PUBLIC HEARING AND SPECIAL CALLED COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF BERKELEY LAKE
4040 BERKELEY LAKE ROAD
BERKELEY LAKE, GEORGIA 30096
Full Minutes for June 22nd, 2006

Those in attendance for the Council Meeting were as follows:
Mayor: Lois Salter
Council Members:
Walter Anderson, Bernie Cohen, Debbie Guthrie, Tom Kitchens and George Sipe
City Clerk- Jackie Wall
City Attorney- not present.
Citizens Present- 3
               
CALL TO ORDER
Salter opened the meeting at 7:30 pm at 4043 South Berkeley Lake Road.

Public Hearing
There were no citizen comments regarding the millage rate.

APPROVAL OF OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA
Guthrie asked Council for approval of the addition of one item to the agenda and council agreed.

MINUTES
Some council members had not had time to review the minutes, and therefore a decision regarding the June 15th minutes was postponed until the next meeting.

MAYORS MESSAGE
Salter said she had been informed by the EPD of the Level One drought now in place. This means that the existing rules governing outdoor watering have been extended. Already odd numbered addresses should only water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and even numbered addresses should only water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. No outdoor watering is allowed on Fridays. This has been extended to allow watering ONLY between midnight and 10 am, and between 4pm and midnight on your allotted days. No outdoor watering is allowed between 10 am and 4 pm.

Salter also noted that the Ironside bank on South Berkeley Lake Road near our city limits was robbed at 2:45 pm a few days ago.

OLD BUSINESS
Millage rate discussion
Guthrie motioned to adopt the resolution for a millage rate of 4.1 mills.  Kitchens seconded the motion.

There was discussion about the city's need for a police force in the future.

Cohen and Sipe said they would like to see city taxes remain at 4.35 mills in order to use the excess income over budget to pay off the bond early in the immediate future and then to use tax income to provide a full time City police force for the city. They said that they felt the small tax rate decrease would have little impact on citizens at this time but could have long term impact if more income was needed in the future to pay off the bond early and to fund a police force. This would mean a more significant rise in taxes.

Anderson, Guthrie and Kitchens said they were not opposed to the ideas but they would like to have some discussion with the public first to see what their opinion was. They said they would like to lower the millage rate to make the budget balance this year. The excess money noted at the previous council meeting at the 4.1 millage rate had already been allocated on items that were not originally budgeted before. They also noted that no citizens had made any comments at the Public Hearings to keep the taxes at the current rate to pay off the bond early.

Anderson, Kitchens and Guthrie voted in favor of the motion. Cohen and Sipe were against the motion. The motion passed. 

NEW BUSINESS
Scrap metal facility
Citizen Comment: Barbara Carroll- President of Berkeley Walk Home Owners Association.
Carroll said she had attended a meeting for a Special Use Permit in an M2 Heavy Industry zoned area to build a scrap metal facility on Simpson Circle on the other side of Buford Highway in unincorporated Gwinnett County.  She said a resident had sent his own attorney to the meeting because he was so concerned about the impact it may have on the city. Carroll said she was also concerned that unsavory characters may be attracted to the area as it was too close to Berkeley Lake. At the county's Public Hearing, the Board had asked the opposing group to meet with the applicant by Tuesday, and a meeting had been scheduled the next day at noon.  She said she was asking for support from the City for a time extension on the decision so all our citizens could be informed. She said it was her hope to get the decision tabled by County Commissioner Bert Nasuti. 

Citizen Comment: Brett Teilhaber- 4825 Berkeley Walk Point, Berkeley Walk
Teilhaber explained why he was concerned about the possibility of a scrap metal facility in the area. His main concern was that the scrap metal industry is a cash business, and the  type of person that this could attract. He said he was concerned that such people would sleep in local area parks, and there would also be increased heavy traffic. He said he wanted to protect property values in the surrounding areas.

Sipe motioned that Council support a resolution to urge Gwinnett County Commissioners to delay the decision for 30 days until more information could be sought, and citizens could be informed about possible impact. Cohen seconded the motion.

In discussion, there were concerns expressed about why there was a request for a special use permit. There was also concern that the County had not considered what the impact could be on the local parks.

All in favor of the motion, and the motion passed.

There was consensus that the Mayor Pro-Tem Guthrie would be acting as Mayor while Salter was out of town at the Georgia Municipal Association conference in Savannah and would represent the City at the scrap metal application meetings.

THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, COHEN MOTIONED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:47 PM. KITCHENS SECONDED THE MOTION, AND ALL WERE IN FAVOR. THE MOTION PASSED.

Respectfully submitted by Jackie Wall. Approved by Council on July 20th, 2006.