Council Continues Working Through Details of Setting Up City

With the July 1st deadline date looming for Peachtree Corners to "stand up" and become Gwinnett County's 16th city, the City Council spent the evening working its way through a myriad of agenda items.

But before it could get down to its packed agenda, the City Council listened to comments made by several residents including Sheri Snyder, who voiced her opposition to the city's 90-day building moratorium.

On April 1 Snyder made her way to the Gwinnett County Administrative Building to apply for a business license to open up a summer arts camp only to find out that was the first day of the Peachtree Corners' moratorium. Had she applied a day sooner, she would have been able to open her business as planned.

"I'm suffering monthly losses," said Snyder, whose business caters to children out of school for the summer. "This wipes away my business, I anticipate losing $180,000 [due to the moratorium].

Bill Riley, the city's acting attorney said that he is working with Gwinnett County's attorney to "fast-track" to get the business licenses approved as soon as the moratorium is lifted.

The details of a call center were discussed with Council member Jay Lowe commenting that he thought the $100,000 for services for a call center too high. The monthly cost would be roughly $8,000 but depending on what services the city decides on, the cost may be reduced to $6,000 per month.

Council member Alex Wright suggested scaling down the service for the first 60 days to gauge the city's needs.

Despite the cost, it's one item that the mayor said will remain in the budget. "During the campaign I heard you loud and clear that you wanted someone to talk to," said Mason.

Council member Jeanne Aulbach pointed out that a call center also serves another function. "A call center allows the city to find out if there is an issue on something the county is not doing."

The proposed budget was an eye-opening experience for many who had assumed that the figures presented by the Carl Vinson Institute Study was to be the budget for the new city.

But the proposed budget drawn up by veteran city managers, John McDonough and John Kashmar, who have been hired by the city to help with the city's start up, includes a number of items that the Carl Vinson Study did not have in its report.

City consultant John McDonough took the City Council through a presentation on the city's operating budget (FY13) which included funding for start-up costs for:

• Funding to hire key staff, i.e. city manager, planning and zoning manager, accounting manager and city clerk
• Funding for call-answering services (to begin July 2)
• Funding to begin comprehensive plan process
• Funding for communications plan, website management and branding materials
• Funding for IT systems and services
• Funding for facility and furnishings
• Contingency funding for unknowns

The contingency fund is a cash reserve and working capital to cover unforeseen emergencies and shortfalls caused by revenue decline. McDonough said the standard reserve is to set aside an amount equal to three months of operating expenses.

The next City Council meeting is set for Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the in Peachtree Corners.

A copy of the city's FY 213 Budget is included with this story as a PDF. Please click on the image to view. The 11-page document may be printed by clicking on the "Print" feature option.

Editor's note: If you have any questions or are unable to view or print the city's proposed budget, send an email to judy.putnam@patch.com.