MINUTES
COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
WORK SESSION
SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
The regular monthly Work Session of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was
called to order at 9:05 A.M., Tuesday, September 23, 2008, in the Council
Chambers on the Plaza Level of the Government Center, Columbus, Georgia.
Honorable W.J. Wetherington, Mayor, presiding.
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PRESENT: Present other than Mayor Wetherington and Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Turner
Pugh, were Councilors R. Gary Allen, Wayne Anthony, Mike Baker, Jerry ?Pops?
Barnes, Glenn Davis, Berry Henderson, Julius H. Hunter, Jr., Charles E.
McDaniel, Jr., and Evelyn Woodson. Deputy City Manager David Arrington, City
Attorney Clifton Fay, Clerk of Council Tiny B. Washington, and Deputy Clerk of
Council Sandra Davis were also present.
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ABSENT: City Manager Isaiah Hugley was absent, but was represented by Deputy
City Manager David Arrington.
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INVOCATION: Offered by Reverend Ron Smith of Epworth United Methodist Church.
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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by St. Anne Pacelli Catholic School?s Third ? Twelfth
Grade Student Council Members.
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CONSENT AGENDA:
THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCES WERE LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND SUBMITTED
AND EXPLAINED BY CITY ATTORNEY FAY AND ADOPTED BY COUNCIL PURSUANT TO THE
ADOPTION OF A SINGLE MOTION MADE BY COUNCILOR MCDANIEL AND SECONDED BY
COUNCILOR ALLEN, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE TEN MEMBERS OF COUNCIL
PRESENT FOR THIS MEETING:________________
An Ordinance (08-54) ? Rezoning property located at 906 27th Street from GC
(General Commercial) to RMF1 (Residential Multi-Family 1) zoning district.
An Ordinance (08-55) ? Rezoning property located at 4225 Armour Road from
an RO (Residential Office) zoning office to NC (Neighborhood Commercial) zoning
district.
An Ordinance (08-56) ? Rezoning property located at 1725 Whittlesey Road
and 6700 Whitesville Road from an LMI (Light Manufacturing/Industrial)/ RMF2
(Residential Multi-Family 2) zoning district to GC (General Commercial) zoning
district.
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THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE WAS ALSO LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND
SUBMITTED AND EXPLAINED BY DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
ARRINGTON:______________________________________________
An Ordinance ? Approving a text amendment to the Unified Development
Ordinance (UDO) to allow Places of Worship on less than 2 acres as a Special
Exception Use.
Mayor Pro-Tem Turner Pugh said there are some questions regarding this
proposed ordinance and asked City Attorney Fay that this item be delayed. Mayor
Pro Tem Turner Pugh then made a motion to delay this ordinance. Seconded by
Councilor McDaniel and carried unanimously by those ten members of Council
present.
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THE FOLLOWING NEW REZONING PETITIONS WERE LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND
AN ORDINANCE AND PUBLIC HEARING WERE CALLED FOR BY COUNCILOR
MCDANIEL:_____________________________
Petition submitted by Ray Wright, Inc. to rezone 8.66 acres of property
located at 1212 Chaplin Drive from SFR2 (Single Family Residential 2) to SFR3
(Single Family Residential 3) zoning district. (Recommended for approval by
both the Planning Advisory Commission and the Planning Department.)
(35-A-08-Ray Wright, Inc.)
Petition submitted by Ralph Fuller to rezone 5.0 acres of property located
at 8150 Fortson Road from RE1 (Residential Estate 1) to GC (General Commercial)
zoning district. (Recommended for approval by both the Planning Advisory
Commission and the Planning Department.) (36-A-08-Fuller)
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THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION AS LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA WAS SUBMITTED BY
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER ARRINGTON AND APPROVED BY THE
COUNCIL:____________________________________
A Resolution (445-08) ? Approving the payment of Attorney Fees to Page,
Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker & Ford, P.C., in the amount of $35,947.36, for legal
services rendered regarding various City issues during July through August;
approval is also requested for contingent attorney fees that may be incurred
during the remainder of FY09. Councilor McDaniel moved the adoption of the
resolution. Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh and carried unanimously by
those eight members of Council present with Councilors Allen and Woodson being
absent for this vote.
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EXPEDIA:
City Attorney Fay informed the Mayor and Council that an article in the
newspaper this morning mentioned the Expedia ruling and that Columbus is going
to recover some money for additional hotel/motel taxes because of the ruling.
He further pointed out that the legal fees for this action would come out of
the proceeds that Columbus will recover. He said there are no additional costs
to the taxpayers.
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Mayor Pro-Tem Turner Pugh said she would like to ask the staff a few
questions regarding the UDO change and asked Mr. Rick Jones if this passes and
a church wants to come and asked for a special exception use and across the
street and/or right next door are stores with wine & beer license ? what impact
will the church have on the nearby businesses.
Mr. Jones responded by saying that anytime something like this happens,
where a church goes in, those businesses within a 300-foot radius will be
impacted by becoming non-conforming use (alcohol license) ? if they are selling
beer and wine, they can continue to do so, but if they want to change that
license (to a mix drinks) they will not be able to do that because they are
within 300 ft of the church. He said that is the potential impact this or any
other type of ordinance dealing with churches has on existing businesses.
Councilor Davis asked about the reasons the request for changes to the UDO
and allowing this as a special exception use - it is due to the request of a
petitioner? Mr. Jones said this is correct ? the church could not meet the
required minimum 2 acres.
Several members of Council asked a number of questions regarding the
proposed changes to the UDO and the impact of surrounding businesses.
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WORK SESSION AGENDA:
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ? COMMUNITY PLAN-VISION/FUTURE LAND USE
PLAN:____________________________________________________________
Deputy City Manager Arrington reminded the Mayor and Council of the
presentation in July 2008 of the draft of the comprehensive plan. He said the
purpose of that briefing was to get the Council?s approval to submit the
document through the Lower Chattahoochee RDC to the Department of Community
Affairs for their review. He said Council did authorize us to submit the
document to DCA and it is currently being reviewed. He said this is the first
of three briefings to go over the Comprehensive Plan update and the Planning
Department?s Director, Rick Jones will provide the update.
Mr. Arrington then called on Mr. Jones to come forward with his presentation.
Mr. Rick Jones said this morning what we want to bring to you is the
Community Agenda for the Comprehensive Plan. This is the heart of the
Comprehensive Plan and will serve as a trust document ? feedback and comments
from citizens. He said there is a community vision statement that was required
and that statement speaks well for this plan itself. He said where we are today
is that we have had our community hearings, public meetings, community vision
survey, emails, and website. This has been a well thought-out and
well-processed document in terms of our citizens putting this plan together. He
said the final draft has been sent to DCA, we have received some preliminary
comments of changes and our consultants have made those changes and we should
be receiving some kind of final word on that document in the next two weeks.
He said the Council would then have to formally adopt this document once
DCA has approved it. We are anticipating the document will be adopted in
October 2008. The Community Agenda consists of the following:
Future Policy Map
Establishing Policy for Future Growth
Future Land Use Map
Implementation Program
Mr. Jones turned this portion of the presentation over to Mr. Will
Johnson.
Mr. Will Johnson said that some of the things he will be discussing are
more on the technical aspects of this plan. He then showed the future new
planning district maps ? right now we have 13 planning districts ? we have
reduced the number of planning districts from 13 to 6. A lot of the
combinations of districts were done based on similar land-use issues that those
particular areas are facing. Northwest and North Central Columbus were two
separate districts ? now they are one. The Panhandle was also two districts
that are now combined ? Southeast Columbus has essentially doubled ? these are
areas that had very similar land-use characteristics so there was no need to
have 13 districts when half of them have the same characteristics.
He said something new that is in the Comprehensive Plan is something that
the State of Georgia now requires called a Character Map. Our map is sort of a
hybrid- it is called the Future Policy Map and it outlines planning efforts and
policies for ten different character areas of the community that each have
their own issues and visions. The character area maps are more detailed than
the planning district map ? the ten character areas consists of: Northwest
Columbus, Northeast Columbus, West Panhandle, East Panhandle, Bibb Area, Uptown
Columbus, Mid-Town, Southeast Columbus, Columbus South, and Oxbow.
The focus of this morning?s presentation is Southeast Columbus ? where most
of our residential growth is happening. Southeast Columbus is one or our main
established suburban areas and probably the only one that is growing right now
(residentially).
He said one of the drivers of change for this area is MTP (the new industrial
park) and Fort Benning. He said a lot of the residential growth out there is
geared towards proximity to Fort Benning, but one thing we would like to see in
this area is commercial revitalization (but right now we are seeing infield
development); building multi-mode transportation connections; and noise
abatement (for the future). This matrix is just a brief overview of what issues
we would be looking at in that particular district.
Mr. Johnson said what is included in this matrix are implementation
strategies and the various ways to look at this ? from infield development to
neighborhood revitalization, and commercial revitalization. This includes the
steps on how we should approach the situation and future growth and changes in
that area. This is really the meat of this Comprehensive Plan. He said each
area has its own specific issues that need to be addressed and its own changes
that will be coming. This gives us our foundation to move forward and really
see some changes in the different areas of town.
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh asked Mr. Johnson to expand on the areas in
Southeast for commercial development. Mr. Johnson responded by pointing out
certain areas on the map (labeled with yellow stars) that identified commercial
revitalization areas.
He said other areas identified in the Comprehensive Plan are Target
Redevelopment Areas ? studies have already been done in these areas and we are
now in the process of updating. A lot of changes happen in these particular
areas noted on this map ? for instance, one would have to be at 70% poverty
level to qualify for HUD monies in these areas; when these areas were started
they did qualify. Technically they no longer qualify, so we are moving forward
in those regards.
Mr. Johnson said the Future Land Use Map has undergone some changes guiding
future land use. There is one big change that we call ?Mixed Use? and we have
seen from a zoning standpoint a proliferation of PUDs in the last three years.
He said three have actually been zoned with another coming before Council on
October 14, 2008 ? this seem to be the new trend in development ? where live,
work, and play is being created in one location. The other thing that we have
done with the future land use map is we have changed how we looked at
residential development. He said what the consultants have done is they took
our new zoning codes from the UDO and tied them back to the Land Use
Designations that are coming out of this new Comprehensive Plan. He said what
we have to do is take these designations and adopt them into the UDO so that
our land uses and our zonings will match-up ? this is a requirement of DCA.
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Note: Councilor Allen left the meeting during this portion of the proceedings
with the time being 10:05 a.m.
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Mr. Jones pointed out that for those viewing at home who may be unable to
see the maps and charts on their television, they could go to the Planning
Department website at www.columbusga.com/mpo. He further pointed out that there
is nothing more important in this document than the Future Land Use Map.
Mr. Jones said the Community Agenda includes Issues and Opportunities that
establishes community goals such as Community Utilization; Quality Community
Infrastructure; Balanced Transportation; Preserving & Enhancing Natural
Environments; Managing Impacts of Growth; and Regional Coordination & Local
Partnerships ? these are all important goals to us in term of how we are going
to deal with future development in this community.
Mr. Jones? presentation to Council also included the following:
Marketing (issues)
- Efforts of growth trends
- Barriers to Redevelopment
- Quality of Housing Development
- Mismatched between Housing /jobs
- Lack of esthetics and Streetscapes
Quality Community Infrastructure
- Growth of Fort Benning
- Performance Based Land Control
- Strong and Viable Water utility
- Aging Infrastructure
- Infrastructure (Roads etc.)
- Mismatched between Public & Private Facilities
- Mismatched between new school
- Security & Public Safety
- Limited Public force
- Recreational Facilities & Parks Improvements
Balanced Transportation
- Land Use Transportation Coordination
- Rising gas prices
- Energy Practices
Multi-Mode Transportation (issues)
- Incomplete pedestrian network (sidewalks)
- Limited transit services
- Increase congestion
- Balance between new & existing roads infrastructure
- Traffic signalization
- Railroad & Road Grade Separation
- Fort Benning related traffic
- Lack of available transportation funding
Preserving & Enhancing Natural Environment
Opportunities
- The Chattahoochee River
- White Water Rafting
- Protect Green Space
- Partnership with Fort Benning
Issues
- Tree Canopy
- Monitoring water quality
- Steep slopes and fragile soil
- Noise impact (Fort Benning future missions)
Managing Impact of Growth
Opportunity
- Tax base growth
- Gathering public trust and new funding mechanism
- Columbus Champion (community that will serve as chair for the comprehensive
plan)
Issues
- Increasing number of school children
- Low density residential /zoning
- Gathering public trust and capitol project delivery
- Potential impact of raising city revenues
- Inadequate revenues
- Level of service
Regional Coordination & Local Partnerships
Opportunity
- Preparation for Fort Benning growth
- Chattahoochee Valley School project & funding
- Regional Water Planning & Services
- Job Opportunities
- Increasing Tourism
Issues
- Coordination between Muscogee County School Districts
- Diversion Land Use approaches
- Loss of young professionals
- Air and Water Qualities
Mr. Jones further pointed out that this is an important section because
these are items we need to be addressing over the next several years as a
community. He then responded to several questions and comments from members of
Council after which he pointed out that one of the key elements also included
in the Comprehensive Plan is physical impact analysis which should be available
in the next 30 days.
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Note: A draft copy of the Community Agenda for the 2028 Comprehensive Plan
has been submitted and is on file in the Clerk of Councils? Office.
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UPTOWN COLUMBUS ? ANNUAL REPORT:
Mr. Richard Bishop, President and CEO of Uptown Columbus said this morning
he just wants to give a brief a snapshot of what has happened in Uptown in the
last year.
He said over a year ago, we had a strategic planning session where we had over
50 people in attendance and we talked about some key issues that we want to
address.
He said one of the things that was accomplished this past year is that we were
designated as an Urban Main Street Program. One of the things that came out of
our strategic session was that we needed to consider the unification of the BID
and Uptown Columbus ? and I can tell you today that, both boards have approved
that process and will be completed by the first of the year (January 2009).
He said the other issue that came out of the session with our stakeholders
was that we don?t have a safety problem in Uptown Columbus - we have a
perception problem and things have been put in place to help improve public
safety in Uptown areas through working with the Columbus Police Department. We
now have a Lieutenant that is in charge of the off-duty Police Officers that
work down there. I can also tell you that we?ve up the security on Friday and
Saturday nights in Uptown Columbus. We now have an excess of 10 public safety
officers ? a combination of public safety personnel from Columbus Police
Department, Columbus State University and Fort Benning and it is working really
well.
Mr. Bishop said as for the design, we had over 21 projects that started in
the Uptown area and those projects average over $600,000 each. We had over
$13.5 million in capital investment in the Uptown area in the past year ? and
looking at the 3-year history, we average almost $14 million in capital
investment ? excluding the CSU campus and other big projects in the area.
Economic Restructuring saw 11 new businesses opened in the Uptown area
(Central River Front District); Housing ? seven units went up above the Subway,
2 units above the Japanese Stake House on 12th Street.
Eagle Phenix Historic Riverfront Development ? this is a $25 million
project that will bring 88 condos in the Uptown area. Mr. Bishop also provided
the following information regarding the Uptown Columbus District:
107 Condos
68 Apartments
102 Student Housing Units
Economic Restructuring
10 Sandwich Shops
10 Restaurants
13 Bar/Clubs
26 Retail Shops
Development of Riverfront
Over 2,500 parking spaces
Mr. Bishop further pointed out that starting Friday, October 3, 2008 and
continuing for every Friday for the month of October there will be a concert.
There will also be a celebration in observance of Columbus Day on October 10;
and on December 5, 2008 the Mayor will light the Christmas tree on Broadway.
He then spent an additional 30 minutes responding to questions and
comments from several members of Council.
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FINANCE REPORT:
Finance Director Pam Hodge came forward and presented the following:
(Comparing August 2008 to August 2007)
Director Hodge said there are a few items on the report summary that needs
mentioning:
General Fund ? decline of 3.85%
Building Permit ? decline of 24%
Sewer & Paving Funds ? funded by property taxes that will not be collected
until October and December
Medical Center and Economic Development ? funds strictly from property taxes
Integrated Waste ? within $10,000 between last year and this year - garbage
fees support majority of this fund.
E911 ? decrease in funds from last year
Debt Service ? decline of 34.75 % - previous revenue of $107,000 that was
excess earnings in the escrow account for 2004 bond issue that we paid off.
That was paid off last year and the excess was returned to us, so you will see
the revenue in FY08 higher than it is currently but is due to the bond issue.
Transportation Fund ? decrease in fund. Two issues in transportation fund ?
(1) Has revenue from property taxes (2) Funded from grants
Parking Management ? up approximately $3,000 from this same time last year.
We continue to monitor this very closely.
Trade Center Fund ? same point as last year (slightly down)
Bull Creek & Oxbow ? seeing a different trend from last year
Civic Center Fund ? slight increase
Director Hodge then responded to questions from Councilors Anthony and
Davis regarding Metra and Athletic Program fees respectively.
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1999 SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX:
Finance Director Hodge also provided the following report regarding the
1999 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST):
Director Hodge pointed out that the SPLOST will be coming off at the end of
September ? this is a way for us to notify the businesses to make sure that
they are aware that the sale tax rate is going to change. She said it is coming
off at the end of September, so for October 1, 2008 our sales tax rate in
Muscogee County will be 6%.
She pointed out that the website for the Department of Revenue has a link
that (says important notices that shows that the current sales tax rate)
provides additional information on the School tax. She pointed out once again
that our current rate (as of October 1, 2008) is 6%.
She said the Finance & Revenue Department are sending out post cards to
business owners who have businesses in Muscogee County to let them know that
the sale tax rate is going to be 6% effective October 1, 2008. She pointed out
that she had a brief (video) interview with the Regional Manager of Department
of Revenue and it will be played on CCGTV. She then played the 21/2 minutes
long video for Council.
Deputy City Manager Arrington said this concluded the Work Session Agenda
for today but re-emphasized that the sales tax will go from 7% to 6% in October
and will be further communicated through CCGTV and other media outlets to get
the message across.
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COMMENTS AND REQUESTS FROM COUNCIL:
HOUSE OF HEROES
Councilor Anthony said this weekend in Columbus, GA we did 300 homes for
House of Heroes; had 17 homes we were working on this week and today the
Society for Human Resource Management along with students from Muscogee County
School District are all teaming together to work on those houses. We also did
the first house outside of this area ? in Washington, Iowa.
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With there being no other business to come before this Council, Mayor
Pro-Tem Turner Pugh then made a motion adjourn. Seconded by Councilor McDaniel
and carried unanimously by those ten members of Council present for this
meeting with the time being 11:30 am.
Tiny B. Washington, CMC
Clerk of Council
The Council of Columbus, Georgia
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