November 3, 2011

As almost everyone knows, we have a City Council election on November 8.  Please take the time to vote.  It may be a hassle for you on that one day but for the next four years, it would be my privilege to serve you every day if you reelect me to do so.  I would have liked to have wished my opponent and the candidate in the other Council race well in the final days of the campaign but unfortunately, neither attended our Council meeting tonight.     


Nonetheless, we had a very productive Council meeting.  First, we declared November "Family Month" in Flowery Branch and presented a framed proclamation to Gainesville City Councilman George Wangemann.  Then we had a presentation on the upcoming T-SPLOST referendum.  Hall County voters will likely vote on that in July of 2012.  It would add another penny to our sales tax for a ten year period and is expected to bring in over $300,000,000 of funding for projects on a road improvement list that was designed and approved from citizen input and input from our government officials.  The two biggest projects that likely impact Flowery Branch the most are the widening of Spout Springs Road from Hog Mountain to Braselton and the construction of a new interstate exit at Thurmon Tanner Parkway which would become Exit # 14 on I-985.  There's a lot more to know about T-SPLOST so if you want to know more, contact me and I'll treat you to a cup of coffee in one of our local shops while we talk about it. 

The Council also reconsidered the ordinance that would set up our street light districts and set the charges for the street lighting costs in our city.  After discussion, the Council voted unanimously to reconsider the street light districts in April 2012 after the current elections and our upcoming Special Election on March 6 are concluded.  As I stated during tonight's meeting, I am very concerned about finding the necessary funding to cover these expenses which were not included in the budget the Council adopted in June.  Property tax bills have just gone out and there are any number of variables that could impact the incoming revenue.  Plus, there are other expenses the Council has expressed an interest in considering such as the consolidation of our Public Works facility into a central location.  The Council has also made other decisions to provide some financial relief to our local businesses which resulted in a deviation of projected revenue targets in the adopted budget and consequently, will probably need to be adjusted.  I welcome your input, as always, on this issue as it continues to be considered.

REMEMBER TO VOTE AT CITY HALL ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 
FROM 7:00am - 7:00pm

Then, when the polls close, come and join the campaign at Green's Tavern in Flowery Branch off Hog Mountain Road and Spout Springs Road behind the Publix shopping center off of I-985. 

Amanda