Review of Peachtree Corners Council Meeting - July 24

City Council lifts the moratorium on business
permits, licenses, etc.

The meeting started at 7:30 PM and did not adjourn until nearly 10:00.  Alex Wright was the only councilperson who did not make the meeting.  About 20 or so people made up the audience.  There were a lot of tedious items on the agenda.  A team of lawyers were present to go over amendments to the zoning ordinance, the sign ordinance, the Intergovernmental Agreement with Gwinnett, the contract with a zoning liaison, and the moratorium on building permits.  One businessman spoke during the public comments period about his need for a the last of his permits so he could open his new restaurant. He expressed frustrations at being stymied by the moratorium.  The mayor, after telling the man that he was not supposed to respond, responded to let the man know that the moratorium was on the evening's agenda.


The highlights of the meeting included the lifting of the moratorium on building permits, business licenses, etc. that have been frozen since May 1.  Everyone in the room was excited to see this business stifling moratorium lifted.  It is expected that the county will begin processing permits on behalf of the city today.


The other major item was the introduction and distribution of an application to be on the Zoning Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals.  The Mayor assured the audience that zoning would be done differently than in other cities.  The commission and appeals board are not to be political appointments but rather a citizen panel of qualified people with the best interest of the city at heart.  The Mayor promised broad representation from across Peachtree Corners.  The application is due on August 4th.  Click Here to download a copy.


The very last thing addressed by the council was a matter of litigation.  Apparently, a billboard company wanted to install a billboard on Peachtree Parkway near the Forum and is suing Gwinnett for some supposed procedural violation due to the moratorium.  I will not pretend to understand the legalese involved.  Bottom line is that the city has retained legal counsel to assist in dealing with this pending lawsuit.


Most of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing phrases and wording in various ordinances and agreements.  The council and lawyers tweaked little phrases and parts of ordinances in use at Gwinnett before they were adopted by the city.  It was detailed and tedious.

Peachtree Corners Detailed Budget Proposal

The proposed budget for Peachtree Corners fiscal 2013 is now available.  Click here to review the budget and see how the council plans to spend $2.7 million of your money.  


The next 3 council meetings: June 14, June 19, and June 26 are all expected to deal with the budget, expenses, and proposed taxes to fund it all.  Please come to all the meetings you can.  They are held at the YMCA at 7:30 PM.

Review of June 5 Peachtree Corners City Council Meeting

The Peachtree Corners City Council met Tuesday night, sans Post 1 councilman Phil Sadd. This is the third or fourth meeting he has missed, and we're not even a city yet...Doesn't bode well for District 1.

There were about 30 residents in attendance.  Also present were city clerk Joan Jones, consultant John Kachmar and city attorney Bill Riley and his assistant.

No residents made any public comments, although there was an opportunity to do so. The mayor introduced the city's new 'comment card' which the public will fill out beforehand and then the mayor will call on you...the card includes your name and address and the purpose/ subject of your comment. He explained this is for keeping track of comments for 'open records' purposes.

Next item - the council accepted the invitation to join the Georgia Municipal Association free of charge. Normally, membership would cost approximately $10,000 for a city our size but the GMA offered to waive the first year dues.  Jay Lowe stipulated that they would agree to first year free, but any subsequent years would need to be voted on before committing monies to join. The rest of the council agreed with Jay.

The first and main agenda item was a presentation on call centers from Kirsten, a '311' expert from CH2MHill...The presentation lasted about 40 minutes and it was obvious from the reactions of the council and the residents that it was overkill. She made the presentation based upon her experience running the call centers for Sandy Springs and Johns Creek (big surprise there!) and didn't seem to grasp the concept of 'limited services city'.  During the discussion after the presentation, under pressure from Alex Wright and Jay Lowe, consultant Kachmar finally conceded that CH2MHill's solution would likely cost the city about $150,000/ yr.  Even the mayor seemed a little taken aback at the size of the number.  It also pretty much killed the call center discussion for now.

Next item - consultant  Kachmar updated the council on the search for a city manager, saying they had received 48 resumes so far, many from out of state candidates.

Next item - city hall...the council have visited several sites and had basically narrowed it down to two locations, both in Tech Park.  One site has approx 5000 sq ft of space, and would need a bit of 'build out' to accommodate the council, staff and meeting areas...because of that, the 'rent' would be approx $20/ sq ft.  Site 2 has approx 8000 sq ft of space, but is already configured in a manner such that it requires little build out to meet needs, has better access and infrastructure and is available for $14/ sq ft.  The Council decided on site 2, even though it is a little larger than needed.  The attorney and consultant suggested that the council give the okay for them to negotiate the best deal and authorize the mayor to sign what they present.  Alex Wright and Jeanne Aulbach objected, and the council agreed that they should review any lease proposal prior to the mayor signing it.  Good call on their part.

Next item - The council adopted a fiscal yr to run from July 1st thru June 30.

Last item - The council adopted a set schedule for council meetings, effective June 19th, which will announce the schedule for the next few months...the reasons for this were:

• cheaper to put out one announcement now, instead of a new one every week,
• can always cancel a meeting if not needed,
• eliminates the 'problem' they ran into last week where they couldn’t amend the agenda to allow public comment. 

Meeting adjourned approx 9:15.

May 22 City Council Meeting: A Bait and Switch?

The City Council met Tuesday night to receive updates from the two consultants the council has hired to help set up the city.  John McDonough, current Sandy Springs city manager, and John Kachmar, current Johns Creek city manager, took the council through the agenda: 

• Search for City Hall Office Space 
• Request for Proposal (RFP) for Banking Services
• Review of Legal Requirements and Timeline for Ad Valorem Tax Billing and Collection
• Organizational Structure of the City
• Neighborhood and Business Response Center Services 

The most enlightening and alarming item discussed  was the Organizational Structure agenda item.  The consultants provided a draft/sample budget for what it will cost to run the city.  Given the size of the staff and the services expected, they are estimating $2,869,225 to run the city.  This is nearly FOUR times the cost estimate in the Carl Vinson study touted by the Vote Yes group and State Senator and city sponsor Tom Rice during the cityhood campaign.  Alex Wright, Post 3, was visibly baffled by the idea that the two estimates were not even on the same planet.  Mayor Mason, a major player in the Vote Yes campaign, dismissed the study just short of rolling his eyes at the idea that anyone would believe it.  He said that The Carl Vinson study is not a budget it is just a feasibility study.  It was for Tom Rice and the legislature and not meant to determine the cost to run the city. 

Mr. Wright questioned the consultants throughout the tax and budget presentation.  The consultants recommended building up large reserves and contingency funds to which Mr. Wright responded, “It is against my personal philosophy to build up large reserves. I want to prevent government waste.”  The consultants scoffed at the idea that any waste would occur in government.  

At the current $2.8 million cost estimate, the city will need the full 1 mil in taxes allowed by the Charter.  All the Vote Yes promises that property taxes probably would not be needed at all to cover the expenses of the city are so quickly up in political campaign smoke.  The city council must vote on the exact level of millage that property owners will pay.  Before the vote, the council must advertise the millage rate under consideration and hold 3 meetings for the public to comment before the vote.  The consultants recommend advertising the full millage allowed by the Charter.  Councilman Wright seemed to bristle at the idea that so much would be needed given the Carl Vinson study.  The consultants assured him that it was the conservative and responsible way to go about it and their later budget discussion showed why.  The advertisement will occur on June 21.  The first hearing will be the morning of July 2, the second at 6:30 PM July 2^nd, and the final meeting and vote on July 9^th at 7:30 PM.

During this discussion, Mr. Kachmar let it be known that the councilpersons and mayor are not required to attend the hearings on the 2^nd.  They may assign staff to take down public comments.  The PCBC is greatly disturbed by the suggestion that our elected officials would delegate listening to their constituents to hired staff and consultants rather than be present themselves and hope that they all reject this suggestion.

We also hope Mr. Wright sticks to his guns on expenses and taxes.  We hope he recruits some other council-members to stand firm against the mayor and the consultants on dismissing the Carl Vinson study, absorbing the full one mil in available taxes, and on stockpiling massive amounts of money for “rainy days” and nebulous “community investment projects”.  

Other items covered in the meeting:

The consultants presented a list of properties for the council to consider renting.  They reviewed their evaluation criteria.  4 of the 5 properties are in Tech Park.  They expect to make a final recommendation at next week’s meeting.

The RFP for city banking services was provided.  Councilman Weare Gratwick, At Large Post 6, excused himself and left the room during the discussion.  Mr. Gratwick works for a bank and wanted to avoid any accusation of impropriety or undue influence on the council discussions.  The RFP will be released in the coming days.  Ms. Jeanne Aulbach, Councilperson At Large Post 4, will serve on the RFP evaluation team with the consultants and lawyer.

They ended the session with a rushed discussion of a call center to respond to citizen inquiries.  The YMCA was shutting its doors so the council was instructed to think about the kind of services they want to provide and what a call center might do for a later discussion.

Councilpersons in attendance: Jay Lowe - Post 2; Alex Wright – Post 3; Jeanne Aulbach – Post 4; Lorri Christopher – Post 5; Weare Gratwick – Post 6; Mike Mason – Mayor.  Phil Sadd – Post 1 was not in attendance.

Review of the 5-1-12 Peachtree Corners City Council Meeting

The Peachtree Corners City Council had a special “called” meeting yesterday at 11:00 AM at the Peachtree Corners YMCA.  There was only one major item on the agenda: Whether to submit a request to the County for a moratorium on all permitting, zoning applications, business licenses etc.  

The lawyer – Bill Riley - laid out the argument that there is often a rush to the county for permits before a new city takes over.  He argued that folks will get caught having started the process under the county and may have to finish under the city causing confusion.  He recounted stories of troubles between Johns Creek and Fulton County.  Specifically that the county collected permit and inspection fees, but the city had to do the work because of the timing of the takeover.  That work had to be done without the funding because the county refused to turn over the money collected.  Although he says he does not anticipate any issues with Gwinnett officials, he is seeking to avoid this transition trouble through the moratorium.  In addition, he cautioned that without the moratorium, adult bookstores, massage parlors, etc. often try to slip into the area, believing that the county process will be easier than any new city process is likely to be.  

The councilpersons asked some good questions.  Wright, Aulbach, Lowe, and to a lesser extent Christopher and Gratwick all challenged the lawyer on the implications of doing nothing, the burden on businesses unable to get a license during the moratorium, etc.  Phil Sadd was not at the meeting.  The mayor had no questions for the attorney.  The discussion went on for a bout 25-30 minutes before the council was satisfied and voted to approve the request to the County.

Overall, I was satisfied with how the council handled this meeting.  The questions they asked were in my mind as well. I was pleased to see them challenge the lawyer’s recommendation, require examples of when the worst happened in reality, and explore the implications and burdens on residents and businesses that the moratorium may cause.

My dissatisfaction all centers on the speed that the meeting was called.  Most of us had only about 12 hours notice that it would occur.  It gave off the impression of a rushed, “secret” meeting, held at a time when most folks work and cannot attend.  The meetings are supposed to be announced in the Gwinnett Daily Post in advance.  The acting city clerk assured me that she contacted The Post last week.  Myself and others in attendance let her know that we were unable to locate that announcement, finding out through The Peachtree Corners Patch instead.  She promised to investigate the issue.

I talked to a couple of the councilpersons afterward, spending quite a bit of time with Jeanne Aulbach, Post 4.  I let her know that I felt this meeting ran better than the first one because we saw the council explore the implications of the issue before them.  They challenged the guidance they were getting to ensure it was sound and as many sides were examined as possible.  The last meeting was a series of approvals and hires without any feeling that due diligence had been done.  Those of us attending the meetings expect to see our council really engage and vet the issues, but it appeared they simply abdicated their responsibility to a contingent of Johns Creek bureaucrats.  Ms. Aulbach promised to do more to communicate with her constituents – which includes everyone in Peachtree Corners – so we see the due diligence happen and can better understand the trade-offs and ultimate decisions reached.  

Review of First City Council Meeting for Peachtree Corners

Well the first City of Peachtree Corners city council meeting is in the history books...and all I can say is “buckle up, it looks like its going to be a bumpy ride.”

Apparently the new mayor believes that any dialogue between the council and the citizenry should occur somewhere other than the council chambers. As he explained to one citizen who asked a question during the only ‘public comment’  period (before any city business was introduced)-  the plan is to have a few minutes at the beginning of each council meeting for citizens to approach the microphone and comment on the subject of their desire. The mayor made it clear he does not intend to engage in a conversation with anyone during this period, he will just nod his head, thank you for your input and move on to the next person. This policy needs to change. The mayor claims this is how ‘they’ do it, alluding to the cities of Johns Creek and Dunwoody. A check of both those cities websites reveals that their council meetings include public comment sections both before and after city business is introduced. 

Then the council gets down to business. The mayor taps his gavel and asks the new interim city clerk "what’s next?" The clerk reads the next point of order, the mayor asks the council for their comments or questions, asks for yea votes and nay votes, taps the gavel again and says "the motion is passed". Repeat that scenario as often as the agenda dictates.

I spoke to one councilman after the meeting and voiced my displeasure with the idea that the mayor and council were just going to sit up there and 'proclaim' things without any public input. I was informed that 'most of the actual work' is done in work sessions which are open to the public. The meeting is just a formality. But then he goofed and admitted that there wouldn’t be any public input at the work sessions either.

Am I the only one who remembers the council candidates talking about how accessible they would be during the campaign? How they would listen to their constituents? Some even posted on our fb page that issues would be open to public comment for 30 days before the council would vote on them.

For those of you who didn’t attend the meeting, there are a few things you might like to know. Despite the fact your new city isn’t even a legal entity for 73 more days:

• You already have an attorney on the city payroll. You don’t know anything about him, or his compensation package.

• You have a city clerk on the city payroll. You don’t know anything about her, or her compensation package.

• You have an executive search firm on the city payroll, trying to hire a city manager. You don’t know anything about the search firm, or their fee structure.

• You have hired a 'facilitator' to assist with developing a long and short term strategic plan for the city. You know nothing about this 'facilitator', or his salary.

• You have purchased an insurance policy to protect the mayor and council, presumably from the consequences of any bad decisions they make. You don’t know anything about the coverage terms, or the cost of the policy.

The one thing we do know about our new city attorney, city clerk, city consultant, and facilitator is that they are all currently employees of the City of Johns Creek. We hired the whole bunch of them.

We thought we elected a mayor and a city council. Apparently what we got was a Czar and his ruling cabal...or perhaps a puppet regime of the bureaucrats of John’s Creek.

Peachtree Corners Finalizes the City Council - Looking Ahead

Yesterday's run-off finalized the last 4 contested seats for the inaugural city council of Peachtree Corners.  Turnout was very low with less than 12% of voters going to the polls.  Here is the new city council:


Phil Sadd will represent the geography of District 1
Jay Lowe will represent the geography of District 2
Alex Wright will represent the geography of District 3
Jeanne Aulbach will represent Post 4 At-Large
Lorri Christopher will represent Post 5 At-Large
Weare Gratwick will represent Post 6 At-Large


These six folks join mayor Mike Mason in the task of setting up the new city.  They will implement the 3 services proclaimed in the city charter: Code Enforcement, Zoning, and Trash Collection.  In addition, this council is challenged to settle a border dispute with Berkeley Lake, hire a city manager and other employees, procure office space, enter into vendor contracts, etc.


With so few voters turning out in this and the last election, the new council hardly has a strong mandate for sweeping action.  We expect that the members will act carefully and cautiously before committing the city and its tax payers to irrevocable, long-term obligations.  The council has been granted great power over many by very few.  They have the power to make taxes, code enforcement, fees, etc. a burden on citizens.  They should wield that power very delicately.  


The role of the Peachtree Corners Ballot Committee will continue to be as a watch dog of the new city government.  We will work to hold our new officials to the promises made in the campaign for city hood and their campaigns for city council.  We want to ensure that Peachtree Corners sticks to the promise of "city-lite".  This city was proclaimed to be something unique among governments - forever small, unobtrusive, and inexpensive.  We will be holding you to it.