Columbus, Georgia

Georgia's First Consolidated Government

Post Office Box 1340
Columbus, Georgia, 31902-1340
(706) 653-4013
fax (706) 653-4016

Council Members

Pre-Council Briefing

Minutes

July 25, 2006



Present: Mayor Bob Poydasheff and Mayor Pro Tem Jack Rodgers. Councilors Nathan

Suber, Charles E. McDaniel, Jr., Berry H. Henderson, Glenn Davis, Julius

Hunter, Jr. Evelyn Woodson, and Gary Allen were present. Also present were City

Manager Isaiah Hugley, Deputy City Manager David Arrington, City Attorney

Clifton Fay, Chief Administrator Liz Turner, and Recording Secretary Tameka J.

Colbert.



Others Present: Mr. Don Cook, Chairman of the Airport Commission



Absent: Councilors Wayne Anthony and Evelyn Turner-Pugh



Location: Council Chambers Conference Room, on the Plaza level of the

Government Center.



Meeting began at 8:35 a.m.



Frequency Reconfiguration Agreement:

City Manager Hugley said listed on the consent agenda, is the 800 MHz

Communication System. He said we must proceed with an application to the FCC on

this 800 MHz reconfiguration. He said we have 3 licenses for 800MHz

Communication and we are dealing with 1 license today that has to do with

Sprint/Nextel. City Manager Hugley pointed out over the last 10-15 years the

FCC issued radio license to private companies like Sprint/Nextel to operate

cellular telephone systems, and that has caused interference with our Public

Safety radio system. He said in order for us to remedy the problem the FCC is

requiring Sprint/Nextel to swap frequencies with our licensing; this will be an

expense to Sprint/Nextel and no expense to us. He also said we will have to

submit a frequency reconfiguration agreement for final approval.







Cherokee Avenue Safety Improvements:

City Manager Hugley said David Arrington would be coming forward with a handout

that has to do with Cherokee Avenue?s improvements. He said David has a design

that shows exactly where the improvements will occur along Cherokee Avenue and

has some bullet points that talks about those improvements. He said we are

going to send this information to Doctor Phillips with the School District and

Susan Brian with Columbus High School. City Manager Hugley said the one bullet

point that is missing that we will add will be that there will be zero

tolerance for speeders.



Mayor Poydasheff said at the reception Friday night there were a lot of people

from that area, and they all approved of what we are doing.



Airport Commission:

City Manager Hugley said back in April 2005 the Airport Commission had Mercer

consultants to evaluate the cost of transferring Airport Public Safety

employees from the General Government Pension Plan to the Public Safety Pension

Plan. He said in June 2005 the Board of Trustees met and approved the Public

Safety employees going into the Public Safety Pension Plan excluding the

Airport Director. He said the Airport Commission would bear the cost of past

and future expenses of getting into the pension plan.



Mr. Don Cook said he met with the Public Safety employees at the airport to

find out what they believe. He said they really want to be a part of the

Public Safety Pension Plan. Mr. Cook said we have about four people that are a

little older and what we can do is give them the option of coming into the

process because they will not get their twenty years in to get their retirement

back.



Mayor Pro-Tem Rodgers said he would like to express his concerns and said first

of all the difference in Public Safety and General Government programs were

developed because some law enforcement officers found it difficult to perform

after age 55 and he does not know that he is convinced that is the case at the

airport. He said secondly we are still giving $40,000 a year. He said much of

the analysis of the on-going health pension plan depends on future performance,

something that we can?t control so what?s true today may not be true

tomorrow.



Mr. Don Cook said we are going to contribute an additional $1400 a month toward

the cities budget. Mr. Cook said







Meeting adjourned at 8:59 A.M.







___________________________

Tameka J. Colbert

Recording Secretary

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