City Council Action Summary for Oct. 7, 2024

Families and individuals in Powder Springs experiencing food insecurity can continue to receive assistance through the 2025-2026 school year under an agreement approved Monday night by the City Council.

The City previously approved agreements with GoodR and Reflections of Trinity funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies for this purpose, and after completing several ARPA projects under budget, approved renewal of the agreements with both organizations. But city officials subsequently learned that GoodR would be unable to renew their agreement without an increase beyond an amount that required competitive re-bidding.

After requesting proposals for distribution of food through the conclusion of the 2025-2026 school year, Reflections of Trinity proposed its services at a cost of $67,862, which the City Council unanimously approved.

In order to provide more recreational facilities for residents and visitors, council members gave the go-ahead to apply for funding assistance for a pickleball and basketball facility through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources 2024-2025 Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program. A location for such a facility, should it receive funding assistance, has not yet been decided.

An application will also be made to the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program to seek funding assistance for a wetlands observation and boardwalk feature within Silver Comet Linear Park.

Monday marked the start of Public Safety Appreciation Week, which the Mayor and City Council proclaimed at the start of the council meeting, presenting a copy of the proclamation to Powder Springs Police Chief Lane Cadwell.

"[O]ur officers have an irreplaceable role in providing safety throughout our community and make significant sacrifices to safeguard our community … the men and women on the frontlines of public safety are prepared to encounter uncertainty, risk their own safety, and face danger to protect us and they should be recognized for their commitment and bravery," the proclamation read.

Earlier Monday, several Powder Springs officers were recognized as nominees at the 2024 Public Safety Award luncheon put on by the Cobb Chamber at the Coca-Cola Roxy.

Officers Kara McIntosh, Paul Philpot, Edward Reeves and Andrew Siegel, along with Sgt. Douglas Racine, were nominated for their involvement in protecting the public before and during their Jan. 5 apprehension of a murder suspect who led officers on a high-speed chase on Richard D. Sailors Parkway. Officer Andre Morrison was nominated for going above and beyond in caring for young children found walking barefoot on a cold March 17 evening outside of their home where authorities found deplorable living conditions and two adults who failed to provide adequate care to the children.

In zoning matters, the council approved with stipulations a change of variance conditions for Intentional Church at 4110 Austell Powder Springs Road, Suites 130 and 155, including allowing flexible church-related uses of the suites and to allow congregation in both suites.

Also approved with stipulations was a variance request for an accessory structure at 3403 Redwood Forest Lane SW, while the council denied a variance request for 3654 Hopkins Court that sought to keep in place a two-story backyard accessory structure.

In other business, the council approved:

• A $23,177.69 quote from ProLogiITS to purchase four Getac cameras for the new public safety patrol vehicles.
• A resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute and staff to issue work orders to perform certain stormwater repairs.
• A resolution authorizing the mayor to execute the annual community rating system recertification form, including a progress report for the hazard mitigation plan implementation.
• A final plat for Westmont Preserve Phase II on Dugger Drive submitted by Heritage Homes of Georgia.
• An agreement with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources relating to land and water conservation funding assistance for the city's Powder Springs Park project.
• An agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to settle a disagreement between the city and a property owner regarding the use of property under the Fair Housing Act.
• A resolution authorizing and accepting certain documents prepared by the Georgia Municipal Employee Benefit System to readopt the defined benefit retirement plan using the most recent IRS-approved document templates and as an ordinance pursuant to OCGA 47-5-40.
• A resolution approving the full grant award and engineering costs for the Old Lost Mountain Trail Project and the Austell Powder Springs Road Roundabout Project, along with limiting the notice to proceed for specified tasks for each project to certain notification requirements.
• An agreement with the city's audiovisual consultant Above the Cloud to update and expand the Visit Powder Springs video collection relating to marketing and city operations.
• A resolution approving certain design standards relating to development within the city, and authorizing their application in the current development process.
• A resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute documents required for certain audiovisual and technology features at the new Municipal Complex.
• An agreement with Stars and Strikes as the venue for the winter employee appreciation event.
• The temporary use and closure of Thurman Springs Park and surrounding roads on Oct. 19, Oct. 26 or Nov. 2 from 4 to 7 p.m. to accommodate a temporary event hosted by Center for Common Ground.

Monday (Oct. 7) marked the start of Public Safety Appreciation Week, which the Mayor and City Council proclaimed at the start of their council meeting that evening, presenting a copy of the proclamation to Powder Springs Police Chief Lane Cadwell.

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