Commissioners review proposed amendments to county sign ordinance

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — As authorized by the Board of Commissioners, the Planning and Community Development Department drafted a list of amendments to the Forsyth County Sign Ordinance regarding electronic message boards (EMB) for the Board’s consideration.

Planning Director Michael Chapman presented the proposed amendments at Thursday’s meeting.

EMBs must have a minimum of 100 feet of frontage along an urban divided roadway with a median.

The current ordinance allows EMBs that have a principle use that is either a religious facility, college or university private or parochial school, hospital, military or veteran organization. The proposed change would add assembly hall, meeting hall, auditorium, art gallery, museum, nonprofit club or lodge theater or amphitheater.

In commercial or office districts, currently, EMBs are permitted only for fueling station monument signs where the changeable copy area shall not exceed 46square feet. Under a new proposal, they would be permitted where principle use is either a religious facility, college or university private or parochial school, hospital, military or veteran organization. The proposed change would add assembly hall, meeting hall, auditorium, art gallery, museum, nonprofit club or lodge theater or amphitheater.

In the Castleberry/Bethelview Crossroads Overlay District, EMBs are prohibited.

In the Buford Highway Overlay District, free standing signs where the building size is not over 10,000 square feet are limited to a height of 6′ feet with one sign per property. Where the building size is 10,001 to 50,000 square feet a height of 8 feet is permitted. Where the building size 50,001 to 100,000 a sign height of 10 feet is permitted. Where the building size is 100,000 square or greater, sign height of 12 feet is permitted and two signs per road frontage is permitted.

EMBs or changeable copy signs are currently permitted at fueling stations (one per road frontage). The recommendation would also allow EMB or changeable copy signs where the principle use is either a religious facility, college or university private or parochial school, hospital, military or veteran organization

Commissioner Todd Levent suggested that some county signs may be out of compliance, County Manager Kevin Tanner responded “there are a lot of signs not in compliance.” Commissioner Laura Semanson agreed. “More than you may think,” she said.

The amendments will be the subject of a future public hearing.

County withdraws from LOST talks, will enter mediation process

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Board of Commissioners abruptly ended formal negotiations with the City of Cumming Tuesday regarding continuation of the local option sales tax (LOST).

Cindy Jones Mills

Although discussions had produced at least the framework of an an intergovernmental agreement (IGA), commissioners voted 5-0 to short circuit the negotiation process and go directly to mediation or arbitration.

The Board gave no reason for its decision. Although some commissioners have complained that Commissioner Laura Semanson, who is negotiating for the County, has kept them in the dark regarding the discussions.

Laura Semanson

In making the motion to go into mediation, Cindy Jones Mills said, “I believe it would be appropriate for us to enter into mediation so we can all be part of the discussions.”

The two sides had a deadline of Sept. 1 to reach an agreement and until Dec. 30 to produce a new certificate to send to the Department of Revenue.

 

 

County Commissioners says no tattoo parlors in three overlay districts

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Despite the passionate pleas of two professional tattoo artists and support from Commissioner Laura Semanson, the Board of Commissioners chose to bar tattoo parlors from three overlay districts in Forsyth County during Thursday’s public hearings.

The vote was 4-1 to keep those businesses out of the overlay districts of Atlanta Highway/McFarland Parkway/Mulinax Road, Peachtree Parkway/Bethelview Road and Campground Castleberry/Kelly Mill/Post Road.

Russ Abbott argued, “The most desirable commercial real estate is in those districts. I need to know if I put a high-end, custom tattoo studio in this county I can be successful. I need to be able to bring in tattoo artists from around the country to work in this studio.”

Tattoo artist Rob Ingram who lived in Forsyth County for many years before moving to Dawson County said, “There are so many reasons why limiting where I can place a studio is wrong.I shouldn’t have to worry about where I can open a studio because I am not welcome in an overlay district.”

Semanson said, “I don’t see the need to put a blanket-type prohibition. I personally feel that is unfair. The county is given the tools to regulate businesses during the conditional use permit process (CUP). To me that is all that is needed.”

Commissioner Todd Levent and the others were not swayed. Levent said the overlay districts comprise only about 10 percent of the county. “I’m not interested in tattoo parlors going into these overlay districts.”

 

 

County Commissioners to revisit countywide election of chairperson

News

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.

 

Plans for new county admin building moving forward

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Laura Semanson

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – County Manager Kevin Tanner provided an update on the new multi-level, 130,000 square foot county administration building at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners work session.

The sprawling 65-acre campus will be located on Freedom Parkway near Ga. 400 and will accommodate at least three other county departments that currently lease space elsewhere, an auditorium and space for staff and public parking.

The current admin building is about 55,000 square feet and was built in 1995.

Molly Cooper

Forsyth County Commissioners approved a $2.4 million contract for with Jericho Deign Group for engineering and architectural services and detailed energy modeling.

Tanner said Jericho is currently in the programming phase, meeting with the department heads. When they finish that, they will move into the design phase.

“We will need to do some site visits and bring back recommendations to the Board,” Tanner said before asking for two Board members to volunteer to go along on those visits. Commissioners Molly Cooper and Laura Semanson volunteered.

“Once that is approved we can move forward with the full design phase” Tanner said, adding, “We’re on target now to be ready to pre-qualify in March then hopefully send out a full set of drawings for bids next June.

Thus far, the county has not provided an estimated cost for the capital project.

 

 

Commercial sewer could produce millions of dollars in new revenue for Forsyth County

News

Kevin Tanner

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – County Manager Kevin Tanner recommended that the Board of Commissioners use $17-$19 million of the $47.37 million the county will receive under the American Recovery Act to construct targeted commercial sewer that could generate many times the investment in new tax revenue.

Tanner, a former state representative, made the recommendation at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting after he met with members of county’s Planning, Water and Sewer and Economic Development departments and the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.

The dollars would be spent primarily in north Forsyth where Tanner said “significant commercial, industrial businesses” have expressed an interest but where there is no sewer availability. “These are places we feel like we can have the highest return on investment,” he said. “We want to spend these dollars where 20 years from now citizens in Forsyth County are going to know where their tax dollars went.”

Laura Semanson

One sewer line Tanner recommend is located along Hwy. 20 and across Yellow Creek Road where it crosses Aaron Sosebee Road.

Slade Gulledge, vice president of economic development for the Chamber said there has been a lot of interest from commercial, industrial developers in the area of Settingdown Road and Bottoms Road. “These two sites have a potential for 1.4 million square feet of industrial development. An initial analysis on that very conservatively would yield $14.3 million over a 10 year span.  If you do nothing, it will get you $600,000 over those years.”

Commissioner Molly Cooper did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioners Todd Levent, Cindy Mills, Laura Semanson and Alfred John viewed the proposal favorably but wanted safeguards built in to prevent property zoned commercial for industrial projects from becoming high-density residential if the projects are not completed.

“My biggest concern is to make sure we are framing this in a manner that is legally defensible to reserve that capacity and simply for commercial use,” said Semanson. “Until it is developed, we are at risk. It could pay off huge but it could bite us in the butt as well.”

John said, “All of us know that any time sewer goes in, high-density residential follows.” He added that he too wants safeguards.

Cindy Mills

 

Mills said, “If we sit on our hands and let the past repeat itself, all of this land in my district will wind up being residential.”

Tanner suggested that staff be authorized to move forward with design and right-of-way easement acquisition but not construct anything until there is a commitment from a commercial development to locate there. “That is the difficult part of this,” he said. “That may take us two years.”

Ultimately, the Board agreed to allow staff to move forward, but do no construction until the county attorneys can draft the safeguards commissioners feel necessary and the issue comes back before the Board for final approval.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forsyth County Development Authority will continue to have seven members — for now

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Laura Semanson

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The Board of Commissioners discussed the future of the Forsyth County Development Authority during Tuesday’s meeting with regard to new appointments and whether the Authority should consist of seven, nine or possibly 11 members.

Commissioner Laura Semanson seemed to favor nine. She said she was disappointed there had been many times the Authority did not meet because they didn’t have anything to discuss. “They should be getting together,” she said. “They should be getting together to discuss how they can assist with big development. By having a different group it would lend itself to them being there and there being a level of enthusiasm. I would like to consider going to nine.”

Chairman Cindy Mills said reaching a quorum with nine members would be very difficult.

Commissioner Todd Levent said he believes the current 7-members is the right number. He said he has talked to commissioners in other counties and they said a nine-member Authority is “a nightmare.”

Todd Levent

Commissioner Alfred John said, “I suggest we start with seven and see what their workload and challenges are like and see if they might like to go to nine in about three of four months, depending on how active their Board chooses to be.”

After the discussion, commissioners unanimously approved the resolution calling for seven members for now and to appoint members at a subsequent work session.

In other decisions, the Board unanimously approved:

  • A motion to adopt a resolution that will maintain the makeup of the Development Authority at seven members with nominations to be held at a future work session;
  • A list of items as surplus with authorization for the Department of Procurement to dispose of accordingly;
  • Bid 21-19-3150 for the reclamation/widening of Chamblee Gap Road to Blount Construction Company Inc. in the amount of $505,605.18, from SPLOST 8 funding, with $100,000.nt00 donation from the developer;
  • Bid 21-37-5211 for the purchase of seven new zero turn mowers for the Department of Parks and Recreation to Terry’s Equipment Sales & Rental in the amount of $55,500.00;
  • A Change Order with Blount Construction Company, Inc. on the 2020 Road Resurfacing Project in the amount of $270,500;
  • A Task Order with CH2MHill (Jacobs) to update the Water Master Plan for the Department of Water and Sewer in the amount of $199,522;
  • Temporary staffing needed at the vaccination site for the Emergency Management Agency to Staffing Options, Inc. in the not-to-exceed amount of $105,548.80 with the funding source of FEMA/Vaccine Grant for Professional Services;
  • An Encroachment Agreement for Easement with Georgia Transmission Corporation for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a 16″ ductile water main crossing a GTC Easement on Browns Bridge Road;
  • An Encroachment Agreement for Easement with Georgia Transmission Corporation for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a 16″ ductile water main inside a 24″ steel casing pipe crossing a GTC Easement on Keith Bridge Road at Dawson Crossing – Hammonds Crossing;
  • Adoption of a Waterline Extension Policy to define a process for extending water service to existing, developed areas that do not currently have access to the Forsyth County public water system;
  • Postponed consideration of a revised and updated Intergovernmental Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Treated Water between Forsyth County and the Etowah Water and Sewer Authority;
  • A request to apply for the State of Georgia FY2021 Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant Safety Action Plan (LMIG SAP) for an amount not to exceed $115,000.00 with a required match of up to $34,500 on a time sensitive basis;
  • Ratification of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Emergency Grant Award to the Forsyth County Adult Felony Drug Court in the amount of $3,500 to support case manager services due to COVID;
  • Ratification of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Pandemic Relief and Technology Grant Award to the Forsyth County C.A.R.E. Program in the amount of $2,479 to purchase additional technology due to COVID;
  • Reappointment of Carla Radzikinas as the Republican Party member to the Forsyth County Board of Registrations and Elections;
  • Creation of a Capital Projects Management Director position;
  • Acdraft resolution of an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Cumming, Georgia for creation of the Forsyth County/City of Cumming Land Bank and appointment of members;
  • An emergency moratorium on any units applied for under Res6 Performance Standards that exceed four units per acre;

The Board then recessed into an Executive Session:

Following the Executive Session the Board approved a resolution to condemn property rights in connection with the Coal Mountain Connector Project:

(A) Parcel 10 – 2.024 acres of fee simple right of way and 79,940.12 square feet of temporary easement for construction of slopes (owners: Donald Jerry Gravitt, as Executor of the Estate of Bertie Mae Burgess Gravitt; Mildred Gravitt Williamson, individually and as heir of Rufus Gravitt, by and through Richard Neville, Esq., as her duly appointed Conservator; Donald Jerry Gravitt, individually and as heir of Rufus Gravitt; Charles Dennis Gravitt, individually and as heir of Rufus Gravitt; and Gary Allen Gravitt, individually and as heir of Rufus Gravitt)

(B) Parcel 11 – 0.021 acres of fee simple right of way and 3,185.01 square feet of temporary easement for construction of slopes (owners: Donnie Williamson and Mildred Gravitt Williamson by and through Richard Neville, Esq., as her duly appointed Conservator);

(2) Board consideration of a Resolution to Amend Condemnation of Property Rights in connection with the Ronald Reagan Boulevard Extension, parcel 7: 0.155 acres of fee simple right of way; 2,259.16 square feet of permanent easement for construction and maintenance of slopes; square feet of temporary construction easement; 9,473.11 and two (2) temporary driveway easements (owners: Anson Logistics Assets, LLC and Prudential Insurance Company of America);

(3) Board consideration of an acquisitions contract for the purchase of real estate, between 400 Pilgrim LLC (seller) and Forsyth County, Georgia (buyer), for land located along both sides of Freedom Pkwy, Cumming GA, otherwise known as Forsyth County tax parcel 219-113, comprised of 58.57 acres; but with the acquisition contract being only for acquisition of +/- 42 acres, and with a contingency for acquisition of an additional +/- 10 to 12 acres of the same tax parcel. Staff requests this Item be considered on a “Time Sensitive” basis.

Alfred John becomes District 2 Commissioner

News

Alfred John was sworn in Tuesday as District 2 County Commissioner.

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — In a ceremony held Tuesday, Dec. 29, at the Forsyth County Administration Building, the newest member of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners took his oath of office. Newly elected Forsyth County District 2 Commissioner Alfred John was sworn in during a ceremony by Forsyth County Probate Judge Woody Jordan. District 2 covers much of the southern portion of the county. John fills the post held by Dennis Brown who did not run for re-election.

Laura Semanson was also sworn in on Dec. 29 for her second term as the District 5 commissioner. District 5 encompasses an eastern sweep of the county including the Lake Lanier region. Cindy Jones Mills was sworn in for her third term as District 4 commissioner during a ceremony held on Dec. 31. District 4 covers the northern portion of Forsyth County.

All three terms run through Dec. 31, 2024. The Board of Commissioners is made up of five members, each living in a specific district and elected by their district to serve four-year terms.

 

 

BOC nominates three for Development Authority

News

Laura Semanson

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Three items on the Board of Commissioners work session produced lengthy discussions but none more than the upcoming appointments/reappointments to the Development Authority.

Chairwoman Laura Semanson expressed some frustration with the Authority because many meetings had been canceled due to a lack of business. “To me that says maybe we should meet and talk about why there is nothing going on,” she said.

The seven-member Authority has had no new appointments since 2017. “There are some members who would like to see some fresh blood, some changes,” she said.

Semanson proposed adding two new at-large positions but Commissioner Levent said, he doesn’t see the need to increase the number of members.

Molly Cooper

Four members’ terms will expire in December and three others by April, prompting Commissioner Molly Cooper to say, “We can’t keep kicking this can down the road. Time is up. We need to make a decision.”

Semanson nominated Larry Duckworth for reappointment, Levent nominated Joanne Tolleson and Cooper nominated Justin Hawkins. Those nominations must be ratified by a vote of the full Board.

Commissioner Cindy Mills deferred until the December meeting and Commissioner Dennis Brown who, who leaves the Board at the end of the year said he would prefer that his replacement Alfred Johns make the appointment.

Dennis Brown

In other votes, commissioners unanimously approved:

  • An increase in per diem for members of the Equalization Board to $125;
  • A memorandum of understanding with the University of Georgia regarding the Extension Service;
  • A list of county-owned surplus items to be sold;
  • An agreement to into an Inter Sub-Site Interface Connection Agreement with Motorola Solutions Inc. for the Public Safety Radio System to allow for interconnectivity with the Hall County system in the amount of $778,615;
  • The Interconnected Public Safety Radio System Intergovernmental Agreement between Forsyth County and Hall County – Director, Emergency Management Agency;
  • The reallocation of Tyler Technologies’ current Tyler Field Mobile Licensing Fees to Tyler Smartfile Licensing Fees and to provide professional services to make multiple Smartfile forms available for electronic filing for the Tax Assessors’ Office;
  • Award RFP 20-87-3340 for the printing and mailing of Water and Sewer Bills for the Department of Water and Sewer to Pinnacle Data Systems starting in calendar year 2021, budgeted amount $275,000;
  • To award Bid 20-121-1620 for Waste Collection Services for Various Forsyth County Buildings to overall low bidder Advanced Disposal Services, LLC in the amount of $110,828.28; 2021;
  • To award Bid 20-124-1620 for Building Cleaning Services for Various Forsyth County Buildings for the Calendar Year 2021 for the Department of Public Facilities the low bidder All Bright Janitorial Service in the amount of $194,000.00;
  • To award Bid 20-135-1590 to purchase one (1) new 2021 Ford F250 Truck with Animal Body Transport for Code Compliance to Prater Ford, Inc. in the amount of $53,297.20;
  • To award Bid 20-136-3120 for providing Installation and Repair of Guardrails as needed for the Forsyth County Department of Engineering Stembridge Custom Metals, Inc. in the not to exceed amount of $50,000.00;
  • To award Bid 20-140-5211 for providing Baled Hay Services at Eagles Beak for the Department of Parks and Recreation with no cost to the County;
  • To award Bid 20-169-3150 for the emergency replacement of a culvert at Two Mile Creek on Wallace Wood Road to The Dickerson Group in the amount of $384,807.80;

 

  • Ratification of the reappointment of Jerry Bowman as the Neutral Representative to the Forsyth County Civil Service Board to serve a four (4) year term beginning November 12, 2020 to November 11, 2024. Staff Recommendation: ratify the Civil Service Board’s reappointment – Risk and Safety Manager, Department of Risk Management
  • A request to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Georgia Department of Transportation to relocate water and sewer infrastructure for the SR 400 at McGinnis Ferry Road Widening and Auxiliary Lanes Project;
  • To formally name the area located in Sawnee Mountain Preserve – Phase 4, located north of Tower Road, and the previous location of the Barker House as Barker Overlook;
  • A request to apply for the FY 2022 Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 Transit Grant Program to aid in the operation of the Dial-A-Ride Program;
  • A BOC Policy that all developer-negotiated zoning conditions must be submitted to County staff no less than 48 hours prior to the Board meeting where final action is to be taken;
  • A County-Initiated Conditional Use Permit to conduct around the clock business hours for warehouses/offices on 32.452 acres currently zoned M1;
  • Adopt the 2021 Meeting Schedule;
  • Authorization for the county attorney to seek reimbursement for County incentives paid to Taubman Devlopment;
  • A Memorandum of Understanding with Seefried Industrial Properties, Inc. regarding CP200016 as it relates to design, acquisition, and construction for roundabout at Shiloh Road and Shiloh Road East;
  • Partnering with the GA Safe Routes to School Resource Center – County Attorney

Commissioners postponed any decision on the site master plan for Sawnee Mountain Preserve Phase IV.

 

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BOC approves $153.8 million FY 2020-21 budget

News

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The Board of Commissioners adopted the FY 2020-21 budget Thursday which included a 2 percent cost of living allowance for county employees and a 1 percent hike in the salary range

The General Fund budget is $151,830,782. The biggest expenditure anticipated is, $53,955,674 for public safety which includes ambulance, coroner and medical examiner, Emergency Management Agency,  public safety radio system and sheriff’s office.

Commissioners took time during Thursday’s meeting to give thanks to several county departments and individuals and to recognize their accomplishments.

The county’s water and sewer department was recognized as the Water Reclamation Facility of the Year for its James Creek operation. It also won a Gold Award for its water distribution for the fourth year in a row and for its collection system for the third year in a row.

The Friends of Georgia Libraries presented the Fabulous Friends Award to the Forsyth County Public Library Friends and Advocates and the Emergency Management Agency Director Chris Grimes received the Charles F. Welch Award, presented annually to the EMA Director of the Year.

Chairwoman Laura Semanson thanked the Department of Engineering’s Roads and Bridges Division for its hard work during Hurricane Zeta.

“When we have a disaster in our community, a lot of times our minds go to all the first responders and we think of fire and rescue, our sheriff’s deputies and others on the front line of medical care,” she said. “But one of the key parts of our resiliency and our ability to bounce back in those situations is having a Public Works staff that works for the county to keep our systems running, keep our roads clear and our storm drains clear. A lot of times, we don’t recognize the value that our roads and bridges team brings to the county. They are truly on the front lines every time we face a disaster like that.”

Following a public hearing, commissioners unanimously approved a county-initiated request to operate a vehicle sales dealership in an existing building on 2.074 acres at 5695 Ga. Hwy. 400, a sketch pat approval for Rochester & Associates, Inc. and abandonment of public right of way on Southers Plantation Lane. A public hearing on sketch plat approval for Ronald Reagan Corners, LLC was postponed until Dec 17.

Under Old Business, commissioners approved a request for an amendment to Zoning Conditions on ZA 2915 located at 2430 Monet Drive and a request to operate a 100 sq. ft. vehicle sales dealership in an existing building on 2.196 acres located at 915 Branch Drive in Alpharetta.

Under New Business, commissioners approved:

  • A conditional use permit to operate an open storage yard on 2.791 acreslocated south of Francis Road near intersection of Clark Drive;
  • A conditional use permit to operate an open storage yard with 37 parking spaces on 1.97 acres currently zoned Restricted Industrial District located 300 ft. west of Ronald Reagan Boulevard approximately 325 ft. north of the intersection with Oak Industrial Lane;
  • Conditional Use permit to operate an open storage yard with 37 parking spaces on 1.97 acres currently zoned Restricted Industrial District located 300 ft. west of Ronald Reagan Boulevard approximately 325 ft. north of the intersection with Oak Industrial Lane;
  • A request to rezone from Lake Residential to Agricultural District with a conditional use permit for an open storage yard associated with existing buildings on 1.796 acres located west of Little Mill Road, approximately 435 ft. north of the intersection with Browns Bridge Road;
  • County acquisition of 0.86 acres at 5225 Shadburn Road from William Waite Family for a future access road;
  • An agreement regarding 3910 Evans Road, Fire Station #4, PIN 031-058, GDOT acquisition of ROW for SR20 (Canton Highway);
  • An agreement regarding 1605 Canton Highway PIN 099-055, Greenway Trailhead location, GDOT acquisition for SR20;
  • An agreement regarding Canton Highway, PIN 064-036, Greenway Trail access to Canton Highway, GDOT acquisition for SR20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Levent calls censure vote “retaliation” for his opposition to the City of Sharon Springs

News

Commissioner Todd Levent

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. –On Thursday (Aug. 20) the Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 (Commissioner Todd Levent and Cindy Mills recused themselves) to censure District 3 Commissioner Todd Levent.

The censure, which was read by Chairwoman Laura Semanson, states: “The Board does hereby censure Commissioner Todd Levent for accessing Commissioner Cindy Mills’ county email account without her knowledge and without using Ga. OCGA 50-18-70 Open Records Act and obtaining un-redacted lists of current emails compiled for county business without using the Open Records Act and forwarding them to his campaign email account apparently for his campaign or other non-county business use.”

On Friday, Levent responded. “I did nothing wrong,” he said. “It was a one-sided, steered investigation. I spoke with my attorney (Daran Burns) today and we are considering our options.”

Levent added, “The commissioners behind the investigation have issues with me over my opposition to the City of Sharon Springs. I believe this is retaliation for that.”

He particularly objects to the accusation that he did not file an open records request.

O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 Paragraph B states “A request made pursuant to this article may be made to the custodian of a public record orally or in writing. He said he verbally requested the emails from then Assistant to County Commissioners Carol Haag.

“The words she put into the investigation are not true,” he said. “When we as commissioners ask things of her she knows she has to go through the proper avenues. She knows her job. Her title is big and she gets a big paycheck.”

Haag was given a one-day suspension and transferred to the Voter Registration and Elections Office.

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

BOC approves undisclosed amount of funding to bring the Levent investigation to a conclusion

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – Forsyth County Commissioners voted 3-0 (with Commissioners Cindy Mills and Todd Levent having recused themselves) Tuesday to spend an unspecified amount of money to take its investigation of District 3 Commissioner Todd Levent to what Chairwoman Laura Semanson called “its natural conclusion.”

The Board began the investigation, which centered on Levent’s accessing Commissioner Cindy Mills emails without her knowledge and without having filed an open records request. Emails to and from county-owned computers are a matter of public record that can be obtained by filing an open records request. However, some exemptions are allowed under Georgia’s Open Records Act and certain personal identifiers can be redacted.

The investigation, which was initially capped at $20,000, was completed on July 14.  Tuesday’s vote was on a resolution to approve an undisclosed amount of supplemental funding to pay an attorney to present the results to an independent body, possibly a Board of Ethics.

The amount of the supplemental funding was not discussed, although one commissioner said later, it is estimated to be about $18,000.

Commissioner Dennis Brown questioned the cost during Tuesday’s meeting. “Does this have a specific amount or limit,” he asked?

Semanson said the cost is not known yet.

“Theoretically then they could come back for more money,” he said.

“I look at it like this,” Semanson said. “We’ve already rounded third base. At this point if we want to take this to it’s final conclusion, we need to have that ability.”

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

BOC discusses framework for distribution of $12.4 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – David Gruen appeared before the Board of Commissioners Wednesday (July 22) to seek direction regarding the distribution of funds from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Forsyth County has been awarded $12,443,307, including $3,372,992.

Gruen pointed to five areas where CRF can be utilized: Medical expenses, public health expenses, certain payroll expenses, action to comply with public health measures and economic support.

Chairwoman Laura Semanson expressed concern about the level of service and the level of reporting the county gets from Gainesville-based District 2 Public Health which provides coronavirus testing once a week for Forsyth County. The county asked for two testing periods but DPH said they can only do one.

“I know you have pushed on them to try and get better data for us to work with and understand what the reality is and what the current state in our local care facilities but beyond that, I guess we need to push at state,” Semanson said. Have our state delegation or a little higher than that to try and seek parity in that because there is absolutely no excuse for the county not to have the same level of information that other counties have.”

Questioned about which entities are not eligible to receive funding, Scott Evans, senior technical project manger for the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, said the only ones he is aware of that may not receive funds are publicly-traded businesses owned by hedge funds, individuals who have passive income property, adult businesses, corporate-owned franchises and those that have liens due to violations of local, state or federal ordinances.

Evan said he has worked on a framework that will assist county staff in moving forward with a distribution plan and it would be available after the meeting.

Semanson then scheduled a follow-up called meeting for Tuesday (July 28).

 

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

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