PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Troy Brumbalow and City Council presented a proclamation during their January Work Session recognizing the week of Feb. 8-12 as “Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Week” in Cumming. Yugeshwar Muralidhar, a member of the City of Cumming Youth Council, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the FBLA chapters at his school, Forsyth Central High School, and the Forsyth Alliance Academy, which is also a part of the City’s Youth Council.
Also during the January Work Session and Regular Meeting, City Council:
- Decided in a 3-0 vote, with Councilman Christopher Light recused and Councilwoman Linda Ledbetter abstaining, to deny a rezoning application for property on Pilgrim Mill Road that was intended to be used as a development known as The Villages at Brooks Farm. However, the motion provided an exemption which allows the applicant to re-apply at any time rather than waiting one full year to re-apply as is typically required;
- Reappointed all members of all boards and authorities of the City of Cumming, as well as all City of Cumming professional service providers and demand services providers for 2021;
Approved the low bid from Edge Roofing LLC for roof renovations at the Dobbs Creek Recreation Center; - Approved the low bid from Suez-Utility Service Company Inc. for repairs and maintenance to Cumming Utilities’ 800,000-gallon Sawnee Mountain ground storage tank;
- Set the qualifying period and fees for the Nov. 2, 2021 municipal election. Qualifying period will be Aug. 16, 17 and 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 daily. Qualifying fees are 3 percent of the yearly salary of each position, or $180 for the post of Council Member and $360 for the post of Mayor;
- Approved two updates to the City’s Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. The first prohibits employees from coming to work at times when they are aware that they may have an illness that could result in a contagious condition, and the second allows for the hiring of family members within the same department as long as the two related employees are not in the same chain of command;
- Held a public hearing regarding the zoning of just over 74 acres known as the Williams tract, which was recently annexed. No one spoke during the public hearing and Council voted to zone the property Single-Family Residential (R-1);
- Approved an expenditure of up to $40,000 for creation of a steam engine display in one of the Cumming City Center’s pocket park areas instead of a second water fountain, as was originally planned. Mayor Brumbalow explained that after looking into related costs of the fountain, creating a steam engine display would be much more cost effective (fountain costs run between $80,000 and $200,000) and would also be a good way to honor the community’s long-standing historical connection to steam engines.