County Commissioners to revisit countywide election of chairperson

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Commissioners will consider a resolution that could radically alter the current makeup of the Board of Commissioners when they meet in a work session at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the County Administration.

Commissioner Laura Semanson wants the Board to ask the state delegation to introduce a home rule resolution to the state legislature that would provide for a chairperson to be elected by a countywide vote.

Currently the Board is made up of five commissioners each elected in the district they live in and the chairperson is selected by the commissioners.

Semanson brought her proposal to the Nov. 9 meeting, but it lacked specifics. Commissioner Molly Cooper said she wanted more information so the issue was added to Tuesday’s agenda.

Other issues to be considered include:

• Implementation of an enhanced citizen and property owner notification protocols for properties that may be impacted by a City of Cumming Annexation;
• City Annexation of parcel 151-213 (+/- 34.23 Acres of Land);
• The list of items as surplus with authorization for the Department of Procurement to dispose of accordingly;
• An extended warranty service agreement with Service Express for the calendar year 2022 for the Department of Information Systems and Technology and the Sheriff’s Office in the amount of $17,076.00;
• Change Order #3 with Buildline General Contractors for additional scope of work for the Sawnee Mountain Park Renovations Project in the amount of $66,513 with 35 days added to the schedule; Public Facilities Capital Outlay Project Budget;
• Change Order with Cogsdale to remove Vocantas Interactive Voice Response (IVR) from the Agreement and add Invoice Cloud Interactive Voice Response (IVR) for the Department of Water and Sewer. The estimated annual expenditure is $27,360
• Amendment #1 to the Task Order with T.Y. Lin International regarding RFP 16-57-3150 Engineering Services – SR 369/Matt Hwy from Cherokee County Line to Wallace Tatum Road in the amount of $359,024;
• Award RFP 21-136-1620 for Janitorial Service for the Department of Public Facilities in the amount of $353,280;
• (9) Board consideration and approval of a First Amendment to the Lease Agreement to renew the Lease for Suite 1201 located at 514 West Maple Street, which is used for office space for the Department of Public Facilities. The Agreement is for three years at a rate of $12.48/SF or $1,144.00 per month with an annual cost of $13,728.00 and allows for a 3% increase for each renewal year;
• Authorization for staff to apply for the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank Grant in the amount of $1,500,000.00 to provide an alternate route (Coal Mountain Connector) to the North Forsyth County School Complex and to provide congestion relief at the SR9 / SR369 intersection. No match is required;
• Authorization for staff to apply for the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Transportation Improvement Project (TIP) Grant for costs associated with intersection improvements at Punch Hammond Road and Highway 9. The total project cost will be $1,500,000.00 with $1,200,000.00 Federal Funding and $300,000 (20% match) local funding;
• Authorization for the Sheriff’s Office to accept an Amendment to a MOU with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) due to approval of no cost extension granted, award 2019-MO-BX-0025 FY2019 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant Program;
• To renew the Extension Services Contract with the University of Georgia for FY 2022 in the amount of $211,375 regarding the County’s portion of salaries for Professional Services;
• A presentation regarding Intake Water Quality Sampling with Board consideration of the following Items:

(A) Task Order #23 with CH2M Hill, Inc. in the amount of $140,100.00 for Intake Water Quality Sampling for the Department of Water and Sewer

(B) Task Order #24 with CH2M Hill, Inc. in the amount of $112,500.00 for Intake Permitting Support for the Department of Water and Sewer

(C) Task Order #25 with CH2M Hill, Inc. in the amount of $1,705,800.00 for Geotechnical and Tunnel Analysis for the Department of Water and Sewer

• Approval of the Contract Item Agreement between Georgia Department of Transportation and Forsyth County regarding reimbursement of an estimated $3,035,930 for relocation of water and sewer facilities on State Route 9 from SR 371/Post Road to SR 141/Bethelview Road due to road widening;
• Possible direction regarding amendments to the Tree Ordinance;
• A County-Initiated variance process in favor of Andalusia Properties, Inc. related to tax parcel 217-004 at 3571 Browns Bridge Road, for that degree of variance necessary to allow the installation of Georgia Transmission Corporation utility infrastructure within the required landscape buffer/strip for parcel 217-004;
• Possible direction regarding a County-Initiated Conditional Use Permit for a personal care home, serving 10 persons or less on 5.286 acres currently zoned Lake Residential District (LR) – Parcel 269-041;
• Authorization for a County initiated rezoning of parcels 216-024, 236-044, 236-094, 236-006, and 236-005 from A1 to M1 (property assemblage located north of the intersection of Martin Road and Settingdown Road), with those necessary conditional use permits as determined by County staff that will allow the property to be used for warehouses, associated distribution facilities, Office Commercial Multiple Story (OCMS), and office uses, with the property owners to pay those direct costs associated with the rezoning (i.e., advertising costs, etc.), for an ordinary rezoning staff review to occur, and further authorization for the DRI process to be initiated;
• Possible direction regarding the reclassification of tattoo/body art businesses within Ordinance 85 and related UDC Chapters 12 and 14;
• Approval of the proposed plan to close the Hearthstone Lodge Senior Center;
• Appointment/reappointment of a representative to the Keep Forsyth County Beautiful (KFCB) Board of Directors for a two-year term to begin January 2022 and expire January 2024;
• Possible direction regarding a Staffing Incentive Plan for the 911 Center;
• A resolution authorizing acceptance of a .391 property donation adjacent to the Forsyth County Library – Cumming branch, and the conveyance of two (2) temporary and permanent sewer line easements to the Providence Group and/or the City of Cumming;
• Consideration of an opt-in MOU regarding class settlement in Opioid litigation.