Town Council Meeting Minutes - February 13, 2023
/The Gilbert Town Council met on Monday, February 13, 2023, with Mayor John Reeder and Councilmembers Pat Carson, Nancy Harmon, Cory Rish and Mark Sanders present. Guests present were Deputy Joshua Boozer, Planning Commission Chairman Kyle Miller, and Mr. Fred Taylor.
Mayor Reeder welcomed everyone and asked Councilman Sanders to lead in prayer. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
COMMUNITY INPUT – Mr. Fred Taylor presented a quote he had gotten several years ago for some additional oak trees for Rikard Circle beyond where they currently end.. He said he had hoped Mr. McLeod would be present to discuss this because he had recently talked with him and he has some that are nearing maturity. He thought this might be a good addition to the beautification of the town.
Mr. Taylor also mentioned that Mr. Al Eades had passed away and he was a member of the elections committee and worked with the Friends of the Library.
MINUTES – Councilmember Harmon made a motion to approve the January minutes as distributed. Councilman Rish seconded the motion and it carried.
FINANCIAL REPORT – Mrs. Derrick distributed the financial report and it was accepted as information.
UPDATES:
ROADS –Councilman Carson stated someone has repaired some of the sidewalks. Councilman Rish stated he saw there were some grants we might be able to get to assist with these. Councilman Carson will work on requesting C-Funds from the County for this.
UTILITIES – Councilman Rish stated there is nothing to report.
BEAUTIFICATION/LANDSCAPING - Councilmember Harmon stated that she, Mayor Reeder and Mr. Kyle Miller met with Mr. McLeod at his business and they saw a preview of his designer’s recommendations for Magnolia Square. She did not understand exactly what the town wants. Mr. McLeod and his designer will work on the plans further and make additional presentations. Councilmember Harmon stated these are on hold for now. Mr. Miller stated he particularly like their recommendation for an overhang around the bank building and they have plans for near the railroad tracks as well. Councilmember Harmon again expressed her concerns regarding the front beds at the post office. She has again asked if they can get something done related to the beds. Mayor Reeder stated he will contact Senator Wilson about this and ask if he can assist the town with this request.
MAINTENANCE – Councilman Sanders stated he must get a new quote on the mower because the other one was over 30 days old. With the state percentage being taken from the regular price, the cost of the mower will be a little over $14,000. Councilman Carson made a motion to purchase the new mower at a cost not to exceed $17,000. Councilman Sanders seconded the motion and it carried. Mayor Reeder stated we had received notice from Rogers Property Management on the greenhouse and they had several concerns. The list will be given to Mr. Harold Taylor. Councilman Sanders stated Ms. Williams at the Salon had misunderstood about the increase in the amount of the rental. This was explained and she is good with that.
Councilman Sanders stated he had heard the Governor give the teachers a $2,500 bonus and he would like to see the town give Mr. Harold Taylor a bonus for his working through COVID and for being a very good employee. He recommended Council go into Executive Session to discuss this.
ZONING & PLANNING – Chairman Miller stated the Planning Commission elected new officers at their last meeting and they are: Chairman Kyle Miller, Vice Chairman Fred Taylor, and Secretary Tommy Cannon. Mrs. Edna Hite will serve on the Commission another three years. Chairman Miller stated the owner of the concrete plant property is trying to sell this and they want to subdivide the property. They are working on this and they met with the Planning Commission and discussed exactly what is needed for this to happen. They stated everything needs to be done at one time. Chairman Miller stated they have lots to do before this can be accomplished.
Mr. Fred Taylor asked about the proposed placement of the new sign and stated if it is placed where the flags are currently posted, it will be very hard to see. Council was asked to look at this and make recommendation. Councilmember Harmon stated we really need to purchase the quality sign.
Mayor Reeder stated Council would like a report monthly on what Zoning Administrator Garcia is doing each month. Mr. Fred Taylor stated Mr. Garcia reports to the Planning Commission and not Council because of the separation of duties. This is also covered in the Zoning Ordinances. Mr. Taylor stated he had talked with Mr. and Mr. Brian Smith about serving on the Planning Commission and Mr. Smith is interested. Councilmember Harmon made a motion to offer the seat on the Planning Commission to Mr. Brian Smith. Councilman Carson seconded the motion and it carried. Mayor Reeder will contact Mr. Smith regarding this. Mrs. Derrick stated Mr. Shacker had indicated his orientation training can be done on line.
RESIDENT DEPUTY – Deputy Boozer stated they had a very good turnout for the Community Crime Watch. The next meeting will be March 16 at 7:00 at First Baptist Church. He also stated there had been a break-in at the old school by juveniles and they were identified and have been charged. There is also vandalizing being done in the park, but these individuals have not yet been identified. Councilmember Harmon stated a representative from SLED came to her house to notify her they would be doing training at the school where shots would be fired but they would only be using blanks and she appreciated their contact regarding this.
DEPOT – Councilmember Harmon stated Mrs. Fouste had knee replacement surgery and the Depot was not open in February. Mrs. Fouste wants to continue the same schedule for the opening of the Depot. Councilmember Harmon stated she gave Mrs. Fouste Mr. Amick’s name and number so they can talk about a sign for the Depot park.
OLD BUSINESS:
POLE DECORATIONS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS SIGN: Mrs. Derrick presented the quote for 10 holly leaf pole decorations and a Merry Christmas sign. There was discussion on the size of the sign and it was decided to get the larger sign. Councilmember Harmon made a motion to order 10 holly leaf pole decorations and the Merry Christmas sign at a total cost of $9,231.43. Councilman Sanders seconded the motion and it carried.
NEW LAWN MOWER: Already discussed.
TOWN BEAUTIFICATION MEETING RESULTS: Already discussed.
NEW BUSINESS:
ACQUIRING PERMIT FOR OLD BANK PROPERTY TO BEGIN RENOVATIONS: Mayor Reeder stated the county will not issue a permit on the renovation without a plan. He presented a drawing to Council and stated this will include removing one of the walls. Councilman Sanders made a motion to present this drawing to the county for plans on the renovation. Councilman Rish seconded the motion and it carried. Mayor Reeder stated an engineer must draw the plans for the open structure and he is working on getting this done.
ADDRESS PROPERTY RESTRICTIONS TO CHANGE CITY ORDINANCES: Mayor Reeder stated he wanted to pursue changing to the required acreage for a new home. Mr. Fred Taylor stated this will need to be referred to the Planning Commission to review and make a recommendation to Council. He further stated this will require a public hearing. Councilmember Harmon made a motion to refer the question related to lot size in Residential I, II, and III to the Planning Commission for their review and recommendation. Councilman Sanders seconded the motion and it carried.
ZONING AND PLANNING REPORTS AND MINUTES ISSUES: Mayor Reeder stated he would like Council to go into Executive Session to discuss this.
ELECTION COMMITTEE REPORT: Chairman Fred Taylor explained that Lexington County runs our election. Our method of election is plurality and a person can win if he gets one vote more than the other persons on the ballot. This is a concern of the Committee and other residents. He explained that the Committee consists of Mrs. Magan Jaco, Mrs. Frances Price, and himself. The Committee’s recommendation is to go to the majority method. He stated this may cause us to have runoffs but they feel this is a better method. He stated Gilbert is one of the last towns to go to this method. Councilman Sanders asked for a 30-day period to allow Council to review this.
OTHER BUSINESS: Councilman Carson recommended that Council allow Deputy Boozer to give his information earlier in the meeting in case he would want to leave rather than sit through a meeting. Council felt this would be fine.
Council went into Executive Session. Upon coming out of Executive Session, Councilman Sanders made a motion to give Mr. Harold Taylor a $5,000 bonus. Councilman Carson seconded the motion and it carried.
Councilman Sanders made a motion to ask for a report from Chairman Miller on the duties performed each month by Zoning Administrator Garcia and to ask for a copy of the minutes from their quarterly meeting. Councilman Carson seconded the motion and it carried.
There being no further business, Councilman Sanders made a motion to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
JoAnn Derrick, Clerk/Treasurer