May 6th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, May 7th, 2024

The Dalton Mayor and Council met Monday night for nearly an hour in their first scheduled meeting of May. The lengthy agenda featured 25 items, but none were of more interest to the people who packed the Council Chamber than the first: a resolution honoring the late Reverend Dr. Stephen A. Thomas, better known in Dalton as Bishop Thomas.

Caption: Members of Bishop Thomas' family pose with the Mayor and Council on Monday night

Bishop Thomas passed away last year after a 37 year career as the Bishop of the Community Fellowship Church in Dalton, and also was one of the founding members of the Concerned Clergy of Whitfield County. As chairman of the City of Dalton's Recreation Commission, he was instrumental in the creation of the Mack Gaston Community Center. As part of the resolution honoring his life and service, the Mayor and Council voted to dedicate a portion of Meeting Street in his honor. Click here to read more. To watch this portion of the meeting click here.  

Also at Monday night's meeting, Mayor Sams proclaimed May as General Aviation Appreciation Month, coinciding with a national celebration. Click here to read more about the proclamation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

To watch the full video of Monday night's meeting, click here. 

During Monday's meeting, the Mayor and Council voted to: 

• Authorize the use of opioid settlement funds - The City of Dalton has received approximately $130,000 to date from the National Opioids Settlement, and there are only certain uses for which those funds can be applied. The City will use them for: a human trafficking prevention conference that will include training for healthcare personnel on the identification and treatment of opioid use disorder and trauma resulting from it, operational funds for Narcotics Anonymous, and a partnership with Whitfield County's Conasauga Community Addiction Recovery Center. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the use of the funds. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hamilton Medical Center on Drug Pricing Program - The hospital is a not-for-profit entity serving patients on Medicare and Medicaid in addition to programs that benefit the indigent, uninsured, or underinsured. To better serve this population the hospital participates in the federal 340B program that allows it to receive discounted drugs based on care of those populations. The MOU with the City government is a requirement of that program, and states that the City of Dalton acknowledges the healthcare services provided by Hamilton are in the public interest and that it provides those services at no reimbursement or little reimbursement. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the MOU. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Georgia Classic Main Streets to provide services - The City enters into this MOU annually with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for the local Main Street Program in which the DCA provides services in exchange for the City's active participation, which is achieved through the Downtown Dalton Development Authority. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the MOU. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve certification of consistency for the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center's grant application - In order to apply for emergency shelter funds, the crisis center needs certification from the City of Dalton that the program is consistent with the City's consolidated plan and that the program serves those who are abused. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the certification. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Award the contract for construction of a new Property and Evidence Building for the Dalton Police Department - The R.W. Smith Company from Marietta was the winning bidder among five competitive bids received last month to construct the new facility which was one of the projects on the 2020 SPLOST referendum. The estimated cost for the project is $3.76 million which will be paid using SPLOST funds. Anticipated notice to proceed is expected later this month, with anticipated completion in June 2025. The council voted 4-0 to award the contract. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a professional services agreement with Geo-Hydro Engineers, Inc. for geotechnical services for the new P&E building - As part of the construction of that new building, site surveys, soil testing, and other pre-construction work are required. This work will be carried out by Geo-Hydro Engineers, Inc. The agreement will cost $19,968 which will be paid from SPLOST funds. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the agreement. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve design agreement with KRH Architecture for Al Rollins Park project - The Parks and Recreation Department is engaging KRH Architecture to design infield turf systems and stormwater drainage structures and prepare bid specifications for a project to replace the dirt infields at Al Rollins Park with artificial turf. The project is being paid for with 2020 bond revenues, and the design contract will cost 6% of the owner's budget for the work (which is estimated at $12. million). The council voted 4-0 to approve the design work. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve general construction agreement with Southern Flooring, Inc. for Mack Gaston Community Center gym floor replacement - The floor in the "red" gym was damaged in 2022 when a juvenile accidentally kicked a ball into a fire sprinkler head and triggered it, causing water damage which has led the floor to buckle over time. Southen Flooring was the winning bidder and will replace the floor later this summer with completion expected September 1st. Most of the $135,000 cost is being covered by insurance. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve professional services agreement with Prime Engineering, Inc. for Pickleball Complex project - The Parks and Recreation Department is engaging with Prime Engineering, Inc. to design a new pickleball complex at the James Brown Park complex near the John Davis Recreation Center. It will include 15 courts and a building for concessions, restrooms, and shade structures. The $168,000 cost is being paid for by 2020 bonded capital funds. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
• Approve a construction contract for the Pentz & Cuyler Streetscape project - Wilson Construction Management was the winning bidder to construct the sidewalk, roadway, and infrastructure improvements of the Pentz and Cuyler streetscape improvements which completes the original streetscape master plan for downtown Dalton, which was started in the year 2000. The project will cost $8.2 million, with $2.19 million coming from the Improving Neighborhood Outcomes Grant from the federal Office of Planning and Budget and the remainder from the City's general fund. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
• Approve a construction contract for the Prater Alley Stormwater Detention Facility - Summers Taylor, Inc. was the winning bidder to construct a new stormwater detention pond near the corner of Thornton Avenue and Waugh street at the site of the old driving school building which was demolished earlier Monday. The pond will have attractive landscaping features to add to the aesthetics of the area and will help to reduce flooding concerns in the area. The cost of the project is $1.134 million which is $300,000 lower than the original budget for the project. It is being paid with 2015 SPLOST funds and bonded capital funds. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve tentative allocation funds for runway rehabilitation at the Dalton Municipal Airport - The airport's runway is in need of repaving. GDOT has identified funding from federal grants ($2.4 million) and state funding ($2.63 million) to pay for the runway rehabilitation which would require an estimate $967,000 local match required. The Council voted 4-0 to approve a letter of support for providing the local matching funds with an anticipated bid date this summer. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve City IT Department's membership in Public Safety Threat Alliance - The membership, which comes free of charge, allows the City's Information Technology Department to receive cybersecurity intelligence updates to better protect the public safety landscape. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
• Approve new appointments to the Dalton Housing Authority - The Housing Authority is expanding to 9 members, which requires three new appointments. Lynsey Bethel, Roy Acosta, and Dr. Richard Hill were appointed to five year terms on the board, and Pallavi Manay was appointed to succeed Courtney Brock for the remainer of her term which expires in 2026. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Deny rezoning of a tract of land at 911 Riverbend Road from Heavy Manufacturing to Rural Residential (R2) - The rezoning was requested by Juan Figueroa, but he did not attend two consecutive Planning Commission Meetings to support the application, and standards and procedures state that governing authority must deny applications when applicants fail to attend. The council voted 4-0 to deny the rezoning. The applicant can re-apply 12 months from now. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve rezoning of a tract of land at 402 Brooker Drive from Low-Density Single Family Residential (R2) to General Agricultural (GA) - The applicant Adrianna Cuevas wishes to build a guest house on the property which cannot be done in R2 but can in GA. The property is partially located within the City of Dalton. The Council voted 4-0 to approve. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
• Approve the de-annexation of a tract of land at 3035 Parquet Drive from the City of Dalton - In exchange for the annexation of the Hamilton Lofts apartment development into the City, the City agreed to de-annex two parcels into Whitfield County. One parcel, the Kobayashi manufacturing plant has already been de-annexed. The second is this property on the South Hamilton Extension. The council voted 4-0 to approve the de-annexation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve the annexation of a tract of land at 1022 Enterprise Drive into the City of Dalton as Heavy Manufacturing (M2) - The property is owned by Dalton Utilities. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the annexation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve the annexation of a tract of land at 1600 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd into the City of Dalton as Low-Density Single Family Residential (R2) - The request by Christian Heritage School annexes the property adjoining their campus into the City. The school is expanding its campus to the south into this tract of land. The Council approved 4-0 to approve the annexation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve the annexation of a tract of land located on Old Haig Mill Lake Road into the City of Dalton - This property is Haig Mill Lake Park, some of which was not located in the City limits. The annexation moves the entire property into the City limits. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the annexation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve amendments to the Unified Zoning Ordinance (UZO) text - The City of Varnell and the City of Dalton requested the amendments to the UZO. The amendments include the addition of C-1A to the list of zoning districts that require a site plan before rezoning, a change to the cemetery zoning to match current state laws, the removal of term limits from the Board of Zoning appeals, remove the stormwater plan fee table from the UZO and instead refer to the stormwater ordinance for those fees, and to amend the permitted use table to allow banks, churches, and event centers to be allowed in the M1 and M2 zoning districts. The Council voted 4-0 to approve the amendments. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

The next Mayor and Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 20th at 6:00 pm at City Hall. The meeting will be preceded by a Planning and Finance Committee meeting at 5:00 pm in the 2nd Floor West Conference Room. 

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