 Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton recognized Captain Jeff McMullan at Thursday’s city council meeting. Fayetteville Main Street and city engineers requested that Council consider an endorsement of an angled parking request to the Department of Transportation for the downtown square. If the D.O.T. approves the request, the city would change parallel parking into angled parking on the old courthouse side of Stonewall Avenue.
“The number of parking spaces on that block will increase from 9 to 18. Staff feels that this change will help to diminish the perception that the City lacks adequate parking in the downtown square, and in turn, will create more marketable opportunities for our downtown properties,” explained city engineer Don Easterbrook and Main Street’s Brian Wismer in an Oct. 23 memorandum sent to Fayetteville Council.
“This is also in keeping with the goals of the Main Street program to increase and nurture economic activity, and to better the public perception of Downtown Fayetteville as a destination and gathering place.”
Wismer explained to council that the far left lane of the three-lane portion of the highway next to the courthouse currently serves as a turn-only lane and is not needed.
Council unanimously agreed to endorse the request.
In other business, Fayetteville City Council addressed four alcohol ordinance violations at Thursday’s meeting.
Council fined Robert Ochs of Aldi Foods, Ollegario Gallegos-Polina and Marcos Allan Martinez of El Ranchero Restaurant, Leandro Javier Vidal of La Parilla Mexican Restaurant and Mokarran Khan of the Phillips 66 Food Mart $500 and gave them a warning, as per Fayetteville Police Chief Steve Heaton’s request.
Fayetteville police became aware of the violations after conducting an alcohol permit inspection at all city businesses during the week of Aug. 7, according to Captain Steve Crawshaw with the Fayetteville Police Department.
“During the operation, five people were cited for serving alcohol
to persons without a permit,” said Heaton in an Oct. 12 memorandum to City Manager Joe Morton.
“On September 29, 2009 two of the persons pled guilty. On Oct. 6, 2009 the remaining person pled guilty. Two businesses/managers were cited for allowing employees to sell alcohol without permits, Aldi Foods and El Ranchero Restaurant.”
Representatives from each business were on hand to apologize to Fayetteville police and council for the oversights and assured them that all employees had now secured permits.
Fayetteville Council also approved an ordinance to amend the FY 2009 General Fund, SPLOST Fund, and Vehicle Rental Excise Fund.
According to a presentation made by Lynn Robinson with the city finance department at the Oct. 15 meeting, the original budget for the General Fund was $10,588,146, decreased to $10,324,935 during the mid-year amendment, and is budgeted for $10,499,935 currently.
The fines and forfeiture revenues and municipal court dues and fees have been increased by an additional $130,000 from the midyear budget amendment.
Charges for services revenue increased by $45,000 and Public Works Department expenditures increased by $85,000 due to completion of LARP transportation projects in which the city received funds from DOT to offset project costs.
The electricity cost for the street lights in the Public Works Department have increased by $56,312.
Appropriation of unreserved fund balanced decreased by $96,312 from the midyear budget amendment to balance the General Fund budget.
The SPLOST fund was originally budgeted for $1,939,659 then increased to $3,034,275. In the current budget, the SPLOST Fund is set for $792,320.
Many SPLOST sidewalk and transportation projects have been adjusted to reflect a more actual cost and the remaining budgeted amounts will be moved to FY 2010 and continued.
The Vehicle Rental Excise Tax Fund was originally budgeted $60,000, amended to $57,000 mid-year, and is now $65,000.
The tax fund has increased by $8,500 since the midyear budget amendment.
In old business, Thomas Stephens with Concorde Fire Soccer asked Council for more time to create final lighting plans for the youth soccer field at Hood Avenue and Tiger Trail.
Due to recent inclement weather, the soccer season has been extended until December, and Stephens asked to keep temporary lights in place until Jan. 7.
Council unanimously approved his request with the exception that Stephens finalize his lighting plan by Dec. 31.
The temporary lights have been a contentious issue in past council meetings. Several Hood Avenue residents have come before council to complain that the lights are noisy and disturbing. At Thursday’s meeting, no residents addressed council about this issue during public comments.
Additionally, Fayetteville City Council approved Merchant Capital as the underwriter for water and sewer debt refinancing.
The water and sewer department has been struggling with low cash flow recently due to the poor economy and budget changes, including retirement of debt, early retirement incentive program, a hiring freeze, voluntary reduction in salaries, reduction of benefits, transfer of personnel to other departments, administrative costs realignment, etc.
“Merchant Capital has a long-standing relationship with the City of Fayetteville having served as Investment Banker and Underwriter for the 2003 Water and Sewer Revenue Bond Issue, 1996 Water and Sewer Revenue Bond issue and for the 2001 Downtown Development Authority Bond issue,” said Ellen Walls, Assistant Director of Finance.
“The debt restructuring will focus only on the 2008 GEFA loan associated with the expanded wastewater treatment plant and will provide cash flow relief of approximately $270,000 annually for the next four years,” she explained.
The final restructuring plan and preliminary bond resolution will be presented at the next council meeting.
Finally, council made two proclamations at Thursday night’s meeting.
Mayor Ken Steele proclaimed that November will be considered Family Month in the state of Georgia.
“We urge all citizens to spend quality time with family members to strengthen relationships between parents and children,” Steele read aloud at the meeting.
Steele also proclaimed Nov. 8 to 14 National Radiologic Technology Week, “to focus on the safe medical radiation environment provided through the skilled and conscientious efforts of radiologic technologists.”
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