Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

City looking to adopt water restrictions

By LINDSAY BIANCHI
lbianchi@TheCitizenNews.com

Among the business discussed at Union City’s monthly City Council meeting Tuesday night were the restrictions and penalties for outdoor watering in the city.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources requires every city to adopt their rules for outdoor water use. The department is recommending that houses with an odd address water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Addresses ending with an even number would water on Monday, wednesday and Saturday. Although there is no real funding to enforce the restrictions, City Administrator Alan Grindstaff said the law could be enforced if it needed to.

“If we see gross misuse of this, they will be dealt with,” he added.

Penalties for violating the restrictions begin with a warning and subsequent infractions are $100, $500 and $800.

The Planning Commission put forth their recommendation for a text amendment to include fitness and recreational sports centers in the list of uses in the general commercial district. The conditional use was set at a maximum of 15,000 square feet.

The second public hearing for a resolution to amend the charter provision which addresses salary and retirement benefits for the Mayor and Council passed unanimously. In addition, the city’s $20 million annual budget for fiscal year 2004-2005 was reviewed and presented for public comment.

Most of the remarks came from the council who wished to clarify specific funds for vehicles and machinery used by the city. The replacement of a wood chipper in use since 1980 will cost $56,300 for a new top of the line model, which should last for another twenty years.

Market and Main, Inc. won the bid at $34,000 to conduct the 2004 Livable Centers Initiative Supplemental Study to adopt a Town Center Overlay District. The motion was carried 3 to 1 with Councilman Alisa King voting against it.

Applicants for the city’s Housing Authority, Zoning Board of Appeals and Jail Authority were reviewed as well. Annette Davis will work with Andre Neville on the Housing Authority. Denise Blake has been elected to the Planning Commission and Howard Shelton will serve on the Jail Authority.

Mayor Ralph Moore ended the meeting by displaying a large stack of reports detailing expenditures for office supplies and other items requested by Councilman Alisa King. Moore said that it was “a travesty” that the city’s employees were using their time to compile the stack of figures. He said that people needed to “stop micromanaging.”

King responded that she was “the newcomer on the block” and that she did not ask for so many copies. The council then went into executive session to discuss two legal items.