[0:09] All right. The meeting is called to order.
[0:11] I am Mayor Pro Tem, Jared Rutberg, in for Mayor Tina Maggard.
[0:16] She's a little under the weather right now, but she'll be back in a couple of weeks
[0:20] here for our meeting. First up, let's do our invocation.
[0:33] Mr. Williams.
[0:37] I didn't do that, did I?
[0:39] We'll let you.
[0:40] Okay.
[0:43] Did you do that? Did I do that?
[0:45] I did.
[0:48] Okay, I didn't want to be guilty of something.
[0:52] Thank you for letting me be here tonight.
[0:54] It has been a hot, hot week, and I've tried to go to high school ballgames and
[1:00] watch my granddaughter play in ball at Eastside,
[1:05] but it's just too hot for an old woman to sit out there.
[1:08] So I sort of welcome tonight, to get out of the house
[1:14] and have a chance to meet with all of y'all, and I just have a sense that this is
[1:20] going to be a grand meeting. I'm looking forward to it. Let's pray.
[1:25] Gracious God, we thank you for giving us the courage and the ambition
[1:32] and the wherewithal to come again to meet, to discuss, and to
[1:38] decide. Help us to be diligent in our thinking and help
[1:43] us to be attention to the details and help us to
[1:49] do your will in all these things. In Christ's name, amen.
[1:56] Amen.
[1:56] All right. Next up is going to be the Pledge of Allegiance, and tonight we're going
[2:00] to have two of our Covington's newest, finest officers coming in.
[2:04] One is a Navy veteran and one is a Marine veteran. Correct?
[2:09] So please let Brock Birch and Matthew Bonestell lead us in the pledge.
[2:18] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
[2:24] republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with
[2:30] liberty and justice for all.
[2:34] Thank you, gentlemen. Next up is going to be the administration of oath of
[2:40] office for these same two officers here, so don't go too far.
[2:50] Good evening, Council. It's my distinct privilege to introduce to you the two
[2:55] newest members to the ranks of the Covington Police Department.
[2:59] They've both demonstrated outstanding character, dedication, and commitment to
[3:03] public service. As Mr. Rutberg stated, both of them have military
[3:08] service,
[3:10] and on the right is Brock Birch, who served as a firefighter and also
[3:16] as a Navy corpsman, and on to the left is Matthew Bonestell, who comes to us with
[3:22] eight years of prior police service for his community in Cornelia, North
[3:27] Carolina.
[3:30] You guys can go ahead and come
[3:35] up.
[3:38] Thank you.
[3:40] You can sit. Your family can go and take pictures there if you'd like.
[3:43] All right.
[3:45] All right. Raise your right hand.
[3:48] I, state your name.
[3:49] I, Brock Birch.
[3:50] I, Matthew Bonestell. Do solemnly swear or affirm.
[3:52] Do solemnly swear or affirm.
[3:54] That I will support and defend.
[3:56] That I will support and defend.
[3:57] The Constitution of the United States of America.
[3:59] The Constitution of the United States of America.
[4:02] And the Constitution of the State of Georgia.
[4:04] And the Constitution of the State of Georgia.
[4:06] That I will faithfully perform all the duties of my office.
[4:09] That I will faithfully perform all the duties of my office.
[4:12] That I will faithfully observe all the rules, orders, and regulations.
[4:16] That I will faithfully observe all the rules, orders, and regulations.
[4:20] Of the Covington Police Department.
[4:22] Of the Covington Police Department.
[4:23] And that I will faithfully enforce the laws of the State of Georgia.
[4:27] And that I will faithfully enforce the laws of the State of Georgia.
[4:30] And the ordinances of the City of Covington.
[4:32] And the ordinances of the City of Covington.
[4:34] I do further swear or affirm.
[4:36] I do further swear or affirm.
[4:38] That I am not the holder of any unaccounted for public money due this state.
[4:42] That I am not the holder of any unaccounted for public money due to this state.
[4:47] Or any political subdivision or authority thereof.
[4:50] Or any political subdivision or authority thereof.
[4:54] That I am not the holder of any office of trust.
[4:57] That I am not the holder of any office of trust.
[4:59] Under the government of the United States.
[5:01] Under the government of the United States.
[5:03] Or any other state or foreign state which.
[5:06] Or any other state or foreign state which.
[5:10] By the laws of the State of Georgia.
[5:12] By the laws of the State of Georgia.
[5:14] I am prohibited from holding.
[5:15] I am prohibited from holding.
[5:17] And that I am otherwise qualified to be.
[5:19] And that I am otherwise qualified to be.
[5:21] A police officer according to the Constitution and the laws of Georgia.
[5:25] A police officer according to the Constitution and the laws of Georgia.
[5:29] I do further swear or affirm that.
[5:31] I do further swear or affirm that.
[5:33] As a police officer.
[5:35] As a police officer.
[5:36] I will faithfully serve and protect.
[5:38] I will faithfully serve and protect.
[5:40] To the best of my ability.
[5:41] To the best of my ability.
[5:42] All citizens.
[5:44] All citizens.
[5:45] Regardless of race, color, or creed.
[5:47] Regardless of race, color, or creed.
[5:49] I accept the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics.
[5:52] I accept the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics.
[5:54] As my standard of conduct.
[5:56] As my standard of conduct.
[5:58] While on and off duty.
[5:59] While on and off duty.
[6:01] And swear to faithfully abide by and defend the same, so help me God.
[6:05] And swear to faithfully abide by and defend the same, so help me God.
[6:09] Congratulations.
[6:10] Thanks.
[6:10] Thank you, guys.
[6:14] Here, guys. Guys. Oh, excuse me.
[6:18] No, you shake their hand.
[6:19] Oh.
[6:21] No, that's their shake.
[6:31] It's congratulations.
[6:34] You
[6:36] shake their hand.
[6:42] Yeah.
[6:42] Just sit. Okay. Next up is going to be unfinished business,
[6:47] and we're going to deal with, first thing is going to be agenda changes, which is
[6:51] going to be delete item four, because it will be included with the HR policy manual
[6:57] at the next meeting. So I just need a motion for that agenda change to delete item
[7:00] four.
[7:01] I make a first motion.
[7:03] Can I get a second?
[7:04] Second.
[7:04] I'll second.
[7:05] Okay, I got Sharica as the second. All, time to vote.
[7:12] Okay, thank you. All right, public comments for current agenda items excluding
[7:17] public hearings, which by the way, we have no public hearings this evening.
[7:20] I have a card for Robbie Tombrello.
[7:23] Minutes. You forgot the minutes.
[7:24] Oh, I'm sorry. I jumped one here.
[7:28] Minutes for the regular council meeting is all in your packet from the August 17th
[7:33] meeting. Is there any questions?
[7:37] No? Can I get a motion to approve the minutes?
[7:39] I make a motion to approve.
[7:41] Got Anthony as first.
[7:42] Second.
[7:43] Second from Duane. Please vote.
[7:48] Okay, now we're onto public comments for current agenda items. Robbie Tombrello.
[7:55] If you could, when you come up you can state your name and address for the record.
[8:02] My name is Robbie Tombrello, address is 1500 Isabella Lane, Covington.
[8:07] I am here representing Yancey Brothers in the City of Covington.
[8:12] About a year ago, we made an investment in this community, put a store in, in an
[8:17] effort to draw business into this area.
[8:20] We recently put a bid in for the next item up, which is a code
[8:26] M excavator. We were a
[8:31] little over $10,000 cheaper than what it looks like the approval is going to be
[8:37] for.
[8:39] My comment to that would be, we're a more premium brand.
[8:45] We were, in this case, a cheaper acquisition cost while also being a cheaper
[8:52] cost of ownership over the lifetime of that machine.
[8:55] In that bid packet, there's also a section
[9:00] stating to the fact that any kind of tiebreakers would be awarded, number one, to a
[9:06] business in the city. I know this is not a tiebreaker situation, but it does show
[9:10] some
[9:13] Preference to local businesses. So, that's it.
[9:18] Thank you.
[9:19] Thank you very much, sir.
[9:22] Okay. Item four we've already discussed, is removed.
[9:26] We're on to item five, which is going to be the discussion of the second reading of
[9:30] a zoning amendment to Section 16.12.020.D regarding the Covington
[9:36] Planning Commission appointment and terms.
[9:39] This will be Judy's. It is an ordinance of the city of Covington, Georgia to amend
[9:43] the Covington Municipal Code enacted and adopted on the 16th day of October 2001,
[9:48] as amended by previous amendments, to alter certain provisions of Title 16 of the
[9:52] said code of ordinances for the purpose of amending Section 16.12.020 Planning
[9:58] Commission of Chapter 16.12, Procedures, thereof to repeal conflicting ordinances
[10:03] and for other purposes. Is there anything you need to present on this?
[10:08] Frank, I know you had to do some rewrites.
[10:10] No, basically what we've done, it's made effective October the 1st so that you'll
[10:15] have the opportunity to make your appointments, because it was not clear who would
[10:18] come off. You
[10:20] only have three vacancies, I think, right now, and it wasn't clear then who of the
[10:24] remainders when they would come off.
[10:26] So you would have till October the 1st before this is effective.
[10:29] That'll give you time to have a work session, make your appointments.
[10:33] You can begin. Some of you want to appoint people who are already on there, some
[10:36] people may want to move. That's up to you.
[10:39] Okay, and just so we're all clear on that, so the selection's going to be on that,
[10:45] basically, it's going to be a three-round draft.
[10:48] So it'll be Sharica, Dwayne, and Anthony would be in the first round.
[10:52] You guys can pick from the existing nine or pick new, doesn't matter.
[10:57] The second round would then be... And these are based on when terms are ending.
[11:02] So the next would be the terms that are ending next December, which would be Jared,
[11:07] Kim, Travis, and Felita. Again, those four would go and either pick from the nine
[11:13] or pick their own, doesn't matter.
[11:15] Round three would then be the final, would be two at large, which would be agreed
[11:20] upon by the council as a whole.
[11:22] So those would be elected at your September meeting or the first meeting of
[11:27] October. Those two at large seats are elected by the whole council.
[11:32] Yeah. So the intent is we'll do that during a work session just to go over it, make
[11:36] sure we have everything right. We'll do that work session before next meeting, go
[11:40] over that, make sure everybody's got their picks, everybody's straight on it, and
[11:45] then we would have to come into the meeting and as agenda item, make the actual
[11:49] appointments. Correct? So, it should be pretty easy.
[11:53] So just come to the next meeting or work session with probably, well, first round
[11:59] you guys definitely will know who you're getting, but second round and third rounds
[12:03] have a few names in mind, in case that name's already been taken.
[12:07] So, it's kind of like NFL or NBA draft. Okay.
[12:13] So at that point, is there any questions about that item?
[12:18] Yes. So you stated that
[12:22] we may have a work session before the next meeting?
[12:26] Yes.
[12:26] Okay. So I will not be able to attend any work sessions this month.
[12:30] Do I need to give you my person? I mean, unless it's during a council meeting.
[12:35] That's right. So the ordinance won't be effective till October 1st.
[12:39] If you can name somebody before October 1st, you don't have to appoint them at a
[12:42] meeting, you can appoint them whenever you want to appoint them.
[12:45] So you don't have to come to the work session.
[12:47] I think the thought of the work session would be for y'all to discuss maybe the
[12:50] at-large appointments that all y'all are going to vote on, but you can make your
[12:53] appointment.
[12:54] Okay. But you need that person's resume or no?
[12:57] No, it's just an appointment.
[12:59] The staff does have to verify that they're a city resident.
[13:02] When's the best day I can give you their name?
[13:04] It'd be on that day, just do it right before that meeting.
[13:08] What day?
[13:09] The 21st, I believe is the meeting.
[13:11] The 21st, yes.
[13:11] Okay.
[13:12] So if Judy has it before the meeting on there, give her enough time so she can
[13:17] verify-
[13:17] Okay
[13:17] ... what she needs to verify on there, and then you would have a first-round draft
[13:21] pick, so.
[13:22] Okay. So Judy, I'll give you the name and the resume before the first meeting so
[13:26] you can verify. Okay. Thank you.
[13:28] Okay.
[13:30] All right, any other questions on that?
[13:33] Okay.
[13:33] Oh, who's coming off?
[13:36] Judy, can you go, and actually, well, this is the thing is basically they're all
[13:40] coming off and-
[13:41] Who's coming off first round?
[13:43] The three members that have expired is Sean McGovern,
[13:50] Felicia Sanders, and Bobby Shepherd. Those are the ones that expired in July.
[13:56] Felicia who?
[13:57] Sanders.
[14:00] Okay. Thank you.
[14:01] Okay.
[14:02] And just to be clear on that, so at the end when we pick our nine, okay, and it
[14:06] could be you could have all nine existing people are back on, if we all picked from
[14:11] the nine. You could have nine brand-new people on there.
[14:14] So at the end of it, at the end of the third round when the two at larges are
[14:19] picked on there, whoever's not left, it doesn't matter if they were one of those
[14:25] nine on there. If they weren't picked, they weren't picked.
[14:28] Judy, can we ask the three people that's on there, are they willing to
[14:34] stay?
[14:36] Yes, sir. I can ask them and then get back with you.
[14:38] We have a meeting this upcoming Tuesday.
[14:41] Okay. You just let me know.
[14:42] Yes, sir.
[14:45] All right.
[14:45] All right. Any other questions, Dwayne? Nope. All right.
[14:48] Anthony, you have any questions?
[14:49] I'm good.
[14:50] Travis?
[14:52] No.
[14:53] Kim?
[14:53] Did we
[14:56] determine our picks had to be from our ward, or we could pick just from the city?
[15:00] So thank you. So it says that you're supposed to attempt to find someone in your
[15:04] ward, but after you attempt to do so, then you can
[15:09] pick from the whole city. So it's not going to be that.
[15:12] I think you can pick from the whole city.
[15:15] Nobody's going to say you didn't try hard enough.
[15:18] There's no standard of how hard you have to try.
[15:22] Any other questions, Kim?
[15:24] Frank, any other comments?
[15:26] Judy, you got everything?
[15:28] Yes.
[15:28] Good. Okay. Can I get a motion to approve?
[15:32] I make a motion to approve.
[15:33] All right. I've got a first from Dwayne. A second?
[15:35] Second.
[15:35] Second from Kim. Any questions? It's a vote to approve as written. Okay.
[15:41] Please vote.
[15:44] All right. We're approved 6-0.
[15:48] Okay. Next item up is under new
[15:53] business. For the consent agenda, we have two items, 6A and 6B.
[15:58] 6A is the approval of the purchase of the new Kubota KX057-5 mini excavator from
[16:03] Lashley Kubota for $87,994 for the water and sewer department, and 6B, which is the
[16:09] approval of the purchase of its Kubota skid steer, which is included in the FY
[16:12] 26-27 approved budget in the amount of $85,000 for the transportation department.
[16:18] Kevin, is there any chance you can come up and
[16:22] address that, what was commented earlier?
[16:26] Good evening, mayor and council. The RFP that we sent out for this tractor was
[16:32] specific to a Kubota-type tractor to drive consistency within the fleet that we
[16:37] have at the city of Covington. And it's not exclusive to the water and sewer
[16:41] department, but Kubota is a consistent tractor that we have throughout the city.
[16:47] And so it drives the maintenance and a
[16:50] operator ease of cost there. So the ability to maintain that tractor
[16:56] and keep up the, for the operator to be familiar with all the functions of those
[17:01] tractors is why we chose to ask for a Kubota within the RFP.
[17:07] So the respondents to that didn't meet the specifications of the RFP.
[17:12] Understood. Okay. Does anybody have any questions for Kevin?
[17:15] So yeah, in comments, well, down in the comments section,
[17:21] is that what it's meant by was the Lashley Kubota was the only vendor that supplied
[17:25] a bid that met the specifications?
[17:28] Yes.
[17:28] So that's what you're talking about?
[17:29] Yes.
[17:29] Okay.
[17:30] Great. Okay. Jim, do you have any questions on that? Anthony?
[17:34] No, sir.
[17:36] Dwayne? Sharica? No. Yes.
[17:40] I honestly should know the answer, but I don't. So I'm going to ask it anyway.
[17:43] This gentleman, which agenda item is he on?
[17:46] He's talking about 6A, the excavator.
[17:48] Is that what I'm talking about right now?
[17:51] Yes.
[17:52] Oh, okay. Thank you.
[17:55] My one question would be is,
[17:59] is there a competitive, are there multiple Kubota dealers we could've gotten bids
[18:03] from?
[18:03] Oh, yes. Well, we sent the RFP and advertised.
[18:07] Anyone can supply a bid.
[18:10] Okay.
[18:10] But the bid RFP was specific to Kubota.
[18:14] Okay.
[18:14] So any Kubota dealer could have submitted or any of these other vendors did submit.
[18:19] We had other respondents. They just didn't meet the request.
[18:25] You have something else to complain?
[18:27] Yeah, I just wanted to reaffirm why are we going with bid number two and not three
[18:32] or four, which is cheaper?
[18:34] In the RFP that we advertised out, we specified a Kubota
[18:39] tractor
[18:42] in the
[18:44] RFP that we put out and advertised.
[18:46] For consistency of maintenance purposes and consistency of-
[18:51] Our department, plus the gas and electric, and that we have multiple of these
[18:56] tractors already in the fleet, so maintenance on those is consistent.
[19:00] Filters, ease of operations for the operators, and the folks that work on them.
[19:07] Could we have used non-Kubota? Because it's kind of like Walmart, Target-
[19:12] I'm not-
[19:12] ... or anything.
[19:13] Obviously, we can learn new equipment.
[19:16] We can
[19:19] utilize different equipment.
[19:20] Kevin?
[19:21] Yes.
[19:21] You might use the pumps that we use and have used for my 25 years of being here,
[19:26] and explain the reason for that. Submersible and above ground.
[19:31] Light versus going and rough, same principle.
[19:34] Yeah. It's actually just that we are familiar, and because these
[19:41] equipment is reliable for us. And these are
[19:46] proven equipment for the city.
[19:49] And obviously, we can
[19:52] purchase whatever the council chooses for us to purchase, but we recommend
[19:58] the Kubota tractor. And that's why we put the RFP out that way.
[20:01] But isn't CAT like a good brand as well?
[20:04] It is. I wouldn't put any of these tractors down, right?
[20:08] They're all good equipment. You're looking at the $75,000 at the low end, a piece
[20:14] of equipment to $87,000,
[20:17] so.
[20:17] So would you say that the only difference would be is more training on it, if it
[20:20] mean?
[20:21] Well, we'd have to
[20:25] stock new filters or stock... Yeah, there'll be more training that we'd have to do
[20:29] the maintenance on these. And then the operators, they probably can operate the
[20:35] same way. They typically do have the same types of controls that you can put on
[20:38] them, but it just is a standardization.
[20:42] That's within our purchasing policy.
[20:45] To standardize the fleet, standardize the equipment that we use.
[20:50] And so we looked at the policy, we looked at the RFP that we put out, and
[20:56] Kubota was the only one that met those specifications.
[20:59] All right. I guess, can we
[21:02] go and look at before, let's say, budget meetings next year or sometime in the
[21:07] future? Go and look at what would be the implications if we go and use multiple
[21:12] brands on there, considering training,
[21:17] maintenance. Because the driver training frankly, is not as big of a deal from
[21:22] having to operate that equipment.
[21:23] It's the maintenance side of it, not all the same.
[21:26] So, if we can just look at what would the impacts be as far as if we went and had
[21:32] Kubota, Cat, et cetera. Pick a couple of brands.
[21:36] I know you're not buying these off of Temu or something like that, so.
[21:38] No, no. Like I said, if you look in there, what I supplied in the packet was the
[21:42] RFP that actually went out. And it goes onto the city website, and it gets put out
[21:48] and advertised. So, it was clearly stated what the desire was in that RFP.
[21:54] And so, the only-
[21:56] Yeah, I get it. I'm just trying to justify the spending $10,000 more just for
[22:01] something we're used to having.
[22:03] And I don't know that we went line by line on the specs because once you don't meet
[22:09] the RFP requirements, I don't know that we went line by line on the tractors.
[22:13] I can't say that that tractor has the same breakout force or depth to dig in, or I
[22:18] haven't looked at those particular numbers to know if the specs are identical
[22:23] because it was the only one that met the specs that we requested.
[22:27] Okay. So we all agree that maybe have them
[22:31] by the next budget season, when we're looking at that, or we want a shorter
[22:36] timeline where we would come back and look at what the different options are?
[22:40] Because I understand the standardization, the maintenance stuff because I live in
[22:45] that world, but also,
[22:48] if opening this up to other brands, if it's a feasible option from a maintenance
[22:52] standpoint and an operational standpoint, if we could save money, that would be
[22:57] ideal. But I don't want to jump into that pond if the bottom line is the
[23:03] mechanic's going to take three times as long doing it because he doesn't know the
[23:06] equipment yet. Does that make sense?
[23:08] Yeah. And I'd say if we want to do anything, it'd be the next budget, because right
[23:11] now, this is currently budgeted in this line item that is listed here. But yeah.
[23:17] Yeah, but the only difference is the bids that come in lower.
[23:21] Obviously, the lowest is compatible, it's just you say it's not standard to what
[23:25] you guys use right now, right? So technically, you'd be saving, you'd be coming
[23:29] under budget if you go with something with a different brand.
[23:33] So, what would be a reasonable timeline for you to be able to evaluate that whole
[23:37] program? And actually, this is not just him, this is citywide.
[23:40] So Trace, what would be a...
[23:43] I think that it could be done. It'd take a few months, I think, because the
[23:48] scenario that I presented, and I'm going back to my knowledge and when I served in
[23:52] a different capacity, pumps. Pump stations, very expensive, but we have two types.
[23:57] If Kevin can correct me, I'm out of the loop a little bit.
[24:00] But submersible, we've gone with Flygt over the years.
[24:04] They're not the cheapest, I can tell you that right now.
[24:07] Well, I guess Xylem's the new name.
[24:09] Yeah, Xylem.
[24:11] But you say, "Well, that's what we have in stock." We have impellers, we have
[24:15] volutes, other things. Our maintenance folks know how to work on them.
[24:19] When
[24:21] the application is appropriate, we can go with a above ground pump.
[24:25] You might've seen them, the little doghouse looking things, where you can pop the
[24:29] top. I think we're going to more of a little shed for the maintenance worker or
[24:34] technician to get in there and work. But those are Gorman-Rupp.
[24:36] Again, probably not the cheapest, but we have parts of those in stock.
[24:41] We have impeller shims,
[24:45] so on and so forth. And
[24:47] it's just a consistency along the lines of what Kevin was saying regarding this
[24:51] piece of digging equipment, excavation equipment, is it just standardizes.
[24:55] And so, I think it may take a little longer than-
[25:01] Probably have to review purchase policy.
[25:03] Purchasing policy
[25:04] Just put it in the purchase policy.
[25:05] Yeah.
[25:06] Would January be a fair time for you guys to go make the assessment and come back
[25:10] and just having evaluated it?
[25:13] I'm not saying change it, but to have evaluated it and said, "Hey, these are the
[25:17] impacts across the board" and just come back and say, "Hey, this is why we want to
[25:21] continue with this, or we can open it up to another brand also."
[25:25] And I think we can come up with something then.
[25:28] Are we talking about just excavation equipment or across the board on any?
[25:31] I would say across the board.
[25:32] Okay. Kevin, thoughts on that? You have a lot of equipment in your organization.
[25:36] Well, I would say some of the challenges, which we obviously can dig into if you
[25:40] want to come back with a more formal presentation than an agenda item, but each one
[25:45] of these tractors uses an attachment of sorts, right?
[25:48] Yeah.
[25:48] So, are all the attachments we have compatible with the tractors that we're-
[25:51] And that's all-
[25:52] We build the specs for these tractors based on what we do.
[25:55] Mm-hmm.
[25:56] And what we know to be the best for what we got to do out in the field, so.
[26:00] Yeah.
[26:01] And I mean-
[26:03] That would be all-
[26:03] ... I can't say there's a sea of orange out there.
[26:06] These Kubota tractors are every one we got.
[26:09] I don't know that there is a different brand out there.
[26:11] They've served us well in all of, I guess, our standard operation and the way we
[26:17] approach this, the attachments we have, the trailers we have, the things that we
[26:21] use to work these tractors are designed for that.
[26:25] So I'd say we obviously can take a look and come back with, I guess, a
[26:31] finance maybe or
[26:35] maybe a-
[26:36] Probably-
[26:36] ... all the stakeholders.
[26:38] Yeah, maybe have a matrix of some sort that shows different types of equipment.
[26:42] Well, I think we have to identify the different types of equipment and the
[26:45] different standardizations that you have in your organization.
[26:48] Yeah. That's right.
[26:49] So that would be pumps, that's going to be
[26:51] possibly things even at your plant, at your LAS facility.
[26:54] It could take a while, and I think we may need to have maybe some of our
[26:58] consultants give us some assistance with that.
[27:00] Yeah. And like I say, I know the purchasing policy would have to be amended or
[27:04] changed or looked at, because like I say, that's driven by the purchasing policy.
[27:10] Okay, so let's just keep it with equipment, with this heavy equipment right now,
[27:15] specifically on this one.
[27:16] Okay, excavation-
[27:17] And-
[27:18] ... skid steers, that sort of thing
[27:19] ... skid steers, all that type of stuff. Okay.
[27:22] I think we can come back with something first of the year.
[27:24] Yeah. So, let's look at it first meeting of January, be able to come back with some
[27:28] sort of presentation, maybe a work session that goes and tells us, "Hey, this is
[27:31] what the options are." Because it is not just filters and maintenance, but it's
[27:35] also the attachments and a lot of other things.
[27:39] I think the driving part, that's like the easiest of the things.
[27:43] But I didn't even think about the attachments.
[27:45] Yeah, and each one of these tractors has a different spec, right?
[27:48] Yeah.
[27:48] This Case, the Case, and the JCB, and Cat, Kubota, you look at their numbers in the
[27:53] back of that, that manual is going to give you different specs for each one of
[27:56] those. They're not going to be exactly. So, it depends on what we need for the job.
[28:01] Okay.
[28:01] And so we can shape the RFPs And specify those items as well-
[28:07] Okay
[28:07] ... to drive the right piece of equipment for the job that we're doing.
[28:11] Okay. Has anybody else got any other questions that address our concerns there?
[28:15] Okay, cool. All right, I need a motion for the consent agenda.
[28:23] I'll make.
[28:23] I'll make first. All right, Travis is first.
[28:25] I'll second.
[28:26] giving us a second. Any we're approving it, vote.
[28:32] Okay, it was five-one.
[28:34] Thank you so much for y'all support.
[28:35] Thank you.
[28:36] What's going on with the screen down there?
[28:38] Yeah, sorry that we got to screen this out.
[28:41] If Larry was here, we'd have it, but we're depending on John over there to get the
[28:45] screen up, so it's still not up.
[28:47] No problem with it.
[28:49] Okay. We're on item number seven, discussion of annexation request from the CID,
[28:54] Ms. Cathy Morgan.
[28:59] And by the way, just to clarify for the audience out here, what she's about to
[29:02] discuss is not an annexation into the city itself like a county property into the
[29:07] city. She's going to be talking about the CID, that's the district, community
[29:11] improvement district, the corridor on 278, and a property wanting to get into that.
[29:16] Yes. The property owners at 6263 Turner Lake Road
[29:22] LLC have approached us and would like to annex into the CID.
[29:27] They, for just common knowledge, that's where Charlie's Car Wash is at Turner Lake
[29:31] Road and 278.
[29:34] They have signed the documentation that they need to sign. I've met with them.
[29:40] I've given them a copy of the Newton County CID Act.
[29:43] I've made them aware of the fees that they will have to be paying and what entails
[29:48] joining the CID. And,
[29:52] for the process that the Newton County Highway 278 CID board
[29:57] has passed a resolution similar to the resolution that you passed that has approved
[30:03] their annexation into the CID. And, the city has to pass a
[30:08] resolution to accept or approve the annexation into the CID, and then I'll take
[30:14] it to the county and make them aware of it.
[30:18] And that's what's required by the law.
[30:21] I believe I sent you a map that shows the little parcel.
[30:26] They are contiguous coming across from the GDOT parcel at
[30:32] Turner Lake exit. And, their property will have some improvements
[30:38] in phase one of the CID design that we're currently working on.
[30:45] And I don't know if there's any other questions, I'll be glad to answer them.
[30:51] Does anybody have any questions for Cathy? We'll start on this side. Sherika?
[30:54] No questions. Mm-hmm.
[30:56] Dwayne?
[30:58] You say you're going to let the county know.
[30:59] Do we have like a say-so to say yes or no?
[31:01] I'm sorry, I can't hear you.
[31:02] The county, do they have like a say-so to say yes or no?
[31:05] Our agreement with the city and the county when we created the
[31:11] CID was if there are any significant changes, that we will notify you, each of you.
[31:17] Since the CID is totally within the city of Covington, y'all are the only ones that
[31:23] have to pass the resolution and approve, but I am going to the county to make them
[31:27] aware of the change, just so that there's no surprises, again, that sort of
[31:33] thing. We try to keep you all informed.
[31:37] Yeah, the county's just going to be informed. They're not voting on it.
[31:41] Okay, anything else, Dwayne? Anthony?
[31:44] Nope.
[31:44] Travis? Kim? All right. Can I have a motion to approve the annexation request for
[31:50] the CID?
[31:51] I make a motion to approve.
[31:52] Got Anthony's first.
[31:53] Second.
[31:54] Dwayne second. Any questions, please vote.
[31:59] Okay, we are six-zero.
[32:01] Great.
[32:01] Thank you.
[32:02] Can I just mention one other thing to you guys?
[32:04] Please.
[32:06] We do want to let you know the timeline on the CID.
[32:09] We expect the final plan review to be approved next Thursday.
[32:14] And we expect the construction letting for phase one, which is Exit 92
[32:20] just past Emory Street, to begin in either August or October of '27.
[32:26] So we have a year before we'll be turning dirt. We're excited.
[32:31] So, just to give you that. That's the most final timeline I've received in all the
[32:37] years I've been working on this, so.
[32:39] Have they created like a detour plan yet?
[32:43] I'm sorry?
[32:43] Like a detour plan?
[32:45] Oh, yeah. They'll
[32:48] put up the barrels and a lot of the traffic will still go through.
[32:52] They'll probably do one side and then the other side.
[32:56] So, for that, around Emory Street, they are going to detour to West Street,
[33:02] pretty much like y'all are doing with the bridge here on 81.
[33:08] Just because that's such a tight fit.
[33:12] But yeah, we have a complete detour construction plan, everything that's required
[33:17] for state and federal highway.
[33:20] And as soon as we get that, we'll
[33:23] make y'all aware. John Hendricks and Trace pretty much know
[33:29] what's going on as soon as I know what's going on.
[33:32] Okay.
[33:33] Great. Thank you.
[33:34] Thank you, Cathy. Have fun at the county.
[33:38] All right, item eight, discussion regarding revocation of the current moratorium on
[33:42] gasoline stations, which is set to remain in effect through October 20th of 2026,
[33:47] now that the related ordinance has been adopted. Ms. Judy.
[33:57] Good evening again, Council. When we adopted the amendments at last
[34:03] council meeting for both the gasoline station and the data center ordinance, a lot
[34:09] of times our resolutions will simply dissolve that moratorium upon
[34:14] adoption. This particular resolution was written for either an amendment to the
[34:20] resolution, a change of date to the resolution, or a revocation to the
[34:26] resolution or a date, which is October 20th.
[34:31] Now that the amendment is adopted, I'm just asking if you would consider revoking
[34:36] the moratorium, as there's really no reason for the moratorium to stay in
[34:42] place for the gasoline station on this agenda item and for the data center on the
[34:47] following agenda item.
[34:51] All right, starting over here, Kim, questions? Travis? Anthony?
[34:56] No, sir.
[34:57] Dwayne? Sherika?
[34:58] Nope.
[34:59] All right. Can I have a motion to revoke the current moratorium?
[35:05] First.
[35:06] All right, Dwayne.
[35:07] I'll second.
[35:08] Anthony second. Any questions? Vote.
[35:12] All right, six-zero, and the moratorium will be revoked on that, and the ordinance
[35:18] is now in effect.
[35:21] Item number nine, which Judy already alluded to, I won't make you walk back up
[35:25] here, it's the same exact thing, but for the data centers which had the same
[35:28] expiration date. Is there any questions on that?
[35:32] Okay, can I get a motion to remove that moratorium?
[35:35] I make a motion to approve.
[35:36] All right, Anthony's first.
[35:39] Second.
[35:39] Sherika second. She didn't even need to turn her mic on there, she...
[35:44] All right, please vote.
[35:46] All right, six-zero, that moratorium is removed.
[35:49] Item number 10, discussion of approval to accept the low bid of $754,535
[35:55] provided by All South for the rehabilitation of Spillers Lift Station. Mr.
[36:00] Sorrow, come on up.
[36:01] Yes, sir.
[36:02] As Trace spoke to earlier, we're in the process of needing to rebuild the Spillers
[36:08] Lift Station. Had that designed in last year's budget cycle, and then
[36:14] budgeted for rehabilitation in this budget cycle.
[36:16] So,
[36:18] put out RFP, set into GPR for a month, and had
[36:24] four respondents to that RFP. All South Constructors was the low bid at
[36:29] $754,535. We'd ask council
[36:35] to approve that
[36:37] bid from All South Constructors.
[36:41] I've got also attached in the packet city engineer recommendation and the design
[36:46] professional's recommendations.
[36:48] Thank you, Kevin. Sherika, you got any questions?
[36:51] No questions.
[36:52] Dwayne? Anthony?
[36:54] No, sir.
[36:54] Travis? Kim? And this was within budget?
[36:58] Yes. Budget item in infrastructure 505433054.1400.
[37:04] Okay. Can I get a motion to approve?
[37:05] I'll make a motion to approve.
[37:06] All right, with the mic on, too. That was Sherika's first. Who seconds?
[37:10] Second.
[37:11] Travis will second. Please vote
[37:14] All right, pass to six-zero. That was easier for you.
[37:16] Yeah.
[37:18] All right, we're on to public comments.
[37:21] Okay, I've got two cards here for public comments. First one is Ms. Rosie.
[37:32] And a standard, when you just say your address when you go and come up, so they
[37:36] have it for the record.
[37:39] Good evening. Rosie Crawford, Covington, Georgia, address 9282
[37:45] Westview Drive.
[37:49] My concern tonight is that I'm just making it known that I've noticed that the city
[37:54] had not cut the grass on my property where you have the easement.
[37:59] It has not been kept up. And I was told I couldn't put anything on it because the
[38:04] city needed to have access to that property.
[38:08] Also, I'm not
[38:10] being compensated for it. I'm still having to pay the tax on that piece of
[38:15] property, but I can't use it. And the other thing that
[38:21] happened to my property was that the city cut my
[38:26] magnolia trees without my permission, and it wasn't on their property, on
[38:32] that right of way. But it was on my property that they cut and almost killed my
[38:37] trees. They're still in bad shape. And that was uncalled for.
[38:42] So, the next thing that I want to bring out is I'm still concerned about the CRB
[38:47] board, even with the update that I read.
[38:50] And I just want to know what is taking this council so long to get some people in
[38:55] place. The last time I heard that Travis had sent some application
[39:01] to Ms. Judy, and I know that there's another person that has been recommended
[39:07] to a council member that is interested in being on that board.
[39:13] So, it just seems to me as though this thing is being drug out, prolonged,
[39:19] and when Turnin shut down that board, it wasn't done right.
[39:25] First of all, it should have been staggered because all of us was not on that board
[39:30] at the same time. I didn't come on there at the same time other people was on the
[39:34] board. But nonetheless, it was shut down.
[39:37] So I'm just wondering what's going on with this board. Are we going to have it?
[39:42] Are we going to be active? We never got to a point where that board was active.
[39:49] The things that was promised, the things that we did get accomplished, it just...
[39:54] And I know they say there haven't been any
[39:57] complaints. The people right now, if they had one, what we going to do?
[40:02] So I'm just wondering why it's taking so long to get this board up and running when
[40:06] all these other boards is being fulfilled. Thank you.
[40:11] Thank you, Ms. Rosie.
[40:12] You're welcome.
[40:13] We'll come back on one of those items. All right.
[40:17] Next one's Ms. Thelma.
[40:21] Passed. Did you say pass? Passed. Okay. She passed. Okay.
[40:25] All right, let's go around to staff. Trace?
[40:32] Yeah, so has anybody been asked about the opening of Emry Street?
[40:38] I get that question about three or four times a week, it seems like.
[40:43] I'll give you a quick update. If you'll remember, I told the council, based on what
[40:49] GDOT had given me, the information GDOT had given me, that Emry Street would be
[40:53] open the first week in August.
[40:57] Obviously, August has come and gone, and I don't think the street's going to be
[41:02] open anytime soon. So, I did make a stop over to the construction trailer today and
[41:07] talked to the project manager over there, Rodney, and
[41:13] just wanted to let you know that the
[41:18] contractor, stated in the contract, was supposed to have it open August 6th.
[41:25] They are getting penalized $1,000 a day, and if my calculations are
[41:31] correct, I think they're about up to $26,000 if you start back when the penalty
[41:35] started. They did give them an extension.
[41:38] The contractor requested an extension based on some
[41:45] depths of the manhole that were inaccurate from the beginning.
[41:49] So they did get an extension. The extension takes the project out to October 13th.
[41:54] And that's for the entire project.
[41:59] GDOT has not given a date when Emry Street will be opened up.
[42:02] Hopefully, this
[42:05] penalty that they're getting seems to be pretty stiff, and so I'm hoping that Emry
[42:10] Street will open up prior to that October 13th date.
[42:14] I know it's frustrating with the folks that use that corridor and waiting for the
[42:19] road to be open, so like I said, I'll provide
[42:25] additional information when I get it.
[42:29] Quickly, on Flat Shoals Road, if you'll notice, the construction of the sidewalk
[42:33] has been underway for a while. There's probably about 1,000 feet that has been
[42:39] installed from Washington Street down south of the entrance into Englewood
[42:45] Park Subdivision. And this project consists of about 2,100 feet and is scheduled
[42:50] for completion in about mid-November.
[42:54] And then also, we will not meet again until September 21st, so I'd like to wish
[42:59] everyone a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Thank you.
[43:03] Thank you, Trace. John?
[43:06] Nothing.
[43:06] Nothing. Audrey, do you have anything?
[43:08] I'm good, thanks.
[43:08] Tina?
[43:10] No, sir.
[43:11] No. All right, I will start this end. Kim.
[43:14] Nothing. Travis?
[43:17] I want to acknowledge the Water Resource Department
[43:21] for coming out and helping me with a sewer issue on one of my rental properties.
[43:24] And I know he's watching, the one and only Mr.
[43:27] Del Mar,
[43:29] for coming out and helping me as well.
[43:31] But I appreciate all those guys showing up in a timely manner and helping me out
[43:34] today.
[43:36] Thank you. Anthony?
[43:37] I'm good.
[43:38] Okay. You're good. Great, even better. Twain.
[43:44] Got a few questions here. Trace, can we write a letter...
[43:48] And I remember this a couple weeks ago.
[43:50] Can we write a letter to GDOT for like a, what was that letter we had
[43:56] when Oxford wanted to
[43:59] let GDOT know to fix their bridge or something like that?
[44:03] A letter of support?
[44:04] Yeah. Can we do that for MLK Drive for them just-
[44:08] Are we talking about for traffic signal?
[44:10] Yeah. One of-
[44:11] We have.
[44:14] We have, like many times.
[44:16] Oh, Lord.
[44:17] Yeah.
[44:18] I think Mr. Redberg signed that, actually.
[44:22] Or did you-
[44:23] Yeah. Well, okay, so to cover that one, okay, I have personally talked to
[44:29] the guys from the central office multiple times about it.
[44:35] When they go and look at streets, they don't look at them the way we look at them.
[44:40] They do theirs off of a study and everything.
[44:44] I talked to them about MLK or Bypass from that intersection down
[44:50] there by McDonald's all the way through, and they had said for 10 years straight,
[44:55] we were coming at it from the planning commission, we were coming at it from staff.
[45:00] We would hit them up from the CID meetings. We'd hit them up every way we could.
[45:04] And they always said, basically, "Nothing to see here.
[45:06] We don't see it as a problem." That said, they magically, this past
[45:13] spring,
[45:15] I believe it was, they suddenly went from nothing to see here.
[45:18] And when they say nothing to see here, that's nothing in the next 30 years.
[45:23] So, not like next five years, next 30 years, they don't see a problem.
[45:27] They've suddenly switched to, bam, they looked at 142 and
[45:32] 278 and said, "We're going to put a roundabout in there at the same time phase
[45:36] one's going to happen." And then suddenly they said, "Oh, we think there's an issue
[45:40] on MLK." So, they've at least gotten it.
[45:43] Doesn't mean it's moved within 30 years, but that's where they're at.
[45:46] Further, down there where the theme school is, everything is set
[45:52] up to allow for a traffic light with a left turn to go into the school if you're
[45:57] heading south on the bypass. And we did it last year, and we asked the county to do
[46:02] the same thing, and we asked the school board to do the same thing to petition GDOT
[46:06] to go, and I think we asked the sheriff's department also, to go and submit
[46:10] letters. And I know we did ours. I don't know if the other ones did theirs, but to
[46:14] say, "Can you just put a light in there at the school?
[46:19] At least it will go and provide breaks in the traffic." And that was two years ago,
[46:24] and there's still no light there. So.
[46:28] Yeah.
[46:29] But we can do it again though, but yes.
[46:31] Try to make it one. That's all that we can do.
[46:33] Yeah. So.
[46:35] If we can, Trace, I appreciate you.
[46:38] Sure.
[46:40] I just want to let the council know, I think now is the time to start thinking of
[46:45] what we can come up with for some of the rollback money.
[46:48] I know Sharica and Anthony had some plans a couple months ago about the summer
[46:53] youth program. So we should start looking out to next year as well, if
[47:00] we can on that one.
[47:04] Ms. Rosie, I apologize for the CRB board. It's on me. Okay?
[47:10] I will get with Ms. Judy next week. Seem like I got to make an appointment for the
[47:14] CRB board, the ethics board, and now the planning commission.
[47:17] So that is something that I will personally get on with Ms. Judy next week.
[47:21] Did we find out, last time I checked, you were saying how...
[47:26] I had an appointment.
[47:28] Yeah.
[47:28] But I remember you said-
[47:30] You had someone.
[47:31] Yeah, I remember you said, do we have to bring that person to the council, or is it
[47:35] just automatically on?
[47:37] Are we talking about CRB?
[47:39] Yeah.
[47:40] The CRB has three members appointed by the council members from the west, and three
[47:45] members appointed by councilors from the east.
[47:48] The way the ordinance is written,
[47:50] you bring the name, and the three of you on the east would typically honor your
[47:56] suggestion. The way y'all have done it informally is each person has a name, and
[47:59] the other two will go along with your name.
[48:00] But we have to put it on the agenda though, right?
[48:04] It does.
[48:05] It does at this point.
[48:07] The east members will need to vote on that appointment.
[48:09] Well, that would be my next agenda item. Yes.
[48:15] I also want to let the council know, I want to say thank you to the council as
[48:19] well.
[48:21] Believe it or not, we are not that. There are a lot of cities out there, people
[48:23] getting indicted everywhere,
[48:26] on city councils, mayors, commissioners across Georgia.
[48:30] So I think coming to city council is not that bad.
[48:33] So I'm just going to let y'all know that.
[48:35] And my last thing is, I hope to see everybody at the Police Fudge Run.
[48:42] Thank you. Sharica.
[48:44] Trace, will you give me an update once you've looked into Pastor Crawford's
[48:47] concerns regarding her magnolia tree and her grass being cut?
[48:53] I sure will. I'll get it in my notes.
[48:55] Thank you, and happy Labor Day, everyone. I hope you enjoy your day off.
[48:59] Thank you. Okay, and just one thing for Rosie.
[49:04] The right of way portion, you don't pay taxes on that right of way portion.
[49:09] I didn't mean that part.
[49:09] Oh, okay.
[49:10] Yeah, I was talking about the property over where the east would be going.
[49:15] Okay.
[49:16] That's what-
[49:16] Okay, I'm sorry. I just want to make sure you don't pay taxes that last little bit.
[49:21] I was just talking about that.
[49:21] Okay. And Sharica beat me to the punch about seeing about the tree cutting and
[49:26] whatnot. All right. Let's see. Emory Street opening, I'm glad, Trace, you hit that
[49:31] one because I was going to ask about that again, because I ask you about that every
[49:37] week on there.
[49:39] First of all, I hope the extension that they were given does not remove their
[49:42] penalty. Frankly, I'm going to call it's BS that they had 150 days to go and do the
[49:48] project to begin with and asked for a 75-day extension citing weather, when we all
[49:53] know we were in a drought for the most of that first 100 days of that project.
[49:58] So what weather were they dealing with? Because we didn't experience it.
[50:03] The summer youth program, actually, I was meeting with Paul yesterday I think it
[50:08] was, and he actually mentioned that they were already working on things for that,
[50:13] doing all the research and everything for the summer youth program.
[50:17] And then a reminder, when's the submission date deadline for our ethics boards
[50:21] people? When we have to have our names in turned into you?
[50:27] I think we have a couple weeks left.
[50:29] Okay. Is it before next meeting?
[50:32] Which would be the 21st.
[50:34] Yes.
[50:35] Okay, so we have to have them in before that.
[50:37] Then do we have to vote on those as council or anything?
[50:42] No, as I recall, they're just to submit the names.
[50:45] Correct.
[50:45] And then you submit them to the clerk, and the clerk keeps a list.
[50:48] Okay.
[50:48] So I'll send out the forms. You all received the forms.
[50:50] Yeah, just the date I was questioning on.
[50:53] Okay, so just a reminder to everybody, get those in as soon as you can before you
[50:57] hit the deadline there. And that is... Yeah.
[51:01] Can we send out a, and maybe I'm unbiased, but I don't really care too much to get
[51:07] friends on the ethics board. Can we send out a letter to the community?
[51:12] What's one of them applications, if the community wants to join the ethics board?
[51:17] Is that possible?
[51:19] I think that would be up to you.
[51:21] No, I'm saying, you know how we usually post on Facebook a position is open for a
[51:26] CRB. Can we do that for the ethics board?
[51:32] If you direct staff to do that, they could.
[51:35] I guess then they would have a pile of resumes they could send to you if you want
[51:39] to pick from one of those rather than your own person.
[51:42] Yeah. That'd be good.
[51:43] Could we do it for all the boards?
[51:44] Yeah.
[51:46] Can we do that for
[51:48] ethics? Because I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know who I'm going to pick
[51:53] for ethics, or I would rather get that from a general public versus my own people.
[51:58] So if we can send out a application, like who wants to join the ethics board or who
[52:04] wants to join the planning commission, and then they can send it to us, if that's
[52:08] possible.
[52:11] Good, Trace. Yeah, certainly it's legal if that's something you say.
[52:14] Put a Facebook post up notifying people of open positions.
[52:18] And again, the request is to post ethics boards and all other boards?
[52:24] Yes.
[52:25] I think we had last year, we've done it in the past.
[52:28] I guess basically what they're asking for is a reminder and maybe a post reminding,
[52:34] "Hey, we're looking for volunteers on boards," and maybe just list the boards that
[52:38] we have openings for.
[52:39] Right. Yeah. My appointments is ethics board and planning and commission.
[52:45] So I would want that out there to the general public for either side.
[52:50] I'm just making it public. I'm not the type of person to pull my friends or
[52:54] anything to go on those boards. I want a random person. But I don't really know.
[52:58] And I have my recommendations filled with constituents.
[53:02] However, I'm interested in seeing what else is out there.
[53:05] Yeah.
[53:05] Thank you.
[53:07] Judy, is it?
[53:08] It would be a matter of just updating the application.
[53:13] Yeah.
[53:13] I think we have most all boards. I'm not sure if the ethics board is on the
[53:18] application, but I can certainly work with the city manager tomorrow,
[53:24] and we can look at the application and get that out there.
[53:28] Yeah.
[53:28] So you can have some... Hopefully a lot of people will be interested.
[53:34] Thank you.
[53:34] Yeah, we can put that out as soon as possible because as the greatest auditor said,
[53:39] we don't have time out here.
[53:41] Yeah. So I guess it's just, Trace, I think we can have them do another post, "Hey,
[53:46] we're looking for this." And then how to contact to get their
[53:53] application or whatever.
[53:56] So that should be pretty simple. That is all I've got here.
[54:00] I just need a motion to-
[54:01] I'll make that motion.
[54:02] Can I get a second?
[54:04] Second.
[54:05] Record? Well, maybe for this council, I don't know. We have 55 minutes.