MINUTES
COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
WORK SESSION
OCTOBER 23, 2007
The regular monthly Work Session of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was
called to order at 9:04 A.M., Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 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., and Charles E.
McDaniel, Jr. City Manager Isaiah Hugley, City Attorney Clifton Fay, and
Deputy Clerk of Council Sandra Davis were also present.
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ABSENT: Councilor Evelyn Woodson was absent. Clerk of Council Tiny B.
Washington was also absent.
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INVOCATION: Offered by Dr. Hal Brady- St. Luke United Methodist Church.
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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by students from St. Luke School.
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PRAYER FOR RAIN:
Councilor Anthony called upon the entire community to be in prayer for
rain.
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PROCLAMATION:
?SCOTT SIEG DAY?:
With Mr. Scott Seig and members of his family standing at the Council
table, Councilor Davis read Mayor Wetherington?s proclamation, proclaiming
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 as ?Scott Sieg Day? in Columbus, Georgia.
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CONSENT AGENDA
THE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ATLAS OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA WAS
LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AS SUBMITTED BY CITY ATTORNEY FAY AND ADOPTED ON
SECOND READING UPON A SINGLE MOTION MADE BY COUNCILOR HENDERSON AND SECONDED BY
COUNCILOR ALLEN, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL
PRESENT FOR THIS MEETING:
An Ordinance (07-72) - Amending the ?Official Street Map, City of
Columbus, Georgia,? by changing the official street name for the section of
public roadway currently designated as Crown Circle to Masterbuilt Court, to be
one street name consistent with the length of roadway; authorizing the
replacement of existing street name signs labeled as Crown Circle to
Masterbuilt Court.
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THE FOLLOWING TEMPORARY STREET CLOSURE APPLICATIONS WERE LISTED ON THE
CONSENT AGENDA AS SUBMITTED BY CITY ATTORNEY FAY AND ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL
UPON A SINGLE MOTION MADE BY COUNCILOR HENDERSON AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR
ALLEN, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THOSE NINE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT FOR
THIS MEETING:
Application of Sandee Olson to temporarily close 3rd Avenue between 11th
Street and 12th Street, on Friday, October 26, 2007, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00
p.m., in connection with the ?St. Luke Fall Harvest Festival?.
Application of Myra Lockhart to temporarily close 8th Street between 5th
Avenue and 6th Avenue, on Saturday, October 27, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
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THE FOLLOWING TWO NEW REZONING PETITIONS WERE LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA
AND AN ORDINANCE AND PUBLIC HEARING WERE CALLED FOR EACH BY COUNCILOR
MCDANIEL:
Petition submitted by Rodney Milner to rezone 1.0 acre of property located
at 7519 Fortson Road from NC (Neighborhood Commercial) to GC (General
Commercial) zoning district. (Recommended for approval by both the Planning
Advisory Commission and the Planning Department.) (47-A-07-Milner)
Petition submitted by Paul Gibson to rezone 0.64 acre of property located
at 1939 & 1943 Wynnton Road from RO (Residential-Office) to GC (General
Commercial) zoning district. (Recommended for approval by both the Planning
Advisory Commission and the Planning Department.) (48-A-07-Gibson)
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THE FOLLOWING TWO NEW REZONING PETITIONS WERE LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA
AND WERE ONLY RECEIVED BY THE
COUNCIL:
Petition submitted by Robert Upshaw to rezone 1.0 acre of property located
at 426 Tennessee Drive from SFR4 (Single Family Residential 4) to RMF2
(Residential Multi-Family 2). (Recommended for denial by both the Planning
Advisory Commission and the Planning Department.) (49-D-07-Upshaw)
Petition submitted by Our Lady of Rose Hill Ministries, Inc., to amend the
text of the Unified Development Ordinance to amend the definition of transient
lodging. (Recommended for approval by the Planning Advisory Commission and
denial by the Planning Department.) (50-D-07-Our Lady of Rose Hill Ministries,
Inc.)
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EXECUTIVE SESSION:
City Attorney Fay requested a brief executive session to discuss real
estate acquisition.
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TAX ALLOCATION DISTRICT (TAD):
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh recalled that there was a lot of discussion on
the TAD and had asked about posting questions that had been called in regarding
the TAD on the Government Access Channel along with the responses and it was
not done. City Attorney Fay responded by saying that he has received
information from the chamber of Commerce and advised against scrolling that
information on CCG-TV. City Manager Hugley, reading the excerpts of an email
received from City Attorney Fay advising not to scroll any information other
than the fact sheet prepared by Columbus State University because they are
responsible for educating the public in this matter.
Councilor Anthony then requested that the staff to check to see if the
City could have the questions from citizens provided to Columbus State
University for them to respond to and have the questions and answers posted on
the City?s website.
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WATER RESTRICTIONS:
Councilor Henderson made comments in reference to the water restrictions.
He mentioned receiving complaints from citizens that the neighbors were
violating the water restrictions for outdoor usage. He requested staff to
provide options on how to handle citizens who continue to violate the water
restrictions.
City Attorney Fay advised that the Columbus Water Works has the mechanisms
in place to investigate complaints. Councilor Henderson then requested that
staff check to see if we could cite them to appear in Recorder?s Court or some
other way of addressing violators.
Councilor Henderson requested that staff to check to see if the City could
allow the use of brown water or runoff water for plantings that are taking
place as part of the beautification efforts.
Councilor Anthony pointed out that Governor Sonny Perdue has asked for a
state of emergency to include Muscogee County and requested national disaster
status from the President, and said this could add some additional clout to the
restrictions.
City Manager Hugley stated that he would provide some correspondence on
how the City Government is dealing with the restrictions as it relates to
government facilities.
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DEBT COLLECTION:
City Manager Hugley provided some clarification for those citizens who may
have viewed an early morning show with regards to the debt collection agreement
with a company out of Birmingham, Alabama. He explained that the
Administration was directed to do only a short-term contract to expire in
December. He said that the Administration was asked to put out a Request for
Proposal to allow locals to compete and bid for the debt collection service,
and those instructions were followed. He called attention to the Columbus
Ledger-Enquirer?s Sunday newspaper, which has the bid advertisements. He said
it goes on to show that on November 16, 2007, debt collection bids would be
opened. He then encouraged local debt collection agencies to get in on the bid
opening that is going to occur. He also asked that citizens with questions
call the City Manager?s Office to get the real facts on matters, because there
has been erroneous information put out to the public by individuals and he
wants to make sure the citizens get the correct information.
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WORK SESSION:
MONTHLY FINANCE UPDATE:
City Manager Isaiah Hugley called on Finance Director Pam Hodge to provide
the monthly finance update.
In response to a question from Mayor Wetherington, Finance Director Hodge
said the last check we received from our current debt collection agency,
Revenue Discovery System, was $15,000.
Mayor Wetherington requested the staff to provide a report on the total
amount of money that Revenue Discovery System has collected for the City. City
Manager Hugley advised that at the next financial update we would do a public
update to provide this information. Councilor Anthony requested that this
information out to the public at next week?s Council Meeting as an update.
Finance Director Pam Hodge, came forward to provide an overview of the
Columbus Consolidated Government Unaudited Quarterly Revenue Report, FY-2008
First Quarter.
She summarized that the General Fund is up 5.57% from where we were last
year. She pointed out that most of the funds are up; however, there are four
funds that are being monitored closely, because they are down from where we
were this time last year. She briefly highlighted the funds are up. She then
outlined the four funds that are being monitored and explained the
circumstances that have caused the funds to be down and are as follows:
Emergency Telephone Fund- down 21%, Transportation Fund- down 45%, Parking
Management- down 28% and the Civic Center- down 42%.
With regards to Debt Service Fund, Finance Director Hodge responded to
questions from Councilor Baker regarding the Debt Service being up 52% by
pointing out that motor vehicle is up and she believes that the interest income
is also up. Finance Director Hodge also explained in further details the Debt
Service Fund as requested by Councilor Henderson.
Councilor Davis requested the staff to provide a report on the number of
violations in the Uptown area year-to-date versus last year.
Councilor Anthony asked about the projected completion date for the
streetscape, at which time, City Manager Hugley advised that Deputy City
Manager Arrington has projected that the streetscape would be completed within
the next thirty days or so.
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AMBULANCE FEES:
Fire Chief Jeff Meyers approached the rostum and provided the following
power point presentation on ambulance fees and is listed as follow:
Council Request
Ambulance Fees
Why Varied Ambulance Rates?
Each service applies different rates
CFEMS ambulance rates are based on what is customarily allowable by Medicare
and Medicaid
Service provided by private companies is not supported through the CCG budget
Private Ambulance Service?s rates vary from CFEMS? however, due to contract the
following applies:
At this time, Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh asked questions regarding the bid
process and the ambulance providers that arrive on the scene. Fire Chief
Meyers responded by saying that the bid went out on an RFP and the 911
personnel would send the closest available unit. She then expressed the
concerns that citizens have raised regarding the ambulance cost. She also
requested that Chief Meyers explain the reason the city had to contract with
other ambulance services.
Fire Chief Meyers briefly explained that there was several years ago and
continues to be a shortage in Paramedics. He spoke of the amount of overtime
the Paramedics were accumulated, which was fine for a while; however, the
Paramedics started to experience burn out. He explained that another challenge
was that the promotional procedures require these personnel to ride a fire
apparatus forty shifts a year. He said when it was identified that we needed
some help, we requested that an RFP be put out to augment service in Columbus
until the Fire & EMS Department could get in a position to run our own
ambulances. He estimated that by the first quarter of 2009 to be able to run
our City ambulances again.
Fire Chief Meyers also responded to questions from Councilors Davis
regarding the ambulance rates. Finance Director Hodge also responded to
questions from Councilor Baker regarding the rates charged by the City versus
other ambulance providers. Councilor Anthony suggested some consistency in
costs, at which time, Fire Chief Meyers explained that an equal charge was
originally in the contract; however, it was changed because it would have cost
the City a considerable amount of money to have the private ambulance providers
to come in and provide that service.
At this time, Fire Chief Meyers continued with his presentation and is
outlined below:
Contract Agreement
Agree to write off all third party/insurance carriers. This includes, but is
not limited to, Medicare, Medicaid and Champus
They will write off those expenses above and beyond first and secondary
insurance.
Agree to recognize and write-off all third party payers/insurance carriers?
contractual allowances, billing the patient for policy deductibles and
co-payments
If your bill is $700 and the insurance pays $500 and your deductible is $100
then you are required to pay the $100 deductible and the company writes off the
additional $100 owed.
Agrees to bill the patient for any amount legitimately denied reimbursement by
a third party payor/insurance carrier. This includes, but is not limited to no
coverage at time of service, service not a covered expense, dependent not
covered, etc.
If the patient does not have insurance, or call does not meet insurance
requirements the patient will be billed. A payment plan is made available to
the patient.
Citizen Inquiries
For billing inquiries or questions please contact the Columbus Department of
Fire & Emergency Medical Services at 706.653.3500
-or-
Contact Citizen?s Services at 311.
Conclusion
The contact between CCG and Mid Georgia and Care has provided emergency
services to our community over the past 2 years. This partnership has
increased effectiveness by reducing EMS response time, reducing paramedic
burn-out and allowing firemedics to prepare for promotional opportunities.
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UPDATES TO THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE (UDO):
Planning Department Director Rick Jones, provided an update on the Unified
Development Ordinance by using a power point presentation and is listed as
follows:
NEEDED UPDATES TO THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE
Brief History
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) was adopted on December 7, 2004
Ordinance was implemented on March 1, 2005
UDO is a living ordinance, which requires annual review and maintenance
Activity Since Adoption of the UDO
Zoning Cases 186
Special Exception Uses 8
Council Variances 20
Adoption of the Big Box Ordinance
Adoption of the Panhandle Overlay District
Updates Needed
There are three updates needed:
Bed and Breakfast Inns
Fencing, Walls and Hedges
Portable Signs
Section 3.2.13. Bed and Breakfast Inn
B. Owner Occupancy. The owner of the inn must reside within one of the
buildings comprising the inn or within the HIST zoning district
Recent issue has required the City to enforce the same requirements associated
with other like uses, which allow for residential managers to be allowed on
site.
Existing language needs to be removed.
Section 4.2.14. Fencing, Walls and Hedges
3. Exterior Finish Installation. All fences shall be installed with the
finished side facing toward the exterior of the property. Excluding chain link
and similar fence materials, all exterior portions of a wall or fence shall be
painted, stained, or otherwise finished to present a completed surface.
Enforcement of this requirement has the potential for creating problems between
property owners
Section needs to be removed
Section 4.4.7. Portable Signs
4. Permitted Zoning. Allowed only on nonresidential zoned property
Add the following language:
Such signs maybe allowed on residentially zoned property when associated with
special events sponsored in whole by religious, charitable, nonprofit or public
service groups, and shall only be allowed with the approval of the inspections
and Code Department 30 days prior to the event and must be removed within five
following the event.
Additional Updates Needed
In addition to these changes, there are approximately 40 additional minor
changes that need correction
Many involve clarification to the language
Many involve additional language
The Planning Department will bring these minor changes to the Council over the
next several months
Councilor Davis requested the staff to look into some means of curving
some of the activities pertaining to business related signs that are being
posted at intersections on telephone poles. Also, have the staff bring forth
some creative ways to enforce the laws regarding the posting of signs by way of
fines or citing individuals to appear in Environmental Court.
City Manager Hugley said that he may have to have the one employee
enforcing the sign ordinance to do some weekend duties and to ask our law
enforcement officers to assist us as well.
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EXECUTIVE SESSION:
City Attorney Fay reminded the Council that we need an executive session
to discuss real estate acquisition. Councilor Allen moved that the Council go
into executive session to discuss real estate acquisition. Seconded by
Councilor McDaniel and carried unanimously by those eight members present with
Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh being absent for this vote and Councilor Woodson
being absent from the meeting.
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At 10:21 a.m. the Council adjourned its regular meeting to go into
executive session. The meeting was reconvened at 11:14 a.m., at which time,
Mayor Wetherington announced that the Council did meet in executive session to
discuss real estate acquisition but there were no votes taken.
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With there being no other business to come before the Council, Mayor Pro
Tem Turner Pugh motion for adjournment. Seconded by Councilor Allen and carried
unanimously by those nine members of Council present for this meeting, with the
time being 11:15 a.m.
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Sandra T. Davis, DCMC
Deputy Clerk of Council
The Council of Columbus, Georgia
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