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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-28-1997 Meeting I PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ROOM - July 28, 1997 4:00 P.M. PRESENT: La~=y E. Sconye~s, Mayor; W. Mays, Chairman; Kuhlke, Zette~be~g and Todd, membe~s; R. Olive~, Administ~ator, J. Wall, Attorney, Tom Beck, Director Recreation Department; Rob Sherman and La~ry Harris, License & Inspection Department; Buster Boshears, Di=ector Daniel Field; Lena Bonne=1 Clerk of Commission. ALSO PRESENT: Sylvia Cooper, Augusta Chronicle; Rosemary Forrest, Metro Spirit and Jennie Montgome=y, WJBF Television. The Clerk: We have a request for one addendum item from the Attorney to discuss regulatory fees for game rooms and arcades. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. .1 A Communication from the Rec~eation Director to Approve an agreement between Augusta State University and Augusta-Richmond County for purchase of existing inventory at Newman Tennis Center of equipment and supplies by Augusta-Richmond County in the amount of $22,502.00; and payment for court time by Augusta State University in the amount of $22,344.00. Mr. Beck: This is an agreement for us to purchase all the existing inventory that's useable and has been inventoried and checked out by our risk management and our mechanics and other personnel that this is useable and in good shape. This is equipment that would cost us a lot of money if we had to go out and purchase new equipment, this also includes all of the merchandise that is associated with the Pro Shop and any other equipment that is for sale items up there that we would have to go out and buy anyway. These values are depreciated values based on their age. Mr. Todd: Do we want to be in the retail vending market in running this market in running this Tennis Center or do we want to just keep the Tennis Center open and let our customers go to other sports shops and let them buy their equipment. Do we want to keep an Assistant Pro there just for restringing brackets. .1 Mr. Beck: What the Pro Shop operation is, Commissioner, is a convenience kind of situation. There is not a tremendous amount of merchandise in there, but it is a situation where this is a major tennis complex, where folks go in and they do need to make purchases or get a racket restrung or they may want to purchase anew racket. There is not a tremendous amount of inventory involved. It's like a convenience store situation. If you go into the Pro Shop and see the operation it's really quite minimal. To answer your question, yes, I do think that it is a pretty important part of that operation. Mr. Todd: My cor:ce~:J. is that if I was locking at losing I $20,000, or so a yea~ and I have an assistant pro the~e who is not doing anything, he ce~tainly has to be making a salary of $20,000 or so. Are we going to keep thac pe=sonnel on? Mr. Kuhlke: This $20,000 is inventory, you indicated maybe a 100% profit, that's $40,000 worth of sales. Mr. Beck: Right. We're buying it at the cost that Augusta State purchased it at. Some items are probably more than 100% some may be less. Some of it is equipment. We are keeping some of the personnel. Mr. Olive~: There is about $10,000 to $12,000 of this that's inventory, the rest of this is capital. Mr. Beck: If I can just mention about the other end of things which is the income back. Basically, what we a~e doing, we are purchasing the equipment and then Augusta State is going to, part of this acreement is $22,344.00 for the reservation of their cou~t time for the next twelve months, and that would be a set figure that they have ag~eed upon as far as reserving the court time for their usage rega~dless if they use it or not. So we will get that money back, which was not a part of the budget that you approved for Newman, there were no income fees associated with Augusta State. So, really in all essence, as fa~ as this budget goes we 1 will basically be getting all this equipment and it's really going to cost us a very minimal amount because we didn't plan in the fees that Augusta State is paying. Mr. Kuhlke: With that $22,000, if I recall the budget correctly, it was a very close budget, in fact I think it was about a $10,000 loss. This could put you in the black based on the budget you presented. Mr. Beck: Not really, because we will have to payout this capital expense if you will. From the operational part it will put us in the black. But from the capital part, it'll out us in the red because we didn't budget any capital for this year. That's why it's really a wash for this year. Next year with the '98 budget we will be in better shape. Mr. Oliver: We expect to come out of this budget yea~ still with a $12,000 loss. After further discussion; Mr. Kuhlke: I so move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried 3-1, with Todd voting no. I A Communication from the Recreation Director to approve a work- I study agreement at Newman Tennis Center between Augusta State University and Augusta-Richmond County. Mr. Beck: This is a work-study agreement with Augusta State University again with Newman tennis Center. This is a program where actual students from Augusta State under the guidance of the personnel offices at Augusta State work in a setting at Newman Tennis Center as actual employees of Augusta State through their work-study program. It's a Federally Funded program where our obligation is actually 25% as an agency of those cost. Augusta State is responsible for their workers compensation package. But they are assigned to Newman and assigned to our staff to work as work-study students up there. This is actually part-time help. It has been done for many years up there, this has been going on for the last 10 years, this is our first year with it. I think this is something that obviously will save us some part-time cost and it will be employing some quality young men and women to help with the Center. I recommend that we go with the program. Mr. Zetterberg: So move. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Motion carried 3-1 with Todd voting no. I New Ownership: Cconsider a request by Ping Xin for a consumption on premise beer and wine license to be used in connection w~th the China Express Restaurant located at 2244 Peach Orchard Rd. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider request by Kum Yon Parker for a consumption on premise beer and wine license to be used in connection with Ahrirang Korean Restaurant located at 3008 Deans Bridge Rd. There will be Sunday sales. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff' s Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. I Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Sang Pak for a consumption on premise beer license to be used in connection with Olympic Pool Hall located at 2763 Tobacco Rd., Suite L. I This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Lora Ann Cain for a consumption on premise liquor , beer and wine license to be used in connection with the New Continental Restaurant & Lounge located at 152 Aviation Way. There will be dance and Sunday sales. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Joyce Holloway for a I consumption on premise beer license to be used in connection with Chocolate City Lounge located at 2320 Gordon Highway. There will be a dance hall. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Myong Tul' Chu for a retail package beer & wine license to be used in connection with Bi-Rite Convenience Store located at 1680 Brown Rd. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. I Discussion: Consider a request by henry D. McLendon for a Sunday sales license to be used in connection with Good Fella's Food & I I I Spirits, Inc., located at 3320 Washington Rd. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zette~berg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A communication from the Recreation Director to approve the existing 1997 Recreation and Parks budget $2,500.00 to Masters City Little League and $2,500.00 to West Augusta Little to offset operational costs for youth baseball and softball leagues that each operate. Mr. Beck: A. situation with Masters City Little League and West Augusta Little League and I believe for the past 8 or 9 years this has been a payment that Commission had approved for $2,500 to go to each organization to off set utility cost associated with running those programs. These teams are two private Little League operations that do provide a very valuable service to the community with the baseball programs that they do run. If we were having to rtlI1 those programs, obviously there would be a lot of cost involved. We have always traditionally budgeted this money in our General Utility Account. It is not specifically lined item in our budget, but when we work our budgets up every year we put that $5,000 in our General Utility Account. Mr. Zetterberg: So move. Mr. Todd: Second. Providing that the maker will accept an amendment that there be a contract between Masters City Little League and Richmond County and West Augusta Little League and Richmond County that they will provide services for the folks that they normally have on their program and let that be part of the consideration for the $2,500 each. I would also like to have a list of the citizens that they serve from Richmond County. Mr. Oliver: In future years I want to list this in the budget as a separate line item, so we don't have to go through this. Mr. Kuhlke: Last a big discussion about folks a lot of money. year or a year and a half ago, we got into giving the Masters Little League and these Can you tell me what happened with that. Mr. Beck: I have been to Masters City a few times and I can tell you can go out and see that money that was spent, because they have built two ball fields. Mr. Todd: I believe that every Commissioner was invited out for at least the seasoning opener last year. But certainly, we can request an accountability as far as receipts go, and that probably should amend this motion here. There is no question about how the I Masters City money has been spent, etc., and the work is in. West Augusta is a little slower in getting theirs in. And I think that we need some feedback from them on what their hold ups are or whatever. Mr. Wall: Let me address this in so far as Masters City because I don't want any of you to be caught by surprise and I don't know when it may come forward. I met with Steve Justice and another person that Ulmer Bridges requested that I meet with. In essence they came asking for one thing and wound asking for two things. One thing they were asking for was moving of that building that the County inherited that was apart of the Augusta Retardation Center and after talking with them, they were to go out and get prices in so far as moving that building off that property. And I have not heard back from them. During that discussion a second thing came up and that was damage to their ice machine that they were wanting compensation. When the water line that was going into the Phinizy Road Detention Center was cut in order to put in a bigger water line, no one contacted them, therefore their ice machine was damaged because no water was going into the ice machine. At some point and time you will have a request from them at some point for money to move that building and the claim for the ice machine. Mr. Todd: What do they intend to do with the building? I Mr. Wall: They want to destroy the building. Part of the building and part of the ball field sits on our property. Mr. Todd: That's what I thought. My position on it is that if they want to make it a Saturday afternoon project and take it down for the lumber, then they may do that. But, in the mean time we need to notify them that any activity that they have going out of that building suble'ase, etc., that they need to discontinue it. Mr. Wall: Moving the building is something that needs to be done. Mr. Todd: I agree, that the building is self is an eye sore to the jail project and the ball field. But since it's on our property we can use inmate labor, we can use county forces, we can use a lot of ways to take the building down. Mr. Kuhkle: Let's deal with that when they come to us. Mr. Mays: If the building is now on the property that we have, I know what the motion is on the floor. But if we have a substandard building sitting out there where people are bringing kids and all, you have a new facility out there, the largest amount of money we have ever spent on anything in the whole County, I getting ready to open in November. I would hope that you may be could put an amendment onto that motion since it has popped up in this meeting, if it is an eye sore out there, they don't I I I necessarily need to be negotiating what it will cost to bring it down, let the Administrator have the authorization through RCCI or whatever, picking it up knocking it down with a bulldozer through public Works and inmates picking it up. Go ahead on and get the building down. It maybe for storage right now, but you get in there and some children get into there and another situation, you may be opening yourself up for a liability. If it's on our property, it's ours, let go ahead and take it down. Mr. Wall: That's the only point I am going to disagree with you on, it's not ours. They went to the ARC and ARC gave it to them, before they abandoned the property. So, we didn't want the building, they gave it directly to them. Mr. Oliver: Might I suggest that we suggest to them that if they take it down for the salvage value. Mr. Wall: That's what I suggested to' them. But they didn't want to do that at the last meeting. Mr. Oliver: It's their building, it was given to them, and' it's on their property. Mr. Todd: It's on our property. We need to tell them to get it off our property. After further discussion; Mr. Todd: It became our property when the State transferred the property to us and we worked out the third party arrangement with Augusta Mental Health and I believe we paid them some funds. Mr. Oliver: How about we do this as a compromise, if we waive the demo fees and we let them take the building down. Mr. Zetterberg: Why don't we just ask the Administrator to deal with it and see what can be done. Motion carried unanimously. A communication from the Director of Daniel Field to approve a pre- application for federal assistance for projects at the Daniel Field Airport. Mr. Boshears: This is to get your permission to submit the application under the airport improvement program through the FAA. It's actually two projects, one is an overlay refurbishing of some aircraft parking ramp and the second part would be that land acquisition down on the west end of the airport. Mr. Todd: On the land acquisition, are we taking care of the big barn and the two homes. Mr. Boshears: This is for the big barn, which is the only portion that falls within the r1lnway protection zone, which will be the only part that the FAA would fund or would participate in. Mr. Zetterberg: So move. I Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Mr. Todd: What you have coming down the pipe is noise, EPA regulations and you have two homes that are occupied that sit right by the big barn and maybe in the direct flight path or close. The reason I'm saying this is because, I think with the acquisition of the Village Square properties and the big barn and with two homes sitting in there, and I believe that's the only other properties between there and the golf course, we need EO look at getting out of that situation. I would rather get out of it now, before it becomes a concern as far as environmentalist go, etc., and regulations dealing with noise. I would like to suggest that we go back and look at what we can do as far as that goes and maybe start working on it, before we are forced into a situation to do so. Mr. Kuhlke: Road property? Is that property contiguous with the Damascus Mr. Boshears: the road. They tie airport. Those two houses are on the opposite side of in more to Damascus Road than they would to the Mr. Oliver: The local share $43,658.00 is to be taken from Daniel Field reserves, and do you currently have the money in reserve. I Mr. Boshears: This is a budgeted item, it will come up on the budget when we do the '98 budget. Fund. it. Mr. Oliver: What I want to do is take money from the General Are you going to generate enough funds from revenue to cover Mr. Todd: Are you keeping up with the noise pollution and what goes on in that area. Mr. Boshears: Not really, it hasn't gotten down to our level yet, and I'm not sure of how our classification of airport would even be included, it probably would fall more into airports that come under FAR 139. Mr. Todd: I would like for the County Attorney and the Administrator to look at that situation. It maybe that we don't want to do something, but I think we need to look at it. In reference to those two houses. Mr. Oliver: Have you had an appraisal done on that barn or agreed upon a purchase price, or that just what you all believe is a best guess. I , I Mr. Boshears: His asking price is $225,000. If it came down to that, we would have to go through our procurement procedures along with whatever the Federal procurement procedures are. Mr. Oliver: I just want to make sure that we don't pay him $225,000 and the appraised value is $150,000. Mr. Todd: Do you think the Federal folk will be ok with the asking price? " Mr. Wall: No, you have to get an MAI appraisal and as review appraisal before they'll grant the money, so we have to go through those procedures. Mr. Oliver: procedure is. This is even more strenuous than our local Mr. Wall: It has to be on their list. Mr. Todd: Is this in your master plan that they have on file? Mr. Boshears: No, this is something that came up during the last six months, probably not even four months, when he put it up for sale. I Mr. Wall: I thought you had to amend the master plan to get it. Mr. Boshears: The whenever we get agreement, the airport layout. airport layout plan would be amended that would be part of the grant to amend Ms. Bonner: The motion is to approve his request for the pre- application of the federal grant with the local share of $43,658.00 to be taken from the Daniel Field reserve. Motion carried unanimously. New Ownership: Consider a request by Richard S. pak for a consumption on premise beer license to be used in connection with Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs located at 2760-E Tobacco Rd. This is approved by the License Department and the Sheriff's Department. No objectors present. Mr. Kuhlke: So move. Mr. Zetterberg: Second. Motion carried unanimously. I A request from the Recreation Department Director to approve a Professional Services Contract to Roger Davis and Associates in the amount of $43,680.00.Mr. Beck: This is actually the contract for Lake Olmstead for the proj ect there that Roger Davis has I presented to you. The Commission on May 21, 1996, approved Mr. Davis as the consultant on the job at an 8~ rate for the project. He is doing all phases of the contract. Mr. Wall: I would like to make a few changes in the contract particularly arbitration provision and some other things. I'll revise it. Mr. Kuhlke: Attorney. I' move approval subj ect to review by the Mr. Todd: Second. Motion carried unanimously. A request from the County Attorney to discuss regulatory fees for game rooms and arcades. Mr. Wall: The reason I had requested this was in the proposed code, Title I and Title II that was circulated to you and hopefully will be considered next week. part of the code includes the old business tax certificate ordinance which included regulatory fees dealing with among other things game rooms and arcades. If you will recall that at the time this was adopted by both the City Council of Augusta and the County Commission. There was concern I that in so far as these regulatory fees, we had to be able to demonstrate that that was in essence revenue neutral. In other words, that can not be an income source. You have to show that you are providing regulations sufficient to justify that regulatory fee. And all of the places and businesses that have these things and sell these things have a business tax certificate, so they pay on the gross revenue. We have included in the ordinance and it was a carry over from the County $25 per year for the video machines, $15 per year for the coin operated amusement machines, other than video machines. $20 per year for music machines and then the billiard and pool tables were $15 per year per machine, all those were machine. We were contacted by attorneys out of Atlanta and in essence we told them that we were in the process of reviewing the code that we would review the regulatory fee in so far as these game machines at that time. I had also talked first with Millard Myer in so far as coming up with cost estimates and cost comparisons of what we were actually doing in so far as regulatory fees. Basically, their argument is that if they have five video machines in there, there is no way in the world that we can say that it cost $75 to regulate five video machines. Whether they have one or five, it doesn't take much longer time, because the only thing we do is go into there to inspect to be sure that there is a stamp on the machine, to be sure that we are collecting the gross revenue and that they have registered. Stewart Walker has made a recommendation that the fee be reduced to $S per machine. He has I met with representatives of the industry and they are accepting of that fee. What I would like to do is at the time this code is presented to you all, is just change that, put in there $5 and do I I I it all at one time, at the time you adopt the code, adopt that new rate structure of $5 per machine for those items. Or, if you don't want to, we can keep the existing ordinance in place and deal with that as a separate ordinance. But, I thought it would be easy to clean up and take care of it at one time. ' Mr. Todd: This is not dealing with adult video. I don't have a problem with that. What kind of financial impact will this have on the budget? Mr. Wall: If it has any effect, then it proves that we are illegal, because if it's a revenue source then it's illegal. Mr. Oliver: I want to look at two things and I think that since the ordinance has been postponed we have a little bit of time. Mr. Wall: I'm not sure that was the effect of what he was saying, and he said no. Mr . Oliver: I thought they voted earlier to postpone the' ordinance on Section I until the next Committee meeting. Mr. Wall: Maybe I need to get some clarification. But I talked with Lee afterwards and he said that if he had a couple of questions answered he had no problem with our going forward with the full... Title I and Title II deal with a lot more than just the Finance Committee. Mr. Oliver: Because my only thing is that I do want to look at what the economic impact is, but we are doing a cost allocation plan which will allocate those cost back, which will include that to know what our maximum fee is. I would think that it would be more reasonable to charge $25 say for the first machine or $35 or whatever, and charge $5 for each subsequent machine, recognizing the fact that you have got to get to the establishment in the first place. That seems to be the more equitable way of doing that. Mr. Wall: We had talked about that at one point with the industry representatives about going to something like that. In other words the first 10 were at a set price, or the first 5 were at a set price. Not just the first one. Mr. Oliver: Well the first one recognizing that it takes an hour by the time you leave and come back to go just in the door. Mr. Todd: I like the concept of the first one at a fixed rate, then the next ten or whatever at the $5 or if they only have one, you are going to lose money by going to the establishment and checking it for $5. And I don't think that the industry should set the regulation. Mr. Kuhlke : define it. I think that the cost allocation study will Mr. Oliver: Do you think that there is a need to move it at the next Commission meeting or can we wait 2 1/2 or 3 weeks? If we. I can wait, we can work it out. Mr. Todd: Why don't we make a motion to set the first one at $25 and there after at $5 and amend what he has there. Mr. Oliver: I would like to give Finance a chance to provide their input and guidance. Mr. Todd: I so move that we receive this as information. Mr. Kuhlke: Second. Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission bjb I I