April 7th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes
Tuesday, April 8th, 2025
The Dalton Mayor and Council met Monday night for their first session of April. The meeting agenda included the first amendment for the fiscal year 2025 budget, the first reading of a pair of zoning requests, and the extension of a law enforcement camera program among other agenda items. The meeting was preceded by a work session in which members of the City Council reviewed requests for projects to be funded from the City's Capital Improvements Fund and also heard project updates from City Administrator Andrew Parker.
CLICK HERE to watch the video of Monday night's meeting
Monday night's meeting began with the reading of a proclamation declaring that April is "Donate Life Month" in Dalton. Mayor Annalee Sams' proclamation noted that more than 100,000 people are waiting for life-saving or life-improving organ transplants, and 3,000 of those live in Georgia. Each year, more than 2.5 million people across the United States benefit from tissue transplants. A new patient is added to the national waiting list for a transplant every eight minutes. Mayor Sams' declaration encourages all residents of Georgia to sign up for the organ and tissue donor registry. Click here to read the proclamation. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
Caption: Mayor Annalee Sams reads a proclamation for "Donate Life Month" during Monday night's meeting of the Mayor and Council
The Council heard the first readings of a pair of ordinances Monday night. The first, Ordinance 25-10, would rezone a tract of land at 112 N. Spencer Street from transitional residential (R-6) to neighborhood commercial (C-1). The property was originally zoned for commercial use and the building there has been vacant for quite some time. The owner wants to use it for commercial purposes. Planning staff and the Dalton-Whitfield County Planning Commission both recommended approval of the rezoning request. To read the staff analysis of the request, click here. To read the Planning Commission's review, click here. To read the ordinance, click here. The Mayor and Council can act on the ordinance after a second reading at a future meeting. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
The second ordinance, Ordinance 25-11, would annex the property at 1304 Frazier Drive into the City of Dalton as a medium density single family residential (R-3) property. The property is currently part of an unincorporated Whitfield County island surrounded by property that is in the City of Dalton. Planning staff and the Dalton-Whitfield Planning Commission both recommended approval of the annexation request. To read the staff analysis of the request, click here. To read the Planning Commission's review, click here. To read the ordinance, click here. The Mayor and Council can act on the ordinance after a second reading at a future meeting. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
Monday night, the Council voted to:
- Purchase real estate for the Glenwood Avenue Stormwater Bypass Project - As part of the construction of a stormwater improvement project along a flood-prone area of Glenwood Avenue, the Public Works Department needs to purchase a permanent drainage easement at 631 N. Glenwood Avenue, the site of the Materials Handling, Inc. business. The property was appraised for $123,500 which is under budget for the project. The funding for the project comes from the 2015 SPLOST. To view the purchase agreement, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the purchase. Mayor Annalee Sams typically votes only in the event of a tie and Councilmember Dennis Mock was not present. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve a declaration of taking and order on property for the Glenwood Avenue Stormwater Bypass Project - A similar easement is needed for the property at 622 N. Elm Street for the same project. Negotiations for the purchase of an easement on the property have not been successful, and there is not a suitable alternative location for the project to avoid the 622 N. Elm Street property. The easement would be for a portion of land that is currently a stormwater drain and the work would replace that drain. The rest of the property would be undisturbed. The property value has been assessed at $16,600. The funding source is also the 2015 SPLOST. The Council voted 3-0 to move forward with the declaration of taking. To view the declaration, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve Task Order #13 with the Arcadis engineering firm - Due to flooding concerns in the area of Moice Drive near the previously constructed Covie Ridge Detention Pond, the Public Works Department has requested to have the City's stormwater consulting firm Arcadis perform an evaluation of the area and suggest possible courses of action to resolve the problem. The cost of the work is $19,475 to be paid from the 2020 SPLOST fund. To review the task order, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the task order. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve a landscape maintenance contract with Imperial Landscapes for the Prater Alley Detention Pond facility - The recently constructed pond is located adjacent to City Hall and the intersection of Waugh Street and Thornton Avenue. The contract to mow the newly planted grass at the facility and maintain the landscaping there will cost $3,960 and be paid from the Public Works general fund budget. To review the contract, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the contract. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve a landscape maintenance contract with Imperial Landscapes for the Huntington Road Detention facility - The recently constructed detention facility is located along Huntington Road. The contract to mow the newly planted grass at the facility and maintain the landscaping there will cost $3,599 and be paid from the Public Works general fund budget. To review the contract, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the contract. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve an traffic control change for the Trammell Street/Clark Street intersection - The community garden that is being built near this intersection will include the introduction of on-street parking along Trammell Street. This will create a sight-distance issue for the existing two-way stop for Clark Street at the intersection. The Public Works Department requested to change the intersection to an All-Way Stop. To view the request and details, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the change. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve an amendment to the Dalton Public Schools lease for the third floor of City Hall - The lease amendment would extend the term of the lease until June 30th, 2026. As part of the lease amendment, the DPS has agreed to contribute $100,000 to the repairs of windows in the facility. As part of the lease agreement, the DPS currently pays 1/3 of the building's electrical and utility costs. To view the lease agreement, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the lease amendment. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve Resolution 25-03 to lend support of HB 843 in the Georgia General Assembly - The Georgia General Assembly is considering local legislation to provide a local referendum to consider approval of an increase in the homestead exemption for residents 70 years of age and over to $325,000. The resolution urges the General Assembly to pass the bill and allow for a local referendum on the matter. To read the resolution, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the resolution. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve Resolution 25-04 to ratify a Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) for City pension plan beneficiaries - There were no COLAs for pension plan beneficiaries between 2009 and 2020. This COLA for beneficiaries who retired before 2021 is a 1% annual compounding COLA to correspond for those years. The COLA has already been implemented through a budget amendment, but the pension plan actuary requested to have the COLA memorialized through a City Council resolution. To view the resolution, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the resolution. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve Budget Amendment #1 to the City's FY 2025 Budget - Budget Amendment #1 makes a series of adjustments to the City's budget, including increasing the sales tax budget and transfer fee budget due to both coming in over projections in the first quarter of 2025. Also, the budget adjusts for an insurance reimbursement for a claim on a wrecked Dalton Police Department vehicle. The amendment shows a donation of funds from a police department fundraiser which was then donated to the Grace and Joy Foundation which was the beneficiary of the fundraiser. The amendment also shows a withdrawal from contingency funds to cover the shortfall in the purchase of signage for the Paul Belk Trailhead at the Mill Line. The amendment also shows $622,000 being put back into the budget which was allocated in 2024 for the South Hamilton workforce housing project which did not start last year and is instead being budgeted for 2025. The amendment shows a transfer into other grant funds for the local match for funds for the urban garden project on Trammell Street. The amendment also shows the remaining matching funds for three airport grants. To view the budget amendment, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the budget amendment. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve a cybersecurity services agreement with BION Security - BION Security has been working with the City of Dalton's IT Department since 2021 to provide cybersecurity consulting and implementation assistance. In the renewal agreement for 2025, the City's IT Department is adding GIS services. The cost of the agreement is $80,000. The contract will be paid from the City's general fund budget. To view the service agreement, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the agreement. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
- Approve an update to the service agreement between the Dalton Police Department and the Flock Group, Inc. - The Dalton Police Department has contracted with the Flock Group to provide "Flock Cameras" around the City of Dalton for crime prevention and investigation purposes. The updated agreement will add three new cameras in the City. The new cameras will be located on Hale Bowen Drive, near the entrance of the Heritage Point Park complex, and the entrance to Haig Mill Lake Park. Dalton has experienced a disproportionate amount of entering auto cases in the parking lots of Dalton's parks, and the new cameras will assist in investigating those cases. The cost of the update is $6,992.46 and will be paid from 2020 SPLOST funds. To view the service agreement update, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the agreement. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here.
Mayor Annalee Sams closed the meeting by recognizing City Clerk Bernadette Chattam for recently passing her 38th anniversary as a City of Dalton employee. Her work anniversary was March 30th.
The Mayor and Council's next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 21st at 6:00 pm in the City Hall Council Chamber.
Click "Play" in the window below to watch Monday night's meeting
