As the groundwork continues to be laid for a future Stockbridge police department, some major decisions have been made concerning the city’s top cop.
The City Council voted unanimously at its March 30 workshop meeting to approve the addition of a police chief position to the city’s organizational chart as well as its classification and pay scale. It is the tenth position to report directly to the city manager, but with a higher pay range than all other department heads and slightly lower than the city manager.
The chief will likely earn between $92,581 and $143,501 per year according to the updated pay and classification chart. An official job description for the police chief position was also approved and posted.
In other business, the council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of 73.71 acres of property along the southeast corner of Brannan Road and North Salem Drive. The total tract consists of five parcels which were combined with the approval of the city’s Planning Commission In December.
The rezoning from RA to R-3 will allow the development of a single-family residential subdivision. The applicant agreed to conditions set forth by city staff and the council at its March 8 meeting.
The council voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing the recent voting law passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp. The resolution alleges that the new legislation “would greatly reduce access and participation in American democracy,” claiming that it “limits self-determination of citizens to choose their elected officials” by limiting early voting, the distribution of food and water in voting lines, access and availability to secure ballot boxes, and the use of mobile voting.
The resolution also charges that the new law was motivated by “high voter turnout and the belief in unfounded misinformation that people voted who should not have.”
A $26,750 allocation to fund renovations at the Ted Strickland Community Center was also approved. The work is expected to result in five new offices, a conference room, a reception area and other improvements.
The council also amended the specs on a planned downtown mural project that will increase its size due to available grant funding from the Georgia Council on the Arts. An annual contract for up to $50,000 related to citywide demolition and asbestos abatement services was also approved.
