Hogansville Council Discusses Unified Ordinance

Prior to the June 1st Hogansville City Council meeting, the council held an hour- long work session that was attended by a large crowd of citizens. The council discussed Unified Development Ordinance amendments concerning the creation of Heavy Industrial zoning districts, standards for data center development and establishing procedures and requirements related to development of impact of such centers. The amendments presented were not strict enough for some of the council members, especially Jason Baswell, so any council members who wanted to add restrictions and guidelines to the existing UDO were asked to do so by June 3rd. 
Mayor Pro-Tem Mandy Neese, filling in for absent Mayor Jake Ayers, called the regular meeting to order, which had an even larger crowd. After approval of the consent agenda, which was changed to note the cancellation of a citizen appearance by Chanc Williams to discuss data centers, Public Works Supervisor Andy Jones presented Anthony McCants a plaque in recognition of his five years working for the city. He said McCants, who has advanced from maintenance worker to crew leader to soon-to-be supervisor, always answers his phone, shows up and gets the job done, even if it takes until 4 am. Jones called McCants a “true asset to the city”.
In old business, City Attorney Alex Dixon gave the second reading of UDO amendments regarding administrative variances, namely for codes 102B412 and 102B1213, to repeal conflicting ordinances. The council voted unanimously to adopt the amendments. 
In new business, the council voted, with conditions, to adopt the Troup County Hazard Mitigation Plan, which has already been adopted by Troup County and the cities of LaGrange and West Point. Due to flooding two years ago, the city wanted to add Poplar and Elm Streets and the Mallard Lake subdivision to the risk areas not listed in the existing plan book. Next, the council voted to accept the bid of $25,000 from Right Angle Roofing and Renovations to pressure wash and apply sealant to the boardwalk of the Tower Trail. Right Angle repaired large portions of the boardwalk last summer and their bid was less than half of the only other bid received, though the city did contact several other companies for bids. The work should begin before the end of June. 
It was reported that the Hogansville Downtown Development Authority has two vacancies and Councilwoman Kandis Strickland has applied for one of those positions. Further action on her appointment will be made at a later meeting. After encountering a snag with GEFA grant money, City Manager Lisa Kally asked the council to approve SPLOST funds for the city to locate and replace, if necessary, all water pipes on Main Street before the DOT paves Highway 54/Main Street over the next several weeks. The council approved up to $30,000 for the work, although it isn’t expected to be that expensive to complete.
In her City Manager’s report, Kelly said Monday, June 15th will be the first public hearing for the city budget. The hearings will be at 10am and 5:30pm.
Chief Jeffrey Sheppard stated the fourth annual Hogansville Junior Police Academy will be from Monday June 15th through Thursday June 18th at the City Annex Building from 9am till 2pm. The city’s next blood drive will be on Friday, July 24th, from 1-5pm at the Annex Building.