Work Session Meeting Notes: Oct. 22

During the Oct. 22 work session, a number of items were discussed. Much of the conversation revolved around the Community Garden and the terms of their lease. It was established that power would be provided by Walton EMC, and that major improvements would need to be talked through with the council. (Operation things don’t have to approved, but things like physical structures and major changes do.)

They agreed to do away with verbiage that allowed weddings to be conducted at the garden, simply because the area would not be ready for weddings any time soon. The lease is renewable annually, and amendments can be made at that point.

Next, the council and staff discussed an energy excise tax. According to City Manager Butch Sanders, the tax is a “replacement tax for the sales tax that is being removed over four years on manufacturing.” The County is moving forward with this, so it’s a “no-brainer,” according to Sanders.  If the agreement is not entered into, the county gets the money.

Concerning the old public safety building, the URA cannot move forward on marketing and selling that property. The city would like to have it surveyed, and retain a small piece of the property for an impound facility. Then, they would like to work on marketing the property internally. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Witts recommended having a sealed bid, with the appraisal as the minimum bid. Mayor Kelly Kautz recommended they discuss it again once the property has been appraised.

One of the hot topics on the work session agenda was the dam at Summit Chase. Snellville Patch will bring you more information on that at a later date, after conferring more in depth with city staff.

The residency requirement for the art commission will be put on a future agenda, but the council seemed to be all for the idea of allowing people who may not live within city limits to be on that commission. More on that later, too.

Finally, Economic Development director Eric Van Otteren gave a report on his department. One of the greatest thing they have done to date, according to Van Otteren, was a field trip that students from South Gwinnett and Brookwood high participated in: Enterpreneurs – Masters of Innovation. He has many other ideas and events in store to promote entrepreneurship in Snellville. Snellville Solutions is moving forward, and he and Scott Allen, the teacher at South Gwinnett who heads up the entrepreneur program, will speak on a panel at a Nov. 11 Entrepreneur Forum in Atlanta.

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