A public meeting was held in Collegedale Monday night for the second reading of the fiscal year 2016-2017 budget, and no one chose to speak. The budget has been described as conservative by City Manager Ted Rogers, with the property tax rate remaining at $1.3713 per $1,000 of assessed value, the same as in 2016. It was given final approval by the commissioners. The 2015-2016 budget was amended to match actual costs and approved by the commissioners.
City Engineer Joe Farrow told the commissioners he believes that the city is in the best condition it has ever been.
June is the last month he will be working for the city as an employee after doing so for 25 years. He thanked this and the previous administration, saying that it has been a pleasure to work for Collegedale. During that time he has engineered traffic projects and the sewer system, and was praised by Vice Mayor Tim Johnson for a job well done.
The sewers in two locations in Collegedale were dedicated to the city on Monday night. Mr. Farrow said that from time to time, new or existing sewer lines are transferred to the city. The commissioners officially voted to accept sewer system lines and easements on Apison Pike at property owned by McKee, and at Grindstone Estates, a mobile home park.
Robert Varnell, a strategic planner for the city, presented several recommendations to the city’s zoning and codes that have been considered by the planning commission. The city commissioners followed the recommendations as presented. The current zoning ordinance restricted the height of buildings in the C-3 zone to three stories. The ordinance was amended Monday night to allow the height of five stories in order to attract the type of businesses targeted by the city. Most of the C-3 zone is adjacent to I-75.
A request to rezone property at 9831 Moore Road from AG to R-2 was denied following the planning commission’s recommendation. The parcel has an existing single family house that the owner wanted to convert into a duplex. The decision to deny was because the change would have been “spot zoning” since the land does not touch any R-2 or R-3 zone and the fact that the lot size was not sufficient for two dwellings without being connected to the sewer system.
Approval was given for a new ordinance that will allow “alternative concealment” of cell phone towers if new ones are built. This would include ways such as disguising a tower to look like a flag pole.
Mayor Katie Lamb said the public works departments does a good job of keeping the city clean and neat, but that she has noticed that residents in certain areas are causing it to look messy. In some places, she said garbage cans remain on the street permanently. The city’s ordinance concerning garbage disposal requires that cans be placed on the street for removal the day that a house is scheduled for service and that the can be moved to the rear of the property and out of sight following the pick-up. Residents of some rental properties put out garbage and brush after the scheduled time and it remains on the street for a month, she said.
Building Codes Officer Andrew Morkert said that offenders are told that the goal is to gain compliance, not to issue fines, "so we try to educate them first." After discussion, it was concluded that the city will add a “new resident” icon on the city’s website which will inform of the city’s ordinances and schedules. Repeat offenders get a harsher treatment and will be sent to the city court. The fine for violation of the ordinance concerning disposal of trash and garbage is $50 for each day of non-compliance.
Mr. Rogers said that the financial report from May shows that at 91 percent through the year, the city has collected 100 percent of the expected revenue. Expenses are at 149 percent of the planned amount due to the purchase and renovations of property that will serve as the economic development building. It was purchased for $160,000 and $140,000 has been spent on renovations to the existing house. He said the work is almost complete and is now operational. The city has gained 3,000 square feet of space that is providing three public restrooms, eight offices, a conference room, and two kitchens, all for $10 a square foot. The spaces at city hall that have been freed up by the new building will be used for conference rooms and a desk sharing office space for temporary workers.