posted November 20, 2008
The Lookout Mountain, Ga., City Council on Thursday night turned down an ordinance that would have allowed golf carts on all city roads.
Although the council had received numerous requests to allow golf carts on roads, no council members made a motion to vote on the issue.
Georgia law states that golf carts are not allowed on state roads, and they can only be allowed on city roads if a city issues an ordinance that allows them.
Lookout Mountain, Ga. Mayor Tommy Gifford brought up the issue, but no one made a motion to approve it. Once the mayor moved on to the next issue, over 75% of citizens in attendance at the meeting walked out.
At the end of the meeting, Daniel Pettway, a council member for over seven years, resigned. He assured the council he would finish his tasks regarding the new pathway, but he said he needed to step down and not finish out next year as a councilman.
Mayor Gifford assured the council that Mr. Pettway's decision was not made lightly and then addressed Mr. Pettway, saying, "We will miss you enormously. I would say it has been a pleasure."
The council did vote to allow the mayor to sign off on a "Safe Routes to School" grant application. The grant would provide money to create a pathway that students at Fairyland Elementary could walk to and from school on.
Mayor Gifford said, "It's a win-win for the school and the city." He told the council that the path would fit in with the already-planned sidewalks.
The grant would be at 100% and the city would not have to provide matching funds. It would provide money for the path and for signage.
Safe Route to School would choose all contractors for the path, so there would be no bidding.
The council also met with auditor Paul Johnson to review the 2007-2008 fiscal year audit. Mr. Johnson reported that the audit showed that the city had ended the year with a surplus.
Mr. Johnson was complimentary of the council and the city bookkeeping. He said, "It's been a very conservative group up here. I can't remember when I have come up here and said, 'You've had a bad year'."
The council also agreed to hold a public hearing to discuss the purchase and rezoning of 1827 Lula Lake Road. The hearing will be Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.
The council heard and voted on a second reading of an amendment to a subdivision ordinance. The amendment stated that all taxes on pieces of property to be subdivided must be current.
The council also heard and voted on a second reading of a similar amendment to a zoning ordinance. The amendment states that if a property owner wants a piece of property rezoned, the taxes on the property must be current.
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