OR BUSINESS AND APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL:







Application of Lisa Collins to temporarily close the parallel parking

spaces in the 1000 block of Broadway, every Thursday, starting May 19, 2005,

through June 30, 2005, in connection with the ?Uptown Concert Series?.



Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers moved the approval of the application. Seconded by

Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council

present for this meeting.

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NOTE: The Clerk of Council?s Agenda is continued below.



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CITY MANAGER?S AGENDA:



THE FOLLOWING TWO RESOLUTIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY CITY MANAGER

HUGLEY AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL:



A Resolution (256-05) ? Authorizing the submission and if approved accept

grant funds in the amount of $132,686 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance

(formerly Local Law Enforcement Grant) to focus primarily on a broad range of

activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice

system. Councilor Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by

Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council

present for this meeting.



A Resolution (257-05) ? Authorizing the acceptance of a deed to the

0.642-Acre Detention Basin located in Section Three Quail Creek on behalf of

Columbus, Georgia. Councilor Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution.

Seconded by Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of

Council present for this meeting.



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THE FOLLOWING SEVEN RESOLUTIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY CITY

MANAGER HUGLEY AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL PURSUANT TO THE ADOPTION OF A SINGLE

MOTION MADE BY COUNCILOR TURNER PUGH AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR WOODSON, WHICH

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT FOR THIS

MEETING:



A Resolution (258-05) - Authorizing the execution of a negotiated contract

with Jordan, Jones & Goulding, Inc., for engineering services related to the

construction of Pine Grove Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, Phase III ? Cells

3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F. These services are needed to design, coordinate and

oversee the construction of phase III at Pine Grove Landfill to ensure adequate

space is available for the disposal of solid waste in accordance with EPD

guidelines and regulations. Jordan, Jones & Goulding, Inc., will provide

construction documents, construction administration, and construction quality

assurance (CQA) services during the construction of Phase 3, Cells 3A, 3B, 3C,

3D, 3E, and 3F of the Pine Grove Landfill. Services will include relevant

engineering and design, surveying, construction administration, construction

inspection, materials sampling and testing, preparation of analytical reports,

and all other reporting necessary to satisfy regulatory provisions for CQA

documentation.



The landfill cells to be constructed cover approximately fourteen acres. The

clay portion of the composite liner system consists of two feet of compacted

natural clay with possible bentonite admixtures to achieve required

permeability. The clay will be overlain by a 60-mil HDPE geomembrane, and two

feet of granular leachate collection material. Textured geomembrane will be

use on this project. Leachate collection pipes surrounded by gravel and

geotextile are also to be constructed. Compacted structural fill material

could be obtained on-site. Clay liner material could be obtained on-site.



A Resolution (259-05) - Authorizing the purchase of one (1) New Holland

tractor from Melson Tractor in the amount of $14,875.00.The tractor is a

replacement for a recently salvaged tractor and will be used by the

Right-of-Way Division of the Public Services Department to cut the

right-of-ways throughout the City.



The Right-of-Way Division visited several tractor dealerships looking for

a lease turn-in for sale to replace the salvaged tractor. Melson Tractor was

the only dealership to have equipment the department needed and provided a memo

to the Fleet Manager, stating they had a lease tractor turned in by Muscogee

County School District and would sell it to the City for $14,875.00. This

tractor is a year and a half old and has 100 hours use on it. The Right-of-Way

Division averages over 500 hours usage a year on such tractors, and expects to

get approximately 5,000 hours usage from this tractor for the next ten to

fifteen years. If purchased brand new, this equipment would cost approximately

$28,600.00.



A Resolution (260-05) - Authorizing the purchase of three (3) utility

carts via Georgia State Contract, SWC A46700-019-0000000962, from Club Car,

Inc., (Augusta, GA) in the amount of $24,353.58.The utility carts are

replacements and will be used by Metra for uptown parking enforcement.



A Resolution (261-05) - Declaring vehicles and various equipment as

surplus in accordance with Section 7-501 of the Charter of Columbus

Consolidated Government. The surplus items will be disposed of by auction on

May 14, 2005. Wayne Evans Auction Company, the City?s contracted auctioneer,

will conduct the auction. The equipment has either been replaced or placed out

of service due to excess maintenance cost. City departments have had the

opportunity to review these items for functional worth.



A Resolution (262-05) - Authorizing payment to Georgia Department of

Natural Resources for the state mandated solid waste disposal fee in the amount

of $48,664.94. A total of 76,397.07 tons of solid waste was disposed, at Pine

Grove Landfill, between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004.



A Resolution (263-05) - Authorizing payment to Mercer Human Resource

Consulting, Inc., (Atlanta, Georgia) in the amount of $7,928.00 for additional

actuarial consulting services required during FY05 for the General Government,

Public Safety, Death Benefit and Major Disability Income Plans. This payment

exceeds the $100,000.00 previously approved by Council, to be paid during FY05,

per Resolution #333-04.



A Resolution (264-05) - Approving the declaration of a flagpole at Fire

Station 10 (North Lumpkin Road) as surplus, in accordance with Section 7-501 of

the Charter of Columbus Consolidated Government; and approve the donation of

the flagpole to Muscogee County School District. The building at Station 10 is

currently advertised for sale.

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CLERK OF COUNCIL?S AGENDA CONTINUED:



FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES:



Clerk of Council Washington pointed out that the term of office of Mrs.

Joanne Chester on the Board of Family & Children Services will be expiring at

the end of June. She said we have received a letter from Mrs. Glenda McCaskey,

Acting Director, asking that Mrs. Chester be appointed for another term of

office on this board.



Councilor Hunter then made a motion to reappoint Mrs. Chester for a second

term of office. Seconded by Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those

nine members of Council present for this meeting.



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THE FOLLOWING TWO RESOLUTONS WERE SUBMITTED BY CLERK OF COUNCIL WASHINGTON

AND APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL PURSUANT TO THE ADOPTION OF A MOTION MADE BY

COUNCILOR HENDERSON AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR TURNER PUGH WHICH CARRIED

UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT FOR THIS

MEETING:



A Resolution (265-05) - Excusing Councilor Glenn Davis from the

May 3, 2005 Council Meeting.



A Resolution (266-05) - Excusing Councilor Charles McDaniel from the May

10, 2005 Council Meeting.





MINUTES OF THE FOLLOWING BOARDS WERE SUBMITTED BY CLERK OF COUNCIL

WASHINGTON AND OFFICIALLY RECEIVED BY THE COUNCIL:



Family & Children Services Board, April 28, 2005.

Tax Assessors, No. 17-05.

Tree Board, April 20, 2005.



Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers made a motion that these minutes be received.

Seconded by Councilor Henderson and carried unanimously by those nine members

of Council present for this meeting.



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THE FOLLOWING TEMPORARY STREET CLOSING APPLICATION, NOT LISTED ON THE

AGENDA WAS SUBMITTED BY CLERK OF COUNCIL WASHINGTON AND APPROVED BY THE

COUNCIL:



Application of Dr. Edwin Cooper to temporarily close Leonard Street

between Forest Avenue and Wildwood Avenue, on Friday, May 13, 2005.



Councilor Henderson moved approval of the application. Seconded by

Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council

present for this meeting.



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CIVIC CENTER ADVISORY BOARD:



Clerk of Council Washington pointed out that Councilor Woodson is still

working on getting a nominee for her district on the Civic Center Advisory

Board.

.

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VOLUNTEER LITTLE LEAGUE:



Councilor Henderson said we are trying to encourage the volunteers of the

little leagues to take an active role in helping us maintain some of the

facilities, as we get shorter on resources. He said the volunteer parents who

will take time to go down and do maintenance on the fields, particularly at

Lakebottom Park, will park close to the shed where they can get to the

equipment; however, the way the current ordinance reads, the only parking that

is down there right now is handicapped parking. He said he was wondering if

there was a way to issue permits to those volunteers and then asked City

Manager Hugley to look at possibly issuing permits where they have three or

four special parking spaces at Lakebottom Park for the volunteer parents to

park when they go down during non-game events to maintain the fields.



*** *** ***



With there being no other business to come before this Council, Mayor Pro

Tem Rodgers then made a motion for adjournment. Seconded by Councilor Turner

Pugh and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council present for this

meeting, with the time being 11:50 A. M.







Tiny B. Washington, CMC

Clerk of Council

The Council of Columbus, Georgia