Franklin Aldermen 08-05-2013

The Franklin Town Board of Aldermen met Monday night. The meeting lasted an hour and 44 minutes and gavel to gavel video coverage is posted below.


I also posted a play by play of the proceedings as they happened and have posted a copy at the end of this article, or you can see them on Google Plus.

MEDIA ROLL CALL 
(presented, in part, to keep the local press accountable, and also because this board no longer records in their minutes which media organizations are present during the meetings)

•Macon Media (me)
•The Franklin Press (two reporters)
•WFSC-AM/WNCC-FM
•Macon County News


CANDIDATE FOR ALDERMAN ROLL CALL

•Barbara McRae
•Patti Halyburton Abel
•W.H. Derrick
•Tom Ritter



PRESS KIT (exclusively provided by Macon Media)

Press Packet for August 2013 Franklin Aldermen Meeting

MAPS FOR THE PUBLIC HEARINGS

Map for the re-zoning petition by the Town of Franklin for East Main Street, Gaston Street, Green Street and West Palmer Street.

Map 1 Franklin Aldermen Aug 2013 Public Hearing

Map for the re-zoning petition by the residents of Pauline Avenue.

Map 2 Franklin Aldermen Aug 2013 Public Hearing

Map for the Town of Franklin Main Street Parallel Parking Study.

Map 3 Franklin Aldermen Aug 2013 Public Hearing

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MACON MEDIA GOOGLE PLUS PLAY BY PLAY

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

MEDIA ROLL CALL

Macon Media (me)
The Franklin Press (2 reporters)
WFSC-AM/WNCC-FM
Macon County News

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Several of the candidates for Aldermen are here at the meeting, as well as a large number of residents from Green and Gaston Streets.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The meeting has been called to order by Mayor Collins.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Mayor Collins is laying down the ground rules for the public hearings tonight, of which...there are three.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Public hearing

For re-zoning petition by the Town of Franklin for East Main Street, Gaston Street, Green Street and West Palmer Street

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Town Planner is not here yet. We'll have to skip the precis.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

A property owner __ Parker (who owns a trailer that was burned down on Gaston Street)

He wants to be able to put the equivalent f what was there. Current regulations do not allow that.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Derrick Rowland, the Town Planner, is now here and is giving the Executive Summary of what he expects to accomplish by the re-zoning of East Main Street, Gaston Street and West Palmer Street.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

He calls it the "West Palmer Corridor."

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

He wants to add a secondary commercial classification to the area to open it up for more commercial activity.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Karl Gillespie, property owner and former chairman of the Macon COunty Planning Board, is now speaking.  He approves of the re-zoning.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Another property owner, __ Conley, is speaking in favor.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Mark Lathrop, property owner, is expressing concern about what this will do to the volume of traffic on his street.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Derrick Rowland is answering. He doesn't see where there will be a lot in that area that will permit any type of business or dwelling that will lead to a huge in increase in traffic.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The public hearing is now closed.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The board is now taking up the re-zoning request and are discussing it. Alderman Farrell Jamison motions to approve....and John Henning, the Town Attorney, steps in with a bunch of legalese...and Alderman Jamison modifies his motion to comply. It passes 6-0.

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Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Mayor calls a short recess so all those gathered can leave. About 3/4 of the room leaves.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The board is back in session.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Late breaking news on the Pauline Street re-zoning request: Town Attorney John Henning says that the board will have to reschedule this hearing until September 3rd at 7:05pm.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Town of Franklin will have to satisfy the legal requirements by running a public notice in three consecutive meetings and may have to be off until the October meeting of the Town Board. There is now some back and forth on this...

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Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Mr Brady is very upset and is having forth. He is the one that has been pushing this re-zoning through.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Bruce Kohler, also says that he wasn't served. And Brady is arguing that another one of the owners of his property was.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

We are now taking another short break to allow the Pauline Ave "High Society" people to leave.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

We're back in session.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Public hearing

For the application to amend text only of the Unified Development Ordinance for regulating the location of electronic machines and sweepstakes

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Derrick Rowland,  the Town Planner, is at bat again providing an Executive Summary of the whyfores and wherefores of this amendment of the Unified Development Ordinance. Basically, they're regulating where electronic gambling machines can be located.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

A copy of the agenda and supporting maps are at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/agenda-and-supporting-documents-for.html

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

No one has showed up to speak and the Mayor has closed the public hearing.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Alderman Joyce Handley motioned that the board approve the amendment and it passes 6-0.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Public Comment

Dan Williams is back. This time he is complaining about town employees standing around.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Town Manager Warren Cabe and Land Use Administrator Derek Roland are discussing the Street Maintenance Ranking System. 

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The board has given the go ahead to continue with the project.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Now the Land Use Administrator is presenting a power point on the Growth Zone Analysis Water Model. I'll not do a play by play on that and give my fingers a chance to rest.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The speed of the public access Internet here in town hall is a lot slower than it has been being: http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2883241854

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

ALDERMAN CANDIDATE ROLL CALL

Barbara McRae
Patti Halyburton Abel
W.H. Derrick
Tom Ritter

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The presentation is now over.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Town Manager Warren Cabe is now providing an update on the Gazebo improvement process.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Town does not own the property the Town Gazebo is located upon. Mr Cabe has contacted the county to see if the lease that is running out in five years, can be extended for a significant amount of time.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Mayor (Joe Collins) is also addressing the issues surrounding the Gazebo.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

More discussion is taking place, one issue at a time.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Mayor wants to move the Picking on the Square back to the Gazebo.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Joyce Handley made a motion to move it back. Verlin Curtiss seconds.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Motion passes. The Picking on the Square will be back at the Town Gazebo as soon as the logistics will support it.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Now, Derek Roland is discussing the  Town of Franklin Main Street Parallel Parking Study.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Right now, with diagonal parking, there are 76-77 parking spots on Main Street. With a parallel parking change, there would be 69 parking spots available.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

The Mayor says it is a safety issue. Alderman Jamison agrees and goes into specifics.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

More discussion is taking place from other board members and Roland answers questions.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Town Attorney John Henning is presenting a Resolution for Town of Franklin Tax Collector, something they need to do periodically. Motion passes 6-0.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

Announcements

•All non-profit funding pool applications are due Monday August 26, 2013

•Town Hall will be closed Monday September 2, 2013 in observance of Labor Day

•The next regularly scheduled Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen meeting will be Tuesday September 3, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

Macon Media

Aug 5, 2013

This meeting is adjourned. I will work on getting the video out by sometime tomorrow.