There is an ongoing list of housekeeping issues involved with establishing a new city. Some of those issues were on the agenda for the Jan. 2 council meeting at Chattahoochee Hill Country. Yet there was another issue that surfaced during the public comments portion of the meeting. It involved questions about overall communication with citizens so that information can be disseminated and questions can be asked and answered in a timely fashion.

CH2M Hill’s city program manager Terry Todd announced that the city has now purchased the city hall building, the fire station and equipment and ball field from Fulton County. A brief ceremony noting the transfer to the new fire department and new city firefighters was held Jan. 1.

Other items at the Jan. 2 meeting included the second reading of the personnel policies and handbook, the second reading of a non-exclusive solid waste contract and the second reading of an ordinance to change the hotel/motel tax from three percent to seven percent, the percentage that had been in place prior to city-hood. Also at the meeting was the unanimous approval of an extension of a moratorium on development until Feb. 17 due to legal requirements for advertising. The February date, with permits until that time being routed through Fulton County, helps offset possible legal challenges that could be faced by the city.

Perhaps as significant as anything Jan. 2 were the statements made by several residents during the public comments portion of the meeting. The long road to city-hood brought with it an intense and ongoing communication between many of the people responsible for the city’s current existence. Some residents questioned whether, with city-hood now accomplished, the same level of communication will be in effect. One of the concerns involved communication between the council and the public, essentially asking how some of the relevant questions posed by residents and a resulting dialogue for answers could be addressed during public meetings.

“We’re working on communication now, which is a big issue. We’re working on it the best we can,” Mayor Don Hayes said after the meeting. “We can have a dialogue. It’s coming down the road. We’re still all new at this and we’re trying to move the city forward.”

Hayes said the city is developing a process of response during council meetings that will be in place in the short term. In terms of communication with citizens and in every facet of city operation, Hayes said he has high expectations and believes all citizens should have those same high expectations.

“For public comments and concerns, we’re looking now for a means to getting answers to them. We should have something in a month or two,” Hayes said. “We’ve just been so busy with other things, getting the city started, but we are working on it now. And as soon as we can put it in process we will, because I’m as interested in it as anyone else is. It’s going to come. Just give us a little time and be patient with us.”

Another set of questions on communication during public comments came in the form of the way information pertinent to residents is disseminated in a timely fashion. A cancelled work session and the early morning transfer of the fire department from Fulton County to the new city Jan. 1 were two of the examples given.

Asked after the meeting, Todd and interim city manager Bob Simpson said the city’s new website and a call center are operational and will be expanded over time. The call center is available 24 hours per day at (770) 463-5550. Call center staff maintains a list of frequently asked questions and other information and will pass inquiries for other questions on to Todd or the appropriate person to ensure a timely response.

The city’s new website is chatthillsga.us The site provides the times and dates up upcoming meetings, information on the city charter and budget, the call center number, meeting agendas and packet information provided to the council for meetings and a “What’s New” section.

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