A property tax increase was finalized at the September meeting of the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Council after the third public meeting about the new tax rate. An ordinance was adopted setting the rate for calendar year 2020 at 9.89 mills for every $1,000 of assessed value of the property. The assessed value is 40 percent of fair market value. The tax increase will generate close to $30,000, said Mayor David Bennett.
The new Town Center has been 13 years in the making and the mayor said the project is moving closer to being finalized now that the construction financing and permanent financing through the U.S.
Department of Agriculture are both almost in place. An announcement of the ground breaking will be made once the loans are completed.
A dumpster has been at the old city hall building for recycling, but with construction of the municipal buildings close to beginning, it has been taken away. The town will instead partner with Lookout Mountain, Tn. and its recycling program. Residents of Georgia can use the facilities at the Tennessee Public Works department. Paper, plastic, aluminum, tin cans, glass and cardboard are accepted. The town will pay $300 per month for this service.
Council Member Taylor Watson, the liaison with the fire and police, read the activity report from the department, describing the month as quiet. During August, police patrolled 3,997 miles, made 29 traffic stops, gave seven citations and 25 warnings. There were two auto accidents during the month. Police checked nine alarms and found no burglaries or thefts and made no arrests, but three suspicious persons and four suspicious vehicles were checked. Officers provided assistance to 10 citizens during the month, two motorists, and the Lookout Mountain Tn., Police Department eight times in August. There were nine fire calls and 13 medical calls.
A citizen raised concerns that with increased traffic since local attractions have started opening after all the closures this summer, people have begun running stop signs. He said he witnesses it in front of his house at the four-way stop at Cinderella Road and Rock City Trail, and asked for police to enforce the signs.
Community volunteer Jimmy Campbell, who is in charge of developing the town’s comprehensive plan, said a problem with errors on official maps is being corrected by the state. One big issue in creating the plan, he said, is if the town wants to increase the area allowed for high-density housing. It now consists of around two acres near the municipal buildings. The topography would cause a problem with land adjacent to this location, he said.
A resident whose property borders on the now vacant Sims property was concerned that it could be added to the high-density zone. This property contains four lots, each around 35,000 square feet, and is currently zoned single-family residential. Mayor Bennett answered that there are no plans for that. “The residents have spoken and I don’t anticipate that question to come up,” he said.
Mr. Campbell also gave an update on the new Mountain Garden near the soccer fields on Witt Road. Dennis Bishop, owner of Going-Native, will plan the garden. Underbrush will be cleared soon and then shrubbery will be planted along the perimeter in October and November. Plantings will continue to be added and should be well on the way to being complete in the spring of 2021.
An engineering firm has been chosen for the repair of the sewer pump station. That firm will meet with the sewer board to develop the plan and the environmental impact that it will have, said Mr. Campbell. The cost for the consultation will be $16,000-$17,000 with a grant reimbursing the town for half of the amount.
Kevin Leckenby has been appointed as the council’s liaison with the public works and solid waste departments. Joe McGinness and Doug Stein have both been reappointed to the board of zoning appeals.