MINUTES
COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
REGULAR MEETING
FEBRUARY 9, 2016
The regular weekly meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was called
to order at 9:00 A.M., Tuesday, February 9, 2016, on the 2nd Floor of the
Citizens Service Center, located at 3111 Citizens Way, Columbus, Georgia
Honorable Teresa Tomlinson, Mayor and Honorable Evelyn Turner Pugh, Mayor Pro
Tem presiding.
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PRESENT: Present other than Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn
Turner Pugh were Councilors R. Gary Allen, Mike Baker, Tom B. Buck III, Berry
H. Henderson, Judy W. Thomas and Evelyn Woodson. City Manager Isaiah Hugley,
Assistant City Attorney Lucy Sheftall, Clerk of Council Tiny B. Washington and
Deputy Clerk of Council Lindsey Glisson were also present. Councilor Bruce
Huff took his seat at 9:04 a.m. Councilor Glenn Davis took his seat at 9:08
a.m.
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ABSENT: Councilor Jerry Barnes and City Attorney Clifton Fay were absent.
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INVOCATION: Lead by Pastor L. Darnell Skinner, Jr. of the Bread of Life
Christian Center.
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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by the Students of Gentian
Elementary School.
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BIRTHDAY WISHES:
Mayor Tomlinson said she today is a very special day and said she just
learned that today was Councilor Henderson?s birthday and then offered birthday
wishes to him.
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PRESENTATION:
THE FOLL0WING UPDATES AND PRESENTATIONS WERE
PROVIDED ON THE MAYOR?S AGENDA:_ _______
Mr. Larry Young, Partner with the Auditing Firm of Albright, Fortenberry &
Ninas, LLP came forward and said they conducted their annual audit of the FY15
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report in
accordance with Governmental Auditing standards and the requirements of O & B
Circular A-1-33 for major programs. He said they issued three reports, one on
the Financial Statement itself, and said they have an
unmodified opinion which means a clean opinion. He said they had an opinion on
internal controls and compliance in accordance with governmental auditing
standards and said it is a clean opinion with no findings. He said
there was no problems with internal controls, and said they also issued an
opinion on the compliance with O & B Circular A-1-33 and said it is also a
clean opinion with no findings or internal controls issue.
Mr. Young said he also wanted to point out that it looks like the general
fund did better than it did last year, with an excess of revenues over
expenditures and other financial resources of a little over $2 million.
Mayor Tomlinson asked Mr. Young, how is it that our general fund did
better than it did last year, and yet we fell below 60 days.
Mr. Young said he did want to point out that this year, it looks like
the General Fund did better than it did last year, with an excess of revenues
over Expenditures and other financial resources, of a little over
$2 million.
Mayor Tomlinson asked, how does that work? How is it that our general
fund did better than last year, and yet, we fell below 60 days. She said this
may be a question that Deputy City Manager Hodge may need to
answer.
Mr. Young said in looking at the previous two years, you had lost, you had
an excess expenditures over revenues of $4 and $5 million dollars in the
previous two years and said in 2012, you had revenues in excess of
approximately $2 million dollars. He said this can also be a component that
the budget is increasing, as a percentage or number of days, of a larger
number, said that relates to a percentage difference.
Mayor Tomlinson then said could you extrapolate that our management of our
budget seems to be working, as it relates to the general fund, to which Mr.
Young stated that it did better this year than it did last year.
Deputy City Manager Hodge said part of what they look at for fund balance
is just the unassigned fund balance. She said if there were additional
reserves that we had to make, that would impact what we talk
about as the unassigned fund balance of the 56 days. She said if we were
setting aside more funds to cover those funds that require support from the
general fund, than that takes away from the unassigned or claims and
judgements also takes away from the unassigned. She said even though revenues
over expenditures might have been better than previous years, those
requirements for reserves were also higher than previous years.
Deputy City Manager Hodge also pointed out that she has distributed the
Management Letter that we have received to members of the Council, as well as
her responses to the Management Letter. She said there were
four comments on the Management Letter, with one having to do with our Loan
Program from Community Development Block Grant and the Home Program, and how we
were recording the loan schedule. She said we
have a new Community Reinvestment Manager and that has been resolved. She said
she has implemented quite a few new internal controls in the CDBG and Home
Program; so, those spreadsheets have been created and
are being maintained appropriately.
She said the second item is a reporting issue on the Pension Investments;
however, there is no impact to the Pension fund or how it was invested, but
said it was how we reported accured interest.
Deputy City Manager Hodge said we had a new Financial Advisor during this
fiscal year and said the reports were different from the previous fiscal year
so there was some accured interest that was not reported
correctly, which has since been corrected, and we have made that adjustment.
Ms. Hodge said the next item is two-part, which has to do with monitoring
grants and project compliance. She said this has to do with our GADOT Grants.
She said the first item required us to have a site visit
from Historic Preservation when we were fifty percent complete. She said the
Project Manager made numerous phone calls and emails to the person to come in
to and make that site visit; however, they could never get a
response.
She said these particular projects did not have any historic
signification, therefore, the Project Manager proceeded forward with the
project until later on we realized that the person that was our contact was no
longer with
the organization. She said none of the emails or phone calls were rejected and
said there was just a mis-communication with Historic Preservation. She said
they did come in at the end of the project and said there was no
issues.
Deputy City Manager Hodge said we tried to get them to come in at the 50%
completion, but said we just couldn?t get in touch with them, but said that has
been corrected.
She said the last item regarding an annual project letter, said that was a
mis-communication with the auditors. She said we did have that letter and said
the person that the auditor spoke with referred them to someone else
and somehow that was a mis-communication; however, that letter has been
provided to the auditors as of last month and said that is no longer an issue.
Deputy City Manager Hodge then asked if there were any questions of the
Council members, but there were none.
Mr. Larry Young said he would like to point out that this is the largest
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report that they have ever assisted in producing
and said it has 184 pages. He said there is a lot of information
included, which also includes a management discussion and analysis that the
Deputy City Manager provides with a lot of good information, as well as a lot
of good statistical information included in the back of it.
Deputy City Manager Hodge said she would like to recognize Jodi Davis, our
Accounting Manager who works really hard producing this document and managing
the Accounting Division for the Finance
Department. She said she is going through some medical issues and has been out
for a while, and asked that we keep her in our thoughts and prayers.
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REGIONAL PROSPERITY INITIATIVE:
Mr. Brian Anderson, President/CEO and Mr.Bill Murphy, Executive Vice
President of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce came forward with an
update on the Regional Prosperity Initiative.
Mr. Brian Anderson first came forward and stated that we are about
three-fourths of the way complete with the prosperity initiative and said he
would hope that you can benefit from the information that Mr. Murphy will share
with you on this morning.
Mr. Bill Murphy then came forward and provided the following information,
as outlined below in a power-point presentation. He said that the Greater
Columbus Georgia Region has served as a model for public-private partnerships
and regional economic and workforce development for more than 20 years.
? Why now?
? What is the Regional Prosperity Plan?
? What is the process?
? What are the key takeaways at this point in the process?
? What are the next steps?
?The future ain?t what it used to be.?
Yogi Berra
Why Now? ? We?ve Changed as a Region.
? Changing economic realities demand communities be proactive to remain
competitive.
? Regional change over the last decade requires a refocused plan to grow
prosperity based on these new conditions.
? The region must act decisively and holistically in order to grow and prosper
over the next decade and beyond.
?Rather than a world in which places compete for business (and people follow),
we will increasingly live in a world where places compete for talent (and
businesses follow).?
The Young & Restless in a Knowledge Economy
CEOs for Cities Report
So ?place? matters?
Theory of Change
Vibrancy Quality of Place Attraction & Retention of Talent
Economic Development
Mr. Murphy showed a chart outlining the population growth index from 1970
? 2013 (1970 =100). He also showed a chart of the population growth compared
to other southeast without direct mainline interstate access.
He showed another chart of non-farm employment index January 2000 ?
February 2015 (Jan. 2000 = 100) He said over the last fifteen years, we have
just recently, as of the end of last year reached the number of jobs we had in
this community in 2000.
Mr. Murphy said we need to keep in mind that we went through two
recessions, one the worst since the Great Recession , where we lost a lot of
jobs; however, we were able to backfield many of those jobs. He said had it not
been for some of the activity of our efforts to recruit new companies, we would
be in a lot worst shape than we are today. He said that speaks to the kind of
community we have been over the last 40 years.
Educational attainment by age Cohort 2013
Mr. Murphy said we also looked at things like education. He said while we
are doing a very good job here in Muscogee County, and have seen an increase in
our graduation rate; however, we are still challenged by the number of students
graduating from college. He said we have a lot of people going to college, but
we are not seeing them translate those into degrees.
After providing the information, as outlined above, Mr. Murphy then said,
why are we undertaking this initiative and how do we structure this regional
prosperity initiative. He then commended several organizations, who he said
stepped up to help make this possible to include the Development Authority of
Columbus, through the City of Columbus, the Chamber of Commerce, The Community
Foundation, W. C. Bradley, Georgia Power and TSYS.
Mr. Murphy said this is a process and said he wants to make sure that
everyone is clear about this. He said to be successful this is not just a
start and end process, but it is something that is an ongoing process for our
community. He said it is designed to create a sustainable prosperity for not
just individuals, but our business community as well. He said it is really
designed to realign and refocus our collective community and economic
development efforts in the community, in a way that would make us more
effective than we would be, if we were acting alone.
He then continued in his presentation and provided the following
information, as outlined below.
What is the Regional Prosperity Plan?
? A collaborative effort on the part of public, private, and non-profit leaders
? A process to create sustainable prosperity for our businesses and residents
? Designed to understand and align collective community and economic
development efforts
Mr. Murphy then went into some details in outlining the four stages of the
process, which are outlined below.
(1) Community Assessment
(2) Targeting & Marketing of Businesses
(3) Strategic Plan
(4) Implementation Phase
? What are the key takeaways at this point in the process?
Nine Key Takeaways
1. Population Trends: Slow Growth and Limited In-Migration
2. A Critical Need for Top Talent
3. Economic Realities
4. Income and Poverty
5. Quality of Place and Quality of Life
6. Homegrown Talent: PK-12 and Higher Education
7. Business and Entrepreneurial Climate
8. Fort Benning: A Vital Asset
9. Philanthropy, Leadership, and Champions
Select Implications from the Research
1. Low levels of educational attainment
2. Job growth has been relatively flat, no mid-2000s ?boom?
3. Major employers are a significant community asset, but a concentrated
economy is inherently vulnerable to risk
4. Poverty remains elevated compared to other regions
5. Higher education is strong ? retaining graduates and attracting students
from outside the region is a priority
6. Proud local history of homegrown companies, but the region has low levels of
self-employment, small business lending, and employment in new firms
Areas of Economic Activity
Finance & Insurance
Manufacturing
Business Support Services
Travel & Tourism
Fort Benning
Target Business Sectors
Insurance & Financial
Aeorspace
Call Centers
Financial Technology & Information Security
Automobile Parts
Shared Services
Mr. Murphy said their guiding principles in this entire effort was really
about providing for prosperity for our communities and reducing poverty and
improving the overall quality of life. He said under those,
? What are the next steps?
He said
Vision without execution is hallucination.?
Thomas Edison
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PUBLIC AGENDA
Mr. Robert Aron & Ms. Elica Ojeda, representing Tri-City Latino Festival,
Re: Home for Good Donation was called up as the next order of business at the
request of Mayor Tomlinson and then came forward and made a presentation of a
donation to the Home for Good.
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PRESENTATIONS CONTINUED:
Ms. Marquetee McKnight came forward and said as you have heard from Mr.
Bill Murphy of the Chamber, but said tis introduced Ms. Grace Perdomo,
Zyscovich Architects came forward with a
presentation on the City Village Master Plan.
CITY VILLAGE Objectives & Process
In 2014, the City entered into this planning process from a position of
advantage, largely the result of over 5 years of planning, coordinating and
implementing strategies for Uptown and based upon the most recent Master Plan.
THE WORK IN UPTOWN IS NOT FINISHED. UPTOWN CONTINUES TO EVOLVE.
Yet - there is an opportunity to leverage the successes in Uptown with a
redevelopment strategy that allows the City?s planning and economic development
efforts to continue upstream and complete the Riverwalk with the revitalization
of City Village into a Riverfront in town community.
CITY VILLAGE Planning Goals & Objectives
1. Create a Vision that is unique to the City Village neighborhood and will
serve as a road map for its revitalization.
2. Develop an Economic Development Plan that strikes a balance between future
development expectations, City Village?s history and serves as a catalyst for
on-going investment and revitalization within the broader Columbus area.
3. Create a Transportation & Multi-Modal Connectivity Plan that provides a
hierarchical framework physical and visual connectivity to the River, Uptown,
and surrounding areas
4. Provide for Design Standards that guide new development and redevelopment
5. Create a Framework for Conserving, Restoring and Preserving the natural,
cultural, historic and architectural assets of the City Village community
CITY VILLAGE Work Plan
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CITY VILLAGE Community Engagement Steering Committee & Community Stakeholders
Ms. Grace Perdomo, provided a list of the steering committee members that
have been engaged in this process, as well as a listing of the community
stakeholders.
She also provided photos from the various group and individual
stakeholders meetings that were held on February 4 & 5, 2015, as well as the
roundtable discussions and community meetings held on April 2 ? 30, and June 29
and September 22, 2015. Included in those meetings were social service
agencies, churches, neighborhood residents, universities, colleges, schools,
Health/Hospitals, Developers, Real Estate, Investors, Non-profits, Community
organizations, Arts-related or other groups, Govenrmental, Utility Providers,
Corporations/Local Businesses/Area Employers/Chamber
VISION for City Village.... Perdomo,
City Village will leverage its locational attributes and natural character
to foster economic development, cultivate an inclusive and diverse environment
that attracts public and private investment, and lead as a model for successful
urban redevelopment.
CCG and Historic Columbus Foundation aspire to the following by way of this
Plan, listed in no particular order, all of equal importance:
? Create, Redevelop, Revitalize an IN-TOWN RIVERFRONT COMMUNITY that encourages
mixeduse, mixed-income development, supports an inclusive and diverse
community, and attracts participants in the creative (arts? tech?) industry ?
Redevelop the 2nd Avenue corridor as a gateway into Columbus ? Leverage Uptown
successes to engage educational institutions like CSU, Mercer, Columbus
Technical College as well as area hospitals, foundations, corporations and
other strategic partners in the redevelopment of the community ? Attract talent
to Columbus ? Create jobs ? Provide equitable opportunities for all
Columbusians ? Encourage targeted economic development to redevelop
neighborhoods ? Ensure environment where diverse group of residents and
entrepreneurs can thrive ? Be a national model for urban economic development
LONG TERM VISION for City Village....
VISION 2040: City Village is Columbus? CREATIVE INTOWN DISTRICT The long
term vision will be to create an urban mixed-use RIVERFRONT district featuring
vibrant community uses and residential development in close proximity to Uptown
Columbus. The district will also be a tourist destination for visitors
throughout Columbus and the region related to whitewater rafting activities and
other events including the ARTS.... Development will need to be jump-started
by public investment and private developers? interests and will occur
incrementally....
Where is the Heart of the New City Village District? The ?creative center? will
be the redeveloped CITY MILL - or the redeveloped Chase Homes site. Over the
long term, the area will become a destination with live/work places,
residential of varying scale, and neighborhood-serving amenities.
Based on MARKET OPPORTUNITIES Key Findings
1. Housing Market: In City Village, there are two notable rental developments:
Chase Homes represents a 108-unit housing development that is owned and
operated by HACG; and, Johnston Mills 334 unit loft complex represents the
complete redevelopment of a mill facility that was subsidized by Low Income
Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) in 2002. Given site location, proximity to
waterfront and widely available vacant land, opportunity to support +/- 150 new
units of market rate multifamily housing units in the next 5 year period.
2. Mixed-Income Housing: One of the strongest opportunities to build on the
housing market opportunity, realize volume of investment, and address the high
concentration of poverty in City Village is to insure the development of mixed
income housing which includes both market rate and affordable units.
Opportunity to leverage the demand for 150 market rate units into total
development of upwards of an additional 100 tax credit/affordable units as part
of the same project.
3. Retail Market: Two key challenges affecting the viability of a
commercial/retail development along the corridor from a market perspective,
including: income levels within City Village and the broader surrounding
retail trade area is quite modest and, therefore, provides limited support for
retail of critical mass; and, 2nd Avenue is a primary artery serving Uptown
from the north and, outside of peak traffic periods, it is regarded as more of
an expressway than a local road. As a result, the opportunity for retail will
likely be a mid- to longer term prospect, as new housing is added (or
redeveloped) and the employment base increases.
Based on MARKET OPPORTUNITIES Key Findings
4. Office Market: The level of demand for office is encouraging, yet it
encompasses the entire region and, given its composition of land to support
professional office space, City Village is at a competitive disadvantage for
private sector professional office space compared to Uptown, Mid-town, and many
other areas throughout suburban Columbus. This is not to say, however, that
small, professional office uses should not be evaluated for some of the
commercial redevelopment proposed for 2nd Avenue. Institutional uses such as
government and/or educational may very well also be an option for City
Village.
5. Hotel / Hospitality Market: According to Smith Travel Research (STR)1, there
are more than 5,000 hotel rooms within a 5+ mile radius of the Uptown Columbus
area ? including Phenix City. The hotel market is primarily driven by the
military, business/event, and recreation/sports segments. Given its proximity
to Uptown, and the fact that it serves as a strategic drop off point for
Whitewater, the opportunity for a hotel (or some type lodging facility) is a
natural consideration for City Village. However, the ability to encourage
hotel development will require significant improvements (such as the relocation
of the Georgia Power station) be made within the surrounding area to ensure it
is compatible with this type of use.
Nonetheless the opportunity for a boutique hotel should be considered as part
of the redevelopment options.
Ms. Grace Perdomo then identified STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES for investment
and connectivity.
CITY VILLAGE Plan Strategies
Ms. Perdomo also went into some details in outlining the following four
strategies as listed below, with regards to the strategies planned for City
Village.
STRATEGY 1: Filling the Uptown to Bibb Village Gap - Weaving Together a Healthy
Riverfront Community
STRATEGY 2: Embracing the Collaborative Economy - Cultivating Human and Social
Capital
STRATEGY 3: Leveraging the Brand - Marketing Columbus and City Village
STRATEGY 4: Quality of Life - Highlighting Unique Character through Branding
and Placemaking Opportunities CITY VILLAGE Plan Strategies
She also showed photos of what the area could possibly like look after it
has been reformed and revitalized.
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CITY ATTORNEY?S AGENDA:
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION WAS SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY CITY ATTORNEY FAY
AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL: _
A Resolution (24-16) ? Establishing qualifying fees for county offices of
the Consolidated Government to be filled in the 2016 elections.
Councilor Henderson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (25-16) ? Of the Council giving preliminary authorization to
pursue the issuance of Columbus, Georgia, Water and Sewerage Revenue Bonds,
Series 2016, in accordance with the request of the Columbus, Georgia Board of
Water Commissioners.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Huff and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Mayor Tomlinson entertained a motion to go into executive session to
discuss a Litigation matter. Councilor Huff made a motion to go into executive
session to discuss a Litigation matter. Seconded by Councilor Woodson and
carried unanimously by those nine members of Council present, with Councilor
Barnes being absent from the meeting.
At 11:11 a.m., the Council adjourned its meeting to go into executive
session. At 11:39 a.m., the meeting was reconvened.
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ADD-ON
THE FOLLOWING ADD-ON RESOLUTION WAS SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY ASSISTANT
CITY ATTORNEY SHEFTALL AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL:__
A Resolution (26-16) ? Approving a damage settlement in the amount of
$262,500.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by Mayor
Pro Tem Turner Pugh and carried unanimously by those eight members of Council
present, with Councilor Buck being absent for the vote and Councilor Barnes
being absent from the meeting.
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CITY MANAGER?S AGENDA:
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY CITY MANAGER
HUGLEY AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL:
A Resolution (27-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to enter into an
agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation to update the
Memorandum of Understanding for the Fort Benning Road Transportation
Enhancement Grant.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded
by Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (28-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to enter into an
agreement with the Columbus Water Works for needed utility relocation for the
construction of the Follow Me Trail Bridge across Victory Drive.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by Mayor
Pro Tem Turner Pugh and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (29-16) ? Authorizing the Mayor to execute a five (5) year
property lease renewal with Tower Development Corporation for the purpose of
leasing space at the entrance of Shirley Winston Park to operate and maintain
an existing telecommunications tower.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Huff and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
A Resolution (30-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to execute a five (5)
year property lease renewal with T-Mobile USA for the purpose of leasing space
at 8889 River Road to operate and maintain an existing telecommunications tower.
Councilor Allen moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (31-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to enter into a new
Lease Agreement with the Columbus Sports Council for five additional years for
use of office space at Golden Park.
Councilor Henderson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (32-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to sign a lease
renewal with Columbus Bank and Trust (CB&T) for the police precinct located at
4505 Buena Vista Road for $1 per year for a period of five (5) years.
Councilor Allen moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Huff and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (33-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to declare vacant
property at 3645 St. Marys Road a/k/a 065 029 021, as surplus and authorize the
sale of .27 acres +/- in accordance with 7-501 of the Columbus Charter.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by Mayor
Pro Tem Turner Pugh and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (34-16) ? Authorizing the acceptance of that portion of Pine
Ridge Drive located in Section Seven, Turtle Creek on behalf of Columbus,
Georgia.
Councilor Allen moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (35-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to accept, on behalf of
the District Attorney, a Grant of $5,000 from the National Association of VOCA
Assistance Administrators, in cooperation with the Office For Victims of Crime,
allocated in the FY17 Budget, to provide funding for National Crime Victims?
Rights Week events in the year 2016, and amend the Multi-Governmental by like
amount.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (36-16) ? Authorizing the City Manager to submit and accept,
if awarded, a grant application, to the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources, Historic Preservation Division, in the amount of up to $20,000 for
the development of new design guidelines for the Uptown Columbus Area, Also
known as the Uptown Fa?ade Board District, with a 40% cash match to be provided
in total by the Historic Columbus Foundation, Inc. and to amend the
multi-governmental fund by the amount of the award.
Councilor Woodson moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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THE FOLLOWING SIX PURCHASING RESOLUTIONS WERE SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY
CITY MANAGER HUGLEY AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL: ____
_____________
A Resolution (37-16) ? Authorizing the execution of a Change Order 3 with
McMath-Turner Construction Company (Columbus, GA) in the amount of $59,463.69
for the JR Allen off-ramp widening project.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded
by Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (38-16) ? Authorizing the purchase of the RouteMatch Mobile
Data Management Module from RouteMatch Software, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) in the
amount of $44,125.00.
Councilor Huff moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by Councilor
Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council present, with
Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (39-16) ? Amending Resolution #440-13 (approved December 10,
2013) to change the name of one of the awarded vendors, Unisource Worldwide,
Inc. (Jacksonville, FL) to Veritiv Operating Company (Jacksonville, FL), to
continue providing custodial supplies.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded
by Councilor Allen and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (40-16) ? Authorizing the declaration of one (1) Dodge Ram
150 Pickup Truck (Vehicle #521) as surplus, in accordance with Section 7-501
of the Charter of the Columbus Consolidated Government; and authorize the
donation of the surplus vehicle to the City of Woodland, Georgia.
Councilor Allen moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded by
Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (41-16)? Authorizing the purchase of stream mitigation
credits from Upatoi Creek Mitigation Bank, LLC in the amount of $10,351.00; and
the Kolomoki Plantation/Kolomoki Farms, LLC in the amount of $10,351.00, to
mitigate the impacts associated with the development of the South Lumpkin
Multi-Use Trail (Follow M Trail).
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded
by Councilor Huff and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
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A Resolution (42-16)? Authorizing Change Order 1 with Aqua Design Systems
(Fayetteville, GA) in the amount of $67,853.52 for outdoor pool repairs.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh moved the adoption of the resolution. Seconded
by Councilor Woodson and carried unanimously by those nine members of Council
present, with Councilor Barnes being absent from the meeting.
*** *** ***
THE FOLL0WING UPDATES WERE PROVIDED ON THE CITY
MANAGER?S AGENDA:_________ ___________________
Ms. Pat Biegler, Director of Public Works came forward with an update
regarding Facilities Maintenance.
INTEGRATED WASTE FUND ? FLEET REPLACEMENT OPTIONS
FLEET REPLACEMENT
LEASE/PURCHASE PROGRAM
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Year 8
Funding Needed Trucks/Equipment
$1,344,000 35-40
$2,295,000 21-29
$2,295,000
$2,295,000
$2,295,000
$2,295,000
$2,295,000
$2,295,000
FLEET REPLACEMENT
? In Year 1, replacement begins for 35-40 trucks
? In Year 2, additional funds will become available to continue replacing the
trucks/equipment due to:
? Reduced Maintenance = $500,000
? Return Ft. Benning Rentals = $131,000
? Fuel Savings = $320,000
? TOTAL = $951,000
OPTION #1
? Amend OLOST Infrastructure Definition
? Current definition:
? Roads and bridges
? Storm water and flood abatement projects
? Technology
? Capital projects to include construction, maintenance and renovation of
buildings and facilities to support quality of life improvements and to house
governmental operations
? Amendment would include Fleet and Equipment
OPTION #2
? Increase residential garbage rates by $2/month
OPTION #3
? Parcel Fee (Proposal by Councilor Davis)
? Fee to be determined
ADDITONAL CONSIDERATIONS
CLOSURE AND POST CLOSURE
? Funds set aside for Closure and Post Closure ($6.8 million)
? Liability thru June 30, 2015 = $7,731,063
? 100% of capacity Schatulga Road Landfill
? 37.5% of capacity Pine Grove Landfill
? Wilson Camp
? Use of funds for upcoming projects
? Schatulga Road Landfill
? Post Closure Care = $130,000/year x 17 years = $2.2 million
? Repair Aging Gas System = $1 million (FY19)
(Note: Not included in liability)
CLOSURE AND POST CLOSURE
? Wilson Camp
? Monitoring = $50,000/year x 29 = $1,450,000
? Pine Grove Landfill
? Phases 1-4 Closure = $10.5 million (FY27)
? Post Closure Phase 1-4 = $110,000/year x 30 years = $3.3 million (begins FY28)
? Phases 5-6 Closure = $8 million (FY50)
? Post Closure Phase 5-6 = $160,000/year x 30 years = $4.8 million (begins FY51)
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ? NOT FUNDED
? $427,000 currently available
? Pine Grove Borrow Area
? Construction = $50,000 (FY17)
? Pine Grove C&D
? Construction of Expansion = $1 million (FY17)
? Granite Bluff
? Construction for Expansion = $200,000 (FY18)
? Oxbow Meadows Landfill
? Forested Wetlands = $1.0 million (FY18)
? Pine Grove Landfill
Design and Construction of Phases 5-6 = $10 million (begins FY24)
*** *** ***
FINANCE/PAYROLL/BUDGET/HUMAN RESOURCES SYSTEM
UPGRADE:___________________________________________________
Ms. Pam Hodge, Deputy City Manager, came forward and gave an update on the
Technology and Finance, HR & Payroll system, and is outlined below.
CURRENT SYSTEM
} Finance (includes Accounting, Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Fixed Assets,
Accounts Receivable)
? Version 3.7 (current version is 3.10)
? Server purchased in 2003
} Budget
? Version 5.40.03.10 (BRASS)
? Budget application has completely changed from BRASS to Performance
Budgeting.
} Payroll / Human Resources
? Version 2.3.2 (current version is 3.10)
? Mainframe
CRITICAL ISSUE
} Finance server is well beyond its useful life.
} A new server would require an upgrade to latest version of the software
(3.10). The current version (3.7) would not be compatible with a new server.
} Functions are not integrated.
} IT Department?s plan to move all programs off of the mainframe. (Payroll/HR)
} HR/Payroll/Budgeting no longer supported for upgrades.
OPTION 1
} Replace server and upgrade to the current version for Finance and Budgeting
functions only. (Note: Payroll/Human Resources would not be upgraded.)
} Locally hosted and managed
} Limited integration between functions
} Cost for each upgrade and hardware
} No Disaster Recovery, only back-ups
} 10 year estimated cost = $10.2 million
OPTION 2
} Replace server and upgrade to the current version for all functions (Finance,
Budgeting, Payroll and Human Resources)
} Locally hosted and managed
} Full integration between functions
} Cost for each upgrade and hardware
} Includes Disaster Recovery and back-ups
} 10 year estimated cost = $11.9 million
OPTION 3
} SaaS Solution (Software as a Service)
} 10 year commitment with overall cost savings
} Hosted and managed by the vendor
} Upgrade to current version for all functions
} Routing upgrades as new versions are available
} Increase functionality and self service capabilities
} Eliminate dependency on aging infrastructure
} Includes Disaster Recovery and back-ups
} 10 year cost = $6.95 million
RECOMMENDATION
} Option 3
} Funding Source:
? Annual SaaS Fee: IT Department
? $452,300 for 10 years
? Replaces current annual maintenance fee
? Implementation: OLOST Infrastructure-Technology
? FY16 = $60,000
? FY17 = $635,000
? FY18 = $635,000
? FY19 = $1,091,000
*** *** ***
Ms. Pam Hodge, Deputy City Manager came forward with an update on the
Capital Projects.
*** *** ***
Ms. Pam Hodge, Deputy City Manager and Ms. Pat Biegler, Public Works
Director came forward with an update on Integrated Waste Options.
*** *** ***
Dr. James Worsley, Director of Parks and Recreation came forward with an
update on the Aquatic Center.
*** *** ***
THE FOLLOWING PRESENTATION WAS DELAYED ON THE
CITY MANAGER?S AGENDA:_________ __________ __
Insurance Service Organization (ISO)/Building Code Grading Effectiveness
Schedule, Pam Hodge, Deputy City Manager and John Hudgison, Interim Inspections
& Codes Director
-------------------------------------*** ***
***---------------------------------
CLERK OF COUNCIL?S AGENDA:
DUE TO THERE NO LONGER BEING A QUORUM PRESENT, THOSE ITEMS LISTED ON THE
CLERK OF COUNCIL?S AGENDA WAS DELAYED UNTIL THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED
MEETING:____
__________
Due to the lack of a quorum, Mayor Tomlinson declared the meeting
adjourned, with the time being 2:31 p.m., with Councilor Barnes being absent
from the meeting and Councilors Allen, Buck Henderson and Huff having already
left the meeting.
Tiny B. Washington, MMC
Clerk of Council
The Council of Columbus, Georgia
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