My "Newbie" visit to a Snellville City Council Meeting

I know it's hard to believe that tonight was my first attendance at a Snellville City Hall meeting. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that. I have been wanting to attend a council meeting for quite some time.  To my surprise, my teenage daughter wanted to go with me.
It could be she wanted to see how city government works, or it could have just been that she wanted to shop for make-up before the meeting. Whatever inspired her, it worked out well for both of us.

The information covered in the meeting can seem very boring if you aren't acquainted with the issues. I think as you become more aware of what's going on, it will get more interesting. At least, that's what I told my daughter on the way home, when she confessed that she almost nodded off several times during the meeting.

The meeting opened with a moment of silent meditation. We then pledged allegiance to the U.S. flag.

Jimmy Norton spoke on behalf of the Snellville Downtown Development Authority/Evermore CID.
Mr. Norton stated that the Evermore Community Improvement District (CID) would like some of their projects presented through the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce's Partnership Gwinnett to advance the development on Wisteria Drive. Council Member Tom Witts commented that he "would like to see the DDA meet at least 1 time per month and be more proactive - especially on Snellville Oaks, to get the city up and running again." By "Snellville Oaks," Mr. Witts meant the Snellville Oaks shopping center. Witts recommended that the DDA set up specific meeting times and dates to "put great minds together."  Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer stated that "the Snellville Oaks development is one of the top 10 sites for redevelopment."

Don Britt was scheduled to speak report on the Snellville Tourism and Trade Association (STAT), but due to illness, his presentation has been postponed until August 23rd's Council Meeting.

Rob Woodall, Republican candidate for the 7th Congressional District was in attendance as an invited guest. He was introduced by Mayor Oberholtzer. Mr. Woodall said a few gracious words. Everyone was encouraged to remember to vote tomorrow.

Ida Graham of the Snellville Planning Commission spoke regarding a rezoning request (RZ 10-06) which if approved, would allow for the property at 1580 Janmar Road to be amended from OP (Office Professional) to BG (Business, General) and property at 1575 Scenic Highway to be developed as "Shopping Center with Retail and Restaurant Uses." Ms. Graham said the Scenic Hwy property is the old location of the Ford dealership that has been closed for four years, and that the Janmar Road property is where the Home Depot Garden Center was that has been closed for two years. Ms. Graham said that she felt that the Planning Commission had open communication with the property owners who sought the change in zoning, and that the property owners were responsive to the Planning Commission's concerns. Ms. Graham said the Planning Commission had had some discussion with the developers about inter-parcel access between the Chick-Fil-A and All Seasons Car Wash on Scenic Highway. Ida Graham said the Planning Commission was 6-0 in favor of what was requested. Ms. Graham ended her report by making a personal request that the Snellville City Council meet with the Planning Commission so they could communicate more easily and better understand each other. Mayor Oberholtzer presented a motion in favor of a 'training session' with the Planning Commission.

Ms. Ida C. Graham ended her report by stating that in any goal, as well as city planning, you need to:

• Know where you are going
• Figure out how you're going to get there
• Calculate how much it will cost for the ride
• Make sure we don't step on anybody's toes as we go

Gaye Johnson of the Snellville Public Works Department had a wonderful presentation with photos to show the status of the storm water drainage projects in Snellville. Some have been completed, so we were treated to before & after photos of the work. Other photos were shown to illustrate the drainage projects that still need to be done on Hidden Forest Drive, Chaparral Drive, Vine Street, Skyland Glen, Summit Links Court, Ravenwood and Summit Chase. Different companies who provided lowest bids were awarded the work contracts. Ms. Johnson introduced members of the Public Works staff, and shared their job duties. It's really amazing all the work that gets done around Snellville by the small amount of staff (more later on this!) Mike Sabbagh asked Ms. Johnson about the longevity of the materials used in the drainage systems. Ms. Johnson answered that the pipes are concrete, so they should last for many years.  Council Member Tod Warner praised and expressed his appreciation to the whole Public Works team for the great job they do for Snellville.

Ethics was a hot topic at tonight's meeting. As I understand it, the Gwinnett Municipal Association (GMA) has a stamp of approval they give to a city by calling it a "City of Ethics Standards."  It's believed that the GMA likes cities to have an Ethics Ordinance, but nobody's seen or heard anything demanding that Snellville have an Ethics Ordinance to continue to be considered a "City of Ethics."  Council Member Kelly Kautz said that she brought the Ethics Ordinance idea to City Council about 4 months ago. She is in favor of it. Council Member Tom Witts stated that he felt the Ethics Ordinance would turn into a game of "political one-up-man-ship," because when a citizen had a complaint against the Mayor or Council, said citizen would have to place a complaint with the Council itself. If the Council was one-sided, then the ethics complaint would fall on deaf ears. Such a system would inevitably erode citizen's faith in local government. Witts contended that the Ethics Ordinance would end up as a political thing, not an ethical benefit, because elected officials would still have the final say. In his opinion, the Ethics Ordinance would not serve in the best interests of elected officials, citizens or the council. Ms. Kautz expressed some irritation toward Witts, saying, "I'm surprised..." She said that the Ethics Ordinance was discussed during the Council's Work Session previous to the City Council meeting and that Witt didn't make those complaints then. Perhaps Councilman Witts wanted all his words to go on the official city record.In the end, Kautz asked for her request for the Ethics Ordinance to be tabled until she could ensure that everyone on the Board had received some information was concerned she had forgotten to share by e-mail.

Bonus Humor Point: Mayor Oberholtzer repeatedly referred to Kelly Kautz as Ms. Couch.
I am easily entertained.

Well, that's my 'take' on tonight's Snellville City Council meeting. You should come to a Snellville Council meeting, and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts about the progress of Snellville! The next Snellville City Council meeting is August 23, 2010 at 7:30 pm in Snellville City Hall. Get involved with Snellville! For more important dates, see the City of Snellville's Calendar.