Lookout Mountain, Ga., Mayor Tommy Gifford said Thursday that the Moccasin Bend sewage treatment plant recently raised its treatment rates by 14%.

After reviewing the budget, he said, he believes the city can get by with just a 3% increase to be passed on to the residents.

The budget had assumed a slight increase already, he said, and treatment costs are just one portion of the total sewer budget.

The council agreed to the increase and an ordinance was approved on first reading. Second reading will be at the September meeting.

Council member Daniel Pettway said that landscaping maintenance of the pedestrian pathway has gotten too much for city crews to handle. They really are not equipped to do the work, he said.

Mr. Pettway made a motion that the city enter into a monthly contract with W.D. Scott Company for cleanup and maintenance of the pathway for a cost of $245 per month. Work covered would include cutting, trimming, weeding, and maintaining proper mulch levels. The council passed the motion.

In the mayor’s report, Mayor Gifford wanted residents to know that the city has accumulated a supply of cut trees that would make good firewood. The wood is free to residents and is located on the hillside above the Favorite Market. Although the wood is not cut to firewood length, it is cut into manageable lengths.

Mayor Gifford also addressed the issue of golf carts on city streets. According to Georgia law, golf carts are allowed on city streets as long as they do not cross any intersection. The word “any” is key. Golf cart owners can only travel as far as the first intersecting street, whether it is a city, county, or state road. Crossing the intersection would constitute a traffic violation. Known owners of golf carts in the city will receive a letter from the city attorney explaining this law. After the letters are sent, police will begin writing citations.

Safety for all city residents is the concern that is being addressed by the enforcement of the state law concerning golf carts, Mayor Gifford said.

Dana Wilbourn
dbwilbourn@yahoo.com