The Stockbridge City Council voted at its December 18 work session to adopt the city’s 2019 budget. The third public hearing was continued from the December 10 regular council meeting. The general fund budget for 2019 is $10,819,841.88 and is an increase from the current year’s $10,171,900.
The council meeting schedule for 2019 was approved at the December 10 meeting. Regular council meetings next year will remain the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. Work sessions be at 6 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month, except for June and December, in the same location. Municipal court is scheduled for the second Monday of each month at 9 a.m.
The council also voted December 10 to approve its Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) street resurfacing list, containing two dozen city streets, at a cost of $1,059,520. Nearly all of the streets are in the Glynn Addy, Wildwind, W.D. Grant, Tip Phillips and The Terrace subdivisions. The only other street on the list is Country Club Drive between Eagle’s Landing Parkway and Rock Quarry Road. The council also approved spending $22,336 to add a sidewalks assessment to the city’s street assessment. The council also approved 2019 fee schedules for planning/zoning, permitting/inspections, civil/development, business services, film permitting and the city’s cemetery.
The council approved a self-evaluation and transition plan regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act’s Standards for Accessible Design. The move was in response to a request in August from the Georgia Department of Transportation. City officials assessed all public buildings, activities, parks and streets for the development of a multi-year, multi-phase plan that includes design and maintenance specifications as well as grievance procedures for possible violations.
Also approved was a branding campaign along with amended Main Street Board bylaws and the reappointment of four members to that board. The city’s new branding tagline, “Where Community Connects,” was approved at the December 18 meeting.
On that meeting’s agenda was an executive session but it never happened. A motion was made to go into executive session but it failed by a 2-3 vote.