[CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:08] RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. LET ME WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR. TUESDAY, APRIL THE 21ST, 2026 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION. IF Y'ALL DON'T MIND IF Y'ALL WOULD ALLOW ME TO OPEN THIS IN A WORD OF PRAYER THIS MORNING. GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, THIS NEW DAY THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US NOW. AND LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU BE WITH US AS WE TAKE ON BUSINESS OF THE COUNTY, THINGS THAT CONCERN OUR CITIZENS AND SO BE WITH US. GIVE US WISDOM, GIVE US DISCERNMENT, LORD. WE WANT TO REMEMBER, PARTICULARLY IN A TIME LIKE THIS, THOSE THAT ARE SERVING OUR COUNTRY, MEN AND WOMEN THAT ARE PUTTING THEMSELVES IN HARM'S WAY, THAT YOU GIVE. WE JUST ASK FOR PROTECTION OVER THEM AS THEY FIGHT TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF OUR COUNTRY AND OUR CITIZENS. SO WE ASK SPECIAL PRAYER UPON THEM. AND LORD, ALWAYS WANT TO REMEMBER OUR EMPLOYEES AND AND VERY THANKFUL FOR WHAT THEY DO FOR US AND OUR CITIZENS, AND TO ALSO EXTEND PROTECTION TO THEM TOO, AS THEY DO THEIR JOBS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING THE FATHER THAT YOU ARE AND FOR LOVING US FOR ALL THAT WE DO. IN THY NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. ALRIGHT. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSION ON DATA CENTER THIS MORNING. THE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? WE NOT ON. SO IF WE COULD JUST GET EVERYBODY RAISE THEIR HANDS FOR ME. OH, WE GOT IT. OH, WE GOT IT. OKAY. ALRIGHT THEN. I'M GOING TO ADD IT AS ITEM. I GUESS SET OR I GUESS S6 BEFORE THE CONSIDERATION OF THE BOARD MEETING. SO AT THE VERY END. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. AND THAT MOTION IS CARRIED. WE'LL ADD THAT. ALRIGHT. SO AT THIS TIME I'LL TURN IT OVER TO COUNTY MANAGER. THANK YOU CHAIRMAN. [1. The Richard English, Jr. Strongest Link Award of Excellence for March 2026 (Chardonnay Scott)] COMMISSIONERS. FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE RICHARD INGLIS JUNIOR STRONGEST LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR MARCH OF 2026. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. AND CITIZENS OF TROUP COUNTY. THE RICHARD INGLIS JUNIOR STRONGEST LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IS GIVEN MONTHLY TO A DESERVING EMPLOYEE WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTIVITY, LOYALTY, PROFESSIONAL PRIDE AND OTHER NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS AWARD RECOGNIZES THAT ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES LINK TOGETHER TO FORM A CHAIN TO PROVIDE THE CITIZEN OF TROUP COUNTY WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE. NO ONE BETTER EXEMPLIFIES THAT SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AND DEDICATION THAN MR. ENGLISH, WHO WAS A TRUE LEADER AND WHO DEMONSTRATED OUTSTANDING DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. TODAY, WE HONOR HIS MEMORY AND LEGACY AS WE RECOGNIZE THE RECIPIENT FOR MARCH 2026. I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY READING A PORTION OF THE NOMINATION FORMS THAT WAS SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF THE RECIPIENT. SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN INVESTIGATORS IN OUR REGION FOR HER KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IN WORKING IN THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING FIELD. HER WORK IS MARKED BY BOTH PROFESSIONALISM AND GRACE, AS SHE SUPPORTS THE INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT MOMENTS OF THEIR LIVES. HER LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE HAS EQUIPPED FRONTLINE PROFESSIONALS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE NEEDED TO RECOGNIZE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS AND INTERVENE SAFELY. IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE RICHARD INGLIS JUNIOR STRONGEST LINK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR MARCH 2026, INVESTIGATOR WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, JESSICA KNOWLES. JESSICA, DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY FRIENDS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? ANY COME UP? YES. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT. SHE DON'T WANT TO DO IT. I HAVE TO GO. IS SHE SHY? [00:05:21] CONGRATULATIONS. JESSICA. WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AND LOYALTY THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO TROUP COUNTY. YOU HAVE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST LINK. CONGRATULATIONS. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO CRAVE COLLINS AND LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE AS THEY GRACIOUSLY DONATED ITEMS FOR THE GIFT RECIPIENT'S GIFT PACK THIS MONTH. THANK YOU, [2. Discuss USTA Georgia Facilities Grant - Permission to Apply (Alan Valdez/Lance Dennis) ] THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT ITEM. I'LL INVITE ALAN VALDEZ UP, ALONG WITH LANCE DENNIS TO DISCUSS A USTA GEORGIA FACILITIES GRANT. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. WE'LL BE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING TO ASK FOR PERMISSION TO APPLY FOR THE USTA GEORGIA FACILITIES GRANT. THIS IS AN $8,000 GRANT, WHICH WE WILL BE $4,000 MATCH FROM THE COUNTY. 4000 FROM USTA. SHOULD WE RECEIVE IT? THE 4000? WELL, REALLY, ALL THE 8000 IS ALREADY IN OUR EXISTING BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR THAT SHOULD WE NOT GET THE GRANT, WE ALREADY HAVE IT BUDGETED TO PAY FOR THESE THINGS, BUT WE ALWAYS LIKE TO TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANYTHING WE CAN TO SAVE THE MONEY. SO IT'LL SAVE US $4,000. SHOULD WE GET THIS GRANT? AND JUST GOING TO ASK FOR PERMISSION TO APPLY FOR THAT THIS EVENING. I HAVE FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ALINA VALDES, HE'S OUR TENNIS PRO AT THE TENNIS CENTER. I ALWAYS LIKE TO KEEP YOU GUYS ABREAST OF OTHER STUFF, TOO. WE DO HAVE SOME STUFF THAT WILL BE COMING BEFORE THE BOARD LATER ON FOR SOME CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE STILL HAVE TO DO AT THE TENNIS CENTER, FROM REGRADING SOME OF OUR CLAY COURTS TO SOME OF OUR WATER BOXES. BUT THERE IS ALSO GRANTS THROUGH USTA TO MATCH ALL THAT TOO. SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO APPLY FOR EVERY ONE OF THOSE AS WE CAN TO TO ALLEVIATE AT LEAST HALF THE COST OF ANY OF THAT STUFF THAT'S UP AND COMING IN THE FUTURE. BUT ALANA'S HERE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TENNIS CENTER. IT IS ONE OF OUR HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE GOING IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW. IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE VERY PROUD OF. BUT WITH THE CLAY COURTS, IT DOES REQUIRE A LOT OF MANAGEMENT. WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND ON SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE HAVE TO DO TO IT. BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'RE SEEKING THESE GRANTS THROUGH USTA FOR SOME COMPLEX RENOVATION STUFF TO GET THAT DONE. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ALAN, HE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TENNIS. GRANT. I NOTICED ON THERE IT SAID NETS AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT ALSO HAD LIKE TEN TONS OF CLAY. AND YOU MENTIONED CLAY. HOW HOW DOES THAT WORK? WHAT DOES THAT DO? YOU KNOW WHAT. FOR CLAY, WE USE NOW THAT THAT THAT THE CLAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE THAT FOR IS FOR REFILLING AFTER BIG RAINS AND STUFF. ALAN CAN TELL YOU HOW OFTEN HE'S PUTTING THOSE 50 POUND BAGS OF CLAY OUT THERE. I THINK BILL CHAMPION MIGHT STILL BE PRO HERE IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT, BECAUSE HE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE HE WAS LIKE, IF WE HAD ALL HARDCOURTS, I'D WORK TILL I'M 90. BUT THOSE POUNDS, 50 POUND BAGS OF CLAY, HAVING TO PUT THOSE OUT EVERY TIME IT RAINS AND REWORK THE COURTS A LITTLE BIT, THAT'S AN ISSUE. BUT HE CAN TELL YOU MORE WHAT GOES ON THE MAINTENANCE. GO AHEAD. SO WE HAVE TEN CLAY COURTS THERE. HYDRO COURTS, CLAY COURTS HAVE A TOP LAYER OF A HYDROCOLLOID DRESSING. SO IT'S LIKE A LOOSE LAYER OF DIRT ON TOP OF THEM. SO THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SLIDE AROUND ON THEM AND THEY JUST SOFT ON THE JOINTS IN A HARD COURT. BUT WHEN WE GET STRONG RAINS, ESPECIALLY MULTIPLE RAINS, THOSE TOP LAYERS OF CLAY WASH OFF WITH THE RAIN AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THERE'S A LITTLE ROCK LAYER UNDER THAT TOP DRESSING. AND THAT ROCK LAYER BEGINS TO SHOW, AND IT CAN BE DANGEROUS TO PLAY ON. SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUALLY KEEP THAT TOP LAYER REDRESSED THROUGH THE YEAR. BUT WE HAVE FOUR COURTS THAT HAVE STARTED LOSING THEIR GRADE BECAUSE THEY'RE ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD. AND SO WHEN IT RAINS, ALL OF THAT CLAY IS RUSHING TO THE LOW END, AND WE'RE JUST HAVING TO CONTINUALLY KEEP TOP DRESSING SO THAT TEN TONS OF CLAY YOU SEE LISTED ARE THOSE 50 POUND BAGS THAT WE USE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO KEEP THE COURTS TOP DRESSED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN SO DRY. WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD TO DO ANY REPLACEMENT. BUT WHEN IT A COUPLE RAINS IN A ROW AND WE MIGHT BE THROWING 20, 30 BAGS ON A SINGLE COURT. SO. ALL RIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. IF NOT, WE'LL TAKE THIS UP THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP IS A REQUEST FROM THE [3. Discuss Fire Department Request to Purchase Cardiac Monitors (Rodney Evans)] [00:10:02] FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR SOME CARDIAC MONITORS. LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT A SUB FOR RODNEY. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. YEAH. WE WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST APPROVAL FOR THE PURCHASE OF FIVE NEW LIFEPAK 15 MONITORS. THESE MONITORS ARE REQUIRED BY THE STATE TO BE INSTALLED ON ANY OF OUR TRUCKS OR SQUADS THAT HAVE THE ANI KIT. CURRENTLY, FOUR OF OUR STATIONS ARE OUTFITTED WITH ANI KIT, AND THESE MONITORS AND WITH THIS PURCHASE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO EQUIP THE REMAINING STATIONS WITH THE ANI KIT AND THE LIFEPAK MONITOR. THE TOTAL COST FOR PURCHASE IS $74,750, AND WE PLAN ON USING OUR EMS FUNDING FOR THIS ACQUISITION. AT PRESENT, STATIONS ONE, FOUR, 11, AND 14 HAVE THE ANI KIT, SO THIS WILL DO STATIONS TWO, SIX, 11 AND 12, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE ONE FOR TRAINING AND ONE AS A SPARE THAT WE CAN USE. THE MONITORS THAT WE ARE THAT WE WANT TO PURCHASE. THEY ARE REFURBISHED AND, AND ONLY COST A THIRD OF WHAT A NEW MONITOR COST. AND WE ALREADY HAVE FOUR OF THESE SAME MONITORS. AND JUST A REQUESTING THESE ADDITIONAL. THEY DO HAVE FOUR LEAD AND 12 LEAD CAPABILITY. AND ALSO JUST FOR INFORMATION, LAGRANGE FIRE USES THE SAME MONITOR THAT WE'RE REQUESTING TO PURCHASE. ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT'S THE LIFE OF THEM? HOW LONG IS IT FOR? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AND I'LL HAVE TO GET GET YOU THAT ANSWER. I DON'T KNOW. THE BATTERY, I'M SURE IS PART OF THAT LIFE, BUT I HAVE TO I HAVE TO GET THAT. I HAVE THAT ANSWER FOR YOU TONIGHT. HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD I CAN'T REMEMBER ONE, FOUR, 11 AND 14 STATIONS ABOUT ABOUT A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. OKAY. YOU SAID THIS WAS WITH LAGRANGE, BUT AMR, ARE THEY STILL 15 OR HAVE THEY MOVED TO THE. I DON'T I DON'T KNOW, I CAN, I CAN FIND OUT BUT YEAH, I DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT MONITOR THEY'RE, THEY'RE USING, BUT I KNOW THEY'VE USED THIS ONE IN THE PAST BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE, WE SEE THEM AND ASSIST THEM. SO I JUST DON'T KNOW IF THEY'VE PROGRESSED. GOTCHA. BUT THIS MONITOR IS A GOOD FIT FOR US BECAUSE IT CAN YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE THE SEPARATE EDI, THE SEPARATE PULSE OX. ALL THIS JUST DOES IT ALL IN ONE. SO WRITE DOWN BLOOD PRESSURE, PULSE OX. EVERYTHING IS ON THERE. OKAY. RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOT WE'LL DISCUSS THIS THIS EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP, I'LL INVITE AUSTIN [4. Discuss Community Development Fee Schedule (Austin Burgess)] BURGESS TO DISCUSS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FEE, SCHEDULE UPDATES. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THIS AFTERNOON I'LL BE COMING FOR YOU GUYS TO ASK PERMISSION TO GO AHEAD AND UPDATE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FEE SCHEDULE. WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE BACK IN DECEMBER, I NOTICED THAT OUR FEE SCHEDULE HAD STAYED THE SAME AND IT'S BEEN THE SAME, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THESE FEE SCHEDULES ARE USUALLY UPDATED EVERY 5 TO 10 YEARS. FOR THIS PARTICULAR ONE, I TOOK THE KIND OF THE MIDDLE ON THAT I TOOK SEVEN YEARS. IT'S. SOME OF THESE FEES ARE BASED ON CPI CONSUMER PRICE INDEX. SOME OF THESE FEES ARE BASED ON WHAT WE PAY FOR SIGNAGE, FOR MEETINGS, FOR TO NOTIFY PUBLIC AND THEN ALSO UPDATED FIRE MARSHAL SCHEDULE AS WELL. ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AS FAR AS LIKE LAND DISTURBANCE AND DRIVEWAY PERMITS GO. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DEFER TO JAMES ON THAT ONE. ANYTHING FIRE MARSHAL WISE, FIRE MARSHAL IS HERE, AND I'LL DEFER TO HIM ON THAT. AS FAR AS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FEES GO, WE WENT AHEAD AND UPDATED THE BASE PERMIT FEE. OUR BASE PERMIT FEE IS CURRENTLY $75. WE WENT AHEAD AND UPDATED THAT TO 25. AND BELOW ON THAT SECOND PAGE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT WILL BRING YOU BACK TO WHAT THAT CURRENT $25 INCREASE IS DOING. AS FAR AS COMPARED TO RATE OF INFLATION, IF YOU LOOK FOR 75 TO 100, IT'S CURRENTLY MORE THAN INFLATION. BUT AS YOU GO DOWN, YOU'RE SLIGHTLY UNDER, UNDER AND THEN WELL UNDER. IF YOU WANT TO FLIP TO THE THIRD PAGE AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE, THE COST OF REQUIRED PUBLIC NOTICES FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON THE TEXT TO ACCURATELY, ACCURATELY NOTIFY THE PUBLIC, LEAVING NO ROOM FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. SO THAT PRICE INCREASE FROM 250 TO 280. SO OUR ADMINISTRATIVE FEE USUALLY ON THESE PERMITS IS ANYWHERE BETWEEN 40 IS USUALLY $40. AND WITH THAT ADMINISTRATIVE FEE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT WE USUALLY HAVE [00:15:05] AT $40, THE COST INCREASE OF THE SIGNAGE LEFT NO ROOM FOR THAT ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. THE WHOLE REASON FOR UPDATING THE PLANNING AND ZONING SIDE OF THIS IS THAT OUR COST, COUNTY WISE, HAVE CONTINUED TO GO UP AS FAR AS RAISES, AS FAR AS MEDICAL, WHAT THE COUNTY SPENDS ON THOSE EMPLOYEES. BUT OUR FEES HAVE STAYED THE SAME. MY GOAL WITH THIS WAS TO KIND OF GET OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATING AT A NET ZERO, AS IN, WE'RE NOT REALLY HERE TO MAKE ANY MONEY. WE'RE HERE TO HERE TO HELP THE PUBLIC. BUT THE PUBLIC SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE PAYING FOR OUR FEES. INDIVIDUALS THAT SHOULD BE PAYING FOR OUR VISA, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT SHOULD BE USING OUR SERVICES. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE OPERATE AT A NET ZERO. AS FAR AS ANYBODY THAT'S PAYING FOR OUR SERVICES, THE PEOPLE USING OUR SERVICES. IN THE BLUE ON THE BUILDING PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE ITSELF, I BELIEVE IT'S ON THE FOURTH PAGE. JAMES, YOU WANT TO SCROLL DOWN TO THAT? IF YOU LOOK AT BUILDING PERMIT FEES, THE BLUE AND THE COMMERCIAL REVIEW FEE IS THE ONLY FEE THAT WAS NEW. THAT WAS ADDED WITH COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS. THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF REVIEW THAT GOES INTO THOSE BEFORE THE PERMIT IS ISSUED. AS FAR AS READING COMMERCIAL PLANS, IT TAKES QUITE A BIT OF TIME FOR YOUR GAS STATIONS, FOR YOUR BIGGER BUILDINGS, FOR ANYTHING RENOVATION ADDITION WISE FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDING. SO WE WANTED TO ADD THAT FEE, THAT HUNDRED DOLLAR FEE THAT BEFORE WE EVEN START REVIEWING A PERMIT THAT WE COLLECT THAT $100 FEE, USUALLY IT'S MYSELF THAT IS REVIEWING THOSE FEES. IT TAKES ME BETWEEN ANYWHERE, TWO AND THREE DAYS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE IS TO CODE. NEW ELECTRICAL SERVICE FEE. IT WAS 75. WE INCREASED IT TO 100 DEMOLITION PERMITS, 75 TO 100 HOUSE MOVIE PERMIT WAS 75 TO 100. AGAIN THAT'S THAT $25 INCREASE FROM OUR BASE PERMIT FEE. IT WAS 75. NOW WE WANTED WE WANT TO CHANGE IT TO 100, MODIFY THE TELECOMMUNICATION TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER APPLICATION ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. AGAIN WITH THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS THE CELL TOWERS, THERE IS A LENGTHY PROCESS CAN TAKE ANYWHERE FROM A WEEK TO TWO WEEKS JUST TO REVIEW THAT APPLICATION TO GET WITH OUR CONSULTANT, TO GET THE REPORT BACK FROM THEM, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED FOR ANY TYPE OF MODIFICATIONS. SO THAT FEE WE INCREASED FROM 75 TO 150 WITH THE NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUILDING PERMIT. I WANT TO STRESS THAT THAT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR MODIFICATIONS. THAT IS NOT FOR A NEW CELL TOWER. WE WANTED TO AMEND THAT TO $500. AS FAR AS ENTERTAINMENT LICENSES GO. AGAIN, THAT WAS JUST AN INCREASE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES. ADMINISTRATIVE FEES THAT WE HAVE, THE REZONING APPLICATION FOR THE VOC FOR TO. 550. THAT WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE COST OF SIGNAGE HAS GONE UP FOR US. I BELIEVE IT WAS ONCE 200. NOW IT'S 280 PER SIGN. AND THOSE ARE THE SOMETIMES THE BIGGER SIGNS THAT YOU GUYS SEE, WHICH LEFT NO ROOM AGAIN, FOR ANY TYPE OF ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, ANY TYPE OF WHEN SOMETHING GOES TO THE COMES TO YOU FIRST OR COMES TO YOU GUYS, IT HAS TO GO TO BOARD OF ZONING FIRST AND THEN IT HAS TO GO TO YOU GUYS, WHICH REQUIRES SIGNAGE TO BE PLACED. AND THOSE SIGNS HAVE GONE UP EXPONENTIALLY. VARIANCE APPLICATIONS, SAME THINGS, JUST THE COST OF SIGNAGE USE APPLICATIONS, AGAIN, COST OF SIGNAGE AND THE ONE IN FIRE MARSHAL FEES. AT THE BOTTOM WOULD BE THE FIRE MARSHAL ANNUAL REVIEW FEE FOR BUSINESS LICENSES. LIKE I SAID, ANYTHING YOU HAVE QUESTIONS WISE. THE FIRE MARSHAL IS HERE TO ANSWER. PROBABLY BEST TO KEVIN. IF YOU WANT TO COME UP AND JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY WHY YOU BELIEVE THERE'S A NECESSITY FOR AN ANNUAL REVIEW AND WHAT THAT DOES, BECAUSE THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING. BACK IN 2019, THIS BOARD PASSED OUR FIRST FIRE PROTECTION ORDINANCE. WE ADOPTED THE STATE MINIMUM FIRE SAFETY STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL OCCUPANCIES. WE HAVE A LONG LIST OF COMMERCIAL OCCUPANCIES THAT ALREADY ARE. THEY HAVE TO PAY THAT $100 FEE. VERY FEW WERE EXEMPT FROM IT THIS YEAR, WITH THE ADDITION OF A DEPUTY FIRE MARSHAL AND START TRYING TO DO ANNUAL INSPECTIONS FOR ALL COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES. AND $100 JUST HELPS KIND OF RECOUP SOME OF OUR COSTS. PAYS FOR GAS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, BUT AND BASICALLY MAKES EVERYTHING EVEN PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERYBODY WITH COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE SEEN IS THAT OBVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY OLDER BUILDINGS, WE SEE CHANGES TO THE BUILDING. AND SO WHEN WHEN YOU GO OUT AND DO THESE INSPECTIONS, YOU'RE ALSO PROVIDING THOSE TO OUR OUR PEOPLE ON THE GROUND AS WELL, SO THAT THEY KNOW THEY'RE GETTING THEMSELVES INTO SOME [00:20:01] BUILDINGS THAT ARE INSPECTED PRETTY REGULARLY BECAUSE THE BUSINESS IS CHANGED AND THEY TURN OVER. WE HAVE SOME BUSINESSES I'VE NEVER EVEN LAID EYES ON, YOU KNOW, AS A FIRE MARSHAL. SO IT'S NOT FAIR FOR PEOPLE. WE SHOW UP AND I'VE NOT SEEN THAT BUILDING 15 YEARS, AND THEY'VE GOT TO BRING IT ALL THE WAY UP TO CODE. THIS WAY WE GET TO DO IT KIND OF INCREMENTALLY. WE CONCENTRATE ON SMOKE DETECTORS, FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND EXIT SIGNS, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET EVERYBODY TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SAFETY ACROSS THE BOARD. SO THEY'LL PAY THAT WHEN THEY COME GET THE PERMITS. RIGHT? RIGHT. USUALLY BECAUSE WE'RE RUNNING, WE'VE RUN INTO ONE ALREADY. I DON'T HAVE A MECHANISM TO, TO COLLECT THOSE FUNDS. SO WHEN THEY COME TO GET THEIR BUSINESS LICENSE, THAT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY FOR THEM TO JUST, JUST TACK THAT ON AND PAY IT ALL AT ONE TIME. SO WE HAD SOME CONFUSION EARLY ON WHEN, WHEN WE PUT IT IN THE GEO PERMIT SYSTEM, IT GENERATES AN INVOICE AND SHOOTS OUT AN EMAIL. AND IT TOOK US A LITTLE WHILE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WE JUST ZERO THOSE OUT, BUT WE'LL ADD IT TO THE BUSINESS LICENSE FEE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. THEY DO IT ALL AT ONE TIME, SO THEY DON'T HAVE A SEPARATE, SEPARATE CHARGE. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'LL SEE YOU OUT THERE ON THE CELL TOWER. I JUST WANT TO SINCE TONIGHT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING ON THAT. YOU WERE YOU WERE THERE'S A CONSULTANT FEE THAT IS IN ON THAT PART, BUT THIS ONE, JUST THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. THIS IS JUST TO REVIEW IT. LIKE IF SOMEBODY PUTS IN AN APPLICATION, BUT IF THEY IF IT GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH, THEN IT GOES TO THE 500. AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT? RIGHT. THEY, THEY WOULD PAY THE REVIEW COSTS. OUR COST WOULD BE, WOULD BE THE, I SHOULD SAY OUR CONSULTANT COST IS 425. ANY CELL TOWER APPLICATION MODIFICATION THAT COMES IN. WE PAY OUR CONSULTANT $425. HE GOES OVER STRUCTURAL REPORT. HE GOES OVER WHAT THEY'RE DOING, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING, AS FAR AS ANY TYPE OF MODIFICATIONS THAT THEY'RE DOING, AS FAR AS WEIGHT OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT IS, IS THE TOWER IS GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO HOLD THAT WEIGHT. THE OUR PART, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COST OF THAT $150 GOES TOWARDS WHO DOES THE CELL TOWER APPLICATIONS. NOW, WHO'S WILL OUR BUILDING INSPECTOR WILL GETS THAT REPORT FROM THE CONSULTANT HIMSELF. HE DOES ALL THE EMAILING BACK AND FORTH FROM THE CONSULTANT TO THE APPLICANT. HE DOES ALL THE INSPECTIONS SO THAT 100 AND $150 FEE IS FOR HIS TIME TO REVIEW ALL THIS STUFF, WHICH AGAIN, TAKES ANYWHERE BETWEEN A WEEK AND TWO WEEKS. IT'S HIS FEE TO GO AHEAD AND DO THE INSPECTION PROCESS, WHICH ANYTIME IT COULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INSPECTIONS, WHICH REQUIRES HIS TIME THAT THE COUNTY PAYS FOR HIS GAS, WE PAY FOR INSURANCE AND EVERYTHING ELSE. I'M TRYING TO RECOUP THAT COST BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE THE COST OF 425 IS. PLUS, IT ONLY LEAVES US ABOUT $75 FOR HIM TO DO ALL THAT STUFF. AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES FOR THOSE APPLICATIONS IS JUST NOT SUFFICIENT. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WILL YOU BE BACK TONIGHT AND ASK US TO APPROVE THESE AMENDED FEES? RIGHT. OKAY. [Additional Item] SINCE YOU'RE ALREADY UP THERE, WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND TACKLE THE DATA CENTER DISCUSSION? I THINK PROBABLY THE APPROPRIATE TIME. JUST WANTED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSIONERS. I KNOW WE'VE WE'VE WE'VE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS SINCE THE SINCE TWO WEEKS AGO TO THE TO THE EXISTING ORDINANCE OR TO THE DRAFT. AND SO JUST WANTED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME Q AND A WITH AUSTIN CERTAINLY KNOWS THE MOST ABOUT IT OF ANYBODY ON THE STAFF. AND SO JUST WANT TO OPEN THAT, OPEN UP FOR GENERAL DISCUSSION. YOU KNOW, WE'VE DISCUSSED IT OVER LAST MONTH. AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THERE ARE SEVERAL TOPICS, BUT ONE OF THEM WAS THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT. WE DISCUSSED DIFFERENT HEIGHTS. AND THEN THE TEXT YOU SENT OUT YESTERDAY TOOK IT BACK TO 60. CORRECT. BUT ALL INDUSTRY THAT'S IN THE COUNTY IS ALREADY MAXIMUM HEIGHT AT 40. CORRECT. WHY ARE WE WILLING TO GIVE THEM 60? THE REASON WE WERE WILLING TO GIVE THEM 60 IS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE, THE STATE OF GEORGIA RECENTLY STRUCK DOWN A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE COST OF POWER BEING RAISED AND THE COST OF THE EXPONENTIAL AMOUNT OF POWER THAT A DATA CENTER IS GOING TO PULL TO SOLELY BE PLACED ON THE DATA CENTER ITSELF. BASICALLY, THE UPDATED INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE THE AMOUNT OF POWER THAT A DATA CENTER PULLS NOW CAN BE PASSED ALONG TO OTHER CONSUMERS AS WELL AS THE DATA CENTER STAFF FELT THAT THE UPDATED HEIGHT FROM FROM 40 TO 60 WOULD ALLOW FOR AMPLE ENOUGH SPACE TO LESSEN THE AMOUNT OF POWER THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PULL FOR COOLING THE BUILDING ITSELF. AS SOON AS YOU BRING DOWN THAT BUILDING HEIGHT INSIDE THE DATA CENTER ITSELF CAN GET VERY, [00:25:01] VERY HOT. THEY'RE GOING TO PULL A LOT OF POWER IN ORDER TO COOL THAT BUILDING. IF YOU UPDATE THE HEIGHT OF IT TO 60, THEY PULL A LITTLE BIT LESS POWER, WHICH THEN LESSENS THE IMPACT ON THE REST OF THE INDIVIDUALS. I UNDERSTAND THAT TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE'VE ALREADY HAVE OUR REGULATIONS SET FOR INDUSTRY WHENEVER WE WANT TO. I MEAN, I'M NOT FULL ACCOMMODATING THEM. YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN'T, IF THEY CAN'T ADJUST TO WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE, SO BE IT, YOU KNOW? THAT'S ONE OF THE THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES. THE OTHER ONE WAS THE DISTANCE FROM THE PROPERTY LINE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY COME WE CAN'T GO AHEAD AND SET OUR DISTANCE TO WHAT WE WANT. LOOK, WE DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY TO HANDLE ONE OF THESE THINGS. WE DON'T HAVE FIRE PROTECTION OR ANY OTHER PROTECTION FROM IT. SO INSTEAD OF TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT THEIR GUIDELINES AROUND THE STATE IS, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SET OUR OWN. AND JUST FOR THE THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTY, BECAUSE EVEN AT 60 FOOT, JUST TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT THEY WANT THE REST OF THE STATE, IF ONE DOES COME IN, WE DON'T NEED TO MESS UP. WHY SHOULD WE MESS UP OUR SKYLINE TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT THEY'RE REQUIRING, WHAT THEY NEED? AND THE THE SEWER. I MEAN, THAT I THINK THAT'S THAT'S GOOD. WE DON'T HAVE A SEWER SYSTEM IN TROUP COUNTY OUT IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY. THE DECOMMISSION IS STILL IN THERE. I LIKE THAT. AND THE IN THE BOND, THE BOND ISSUE IS STILL IN THERE FOR THE DECOMMISSION. SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSED BEFORE WE, YOU KNOW, MOVE ON BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD ANY POSITIVE ABOUT A DATA CENTER BEING IN COUNTY PART OF TROUP COUNTY. I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T HAD ANYBODY WANTING ONE. SO I THINK IT'S OUR DUTY AND OUR JOB TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT'S IN THOSE REGIONS. YOU KNOW, I'M AFRAID IF WE LEAVE THAT GATE CRACKED, THEY'RE GOING TO BUST IT OPEN AND WE'RE NOT ANYTHING WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO, LIKE I SAID. AND THE AND THE FIRE MARSHAL THAT WAS HERE FROM A DIFFERENT CITY AT THE LAST MEETING, HE SAID, WE DO NOT HAVE THE THE ABILITY TO PUT A FIRE OUT IN ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I HAD ON THE ON THE DISTANCE, I GUESS IT'S GOT TO DO WITH A LOT OF THINGS THAT THAT DEALING WITH THE SITE PLAN ITSELF. ALRIGHT, YOU'VE GOT SAY YOU'VE GOT THE RUN OFF ON A LARGE AREA AND IT GOES INTO THE UNINCORPORATED AREA. YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE AROUND THAT HAVE WHEELS. ALL RIGHT. I UNDERSTAND AS FAR AS THE SEWAGE, HOW IT YOU KNOW, THAT'S YOU KNOW, IT'S A DIFFERENT IT'S GOT TO BE ON THE SEWER SYSTEM, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT JUST THE RUN OFF AND OR LIKE, IF YOU HAVE RETENTION PONDS AND THINGS THAT RUN OFF FROM THAT AREA, IS THERE ANYTHING RIGHT NOW THAT RESTRICTS THE DISTANCE FROM THE HOUSES OF A RETENTION POND OR WHERE EVERYTHING'S SETTLING TOWARD THEIR WELLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ALREADY IN PLACE? THAT WOULD DO, WHAT, 300FT FROM THE PROPERTY LINES WHERE YOU COULD SAY 300FT FROM PROPERTY LINE. I'M SORRY. I BELIEVE WE UPDATED THAT. 15. AND SO WOULD THAT BE IF, SAY, FOR INSTANCE, A SITE PLAN. I GUESS THIS GOES BACK TO THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT OR ANYTHING THAT COMES WITH IT. IF THE SITE PLAN THEY HAVE, IS THAT JUST NON-NEGOTIABLE? THEY HAVE TO PUT THAT IN THAT PLACE AND IT'S JUST 300FT. THAT'S IT. IT'S IN THE ORDINANCE. IT'S NON-NEGOTIABLE. SO WE CAN'T GET THAT FOR THE 1500 FEET OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I MEAN, THAT'S SO AS FAR AS SETTING A RETENTION OR DETENTION POND BACK FROM 1500 FEET, AS FAR AS CIVIL SITE PLANS GO, I THINK I'M GOING TO DEFER TO JAMES ON THAT ONE. JAMES IS THE ONE THAT USUALLY OR JAMES, THE DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE THAT USUALLY DEALS WITH CIVIL SITE PLANS LIKE THAT. AND HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT WATER RUNOFF AND STUFF LIKE THAT THAN I DO. SO. WE REVIEW STORMWATER ON EVERY SUBMITTAL THAT COMES BEFORE US ON ANY PRIVATE PROPERTIES OR PUBLIC PROJECTS IN TROUP COUNTY. AND, YOU KNOW, WE REVIEW THAT BASED ON STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE IN OUR ORDINANCE, AND WE REVIEW IT BASED ON JUST TYPICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PRACTICES. FROM A STORMWATER STANDPOINT, THE. THE SITE COULD BE DESIGNED WITH THE, THE STORMWATER POND, WHETHER IT'S A RETENTION POND THAT HOLDS WATER OR WHETHER IT'S A DETENTION POND THAT ONLY DETAINS TEMPORARILY AND THEN IT DRAINS DRY. EITHER WAY, FROM AN ENGINEERING STANDPOINT, IT COULD BE DESIGNED CLOSE TO A PROPERTY LINE, OR IT COULD BE DESIGNED FARTHER AWAY OFFSET FROM A PROPERTY LINE. IF A [00:30:03] BUFFER IS DESIRABLE. IF IF THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY OWNERS DON'T WANT TO SEE THE DETENTION POND, THEN THAT THERE WOULD BE A YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR YOU TO PUT THAT IN THE ORDINANCE TO HAVE A BUFFER BETWEEN THE PROPERTY LINE AND THAT THAT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITY. AND, AND I THINK THE DECISION AS TO HOW MUCH OF A BUFFER YOU WOULD HAVE THERE IS NOT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S SO MUCH BASED ON THE, THE STORMWATER DESIGN ASPECT OF IT. IT FROM A, FROM AN ENGINEERING STANDPOINT, IT COULD BE DESIGNED EITHER WAY CLOSE TO THE PROPERTY LINE OR FURTHER AWAY. IT'S MORE OF AN ESTHETIC, MORE OF A PLANNING KIND OF A, OF A STANDARD THAN IT IS AN ENGINEERING STANDARD. THE DESIGN OF THE POND CAN TAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT FORMS. A LOT OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PONDS THAT WE SEE DESIGNED ARE DESIGNED SO THAT NO ONE EVER KNOWS IT'S THERE. YOU CAN'T LOOK AT IT AND TELL THAT IT'S A POND. IT MIGHT BE A CORNER OF THE PARKING LOT THAT HAS A V NOTCH. WE'RE IN IT AND AN ELEVATED CURB, AND THAT PORTION OF THE PARKING LOT CAN CAN FILL UP WITH STORMWATER AND THEN SLOWLY DRAIN BACK DOWN. NO ONE EVEN KNOWS THAT IT'S A DETENTION POND EXCEPT FOR THE ENGINEERS THAT DESIGNED IT. AND THOSE OF US THAT REVIEWED IT. SOMETIMES THEY'RE DESIGNED AS A PART OF THE LANDSCAPE, AND THEY'RE LANDSCAPED BEAUTIFULLY. SO THAT THAT THAT AREA OF THE PROPERTY FILLS UP WITH WATER DURING A STORM, AND THEN IT DRAINS BACK DOWN. AND MAYBE YOU CAN'T TELL THAT IT WAS EVER FULL OF WATER. AND THEN OTHER, OTHER PONDS ARE DESIGNED AS RETENTION TO HOLD WATER ALL THE TIME. AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE A POND WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT. IT'S FULL OF WATER ALL THE TIME AND IT LOOKS LIKE A POND. SOME OF THEM ARE DESIGNED WITH CONCRETE RETAINING WALL STYLE DAMS. SOME OF THEM ARE DESIGNED WITH EARTHEN DAMS THAT ARE GRASSED OR LANDSCAPED. THERE'S JUST A WIDE VARIETY OF OF DESIGNS. AND FROM THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT STANDPOINT, WE CAN REVIEW ANYTHING THAT'S SUBMITTED TO US TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT MEETS STANDARDS. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT ON PAGE NINE, IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE NINE, WE DO REQUIRE 300 FOOT VEGETATIVE BUFFER. THEREFORE, THAT RETENTION DETENTION POND WOULD BE SET AT 300FT. AFTER THAT VEGETATIVE BUFFER. I GOT A QUESTION FOR JAMES. WHILE HE'S ON THESE PONDS, IF THEY HAD AN INDUSTRIAL PARK, DO THEY HAVE TO HAVE A POND TO A RUN OFF POND? THE THE COUNTY'S STANDARDS WHEN IT COMES TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ARE ARE VERY GENERAL STANDARDS. AND THOSE GENERAL STANDARDS ALLOW THE ENGINEER WHO IS DESIGNING IT A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY TO COME UP WITH A DESIGN THAT'S GOING TO WORK. OUR STANDARDS REQUIRE THAT THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY DESIGN THAT SITE SO THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A PROBLEM TO THEIR NEIGHBORS UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM. AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE, THAT'S REALLY THE, THE BASIS OF EVERYTHING THAT OUR ORDINANCE SAYS IS, I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING TO THE, THE, IN THE UNINCORPORATED, BUT IF A DATA PROCESSING PLAN IS PUT IN AN INDUSTRIAL PARK, DO THEY HAVE TO HAVE A RUNOFF POND TO TYPICALLY, YES, THEY WOULD HAVE TO. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT. BECAUSE I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE'RE SITTING HERE AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DATA PROCESSING PLANT, AND THIS COMMISSION BOARD HADN'T EVEN BEEN ON A FIELD TRIP TO EVEN SEE ONE. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M KIND OF SITTING HERE WITH ALL THE INFORMATION COMING IN AND ALL THE DISCUSSION GOING ON, AND WE'RE LOOKING AND WE'RE READING, BUT WE'RE GETTING INFORMATION FROM EVERYBODY. BUT WE HADN'T LAID OUR EYES ON ONE. I DON'T THINK I HADN'T I DON'T KNOW ABOUT I KNOW THE CHAIRMAN HAS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD OTHER IDENTITIES IN TROUP COUNTY THAT HAVE GONE AND LOOKED AT THEM. BUT HERE WE ARE. WE'RE FIXING TO SET ONE IN A POLICY. AND WE KNOW WE JUST HAD A INFORMATION UP IN COWETA COUNTY WHERE THEY JUST DID THIS. BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO HOLD UP IN OUR UNINCORPORATED AREA. AND IT'S JUST INTERESTING TO ME THAT THIS IS A VERY DETAILED ISSUE THAT WE'RE FIXING TO VOTE ON AND GET ORGANIZED ON, AND HADN'T EVEN LOOKED AT ONE. AND ONE OF THE ISSUES I, I GUESS ON THE SITE DEVELOPMENT, THERE'S SO MUCH DIRT MOVE, SO MUCH THING THAT GOES ON, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON HOW BIG THE SITE IS. AND, AND IT REALLY CONCERNS A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE WHALES [00:35:04] AND ALL THIS. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS JUST A DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBDIVISION ACROSS FROM OTHER PEOPLE. IT WAS BROUGHT UP THE OTHER NIGHT TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DRILLING WELLS. NOW THEY'RE HAVING TO FRACK THE WELLS, YOU KNOW, SO WHEN YOU DO THAT, A PERSON, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILE DOWN THE ROAD, QUARTER MILE DOWN THE ROAD OR RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD, ANYTHING THAT GOES ON THERE WHEN THEY FRACK, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'LL GET SEDIMENT IF THEY'RE WELL. SO IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER HERE IS DOING SOMETHING OVER HERE. AND WHEN I SEE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS MUCH AND WE'RE TALKING 300FT, PUTTING A RETENTION POND RIGHT BESIDE SOMEBODY'S HOUSE OR A DEVELOPING 1500 FEET, IT'S JUST IT'S A DIFFERENT LIKE, LIKE MR. JONES WAS TALKING ABOUT IN INDUSTRIAL PARK, EVERYTHING'S INDUSTRIAL. WHEN YOU GO OUT INTO THE UNINCORPORATED AREA, WE, WE, WE'RE KIND OF TRYING TO MAKE THIS THING MATCH AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING, YOU KNOW? AND SO THAT'S OUR CONCERN OR MY CONCERN OF, OF ALL THE SPECIFICS OF HOW WE PROCEED. TAKE THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY THERE. IN PARTICULAR ON THE CORPORATE AREA OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, I'M JUST LOOKING AT WHAT HAPPENED IN COWETA COUNTY WHEN THEY WENT AND MOVED IN ON THE FARM OUT THERE. AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT QUESTION MARKS ABOUT A PLANT LIKE THIS. WE HAD THE DISCUSSION, I TOLD YOU, I MEAN, LOOK, I WANT TO RESTRICT AS POSSIBLE AND GET THEM. I MEAN, WE HAD THE DISCUSSION ABOUT BANNING THEM, YOU KNOW, AND I AND MARK MIGHT BE ABLE TO REPLY ON THAT. THE SITUATION WE WISH TO, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BAN THEM IN UNINCORPORATED AREA. IS THERE A LEGAL REMEDY REVOCATION FROM THAT, YOU KNOW? IT WOULD. I'VE BEEN TOLD IT WAS, BUT WOULD IT BE? A AN OUTRIGHT BAN? THERE ARE A FEW OF AT LEAST MY RECOLLECTION IS ONE OUTRIGHT BAN THAT I'M AWARE OF. WAS WITH REGARD TO CRYPTOCURRENCY IN GILMER COUNTY. THAT ORDINANCE BANNED CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING. THAT IS A VERY, VERY MUCH A MORE RISKY TYPE OF ORDINANCE TO TRY TO DEFEND. IN FACT, IN THE GILMER COUNTY ORDINANCE, WHAT THEY DID IS THEY BANNED IT. THEN THEY PUT ALL THESE SAME TYPES OF STANDARDS IN AND SAID, IF THE BAN DOES NOT HOLD UP, THESE STANDARDS WILL APPLY. AS A LEGAL MATTER. THE MORE PROHIBITIVE YOU ARE. AND CATEGORICAL YOU ARE, YOU POTENTIALLY OPEN YOUR ORDINANCE UP TO CHALLENGES REGARDING THE RATIONAL BASIS FOR TREATING THIS INDUSTRY DIFFERENTLY FROM ANOTHER INDUSTRIAL USE THAT YOU DO ALLOW. AND FROM THAT STANDPOINT, A BAN, AN OUTRIGHT BAN WOULD BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO DEFEND THAN A STRUCTURE. THAT IS THE STRUCTURE THAT THE COUNTY IS LOOKING AT, WHICH IS TO REQUIRE ALLOW THEM ONLY IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, LAYER THAT ON TOP OF THAT WITH A SPECIAL USE PERMIT. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, HAVE A SET OF VERY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS THAT MUST BE MET BY THE DATA CENTER. SO THAT'S THE BEST WAY I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. ON THE ZONING PART OF IT. WHICH ONES HAVE TO BE ZONED HEAVY AVERAGE HYPER? THE BIG ONES. CORRECT. SO THE SMALLER ONES ARE LIGHT. LIGHT LIGHTING DOES NOT HAVE INDUSTRIAL. THEY WOULD STILL HAVE TO COMPLY WITH SETBACKS, WHICH IS 1500 FEET. WE DID CHANGE 1500 FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE, NOT THE PRINCIPAL STRUCTURE OF A SENSITIVE RECEPTOR, EFFECTIVELY MAKING THE SETBACKS MORE STRINGENT. 1500 FOOT. DOES THAT INCLUDE EVERYTHING OR JUST THE STRUCTURE, THE STRUCTURE, THE STRUCTURE INCLUDED? THAT'S WHAT YOU GET AT. SO WE COULDN'T INCLUDE THE RETENTION POND TO BE OUTSIDE THAT WE COULD. THAT [00:40:11] IS SOMETHING I CAN CHANGE BEFORE TONIGHT. NOW I KNOW, I KNOW THEY DIDN'T. I KNOW CHIEF LAGRANGE STARTED OUT WITH 2000 FOOT. THAT'S WHAT THEY ORIGINALLY HAD. AND ME AND COMMISSIONER JONES HAD TALKED ABOUT THAT ONE TIME THAT EVEN IF THE CITY WAS PROPOSING THAT TO START OFF WITH, OF COURSE THEY ABANDONED THAT. BUT IF THEY STARTED OUT WITH 2000FT, I COME. BEING A RURAL COMMUNITY, WE COULDN'T GO WITH 2500. AS FAR AS THE 2500 FOOT SETBACK, WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO NO PARCEL IN THE COUNTY THAT IS THAT CAN MEET A 2500 FOOT SETBACK. ZONING LAWS REQUIRE US TO. YOU HAVE. YOU CAN BE AS STRICT AS YOU CAN BE WITH ZONING LAWS. WE CAN'T NECESSARILY PUT A ORDINANCE IN PLACE THAT THEY. THERE'S NO WAY POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO COMPLY WITH. SO I WENT WITH 1500 FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE. THERE ARE SOME PARCELS WHERE THEY COULD MEET IT 1500 FOOT FROM THE PROPERTY LINE BEING AS THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE CORRECT SHAPE OF PARCEL TO BEGIN WITH. NOW, THAT'S NOT TO SAY YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER TOO, THAT THEY STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A REZONING PROCESS, BECAUSE MOST OF THOSE PARCELS THAT WE HAVE ARE NOT ZONED CORRECTLY FOR A DATA CENTER. ON TOP OF THE REZONING PROCESS, THEY STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AS WELL. BUT WE CAN'T MAKE A SETBACK 2500FT WHERE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DO ANYTHING IN THE COUNTY, BECAUSE WE DON'T PROVIDE A PARCEL. SO IF WE IF WE SET THESE REQUIREMENTS AND ONE COMES IN TO AN AGREES TO THESE REQUIREMENTS, AND WE STILL HAVE TO VOTE ON THE REZONING IF IT'S A BIG ONE, AND THEN THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT WITH THOSE TWO VOTINGS BE AT THE SAME TIME OR SEPARATE TIMES. YOU WOULD. TYPICALLY, THE WAY IT WOULD WORK IS YOU WOULD YOU WOULD FIRST REZONE THE PROPERTY UNTIL THE PROPERTY IS REZONED IF IT NEEDS TO. REZONING. I DON'T THINK THAT ANY APPLICANT WOULD PROBABLY PUT A MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT WITHOUT HAVING THE ZONING IN PLACE FIRST. AND ONCE THE REZONING WAS DONE, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO REQUEST THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT. OKAY. IF THEY CAME IN AND AGREED TO MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS WE HAVE. LEGALLY, OR DO WE HAVE TO DENY THAT SPECIAL USE PERMIT? THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE THE REZONING. YOU WOULD GO, YOU WOULD REZONE IT, YOU WOULD APPLY THE TYPICAL ZONING STANDARDS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE THAT YOU HEAR AT EVERY EVERY REZONING. YOU WOULD HAVE TO PASS THAT HURDLE FIRST. AND THOSE STANDARDS, ONCE THAT IS MET, IT WOULD GO TO THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT, AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO GRANT THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT AS PART OF THAT APPLICATION. THAT WOULD BE THE BURDEN OF THE APPLICANT TO COME FORWARD AND SHOW THAT THEY HAVE MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS, THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING THAT SPECIAL USE PERMIT. AND OF COURSE, THERE ARE SEPARATE STANDARDS AS WELL FOR SPECIAL USE PERMITS THAT LARGELY MIRROR AUSTIN. THE THE THE ANNEXATION STANDARDS. CORRECT? CORRECT. THERE WOULD BE THREE OPPORTUNITIES. YOU WOULD HAVE REZONING, ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW, SPECIAL USE PERMIT. AND EVEN AFTER THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT, THERE WOULD BE THE PERMITTING PROCESS. CORRECT. BUT THE REZONING WOULD BE FOR FOR INDUSTRIAL RIGHT. HEAVY INDUSTRIAL, HEAVY INDUSTRIAL. SO THAT WOULD BE DEPENDING ON. YEAH. SO THAT WOULD THAT WOULD BE PENDING WHERE THE LOCATION. SO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS COULD SAY DENY THAT RIGHT OFF. AND AND THAT WOULD IN THE SITUATION ACCORDING TO WHERE THE ZONING WAS FIXING TO TAKE PLACE. THAT IS CORRECT. A, A REZONING IS A LEGISLATIVE DECISION. AS LONG AS THE BOARD ACTS RATIONALLY AND APPLIES THE STANDARDS, IT COULD CERTAINLY CHOOSE TO APPROVE OR DENY. WE CURRENTLY HAVE ANY HEAVY INDUSTRIAL ZONING, ONE PARCEL, 0.5 ACRES. BUT AM I RIGHT? THE HEAVY AND LIGHT ZONING ONLY HAS TO DO WITH SQUARE FOOTAGE ON THAT ZONING, WHICH ONCE ONE THEY'RE CATEGORIZED IN AS FAR [00:45:08] AS THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING, THE SIZE BUILDING MOSCOW IS ALLOWED AND LIGHT INDUSTRIAL AT 5000FT■!S OR LESS. EVERYTHING ELSE ABOVE THAT IS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL ONLY, AND IT GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO HOWEVER BIG YOU WANT TO BUILD IT FROM. WHAT IF THEY BUILT MULTIPLE SMALL BUILDINGS WITH THAT? WITH THAT, WOULD THAT MULTIPLE SMALL BUILDINGS WOULD STILL REQUIRE THEM TO MEET ALL SETBACK REQUIREMENTS AS FAR AS THAT GOES? YOU'D BE HARD PRESSED FOR SOMEBODY TO COME IN HERE AS A ZONED LIGHT INDUSTRIAL, HAVE THEM BE ALL SETBACK REQUIREMENTS AND BUILD 5000FT■!S OR LESS BUILDINGS. I I'VE LOOKED AT OTHER ORDINANCES THAT SEPARATE IT OUT AS FAR AS SMALL SCALE, AVERAGE SCALE AND HYPERSCALE. THEIR ORDINANCES ARE NOWHERE NEAR AS STRINGENT AS OURS. BUT FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT, BUILDING 5000FT■!S R LESS ON THAT BIG OF A PARCEL, YOU'RE NOT RECOUPING ANY OF YOUR MONEY RIGHT AWAY. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A VERY, VERY LONG TIME TO DO SO. ALSO, LET ME ASK YOU, I DID GET JUST TO BRIEFLY THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING IN FAYETTEVILLE. THAT'S A LARGE CAMPUS THAT'S 950 ACRES, I BELIEVE. AND I BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE A TOTAL OF 13 BUILDINGS ON THAT PROPERTY. TOPO. VERY CHALLENGING. VERY, VERY CHALLENGING OVER THERE ON THAT SITE. THEY HAD TO BUILD A LOT OF BRIDGES. HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THEIRS? HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THEIR ZONING? BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY HAVE MULTIPLE PROPERTIES ON A ON A SITE. SO DID YOU BY CHANCE HAPPEN TO LOOK AT THEIR RULES TO SEE THEIR ZONING AS FAR AS PROJECTS LIKE SETBACKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE? LIKE WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU? THIS IS, I HOPE I'M SAYING I THINK IT'S T S IS THE NAME OF IT, BUT IT'S IT'S IN DOWNTOWN, AS I SAY, DOWNTOWN FAYETTEVILLE. NO, I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT. IT'S ONE THAT HAS A MULTIPLE BUILDINGS ON. THAT'S A IT'S A LARGE SITE AT 950 ACRES. BUT ANYWAY, I KNOW THAT THE CITY ORDINANCE FOR FAYETTEVILLE GOES IS NOWHERE NEAR AS STRICT AS R1, AND THAT PROBABLY IS INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS. YOU KNOW, NOT THAT IT WAS A FARM THOUGH. SO YEAH. YES IT'S DEFINITELY. AND ONE THING I'VE REALIZED THAT THEY DO NOT MIND SPENDING THE MONEY. THEY DON'T MIND THROWING MONEY AT WHATEVER THEY GOTTA DO TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT'S TO ME. I GUESS THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST SCARIEST PART ABOUT IT. WHAT ABOUT ONE OF THINGS I'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IS THE FACT OF THE. IF ONE IS INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS, I MEAN, THEN THERE WOULD BE NO BUFFERING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FOR ACCOUNTING PROPERTY. THERE'S A HOUSE TEN FEET AWAY. I MEAN, THE PROPERTY LINE, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CITY TO, YOU KNOW, TO ENFORCE OUR OUR REQUIREMENTS. RIGHT. CORRECT. THE CITY OF LAGRANGE HAS HAS NO, THEY DON'T HAVE TO IF THEY DON'T WANT TO. I MEAN, IF A CITY PARCEL ABUTS TO A COUNTY PARCEL, THAT COUNTY PARCELS CURRENTLY ZONED RESIDENTIAL HAS A HOUSE ON IT, BUT THE CITY ALLOWS FOR A DATA CENTER TO GO ON THAT NEXT PARCEL. WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO INPUT ON HOW CLOSE THEY PUT THAT DATA CENTER TO RESIDENTIAL PARKING. LOCATED IN THE COUNTY, UNINCORPORATED. THAT ALSO WORKS IN REVERSE, TOO. THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY IF IT MEETS OUR STANDARDS, RIGHT? CORRECT. MARK, THAT I GUESS A WHILE AGO WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COUNTY THAT BANNED DATA CENTERS JUST HAD A BAN. IT WASN'T A BAN OF DATA CENTERS. IT WAS A SPECIFIC BAN OF CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING. AND I GUESS THAT'S SO WHAT, WHAT THEY DID, THEY THEY HAD THIS STANDARDS SET, BUT JUST IN CASE IT DIDN'T HOLD UP, IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? THEY HAD A DIFFERENT I UNDERSTANDING THAT. RIGHT. THEY HAD AN ORDINANCE WHICH STARTED OUT WITH A BAN BLANKET BAN AND THEN INCLUDED LANGUAGE TO SAY IF FOR SOME REASON THIS DID NOT UPHOLD WAS NOT WAS PREEMPTED BY THE STATE OR OTHERWISE WAS DEEMED IMPROPER, THAT THEY WOULD FALL BACK TO SPECIFIC STANDARDS THAT WOULD REGULATE THE USE. I WAS ALSO CONTACTED BY GILMER COUNTY AFTER THEY HAD THAT BAN, AND THEY ASKED US FOR OUR ORDINANCE. THE PLANNER DID. OF GILMER COUNTY, AND THEN ASKED US AGAIN IF THEY COULD ACTUALLY USE SOME [00:50:01] OF OUR STANDARDS IN THEIR ORDINANCE. AS FAR AS THE CRYPTO MINING GOES. THEY WOULD DO THE ORDINANCE. IS THAT WHAT THE REASON THEY WANTED TO UPGRADE THEIR ORDINANCE? CORRECT. THEY HAD THE OUTRIGHT BAN, WHICH, AS MARK SAID, IS NOT. IT'S RISKY LEGALLY TO DEFEND. THEY THEN CONTACTED US AND ASKED US FOR OUR ORDINANCE, WHICH WE PROVIDED THEM, AND THEN PLANNER THEN ASKED ME IF THEY COULD USE SOME OF THE STANDARDS IN OUR ORDINANCE AND THEIR ORDINANCE AS WELL. SO WHEN YOU SAY RISKY, I MEAN, I KNOW GOING ONE DIMENSIONAL THAT'S YOU KEPT PUTTING EVERYTHING ONTO THAT, BUT ARE YOU SAYING RISKY, THAT THERE'S A VERY HIGH CHANCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT WON'T HOLD UP? WELL, I, I THINK YOU POSSIBLY COULD MAKE SOME INFERENCE FROM THE FACT THAT GILMER COUNTY CHOSE TO BAN IT AND THEN PUT FALLBACK PROVISIONS IN PLACE, SO YOU COULD MAYBE READ SOMETHING INTO THAT. BUT AS. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CHALLENGE PROOF ORDINANCE, ESPECIALLY AN ORDINANCE OF THIS NATURE, AS A GENERAL RULE, THE MORE LIBERAL YOU ARE WITH AN ORDINANCE, OBVIOUSLY, THE LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO GENERATE LITIGATION. AND THERE'S JUST BETTER. IT'S A FACTUAL MATTER LESS TO LITIGATE THE STRICTER THAT YOU ARE. WHICH WOULD IN THIS CASE ESCALATE, I GUESS, ALL THE WAY TO A JUST AN OUTRIGHT BAN OR ACTUALLY, AS AUSTIN WAS REFERRING TO, MAKING THE DE FACTO BAN, BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY POSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH THAT GIVES A POTENTIAL LITIGANT. THE MORE ARGUMENTS, MORE GROUNDS TO CHALLENGE THE ORDINANCE. DO I HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL? AND CAN I TELL YOU THAT IT WOULD? BE STRUCK DOWN? NO, I CAN'T, I CAN TELL YOU IT'S MORE RISKY TO DO IT THAT WAY AND MORE LIKELY TO GENERATE LITIGATION. THAT'S A FAIR STATEMENT, TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THE DATA CENTERS ARE RELATIVELY NEW, AND THERE HAS BEEN NO DEFINITIVE LITIGATION OUT THERE THAT AT THIS POINT IN TIME THAT WE CAN LOOK TO FOR FOR GUIDANCE, AT LEAST IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. AUSTIN, YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING. I'M NOT. AND I GUESS I COULD SAY IT GOES BACK TO MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA, I MEAN, YOU CAN GO BACK AND FORTH ON THE DIFFERENT ISSUES. BUT JUST KNOWING RIGHT NOW, I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHERE SOMEBODY MIGHT TRY TO PUT ONE OF THESE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA. THAT'S JUST A THAT'S RISKY ON EVERYBODY'S THE COMMUNITY'S PART OF JUST NOT KNOWING WHERE IT'S GOING, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD ALL THIS INTO SOMETHING TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM IT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHY I JUST TRYING TO GET ALL THE AS THIS ORDINANCE, ALL THE INFORMATION, WE TRY TO PLAN FOR EVERYTHING. BUT TO YOUR POINT, WE JUST WE JUST DON'T KNOW. SO WE, WE TRY TO PUT AS MANY ORDINANCES AS MANY STANDARDS ON THIS AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO SORT OF. ALLOW FOR EVERY POSSIBILITY. BUT AGAIN, YOU JUST DON'T, YOU DON'T KNOW. THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING. TWO YEARS AGO, NOBODY CENTER. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I AM. IT'S THE TOP TOPIC, YOU KNOW, AND, AND LIKE I SAID THIS, THE WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THEY THROW MONEY AT IT AND THEY'LL PAY WHAT THEY HAVE TO PAY TO GET THE POWER OR WHATEVER TO WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T THINK I DON'T THINK WE COULD BE TOO STRICT. I JUST BE HONEST WITH YOU. YOU KNOW, I JUST, LIKE I SAID, I THINK I FEEL BETTER JUST SHUTTING THE GATE. I THINK IF YOU LEAVE IT CRACKED, THEY'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY TO GET IN IF THEY WANT TO. AND THE OTHER PART OF IT TOO IS, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT THE LONGEVITY OF THESE THINGS. I MEAN, WE'RE JUST DOING IT AS THIS. YOU GOT A BIG OLD BUILDING SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF AN UNINCORPORATED AREA. IT'S ALREADY ZONED. IF THEY LEAVE IT, WHAT'S COMING? WELL, AS FAR AS THAT GOES, THAT'S THAT'S THE OTHER PART. I BUT I JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW. THERE'S STILL A LOT OF IFS WITH THEM. ANYBODY. AND WE TRY TO PLAN FOR EVERYTHING IN THIS ORDINANCE. BUT AGAIN, WITHOUT KNOWING THE FULL EXTENT OF IT AND BEING SO NEW, YOU CAN'T PLAN FOR EVERYTHING. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS AN EXPERT AT THIS POINT ON ON DATA CENTERS, PERIOD, JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE ONE OF THE FIRST SAFEGUARDS WE HAVE. YOU SAID IT'S FIVE ACRES IS IS THE ONLY PIECE ZONED HEAVY INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIAL. YEAH. SO WE HAVE FIVE ACRES IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA THAT'S ZONED. SO IF ANYTHING WERE TO, [00:55:06] IF WE, WE WOULD, IT WOULD COME BEFORE US TO APPROVE THE REZONING. THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. WE WOULD HAVE TO IDENTIFY WHERE IT MIGHT LOCATE. SO WE WE HAVE A VOICE IN WHERE A PIECE OF PROPERTY IS ZONED. AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE. WITHOUT CALLING THE NAME OF THE BUSINESS. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THAT POINT FIVE ACRES IS? SHOP AUTOMOTIVE, AN AUTOMOTIVE SHOP. SO WE HAVE AN AUTOMOTIVE SHOP IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS ON HEAVY INDUSTRIAL. OKAY. SO SO WE HAVE A DEFENSE. WE HAVE A VOICE IN THAT IN THAT REZONING PROCESS, IT WOULD HAVE TO COME BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS TO APPROVE THAT. AND THEN THE NEXT STEP, THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT, WHICH ALSO COMES, WHICH I KNOW SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE JUST WENT WITH SPECIAL USE PERMITS ONLY, NO RULES. JUST HERE'S THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT. GO GO TO ROUND TWO AND AND I THINK EACH COUNTY, I MEAN, MOST OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE CITIES AND THEY HAVE HEAVY MANUFACTURING AREAS. WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN THE RURAL AREA. SO I CAN KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT MAYBE A SPECIAL USE IS ALL THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE. IN OUR CASE, THE PROPERTY. WE DON'T HAVE ANY HEAVY INDUSTRIAL. WE GET A VOICE IN REZONING AND THEN WE GET TO USE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT. SO AND I WILL SAY TO Y'ALL, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER COUNTY YESTERDAY, CALLED ME AND ASKED ME KIND OF WHAT ARE WE DOING? AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY EVIDENTLY HAVE SOMEBODY KNOCKING ON THEIR DOOR. WE HAVE RECOGNIZED SOME OF THE STRONGEST ORDINANCES, RIGHT. PROPOSED ORDINANCES OUTRIGHT RIGHT NOW OF ANYBODY AROUND. SO FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE CONCERNED, PLEASE KNOW THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO US AND ASKING WHAT OUR ORDINANCES ARE. SO I DO THINK WE'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN PREPARING SOME GOOD, GOOD ORDINANCES. AND I THINK THAT'S IN THE PAST. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE COMMISSION BOARD PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF LAGRANGE ON AN INDUSTRIAL PARK, BECAUSE THAT WAY IT'S SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAME UP. YOU CAN MOVE IT TOWARD THAT INDUSTRIAL PARK AND NOT MOVE IT INTO THE UNINCORPORATED AREA, PART OF TROUP COUNTY. AS FAR AS A BIG, HEAVY INDUSTRIAL ZONING. EXACTLY. THAT'S RIGHT. I MEAN, WE PROBABLY BE IN THE SAME BATTLE. IF WE WERE DISCUSSING THE LANDFILL, WE'D BE IN DEEP. THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE GOAL. THE DISCUSSION WAS WHEN A LANDFILL COMES TO YOUR COMMUNITY AND HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT? BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS IT AROUND. AND SO IT NEEDS TO BE ZONED PROPERLY. AND THE COMMISSIONERS AND EVERYONE WOULD WANT TO HAVE A SAY SO. AND WE'RE A BUSINESS LIKE THAT OPERATE. SO THAT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A, AN ITEM THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL OVER. RIGHT. AUSTIN, LET ME SAY THANK YOU. WE DO APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S EXTREMELY HARD WORK. I KNOW THIS IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT AND WE APPRECIATE VERY MUCH WHAT Y'ALL, YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND OTHERS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT HAVE DONE TO KIND OF PREPARE THIS AND GET US TO THIS POINT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH [5. General Budget Discussion (Projected Revenue, Project Expenses, and Capital (Eric Mosley and Sonya Conroy) ] FOR THAT. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO SUPERHEROES. SONYA CONROY, TO TALK ABOUT JUST A GENERAL BUDGET DISCUSSION. WE'RE, YOU KNOW, FINISHED UP LAST WEEK OUR MEETINGS WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND JUST WANTED TO LET HER JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF UPDATE AND GET SOME INSIGHT FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS. SO SONYA MORNING. I HAVE A LOT OF NUMBERS FOR YOU. YOU WANT TO HEAR A LOT OF NUMBERS. OKAY, GOOD. I GOT THEM ON THE SCREEN. YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T HAVE IT PREPARED IN TIME FOR THE SCREEN. OKAY. SO AS HE MENTIONED, WE WE HAVE MET WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS. THEY BEGIN IN EARLY MARCH, PULLING TOGETHER THEIR REVENUE EXPECTATIONS, THEIR FORECAST, THEIR FORECAST AND THEIR EXPENSE NEEDS AND THEIR CAPITAL REQUESTS AND ALL THE THINGS. AND SO WE HAVE MET WITH ALL THEM. AND NOW IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, WE WE ARE IN THE POINT WHERE WE'RE REVIEWING EVERYTHING AND TRYING TO COMPILE IT ALL AND GET IT IN A FORMAT THAT WE CAN PRESENT TO YOU SOON. AND SO IN THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN RIGHT NOW, BEFORE WE REEVALUATE THE REVENUES AGAIN, A SIX, $68 MILLION BUDGET. IT'S ABOUT 22.5 MILLION OVER THE FY 26 BUDGET. AND THAT'S FOR THE REVENUES. THE [01:00:03] EXPENSES ARE AROUND, EXCUSE ME, 67, $550 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT 1.7 OVER FY 26. SO AT THIS POINT, THAT GIVES YOU A LITTLE OVER $700,000 TO WORK WITH ON SOME OF THE REQUESTS WE HAVE. THAT BUDGET INCLUDES A 2.5% RAISE AT THIS POINT. WELL, IT'S A 5% RAISE, BUT FOR HALF YEAR FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. AND THAT'S ABOUT $800,000. THAT INCLUDED THE 16 POSITIONS THAT WERE ADDED LAST YEAR. THAT WAS ABOUT $1.2 MILLION. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS TO WORK WITH, BUT WE DON'T THINK THAT THERE'LL BE ANY MAJOR CHANGES WITH THOSE. WE WILL NOT KNOW THE COST OF OUR GENERAL LIABILITY AND OUR PROPERTY INSURANCE UNTIL MAY. BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE IN GOOD POSITION ON THAT. I'M HOPING TO HEAR GOOD NEWS FROM THAT LATER ON. AND OTHER GOOD NEWS THAT WE HAD WAS THAT OUR MEDICAL IS GOING TO STAY FLAT THIS YEAR FOR OUR EMPLOYEE COVERAGE. SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS. THE REQUEST THAT WE HAD WAS $2 MILLION IN REQUESTS FROM AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS. SO IN MAY, WE WILL HAVE A MAY THE 5TH AT THE 9 A.M. MEETING, SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES WILL COME TO YOU TO PRESENT THEIR REQUEST. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND THE PUBLIC DEFENDER WILL BE HERE TO PRESENT THEIR REQUEST, WHICH IS ABOUT $400,000 BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM AND THEN DEPARTMENTS. WE HAD 21 NEW POSITIONS REQUESTED, AND THAT WOULD COST $1.5 MILLION. SO THE TOTAL AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT REQUEST WAS A LITTLE OVER $2 MILLION. QUESTION WAS THE 16 POSITIONS FILLED FROM LAST BUDGET? MOST OF THEM. MOST OF THEM. WELL, MOST OF THEM. I DON'T KNOW IF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAS COMPLETELY FILLED HIS. AND I KNOW THAT THE SOLICITOR HASN'T FILLED HERS. AND WE REWORKED HER BUDGET. STILL SOME OPEN POSITIONS THERE THAT PROBABLY. SO AT LEAST IN. THERE DEFINITELY ARE. I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT SOME OF THE POSITIONS THAT WERE REQUESTED LAST YEAR WERE NOT FILLED, AND SOME WE HAVE ACTUALLY REMOVED FROM THE BUDGET JUST BECAUSE I THINK THEY REALIZED THERE JUST WASN'T A NEED THERE. SO THOSE ARE THOSE HAVE ACTUALLY ALREADY BEEN ADJUSTED AS PART OF THE NUMBERS THAT SCIENCE PRESENTED TODAY. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING AT. BUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD FILLED THEIRS 911 FILLED THEIRS, THE MARSHALL FIELD, THEIRS, THE TAX COMMISSIONER, THE MAGISTRATE AND ALL THOSE GUYS, THEY HAVE FILLED THEIRS. SO DID YOU SAY THAT THE FROM THE DEPARTMENT WAS $2 MILLION REQUESTED? IS THAT FROM DEPARTMENTS? IT WAS 1.5 MILLION, AND THEN THE AGENCY'S WAS 480,000. REALLY? SO THAT WAS THE 2 MILLION THAT WAS IN EXTRA REQUEST. THE AGENCY. SHE MEANS LIBRARY DISTRICT, PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE PATHWAYS. THESE ARE SOME OF OUR EXTERNAL ENTITIES THAT WE DO SUPPORT AND I THINK REQUIRED SUPPORT. BUT THEY'VE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL AND ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE PROVIDED LAST YEAR. I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILED LIST WITH ME NOW AT THIS TIME, BUT WE'VE REVIEWED THE CAPITAL REQUEST, WHICH ROUGHLY ARE AROUND $16 MILLION. SO WE WILL BEGIN. THE NEXT STEP IS TO BUTTON ALL THIS UP, REEVALUATE THE REVENUES, BECAUSE I LIKE TO BUDGET CONSERVATIVELY, CONSERVATIVELY, BUT WITH THE BEST INFORMATION THAT I CAN GET. SO I LIKE TO REEVALUATE ALL OF THAT WORK THROUGH THE CAPITAL REQUEST AND PREPARE A BETTER LIST FOR YOU AND COME BACK TO YOU WITH HOPE TO ADOPT AT THE JUNE 16TH MEETING. BUT THAT WOULD BE IF WE CAN ADVERTISE PROPERLY WHEN WE GET SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. I WOULD IF WE CAN. I'VE ASKED DAN SMITH TO COME JUST REAL QUICK. JUST JUST DISCUSS ABOUT SOME OF THE THE CHANGES IN THE TAX LAW THAT HAS AFFECTED THE REVENUES PROJECTED FOR LAST YEAR. AND OF COURSE, THE UPCOMING YEAR. WE'VE GOT HOUSE BILL 581. THAT WAS LAST YEAR. AND NOW SENATE BILL 33, WHICH IS JUST IT'S ALWAYS A MOVING TARGET. SO THAT CERTAINLY THROWS A ANOTHER LOGJAM SOMETIMES IN THE SYSTEM. AND SO I WANT YOU ALL TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF THE BECAUSE THAT'S IT JUST GOT SIGNED FRIDAY. I THINK MAYBE I'VE NOT HEARD YET. OKAY. THE WEBSITE WANT TO GO AND I'VE NOT POSTED THE GOVERNOR SIGN. OKAY, OKAY, JUST REAL QUICK BECAUSE I DID A LITTLE INQUIRING THAT HE HAS UNTIL SOMETIME IN EARLY MAY TO SIGN THAT. SO IT COULD BE ANOTHER MEETING BEFORE WE FIND OUT. IT IS AS OF AS OF FRIDAY, [01:05:06] WE'RE STILL IN REVIEW FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF INFORMATION. WE HAD I CHECKED A FEW MINUTES AGO. THEY'VE NOT POSTED THAT HE SIGNED SB 333. THAT WILL CREATE THE H HOST L HOST THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AS FAR AS HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES. 581 IMPLEMENTED THE FREEZE FOR THE COUNTY THAT Y'ALL OPTED INTO. SENATE BILL 33 FORCES ALL MUNICIPALITIES, SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND COUNTIES INTO THE 581 SO IT WILL FREEZE ALL HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES BASED ON THE 25 ASSESSMENT FOR ALL JURISDICTIONS ACROSS THE STATE OF GEORGIA, WHICH WAS A HUGE THING. PLUS, THEY IMPLEMENTED THE L HOST, WHICH IS A $0.01 SALES TAX. COMMISSIONERS CAN PUT ON THE BALLOT, OR ANY TAXING AUTHORITY CAN PUT ON THE BALLOT FOR THEIR CITIZENS TO APPROVE. AND THERE WAS A ■LOT OF RESEARCH IN THE ACG RECEIVED THAT DATA FROM THEM. WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR TROUP COUNTY TO 100% EXEMPT ALL THEIR HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES. IT WOULD TAKE ROUGHLY 47% OF A DOLLAR OVER OVER A PENNY. THAT'S HOW THEY LOOK AT THAT. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF CALCULATIONS, A LOT OF FIGURING. SONYA, SHANE AND MYSELF HAVE ALL LOOKED AT IT, AND AGAIN, IT'S ALL SPECULATION UNTIL THE GOVERNOR PUTS THE SIGNATURE ON IT. THE NOTICE OF ASSESSMENTS ARE CHANGING. AGAIN, THERE IS NO ESTIMATED ROLLBACK THAT IS REQUIRED WHEN HE SIGNS IT. AS OF THE 1ST OF MAY, WE WILL BE REQUIRING THOSE ESTIMATED ROLLBACKS FROM ALL JURISDICTIONS UNTIL THE GOVERNOR SIGNS THEM, BECAUSE THAT IS CURRENT LAW. THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS STILL OUT THERE FLOATING AROUND. OUR NUMBERS LOOK GOOD IN THE ASSESSOR'S. WE'VE GOT A PROPERTY ASSESSOR FOR OUR PERSONAL PROPERTY, TRISTAN DOZIER, AND HE IS DOING A GREAT JOB AS FAR AS PROCESSING THE RETURNS THIS YEAR. IT'S IT'S STILL A LOT OF MOVING PARTS. AS ERIC SAID, I SHARED SOMETHING WITH THE COMMISSIONERS, I GUESS MAYBE LAST WEEK ABOUT THE, THE, THE, THE SALES TAX THAT'S OUT THERE THAT COULD BE ADDED TO A POTENTIALLY A NOVEMBER BALLOT. AND SO I THINK WE'VE LOOKED AT THIS. I THINK I SENT THE SPREADSHEET OUT AS WELL TO THEM JUST SORT OF SHOWING WHAT THE HOMESTEAD PROPERTIES ARE FOR TROUP COUNTY AS WELL AS HOGANSVILLE AND WEST POINT WITH WITH WITH ALL THREE GOVERNMENTS BE INVOLVED IN THAT. AND HOW WOULD LAGRANGE BE? THEY DON'T HAVE A MILLAGE. AND SO THERE IS NO HOMESTEAD IN THE CITY. BUT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE CITY RESIDENTS OR COUNTY RESIDENTS, OBVIOUSLY, WHO WOULD BE INCORPORATED AS WELL, RIGHT. THE WAY WE INTERPRET THE LAW FROM OUR JWOWW IS THEY TALK ABOUT EACH TAXING AUTHORITY SO EACH CITY COULD IMPLEMENT THEIR OWN $0.01 SALES TAX FOR THEIR JURISDICTION. THE COUNTY WOULD IMPLEMENT A COUNTYWIDE, WHICH WOULD COVER 100% OF THE COUNTY ON COUNTY OH LAST YEAR. FOR THE HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES, THE TAX IS PAID BY OUR 11,228 PARCELS WAS $8,778,000 IS WHAT WAS PAID INTO OUR GENERAL FUND. AND WHAT WE LOOKED AT AS FAR AS DOING AWAY WITH THAT, IT WOULD TAKE 47% OF THAT $0.01 SALES TAX, WHICH IS ROUGHLY, I THINK SONNY AND I LOOKED AT IT WAS WHAT WE GET IS OUR CUT OF THE $0.01 SPLOST THAT IS OUT THERE NOW. SO THIS WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL CENT IF YOU ALL CHOOSE TO PUT THAT ON THE BALLOT. I THINK ERIC HAS THOSE DATES THAT YOU'VE GOT TO ACT BEFORE YOU GET IT APPROVED, TO GET TO THE ELECTIONS OFFICE, TO GET ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. SO THAT'S A HUGE PLUS FOR THE HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES. ANYTHING ABOVE THAT THAT GOES TO EVERYBODY, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO IF WE TAKE IN MORE THAN THAT 8.7 MILLION, THEN THAT SENT WHATEVER'S LEFT OVER THAT IS DISTRIBUTED TO ALL PROPERTIES IN TROUP COUNTY TO REDUCE THEIR TAXES. SO GET ME STRAIGHT NOW. SO THIS IF YOU PUT ON THE $0.01, THIS WOULD BE JUST LIKE THE, LET'S SAY THE SPLOST. IN OUR SPLOST WE HAVE IT BROKE DOWN. 4545 TROUP COUNTY. 45, LAGRANGE 45, HOGANSVILLE FIVE AND WEST POINT FIVE. SO THIS EVERYBODY IN TROUP COUNTY IS IN TROUP COUNTY, THE THREE CITIES IN TROUP COUNTY. CORRECT. SO THERE'S THE WAY THE LAW THE WAY WE INTERPRET THE LAW. THIS ONE SENT FOR THIS L HOST WOULD GO TO TROUP COUNTY ONLY ONLY. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO GET. THAT'S WHERE I'M AT. AGAIN. THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNOR HAS ON HIS DESK, LOOKING THROUGH THE POLICIES, LOOKING THROUGH ALL THE TEXT. IT HITS FIVE DIFFERENT CODE SECTIONS. ONE LAW DOES BECAUSE WHAT I WANT TO GET STRAIGHT IS ON THIS ONE SENT. THAT'S GOING TO THAT'S GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY WHEREVER THEY LIVE IN TROUP COUNTY TO, TO TAKE THEIR HOMESTEAD TAX OFF OF THEIR HOMES. THAT'S CORRECT SIR. OKAY. AS FAR AS HOW THE THE SPLIT GOES TO GET THAT 8.7, THAT WOULD TAKE THAT 47% HOW THAT'S DISTRIBUTED. YOU GOT SOME HOUSE THAT PAYS $1,000, YOU GOT SOME THAT PAY $10,000. EXACTLY. SO [01:10:03] THE THAT'S WHAT THE TAX COMMISSIONER SIDE COMES IN AS FAR AS HOW THAT'S LAID OUT. ONCE THE LAW IS SIGNED, WE'LL GET THOSE REGULATIONS. WE'LL GET YOU A LITTLE BIT FINER DETAIL AS FAR AS HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE APPLIED. BUT THE COLLECTIONS, IF WE TOOK THAT COLLECTION AWAY FROM WHAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING, IT WOULD TAKE THAT 47% TO REPLACE THAT 8.7 MILLION. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE VOTED ON IN NOVEMBER. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THE BALLOT. THE CITIZENS WOULD HAVE TO KNOW IF IT PASSES IN NOVEMBER, HOW LONG WOULD IT BE TAKING TO GO INTO EFFECT? GREAT QUESTION. SO WE DID SOME CALCULATIONS THE OTHER DAY. AND KEEP IN MIND IT'S A SIX MONTH WINDOW. SO IF IT GOES INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1ST, THEN THE TAXES THAT WILL BE APPLIED NEXT NOVEMBER 27TH WILL BE COLLECTED JANUARY 1ST TO JULY 1ST. SO IT'S A HALF OF WHAT THEY ANTICIPATE FOR 27. THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE FULL 12 MONTH FOR 28. SO IT WILL NOT ELIMINATE EVERY PROPERTY TAX IN 2027. BUT FOR 28 IT SHOULD, BECAUSE YOU ONLY COLLECT THOSE SIX MONTHS IN 27, THEN YOU HAVE A 12 MONTH WINDOW FROM 27 TO 28, BUT STILL IN 27 IT WILL REDUCE. REDUCE? YES, SIR. YOU WOULD THINK IT'D BE ABOUT HALF OF YOU WOULD ANTICIPATE OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND TRAVEL TIMES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. YOU SAID 47% OF IT WOULD GO TO COVER THE HOMESTEAD. IT WOULD TAKE 47% OF THAT 111. AND YOU SAID THE REMAINING AMOUNT WOULD WERE WOULD. WHERE WOULD IT GO TO EVERY OTHER PERSON, EVERY OTHER PROPERTY IN THE COUNTY, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, EVERYBODY WOULD GET THAT SHARE OF THE CREDIT ONLY ON THE COUNTY SIDE. NOTHING TO DO EXACTLY RIGHT SCHOOL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THE. SO THAT'S 53. BUT THIS. BUT THIS $0.01 THOUGH WOULD BE STRICTLY FOR PROPERTY TAX IS. IT CAN'T BE USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE, ANYTHING BUT PROPERTY TAX. BUT OUR JOB WOULD BE TO JUST TO, TO DECIDE ON WHETHER WE WANT TO PUT IT TO THE VOTE IN NOVEMBER OR NOT. THAT'S CORRECT. YOU'RE JUST LEAVE IT UP TO THE PEOPLE TO VOTE ON IT FOR THE CITIZENS TO DECIDE HOW THEY WANT TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. GUYS NEED TO MAKE A DECISION BY THE END OF JULY TALKING TO ANDY, BECAUSE THEN IT WOULD HAVE TO BE TO GET IT TO BUILD THE BALLOT. YES, YES. THEN AUGUST, THEY WOULD VOTE ON THEIR BOARD AND THEN THEN THEY WOULD SUBMIT IT TO THE STATE, AND THEN IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. IF THIS IS BEFORE THE GOVERNORS RIGHT NOW. AND I, I CHECKED IT A FEW MINUTES AGO, AND AS SOON AS IT PASSES, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE AWARE. I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT. AS I UNDERSTAND, WE'RE IN THE TOP 10% OF COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA AS TO IT TAKES THE LEAST AMOUNT OF THAT PENNY TO REDUCE OUR HOMESTEAD TAX. SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL US? IT TELLS US THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A BIGGER A MORE DIVERSE TAX BASE, EXCUSE ME, TAX DIGEST, THE THE BUSINESSES HERE, THE INDUSTRY AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE PAYING A GOOD BIT OF OUR TAXES. YES. THERE ARE COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE AS FORTUNATE AS US. IT MIGHT TAKE 85% OF THEIR PENNY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO PAY OFF THEIR HOMESTEAD. SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE VERY LITTLE MAYONNAISE TO SPREAD ON EVERYBODY ELSE'S BREAD. FOR US, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A LARGE, AT LEAST ABOUT HALF OF IT AND REDUCE EVERYBODY. THAT'S WHERE I AM, CHAIRMAN. I'M WORRIED ABOUT IT RIGHT HERE. WELL, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK I LOOK IN THE PAST, I DIDN'T I DIDN'T ACTUALLY DO A COUNT, BUT MAJORITY OF THE COUNTIES IN GEORGIA ARE ALREADY AT 8% SALES TAX. A LOT ACROSS THE STATE ARE AND THIS IS A BENEFIT FOR TROUP COUNTY. AS THE CHAIRMAN WAS SAYING, WE'RE IN A VERY GOOD FINANCIAL SITUATION WITH THIS, THAT WE COULD TAKE HALF OF IT AND THEN THE REST OF IT GO TO THE OTHER PROPERTY. THE WONDERFUL PART IS WE'VE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT OF TIMES AS WE ADVERTISE. PLUS IS THAT A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE SALES TAX PAID COME FROM OUTSIDE OF TROUP COUNTY. SO IT'S NOT EVEN OUR OWN PEOPLE PAYING. IT'S PEOPLE FROM MERRIWEATHER HARRIS, HER ALABAMA THAT ARE COMING HERE AND SPENDING THEIR DOLLARS. AND SO TELL STAYS THE TRAFFIC THE GAS I MEAN EVERYBODY GREAT WOLF THE NEW CRICKET STADIUM ALL THAT THOSE WILL PAY THAT PENNY. SO IT WILL BE A GOOD PORTION OF THE PEOPLE THAT TRAVEL THROUGH TROUP COUNTY THAT ARE HELPING THE CITIZENS HERE. RIGHT. SO WHEN WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE GOVERNOR'S SITE, NUMBER ONE, THAT'S THE FIRST STEP THAT'S GOT TO HAPPEN. AND NUMBER TWO IS FOR US TO APPROVE TO PUT THAT ON THE BALLOT. AND THIRD THING IS TO DO OUR BEST TO EDUCATE OUR CITIZENS WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS TO THEM PERSONALLY. THEY'VE GOT TO KNOW WHEN THEY PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. IT'S WORDED WHERE EVERYBODY CAN UNDERSTAND IT. WELL, THAT WAS WHAT I THINK. I MISSED THIS RIGHT HERE WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES, WITH THEIR TAX, THEIR PROPERTY. THIS DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT. THIS IS JUST THE COUNTY TAX. THIS MONEY WOULD NOT GO TOWARDS WEST POINT. AND OH, THAT'S WHY IT'S NO IT'S A CITY RESIDENCE FOR THE COUNTY PORTION. I'M TALKING ABOUT LIKE WEST POINT AND HOGANSVILLE. HAVE A SEAT. IT WOULD NOT GET A SPLIT. THEY DON'T GET IT. THEY. OKAY. THEY COULD IMPLEMENT THEIR OWN WITHIN THEIR CITY LIMITS. YEAH, [01:15:01] THEY COULD DO THEIR OWN. YEAH. THEY COULD VOTE ON THEIR PENNY THAT THEY, THEY COULD ADD THEIR SO THAT THIS LEGISLATION WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT ALSO. YEAH. IF THEY WANT TO DO WITH IT AND THEN THEY'RE IN WITHIN THEIR CITY, THEY CAN DO THAT. SO CITY HOGANSVILLE OR WEST POINT COULD VOTE THEIR OWN FOR THAT SYSTEM CANNOT. YEAH. I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NOT GOING TO AFFECT SCHOOL TAXES. SO FOR ME PERSONALLY, IT'S ROUGHLY $2,600 OFF MY TAX BILL FOR MY COUNTY TAX. BUT WHATEVER I'M USED TO PAYING FOR SCHOOL TAX WILL STILL BE OVER. THERE WILL BE FROZEN. WHEN THIS IS SIGNED. IT WILL BE FROZEN ON YOUR 25 ASSESSED VALUE, RIGHT? SO ANYTHING GROWTH AND VALUES FROM ON HOMESTEADED PROPERTIES WILL GET AN EXEMPTION FROM HERE ON AN EXEMPTION ON THE COUNTY UNLESS YOU RENOVATE ADD AN ADDITION, COMBINE PROPERTIES, SPLIT PROPERTIES, THEN IT ALL CHANGES. SO WHAT'S IT GOING TO YOU SAY HOMESTEAD? IS THERE A LIMIT TO THE LIKE A HOUSE AND FIVE ACRES HOUSE AND FOUR ACRES? WHAT THEY WERE NOT THERE WAS NOT. I DO BELIEVE IF I GO BACK AND READ IT, IT'S A FIVE ACRE PARCEL, JUST LIKE THE HB 581 IS. BUT UNTIL WE GET THE REGULATIONS AND WHAT THEY'RE DISCUSSING, THE LAST LANGUAGE THAT I READ IS DOING NOW HOUSE PLUS FIVE ACRES IS WHAT IT SAID. THEY WANTED TO STAY WITH 581 TO MAKE SURE IT WAS UNIFORM, BUT I SAID, WE'RE GOING TO BE TRACKING TWO BASES NOW. EVERY HOMESTEADED PROPERTY WILL HAVE A 2024 BASE VALUE FOR THE COUNTY TAXES, AND IN 2025, BASE VALUE FOR THEIR SCHOOL TAXES. BUT IT'S A IT'S A HUGE CHANGE. AND SINCE I THREW THE EXAMPLE OF MY OWN PERSONAL TAX, LET ME JUST GO BACK BECAUSE I HAD TO GRAB THIS TOO. SO IN 2027, IF MY NORMAL COUNTY TAX WAS $2,600, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE ABOUT $1,300 IN 2027. YES, SIR. WHATEVER'S FOR MY FIRST YEAR AND THEN THE SECOND YEAR, 2028 IS WHEN IT HOPEFULLY GO, I MEAN, TO GO TO THE FULL AMOUNT. THE ANTICIPATED IS THAT 47 WILL REPLACE THAT INCOME IS HOW IT'S ANTICIPATED TO REPLACE THAT INCOME TAX COMMISSIONERS WILL ACTUALLY PUT THAT ON THEIR TAX BILL. ONCE THOSE COLLECTIONS ARE MADE. TIM, TIM AND DAN, LAST YEAR WHEN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OPTED OUT, NOW THEY GOT AN OPT IN. IS THERE GOING TO BE A REDUCTION ON THAT SIDE ON THE SCHOOL? IT STAY THE SAME. IT STAYS THE SAME. THAT'S WHY WE GOTTA TRACK TWO BASES. OKAY. IT'S AN EXTRA ON OUR SIDE, BUT THEY'LL BE INCLUDED IN THE IN THE NEW ARBITRARY CPI. CORRECT. THAT IS CORRECT. SO LIKE THIS YEAR WE WERE HELD AT 2.88%. RIGHT. IS THAT RIGHT. CPI THIS YEAR THE REVENUE COMMISSIONER APPROVED WAS 2.7 THE PREVIOUS REVENUE COMMISSIONER NOT THE CURRENT ONE BUT 2.71% IS THE CPI, WHICH GOES NOT ON YOUR VALUATION, BUT IT GOES ON YOUR TAX SIDE. RIGHT. SO YOU HAVE AN EXEMPTION ON THE TAX SIDE LAST YEAR THAT FOR THE COUNTY. WELL THAT EXEMPTION DROPPED 2.71% FOR TAX BILLS THIS YEAR. SO YOUR VALUATION IS NOT CHANGED BY 2.7%. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE VALUE SIDE OF IT. IT'S ON THE COLLECTION SIDE. SO IF YOU HAD AN EXEMPTION THEN THAT CHANGED. BUT ALL EXEMPTIONS WERE ADJUSTED BY 2.71%. SO SONYA AND YOUR FIGURES, ARE YOU FIGURING THE 2.71%. YEAH. WITH THESE NUMBERS SHE IS. BUT SHE'S ALSO CONSIDERING THAT ONLY THAT'S ONLY THE HOMESTEAD PROPERTY. RIGHT. SHE'S ALSO ATTRIBUTING ALL OF THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL. SO THE TOTAL IS LIKE 3.8%. I THINK WE'RE 3.85% GROWTH BEFORE RENEE WENT OUT ON MEDICAL LEAVE. AND SHE'LL BE BACK IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND WE CAN UPDATE THOSE NUMBERS. BUT THAT REVENUE YOU'RE ALREADY FIGURING INTO THESE NUMBERS YOU GAVE US? YES. WAS THEIR RECOMMENDATION GOING BY. GOTCHA. THAT WAS OUR VERY FIRST PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATION. DO WE KNOW HOW THAT AFFECTED OUR BUDGET, OUR REVENUES FOR THIS YEAR SINCE WE OPTED IN LAST YEAR? I HAVEN'T LOOKED I CAN REVIEW THAT. I MEAN, IT'D BE VERY INTERESTING TO KNOW WHEN THE ACTION THAT WE TOOK LAST YEAR, HOW MUCH IT REDUCED OUR OUR INCOME THIS YEAR. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, I WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL REMEMBER KIND OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WAS LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE BUDGET TO SPEND. AND SO WE CERTAINLY CAN THINK ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, CERTAINLY PROBABLY THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE AT THE END OF THE YEAR AVAILABLE TO SPEND ON OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE DO THIS YEAR. SO I THOUGHT I'LL LOOK BACK AND I MEAN, WE HAD YEARS WHERE WE HAD 12% GROWTH OVER PREVIOUS YEARS. AND SO CERTAINLY AND THAT'S OF COURSE, THAT'S THE THAT'S THE IDEA IS TO TRY TO PROVIDE A LONG, STEADY. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THESE HUGE DIPS IN THE TAX BASE, ESPECIALLY FOR HOMES AND PROPERTIES. CORRECT. AND WE HAVE AS WE SAID, WE HAD 12 YEARS, I MEAN SEVERAL YEARS AT 12% GROWTH. THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 3.8. WE LOOK TO STAY UNDER FIVE AS OUR THOUGHTS FOR THIS YEAR. AND THAT'S ON THE SALES OF WHAT SALES ARE DOING. THE CONSTRUCTION STILL THERE. WE HAD OUR LARGEST YEAR EVER CONSTRUCTIONS IN TROUP COUNTY, AND THE VALUES ARE STARTING TO FLATTEN OUT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU SIR. APPRECIATE IT. CONGRATULATIONS. [01:20:09] YEAH. I MEAN, LISTEN, NOW THAT DAN IS OUR NEW CHIEF APPRAISER. SO YOU'VE BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT HOW MANY YEARS? SIX. 17 YEARS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GOT A NEW TARGET ON YOUR BACK. DID YOU JOIN THE GROUP? ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, SO FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S AGENDA, WE HAVE AN [6. Consideration of April 21, 2026 5:00 p.m. Board Meeting Agenda (Eric Mosley)] INVOCATION FROM REVEREND JOHNNY FREEMAN FROM FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH ON FANNIN STREET. WE HAVE UNDER SPECIAL BUSINESS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE USTA GEORGIA FACILITIES GRANT, CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FEE SCHEDULE CONSIDERATION. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REQUEST TO PURCHASE CARDIAC MONITORS. WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE ADAMS ROAD CLOSURE AND TAKING A VOTE. AND THEN UNDER PUBLIC HEARING WE HAVE THREE ITEMS. FIRST IS THE TEXT AMENDMENT FOR THE TELECOMMUNICATION ANTENNAS AND TOWERS. ITEM TWO IS CONSIDERATION OF TEXT AMENDMENT TO UPDATE THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE, AND ITEM THREE IS THE TEXT AMENDMENT. FINAL DRAFT FOR THE DATA CENTER AND CRYPTOCURRENCIES OR DATA MINING FACILITIES. AND THAT IS CURRENTLY ALL THAT'S ON THIS AFTERNOON'S AGENDA, RIGHT? NOTHING ELSE. THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH FOR TAKING YOUR TIME. AND Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD REST OF THE DAY. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.