BOC mulls public comment change, townhomes, $4.176M for CCSO

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners will take up numerous contract and zoning matters at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday, including a proposed ordinance (2022-208) to move public comment back to the beginning of the meeting. Several businesses have asked for price hikes, citing current economic conditions. That means more of your tax dollars would be spent on their products and services.

You can read the county’s approved budget for 2023 and keep up with budget amendments at https://www.claytoncountyga.gov/government/finance/.

And here’s a copy of the 425-page budget as amended (check the county website for updates). You can jump to a particular department or budget section by clicking the blue page number in the table of contents. The Clayton County Sheriff’s Department did not submit its required Operational Plan before the budget was due:

Two budget items on Tuesday’s agenda would put more than $4 million into CCSO’s coffers. Of that, $2 million would go to price increases for the jailhouse health services contractor, Correct Health, and $2,176,000 would go to repairing locks and hingers throughout the jail, according to the published agenda.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect on Tuesday night:

PROCLAMATION

District 4 Commissioner DeMont Davis will present a proclamation in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

PRESENTATION

Human Resources will give a presentation on “proposed strategies, changes, and enhancements” for county employee and retiree benefits for Plan Year 2023, noting, “Benefits Administration is a highly technical function of human resources management and is one of the highest expenses that organizations incur. Additionally, healthcare benefits are the most important benefits an employee has. Human Resources equates having healthcare benefits as being the difference between life and death.”

CONSENT AGENDA

The consent agenda contains many items. The BOC decides whether to remove any items for a separate discussion and vote, or whether to hold certain items until a future meeting. (Approval of the previous meeting’s official minutes are usually included.) They then cast a single vote to approve (or deny) the remaining items as a group. Each month, Central Services, which is in charge of contracts, submits a list of requests to the BOC. That list includes new contracts the BOC has to vote on, as well as any changes to existing contracts the county has with different businesses. Multiple changes to an existing contract may indicate additional costs that were not expected or not fully disclosed when the contract was originally signed. Consent agenda items always merit a closer look for this reason.

Here’s a look at the consent agenda according to the type of items it contains. The acronyms attached to contract numbers, like RFP (Request for Proposal), ITB (Invitation to Bid), etc., tell what kind of bid request was put out for the original contract.

You can look up the contract by searching the acronym and number. For example, RFP 20-63 means a Request for Proposal, issued in 2020, was the 63rd RFP the county advertised that year. However, the county has placed its bid notices and awarded contracts (which used to be readily available on the county website) onto a paid service called BidNet, where you have to register and log in just to search for public bid notices. By law, the county also must advertise bids in the newspaper of record, which is the Clayton News.

Contract Amendments

• United Pool Management of America, LLC in Roswell wants a 10% price hike for lifeguards ($22) and lifeguard supervisors ($24.59), citing “market price increases including insurance premiums.” The money would come from the Senior Services General Fund. This is United Pool Management’s first request to amend its annual contract, RFP 20-63, with the county.
• Zencity Technologies US, Inc. of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel would get two years added to its existing contract—totaling $296,000—”to continue to provide online survey services” if the BOC approves Information Technology’s request. The money would come out of IT’s General Fund. This is the third contract amendment for Zencity’s license agreement, which is SP 20-194.
• Landrum Tree Service, LLC, of Stockbridge is asking for a 5% increase on several items “due to market price increases including fuel.” These include tree cutting and removal ($30.78); stump, sapling, grinding, and removal ($4.72); emergency tree removal outside of normal working hours ($48.15); dangerous tree removal ($38.33); and after-hours tree cutting and removal ($83.21). The money would come from “the Various County Department’s General Fund.” This is Landrum Tree Services’ first request to amend its contract, ITB 21-242, through the Buildings and Maintenance Department.
• Atlas Technical Consultants, LLC of Duluth, through Transportation and Development, is asking to extend its contract period until November 30 (it was set to end September 30) “to allow time for the consultant to submit the final invoice once the report is submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and if adjustments are needed once ARC reviews the report approved by the Board of Commissioners.” The contract, RFP 21-87, is for “interchange feasibility study services.” This would be the second contract amendment with Atlas Technical Consultants.
• Bound Tree Medical, LLC of Dublin, OH, through CCFES, is asking for a few changes to its pharmaceutical supplies contract with the county, including a 60-day contract extension, some price increases passed on from manufacturers, and permission to add and drop some items. No dollar amount was given on the agenda.

Recommendation for Award (new contracts)

• CP 22-192 for NetCloud Mobile Performance Essentials Plan and Accessories for Fleet Connectivity through SYNNEX Corporation of Greenville, SC ($207,422.92): Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services is asking to buy this mobile cloud service, using money from its Fire Departments District Fund.
• SS 22-213 Stryker Sales Corporation of Redmond, WA for ProCare Services for Power LOAD and Cots ($306,683.20 over 5 years): CCFES is asking to make Stryker its sole provider for repairs and maintenance on its Power LOAD and cots, which lift injured people, some of whom are very heavy, into county ambulances. The money would come from the Fire Departments General Fund.
• SWC 22-251 Georgia Kenworth Inc. dba MHC Kenworth-Atlanta of Kansas City, MO for a 2023 Kenworth T880 Series conventional truck ($282,999): Transportation and Development wants to buy a truck for the Clayton County Landfill. The money would come from the Landfill Enterprise Fund.
• 2022-188 I-3 Spv, LLC for “consulting services regarding the planning, development, and construction of essential public infrastructure projects in and around Clayton County.” The published agenda does not indicate what or where those projects are, nor why they are deemed essential.

Budget Amendments (changes)

• Budget Amendment 2-10 would move $2,000,000 from the county’s Other General Government account into an unspecified Sheriff’s Department account. That money, which already was approved by the BOC for CCSO, is to cover higher medical service fees from Correct Health, the contractor that provides medical services for people held at the Clayton County Jail.
• Budget Amendment 2-12 would give CCSO $2,176,000 “to provide lock and hinge repair throughout the Clayton County Jail.” The agenda does not state from which account the BOC would get the money, into which CCSO account it would go, nor who would be paid to repair locks and hinges at the jail.

Grants

• Resolution 2022-190: the county plans to apply to the U.S. Treasury Department for more Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funds, which fall under 2021 American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) COVID-19 relief funding. The county would be accepting reallocated funds totaling $6,504,101.81. ERAP fund distribution by third parties has been the source of much political infighting on the board in recent weeks.
• Resolution 2022-199: Juvenile Court wants to apply for up to $250,000 in 2022-2023 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Grant Program (ARPA) Victim Services funding. The award comes through the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. It would help pay for one full-time and two part-time staff supervisors for CASA volunteers, who shepherd children through the court system and advocate for their best interests.
• Resolution 2022-200: Juvenile Court also wants to apply for 2022-2023 Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant funding, which also comes through the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and would also help pay for one full-time and two part-time staff supervisors for CASA volunteers.
• Resolution 2022-201: makes a correction to the award period for a $735,926 two-year grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to Senior Services’ Aging Program. The program started July 1 and runs through June 20, 2024. The county’s required match is the $660,000 it pays for Aging Program employee salaries.
• Resolution 2022-202: Juvenile Court is applying for a 2022-2023 Juvenile Justice Incentive grant of up to $750,000, through the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, “to improve current court services for high-risk youth” by entering a subrecipient agreement with Evidence Based Associates.
• Resolution 2022-205: the County would “enter into a subagreement” with the Atlanta Regional Commission to extend a contract with ARC from September 30 to November 20 on an Interchange Feasibility Study for I-285 at Conley Road. (See RFP 21-87).
• Resolution 2022-209: Information Systems wants to apply for a Middle Mile Grant from the federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration. No dollar amount was listed on the agenda, but the BOC has discussed improving broadband connectivity to better serve residents and attract businesses. The grant’s purpose is “to expand and extend middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting unserved and underserved areas to the Internet backbone.”

Other

• Resolution 2022-198: giving the county permission to turn in its Comprehensive Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). You can see previous years’ CAPERs (2014 through 2020), which summarize projects that used HUD funds, from Clayton County on HUD’s website.
• Resoluti0n 2022-203 allows the county to enter a Utility Relocation Agreement with Central Georgia EMC, which relates to a turn lane project at Michelle Obama Academy at Panhandle Road.
• Resolution 2022-204 allows the county to enter an intergovernmental agreement with Henry County to resurface Bouldercrest Road.
• Resolution 2022-206 allows the county to enter an agreement with Mount Zion Plaza LLC so Transportation and Development can upgrade the traffic signal at Mount Zion and Conkle Roads.
• Resolution 2022-207 allows the county to enter an indemnification agreement with GDOT for “the Fielder Road Bridge Fencing Project.”
• Resolution 2022-201 gives the county permission to enter an amended agreement with Georgia Power that would change eight metered light poles at the Clayton County Health District’s 1117 Battlecreek Road location to unmetered poles. The change wouldn’t cost the county any more than the $725.12 it already pays Georgia Power each month.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS

Several commissioners held a number of appointments to a new “Impact Fee Advisory Board,” and those appointments are coming back up again this week. An “at-large” appointment means any commissioner can nominate a candidate. Other seats are distributed among commission districts depending on the board’s makeup. These are not done on the consent agenda.

Board of Appeals

• To replace Frances Solomon from Sept. 3, 2022 through Sept. 3, 2025 (at-large)

Solid Waste Management Authority

• To follow Edie Yongue’s term expiring Aug. 20 and running through Aug, 20, 2026. (Anderson)

Impact Fee Advisory Board

This board will help develop a development impact fee ordinance. Half of the members must represent the development, building, or real estate industries. This board was created by Ordinance 0222-170.

At the September 6 meeting, Chairman Jeff Turner appointed Charles Burkes and Hobson Miller, while District 3 Commissioner Felicia Franklin appointed Mapilar Dahn (who also chairs the Library Board) and Altimese Dees. The other three commissioners asked to hold their appointments until this week:

• 2 seats (Anderson)
• 2 seats (Hambrick)
• 2 seats (Davis)

ZONING

The monthly review of and voting on zoning matters will follow board appointments. Sometimes, several zoning matters related to a single project will come up for separate votes.

Typically, these requests will list one or more parcel numbers. You can look those up on the county Board of Assessors’ Property Search Information website. FLUM means a requested change to the Future Land Use Map, REZ means a request to change the way a property is zoned, and MOD means a request to modify existing plans.

Here’s who’s looking for permission to build or change zoning in your backyard:

• The Pacific Group, LLC, which wants to build a 64-unit attached townhome community at 6688 Mount Zion Blvd. in Morrow near Maddox Road (Parcel 12108A Coo2) in District 1 (Anderson) has these matters up for a vote. Both Planning and Zoning and the Zoning Advisory Board recommend approval:
  • BOC-2203-0202 (FLUM): would change the map from General Commercial (GC) to High-Density Residential (HDR).
  • BOC-2203-0201 (REZ): would rezone the property from General Business (GB) to Multi-Family Residential (RM)
  • LS-2204-0051 also is listed as a companion amendment but that specific item does not appear separately on the published agenda.
• Ramirez Gabriel, who wants to open a wood pallet processing and storage operation, is asking to rezone 9479 S. Main Street in Jonesboro (Parcel 06032 033001) from General Business (GB) to (LI) Light Industrial. This is near American Legion Way between S. Main Street and Tara Boulevard in District 4 (Davis). Both Planning and Zoning and the Zoning Advisory Board recommend approval.
• OneStreet Residential, LLC, which also is building the senior housing development HearthSide Jonesboro, wants to build a 150-unit active senior community, “Living Faith Village,” with a multifamily residental and commercial development, at 5880 Old Dixie Road in Forest Park between Sylvia Drive and Morrow Road (Parcels 13110C B001, 13110D B030, 13110D B032, and 13110D B046) in District 2 (Hambrick). ZAG recommends approval and Planning and Zoning recommends approval with the condition that elevations “shall be approved by the Director of Community Development, the Chairman, and the District Commissioner.” One Street Residential, LLC was incorporated in December 2016 by real estate attorney Adam G. Kirk of Savannah; the current organizer is listed as Jaclyn Spilka and the registered agent is H. David Dixon. This development would be next to Living Faith Tabernacle.
• D. R. Horton Inc. wants to build 77 townhomes at 950 Ga. Highway 138, Jonesboro between North Main Street and Ga. Highway 138 in District 4 (Davis):
  • BOC-2206-0214 (FLUM): this would change the Future Land Use Map from Mixed Use to High Density Residential; Planning and Zoning and ZAG recommend approval.
  • BOC-2206-0213 (REZ) would rezone the property from Urban Village (UV) to Multiple Family Residential (RM). Both Planning and Zoning and ZAG recommend approval with conditions:
    • consider traffic impacts and give a copy of a traffic student to Planning and Zoning staff
    • work with the Department of Transportation and Development to “implement traffic control measures to minimize the impact(s) of traffic growth”
    • provide one trash service for the whole development
    • install “no parking” signs
    • “must have a Homeownwers Association (HOA)”
• InLine Communities, LLC wants to modify its site plan for 8040 Ga. Highway 85 at Webb Road in Riverdale (Parcel 13215C B009), which is in District 3 (Franklin). The company needs to relocate the required detention pond to get a a Land Disturbance Permit for a proposed 127-townhome development. Planning and Zoning and ZAG recommend approval with conditions:
  • the development “shall be within general conformity with the applicant’s site plan with revision date of 6-30-2022 and presentation”
  • Each townhome must have at least two car garages
  • “Shall provide a decorative fence within the buffers of road frontages on Webb Road and Highway 85”
  • Transportation and Development must OK road access and right-of-way improvements before the company can get a Land Disturbance Permit/Site Development Application
  • The detention pond must not encroach upon the buffer or setbacks

PUBLIC COMMENT

Last but far from least before executive session will be public comment. No more than 20 minutes, with two minutes per person maximum time, are allowed under the current arrangement.

Ordinance 2022-208 would move the public comment period to the beginning of the meeting. The text of the ordinance attached to the public agenda packet also contains this reference to time length, but the ordinance itself does not appear to modify the allotted time for public comment:

You can see how the board most recently changed the way in which it conducts meetings, as well as how it changed public comment, by clicking here.

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