Special Event Permits Still Under Discussion by City Commission

by: Summer Kelley

Special event permits continue under discussion for Trenton Commissioners as they go over requests from the 1945 Dade County Fair committee.

The requirement of permits for special events was first discussed during the March meeting of City Commissioners. The purpose of requiring permits for special events was to enable the city to be better prepared for events by knowing the needs and supports events might need like road closures, traffic control assistance, and set up and/or clean up assistance. Permits would also give the city a chance to prepare or address any concerns about the special event they might have. Special event permits was tabled at the March meeting.

Due to COVID-19, the next city commission meeting was not held until Monday, May 11. At the meeting, permits for special events came up for discussion again as Mayor Alex Case presented requests made for the 1945 Dade County Fair by the Fair's planning committee. Some of the requests made by the Fair committee included the use of the city Civic Center, road closures around Jenkins Park, and free or reduced price of entrance for the city pool on July 4. Commissioners discussed the requests and made some adjustments to the road closures. The request for free or reduced admission to the pool was vetoed as the lifeguards have to be paid for the time the pool is open.

Another concern raised was liability insurance in case something would happen on city grounds. After several minutes of discussion, commissioners decided to check into the cost of single day event insurance and possibly support the community festival by paying the insurance fee. Commissioners also discussed having the requirement of liability insurance added to the permit application as well as waiving the permit application fee for any community or non-profit events. The permit application will be put in the hands of the city's attorneys to draw up for review by commissioners. This will be third year for the July 4th celebration.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and the Bells will be drawn up in order to grant a right-of-way easement to the Bells. The easement will allow the Bells to hook on to city sewer and run a sewer line to their property at their expense. Commissioners approved granting to easement to the Bells, but Commissioner Monda Wooten took time to point out that the Bells had only wanted the easement all along until the commission got involved and suggested partnering with them to extend sewer service for potential homeowners in the area.

James Griffin, representing Scenic Dade, gave a presentation to city commissioners regarding the progress of Scenic Dade and the use of the $5,000 the city had given to the organization. Griffin said the $5,000, along with $20,000 in private funding the group had collected, went for a consultant to help evaluate the next steps for the group in regvitalization. Two of the suggestions included an outdoor amphitheater and an outdoor recreation lodge. Scenic Dade members visited four different areas to see how similar concepts to harness tourism had worked for them. Based on that information, the first project Scenic Dade is going to work on is a Creek Trail along Town Creek. Phase I of the three phase project will be making a trail to circle around Dade Elementary, down Case Avenue and over to connect with Jenkins Park. Griffin said the city may be asked to participate through in kind assistance like labor and use of equipment. Currently Scenic Dade is working to obtain easements from property owners along the trail and on conservation covenants as well as working with the Georgia Alabama Land Trust and potential investors. Once the trail is completed, Griffin said Scenic Dade plans to gift the trail back to the city.

Trenton Pressing, formerly known as Gill Industry, is working with the city's sewer department on processing around 3,000 gallons of wastewater a week through the city's sewer treatment plant. Previously the water, which is used in vibratory cleaning of parts, was collected in tanks and hauled off at great expense by an environmental waste company. Based on lab reports on the wastewater, the city should be capable of processing the water for Trenton Pressing, but the solid waste or sludge material will still have to be hauled by the environmental waste company. According the sewer department manager, the wastewater contains mostly soap and very, very little metal - .08 of a milligram. The city has worked out an agreement to test the processing for two months with strict monitoring and logs by both Trenton Pressing and the sewer department to assure that the wastewater is not going to affect levels at the sewer department. A fee will be charged to the company for the additional wastewater processing.

Police Commissioner Kirk Forshee reported that Trenton Police Department answered 274 calls for service in the month of April, performed 2,339 business checks, made three arrests, handled three animal control calls, worked five traffic accidents and issued 60 citations. Fines collected for April totaled $6,677 and year-to-date total $42,603.28. Forshee thanked all of the police department for the fantastic job they have done during the COVID-19 pandemic and thanked the citizens for cooperating with the shelter in place orders.

Parks and Recreation and Animal Control Commissioner Terry Powell said the community center for the city remains closed due to COVID-19, but city employees are continuing maintenance on the fields, park and playground. Powell said they have also started preparing the city pool, but have not purchased any chemicals as they are still waiting to hear from the Governor on when pools and parks can open. Animal Control handled 11 work orders in April.

The city's sewer department performed 48 underground locates, 28 of which were emergency locates and most were the result of the Easter Sunday storms. The sewer department also handled 17 sewer calls and helped with storm cleanup as well as hooking up generators to pump stations that were without power. Only one pump station sustained minor damage from the storms and was repaired within two days.

Trenton Inspectors had five new inspections, three remodels and three additions in April. They completed 10 electrical/HVAC inspections. The Trenton Fire Department responded to a total of 36 calls in the month of April, which was down from the 85 to 100 they normally respond to each month due to guidelines cutting down on calls due to the pandemic. Currently the fire department responds to fires, wrecks, traumas and any medical calls in which their help is requested.

Case said the city was getting prices on closing in the entry way area of city hall and making teller type stations as part of their safety measures. Case hopes to have quotes by next month and asks everyone to bear with the temporary measures.

City financials show a general fund balance of $643,311 at the end of March. Total revenue for the month was $63,691.66 and total expenses were $115,486.04. In April the general fund balance ended at $588,673.87 with revenue totaling $64,749.13 and expenses totaling $157,229.03. Year-to-date, as of March 30, with 33.3% of the year complete, revenue is at $582,214.47, or 31.9%, and expenses are at $560,264.54, or 30.7%.

The full May work session and meeting can be viewed below.

Governor Kemp Extends Closures for Bars, Nightclubs While Increasing Group Size in Other Businesses

by: Summer Kelley

A press conference held by Governor Brian Kemp today provided information for Georgians as the state moves forward with opening business and industry.

"Today I have issued a new executive order to extend several provisions, clarify existing guidelines for certain businesses, and provide guidance to other operators in our state," Kemp said. "This order is issued as COVID-19 positive hospitalizations, ventilator use, and the percentage of positive cases continue to drop. It is based on data, science, and the advice of our public health officials. Many have warned of a 'second wave' and asked if we are willing to change course if conditions decline. Let me be clear: we will continue to track the numbers and continue to heed Dr. [Kathleen] Toomey’s advice. We will take whatever action is necessary to protect the lives and livelihoods of Georgians."

Part of the provisions and guidelines includes the continued closure of bars, nightclubs, and performance venues until May 31. The reason for the continued closure is because Kemp said that they "believe that waiting a little bit longer will enhance health outcomes and give folks the opportunity to prepare for safe reopening in the near future."

For childcare, the executive order will increase the size of a single classroom from "ten to twenty people so long as staff-to-children ratios set by the Department of Early Care and Learning are also maintained." Kemp said, "we are told by the Departments of Early Care and Learning and Public Health that this expansion can be done safely and allows for more facilities to reopen."

Childcare facilities must continue to adhere to thirteen minimum, mandatory criteria to be able to operate, including strict screening procedures and sanitation mandates for frequently touched items and surfaces. Kemp said they are also working with Department of Public Health regarding procedures and guidelines for the opening of summer camps. Summer camps can open on May 14, as long as they meet "32 minimum, mandatory criteria." Any guidance issued by the CDC will have to be followed as well.

Restaurants are given expanded operating guidelines as well with Kemp's new executive order. As long as it can be safely done, restaurants will be allowed to have ten customers per 300 sq ft and groups at a single table can be increased from six to ten.

Additionally, Kemp announced that state agencies will begin phasing back into in person operations.

"I’m proud of the thousands of state employees who have done an incredible job teleworking and adapting to the new normal,"Kemp said. "To ensure that quality of service continues, starting May 18, specific divisions of state agencies will begin to phase back into limited, in-person operations. In my executive order, I have tasked the Department of Administrative Services with promulgating guidance for state agencies to safely reopen offices. As we work through the process, we will issue that guidance to employees, contractors, and constituents. We will make more detailed announcements in the coming days on how we will be phasing into limited, in-person operations at state agencies."

Despite the fact that the state is continuing the process of re-opening, Georgia residents are being reminded to continue to follow social distancing guidelines and other safety measures.

"All Georgians must continue to follow social distancing, and gatherings of more than ten people remain banned unless there is at least six feet between each person," Kemp said. "The gatherings ban applies to all non-critical infrastructure businesses, local governments, and organizations of all types, including social groups, informal get-togethers, and recreational sports, just to name a few.

"We continue to strongly encourage people to wear face coverings when out in public, and we thank everyone for their willingness to do the right thing. The shelter in place provision for medically fragile and Georgians aged 65 and older remains in effect through June 12, 2020. Mandatory restrictions for sanitation and social distancing will remain in place for all non-critical infrastructure businesses, and for recently reopened businesses, we are extending industry-specific restrictions. Those will remain in place through the end of the month. As businesses slowly reopen and some enhance capacity, we know that many are safely returning to their place of employment.

Georgia is also rolling out a new service to help streamline contact tracing throughout the state with an online monitoring tool called Healthy Georgia Collaborative. Through the online site, Georgians can identify contacts and monitor symptoms.

"This monitoring tool does not collect any data other than what is entered by the contact," Kemp said. "This is how the process works: residents who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by trained public health staff, who will work with that individual to recall anyone that they might’ve had close contact with while infectious. Those contacts will then be interviewed by DPH to help us map and isolate the spread of COVID-19 in communities across the state. If you are contacted by DPH staff, we strongly encourage you to participate in the contact tracing program. We need your help to defeat this virus. Together, we can continue to take measured steps forward."

The full press conference given by Kemp can be read, or viewed, at the following link -

https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020-05-12/gov-kemp-dph-dch-gema-dept-insurance-and-georgia-guard-give-update-covid.

2020 Assessment Notices are on the Way

Submitted by: Paula Duvall, Chief Appraiser - Dade County

We here at the Assessor’s Office would like to give you a friendly reminder that it is that time of year again where the digest values are set and approved by the Board of Assessor’s and assessment notices are mailed. The job of the Assessor’s office is to set property values that are fair, accurate, and according to market. Our only job in the tax process is to set the property values that will be used for the county and city tax digest. Our office does not set tax rates or determine the amount you will pay in property taxes. We also want to take this opportunity to explain some of the changes you may see to your property value. After careful study and examination of the sales within the county and the statistical data used to determine if any value changes will be done, it showed several areas that needed some adjustments. Those changes are as follows:

1)The base dollar per square foot, which is the starting point for all residences, was increased from $60 per square foot to $85 per square foot.

2) The year of depreciation was increased from 2015 to 2019.

3) The base area, which is also the starting point for the base dollar per square foot, was increased from 1500 to 2200.

4) The sketching label for second and third floors was changed from “interior” to “upper”. This will affect the valuation of those floor labels.

5) The factor used for central heat and air was increased from 3.75 to 4.25. The factor for central heat only was increased from 2.5 to 3.25. The factor for central air only was increased from 2.5 to 3.25.

6) The factor for the exterior wall label for vinyl/aluminum siding was decreased from 1.25 to .90.

7) The maximum size increased from 3000 to 3300 and the minimum size increased from 800 to 1000.

8) The increment factor, which affects the dollar per square foot as you move away from the base rate, was changed to match the base area. (1500 to 2200)

You can see all the changes and some explanations for the changes on the chart attached. With the combination of all these changes, residential property values did change. Some will increase and some will decrease. This all depends on several factors about the residence itself. The changes this year are a first step towards a total county wide reevaluation we hope to complete by the 2021 tax digest. A total reevaluation has not been done in several years. Also, remember if you have the inflationary freeze on your residence, this will protect your taxable value from any increases that may have occurred because of these changes. If your taxable value drops below your frozen base value, you will be taxed on the lower value.

We hope to send out the 2020 assessment notices within the next couple of weeks. The 2020 property values were approved by the Board of Assessors at their regular meeting that was held on May 7th. If you do not receive one by the end of May and think you should have, please let our office know. After values were approved, our website, qpublic.net/ga/dade, was updated with this information.

After assessment notices are mailed, this begins your time to file an appeal with our office if you disagree with the value on your property or any denials of exemptions. You will have 45 days from the date the notices are mailed to file your appeal. If you prefer not to physically come to our office, our staff will be glad to answer your questions over the phone and mail your appeal form directly to you.