Action Summary

City Council Meeting of

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The following is a summary of key action items taken by Mayor Gil McDougal and the Villa Rica City Council at the Meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The meeting was held at the Holt-Bishop Justice Center, Municipal Courtroom, 101 Main Street, Villa Rica, GA 30180.

Adopted the Consent Agenda Items:

1. Georgia Conservancy-Villa Rica Placemaking and Alleyway Activation Program Presentation
2. Keep Carroll Beautiful-Request to Use V-PLEX
3. Keep Carroll Beautiful-Sponsorship for E-Recycling Event
4. Microsoft SurfacePros Available to Councilmembers for Purchase
5. Deed Property from City to Fuqua
6. Addendum to Civic Plus Agreement and Statement of Work for Ordinance Supplementation
7. Cemetery Ordinance Revision
8.  Agreement Approving Three Rivers Regional Commission to Conduct Comprehensive Planning Activities on behalf of the City of Villa Rica
9. V-PLEX Pavilion
10. AED Machines for City Buildings
11. The North Wastewater Plant Gate Project
12. Community Development Software Package
13. Supervisor Training through Georgia Municipal Association
14. Agreement for Entertainment Services
15. Modification Design of Cleghorn Force Main and Gravity Sewer
16. Modification of Design of Weatherstone Lift Station
17. Ductile Iron Pipe Purchase
18. Engineering Design of Maple Street Water Main Upgrade
19. FY23 Budget Amendments #149-153

Governing Body:

• Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of February 7, 2023

Community Development:

• Approved RA-08-22 Brenda M Matthews & Themis Asset Recovery, LLC Proposed Rezoning of Four Parcels on South Street in Public Hearing.

Human Resources:

• Approved Selection of firm for Classification and Compensation Study

Utilities:

• Approved Water and Sewer Ordinance Revision and held Public Hearing.

City Manager:

• Final Approval of a Consulting Firm for the Northside Downtown Streetscape Project- Design and Engineering Phase.
• Tabled Easement requests from Georgia Power
• Approved Agreement with Douglas County Water Authority
• Tabled Agreement with Norfolk Sothern for Engineering Services for the Highway 78 Downtown Pedestrian Crossing.
• Approved Schedule for Walden, Ashworth, and Associates.

Adjourned

New City Ward Map

The boundaries of city wards have changed due to the reapportionment of those districts following the 2020 Census. Your City Council representative may change as a result.

A high-resolution image of the new Ward Map can be found at this link.

Here are the City Council members and the wards they represent:



Shirley Marchman - Ward 1

Matthew Momtahan - Ward 2

Leslie McPherson - Ward 3

Anna McCoy - Ward 4

Danny Carter - Ward 5

Public Input meetings scheduled

There are a lot of things going on in Villa Rica right now. That's why city staff will be making themselves available at five public input meetings, starting this Tuesday and running through April 27.

While the city receives public input on many levels, we want to hear from those residents who do not as frequently provide comments. This series of meetings will be taking place at different times and in places other than downtown. The goal is to hear from as many people as possible, and from all sectors of the community.

The first of these meetings will take place on March 21 at the VPLEX, from 5 to 8 p.m. Other meetings will take place as noted in the poster above.

Input sought on Comprehensive Plan

Villa Rica’s civic leaders are seeking public input for a required update in the city’s Comprehensive Plan. As noted above, a series of public input meetings on the plan and other topics have been scheduled beginning March 21.

The comprehensive plan is not like the Renaissance Strategic Visioning Plan promoted in 2016, and which has since begun to be implemented through a series of project grants. While the Renaissance Plan focused on residents’ desires for Villa Rica’s downtown, the comprehensive plan is required by state law and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which also requires the plan to be updated every five years.

According to the DCA, “planning” is the word used to describe how a community shapes and guides growth and development. Some people call this process "city planning," "urban planning," or sometimes "land use planning." The comprehensive plan governs a city’s future development, and the state requires updates every five years, essentially to ensure the plan remains on track as the city grows.

The city’s current comprehensive plan is located on the city’s website.

Veterans Group 2023

To meet April 13

This veteran's group meets at 9 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Villa Rica Public Library, 869 Dallas Highway.

Coffee and breakfast food will be served, so bring along a veteran friend.

Future meetings for 2023 are scheduled to take place May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 9, and December 14.

Contact the group leader, John Hannabach at hannajo73@comcast.net. .

Ferguson to be Leadership Luncheon speaker

Congressman Drew Ferguson will be the guest speaker at the April Leadership Luncheon, which is scheduled for April 12 from 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m. at the VPLEX, 1605 Georgia Highway 61.

Ferguson has deep roots in the west Georgia area. He was elected mayor of West Point and was at the forefront of attracting and keeping jobs in that community. Congressman Ferguson came to Washington to apply the lessons he learned revitalizing West Point to creating policies that once again make America the most competitive place in the world to do business.

Ferguson currently serves on the Committee on Ways and Means and the House Budget Committee. On the House Ways and Means Committee, he serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and is a member of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures – also referred to as the Subcommittee on Tax.

The Leadership Luncheon series connects those prominent in business, medicine, and politics with the civic and business leaders of Villa Rica. The bi-monthly meetings begin with networking at 11:30 a.m., followed by a catered lunch and an informative discussion.

For tickets click here .

Library Advisory Board Opening

The Villa Rica Public Library currently has an available position on its Library Advisory Board.

This board meets six times per year and advises the library staff and administration on sustainability and policy decisions.

If you would like to apply, please email library manager Rachel Linn at rlinn@villarica.gov by March 30.

The Poetry Break​

Join us for a poetry reading session. This new program is a great way to share poetry and connect with other poetry lovers. This program will take place on the last Tuesday of each month.