With a relatively light agenda Thursday night, the Peachtree City Council will discuss a proposed change to the oath of office administered to mayor, mayor pro tem and council members.
The idea for the language change came about from Councilwoman Vanessa Fleisch, according to a staff memo, because she wanted to adopt some of the phrases from the firefighter’s oath.
The proposed oath keeps a statement in which the office holder pledges to “support and defend” the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions along with the city charter.
The new oath also would eliminate language in which the office holder pledges to use his or her “best judgment … to promote the general welfare” of city residents. That is replaced with the following statement:
“I will uphold my responsibilities with integrity, dedication and diligence to serve our citizens to the best of my ability.”
The new oath will require a change to the city’s charter and thus the matter requires consideration Thursday night before a potential final adoption at the April 4 council meeting.
In other business, council is expected to adopt a budget amendment to account for the additional $413,789 the stormwater fund will receive this year due to the increased stormwater utility rates that were adopted last month.
Most homeowners’ annual bills will increase between $44 a year to $99 a year, depending on the amount of impervious surface on the property.
City officials contend the rate hike is necessary to fund $7.4 million in repairs, including dam repairs which if neglected would endanger life and property downstream.
Among the major project estimates expected to be handled with the $7.4 million bond issue are:
• $1.5 million to line stormwater pipes that run beneath city streets and roads, along with other miscellaneous projects;
• $1.8 million to replace the drain system in the Harbor Loop area;
• $1.3 million to replace the drain system in the Golfview Drive area;
• $1.2 million to rehabilitate the two Kedron ponds;
• $911,000 for rehabilitation of the Rockspray pond;
• $450,000 for pipe lining in the area of Woodsdale and Lenox Road; and
• $120,000 for repairs to the stilling basin at the BCS Pond.
