October 7th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

The Dalton Mayor and Council met on Monday night for their first scheduled meeting of October. The meeting featured a lengthy agenda, which was highlighted by the naming of the Chattanooga Avenue trailhead for the popular Mill Line Trail in honor of Dalton philanthropist Paul Belk. Along with his late business partner Horace Sewell, Belk donated much of the land that was used to build the trail. 

CLICK HERE to watch the video of Monday night's meeting. 

The Mayor and Council opened Monday night's meeting with a vote to approve Resolution-24-15 to name the trailhead in Belk's honor. Mayor Annalee Sams then read the resolution aloud and presented it to Mr. Belk. In addition to the land donation, Belk is credited with having the vision for a park there which eventually became the Mill Line Trail. The resolution also noted Belk's contributions and leadership in support of Haig Mill Lake Park and Civitan Park. 

Caption: Paul Belk shakes hands with Mayor Annalee Sams after the reading of a resolution naming the Paul Belk Honorary Trailhead in his honor. Looking on are Councilmembers Nicky Lama (left), Tyree Goodlett, and Steve Farrow (right)

"I'm honored and humbled by this recognition, I'm a small cog in a big wheel," Belk said in accepting the honor. "Today is the foundation of a great attraction to the City of Dalton. Foundation because we can only dream of the developments that will follow along after many of us are gone. Let it be said with God's help we will leave Dalton, which we love, an even more attractive and inviting community for all who live here." 

To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

Mayor Sams also read a proclamation declaring that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Dalton. The proclamation notes that cyberattacks can impact our economy and security as well as our day-to-day lives. The proclamation recommends using strong passwords, multifactor authentication, keeping software on devices up to date, and being aware of how to recognize and report "phishing" attempts. 

"(Cybersecurity Awareness Month) is a very important time to reflect and take time to do a self-assessment on your cybersecurity hygiene," said Jorge Paez, director of the City's Information Technology Department. "This is very important because we are coming into an era where identity management is more important than ever." 

Caption: IT director Jorge Paez and Mayor Annalee Sams pose after the reading of a proclamation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Paez suggested that residents change all of their passwords to unique and strong passwords, and to change them at least twice a year. Paez recommended using the July 4th and Christmas holidays as calendar landmarks to make those changes. He also suggested that Dalton residents create three different email accounts: one that is used only for banking or financial contacts, one for newsletters or website sign-ups, and one for professional contacts. To watch this portion of the meeting, including Mr. Paez's presentation on cybersecurity tips, click here. 

On Monday night, the Mayor and Council voted to: 

• Approve an alcohlic beverage license change - The address change for the pouring beer and liquor license for La Fogata Fusion Restaurant was approved by a 3-0 vote of the Council (Councilmember Dennis Mock was not present). The business is now located at 801 E. Walnut Avenue. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Appove a Classification and Compensation Study by Evergreen Solutions, LLC - The Human Resources Department requested the contract for consulting services to perform a study on 100 different full-time positions to ensure that the City's positions are properly classified and that pay for these positions is competitive with other municipalities to improve recruiting and retention. The cost of the consulting contract is $54,500. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the agreement. To review the contract with Evergreen Solutions, click here and click here to read a summary of the project. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a contract amendment for HVAC Services With March, Adams, and Associates Engineers - The City previously entered into an agreement for engineering services related to service or replacement of the HVAC system at City Hall. The original contract was based on an estimated fee with the final fee to be determined as a percentage of the final cost to repair the system. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the amendment. To view the amendment, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.  
• Approve a general construction agreement for HVAC renovation/replacement at City Hall - The agreement with Cherokee Mechanical, Inc. is for the repair and replacement of the HVAC system at City Hall which is approximately 20 years old. The agreement is for $1,587,812.50. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the contract. To review the contract, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve 2024 General Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Amendment #4 - The budget amendment includes amendments to adjust budgets to actual revenues in excess of budget, allocations to and between various projects, and increases in various expenditures which are offset by revenue sources. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the budget amendment. To view the budget amendment document, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, including City Chief Financial Officer Cindy Jackson's presentation, click here. 
• Approve an intergovernmental transfer agreement with the City of Chatsworth - The City of Dalton has acquired a new leaf vacuum truck for use by Public Works during fall leaf collections. The old leaf collection unit is now considered surplus, and the City of Chatsworth requested to purchase a component of that unit for their use. The price agreed upon was $6,500, which is within the fair market price range for the component. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the transfer agreement. To view the IGTA, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a temporary construction easement for a stormwater project - The construction easement for the property at 502 W. Walnut Avenue is needed to facilitate work on the Valley Drive Channel Stabilization Project. The work is expected to take six months to complete, and the easement will expire when the work is completed. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the easement. To view the construction easement, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve a 4-way stop sign at the intersection of James Street and Burchfield Avenue - The Dalton Police Department has reported seven crashes at this intersection in the last four years, and before that there were approximately two crashes per year at the intersection since 2013. The traffic control change to a 4-way stop is being made after extensive study of the intersection in hopes of reducing the number of incidents there. The change was approved by the Public Works Committee. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the traffic control change. To view the traffic control change documentation, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve contracts for runway rehabilitation work at the Dalton Municipal Airport - The Mayor and Council originally approved a contract with the federal and state governments for funding for the runway work at the airport with a local match. Once bids for the project were received, the project came in approximately $1 million under budget with a local match of approximately $816,000 which is a savings of approximately $150,000 from the original budget. The Council voted to 3-0 to approve GDOT Contract #47 (click here to review the contract), a paving contract with North Georgia Paving to complete the work (click here to review the contract and here to review the contract documents), and a contract with Kimley-Horn for construction administration/inspection services for the work (click here to review that agreement). To watch this portion of the meeting (three agenda items), click here.   
• Approve the appointment of Mayelli Meza to the Library Board - Mayelli Meza's appointment will fulfill the unexpired portion of Bitsy McFarland's term on the board which will expire March 2nd, 2026. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the appointment. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.

The Mayor and Council held the first reading of an ordinance to amend the Unified Zoning Ordinance (UZO). Ordinance 24-28 would change the definition of "junk vehicles" in the UZO. The current definition includes exceptions to the law prohibiting "junk vehicles" remaining on property within the City, and the amendment would add an additional exception to the prohibition on "junk vehicles" for vehicles and parts contained within a fence with 90 percent visual blockage that is at least six feet tall. To read Ordinance 24-28 with the proposed change to the UZO text, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

The Mayor and Council also held the first reading of two proposed ordinances that would make zoning changes to properties in Dalton. Those ordinances were: 

• Ordinance 24-32 - The zoning request would change a 1.00 acre tract of land on Waring Road from M-2 (heavy manufacturing) to R-5 (rural residential). The request was made by Crow Road Holdings. The developer wishes to subdivide the tract and build duplexes there. The Planning Commission and staff recommended approval. To read the ordinance, click here. To read a summary of the Planning Commission review of the request, click here. To review the staff analysis of the request, click here. To view the presentation maps of the property area, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Ordinance 24-33 - The zoning request would change a 0.25 acre tract of land at 801 Cumberland Drive from R-3 (medium density single family residential) to R-5 (rural residential). The request was made by Appalachian Builders, Inc. CEO Cody Spence. The request was made for the construction of a duplex on the property. Because the tract is completely surrounded by single family residential lots, the Planning Commission and staff unanimously recommended that the request be denied. To read the ordinance, click here. To read a summary of the Planning Commission review of the request, click here. To review the staff analysis of the request, click here. To view the presentation maps of the property area, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

The Mayor and Council can consider a second reading of the UZO amendment ordinance and the two rezoning requests at a future meeting at which time they can vote on each. 

The next Dalton Mayor and Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 21st at 6:00 pm in the Council Chamber at City Hall. 

Click "Play" in the window below to watch Monday night's meeting