Five Things To Know Aug. 9

Good morning, Lilburn. It's Tuesday, Aug. 9. Here are five things from Monday's City Council meeting you might want to know.

1. It Should Be Called NOT Lanes: Lilburn PD Capt. Ben Haynes shared some enlightening information about the plans for the HOT (High Occupancy Toll) lanes on I-85. Here are some of the rules, beginning sometime in September: Vehicles will need to have at least three occupants to use the lane for free; you must have a PeachPass card (available for free at peachpass.com) to use the express lane; you may use the lane with less than three occupants for a variable toll dependent on the traffic conditions; it will be illegal to cross the double-white line; lanes will be patrolled for violation with a variety of tools, including sensors; fines will be $25 per offense. Believe us, more will be written about this before it all starts.

2. Trash Pay: The Council approved Monday a $10-per-month fee to city residents for trash pickup and chipper service. First bills are due out in September and will be applied for 2012 service. There will be an insert with your bill explaining the next fee. The council approved this as part of its approval of the city budget.

3. Girl Scouts Donation: The council accepted a $500 donation from the Girl Scouts Council of Northeast Georgia, prompting a funny diddy from Councilman Tim Dunn. “Can you believe I have to make a motion to accept a donation?” he said, adding that he wasn’t sure where the money would be used. “Maybe there’s Girl Scouts cookies in our future.”

4. Main Street News: The Council approved to enter into an agreement with Precision Planning, Inc., in the amount of $69,967 (in SPLOST funds) for engineering and design of the Main Street realignment project, which will include a new city hall and library (contracted with the county) and a new roadway into Old Town.

5. National Night Out: The Council commended the efforts of SafetySmart Lilburn, including president Margot Ashley and VP Teresa Czyz, in the group’s organizational efforts at last week’s successful National Night Out event in City Park. Several hundred residents attended the safety-oriented event.