What Peachtree City Council members talked about during their out-of-town retreat

The following are the official minutes of the City Council of Peachtree City July 30 and July 31 meetings held in Suwanee, Ga.:

The Peachtree City City Council met Tuesday July 30 for the first day of a two-day retreat beginning at 9 a.m. at Suwanee City Hall. Present were Mayor Kim Learnard, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Destadio, Council Members Suzanne Brown, Clinton Holland, and Laura Johnson, along with Interim City Manager Justin Strickland and Interim Assistant City Manager Yasmin Julio. Also present were Administrative Assistant Hannah Thomas and Recording Secretary Martha Barksdale.

Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen and Assistant City Manager Denise Brinson stopped by to welcome the group and present an overview of the development program that had resulted in the Town Center on Main project as well as several new downtown parks.

Facilitator Suzette Arnold of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia introduced herself and led the participants in a brief ice breaker exercise.

Facilitator Arnold also laid down some ground rules for the discussions they would be having. She talked about how Council members should give staff direction but allow them to do their jobs without meddling. She also said it was important to remember that they all had their own perspectives but needed to work together to set priorities. She explained that information went to the City Manager from Council (the policy makers) and was then filtered down to staff.

Meanwhile, staff was giving the Manager information to be passed on to Council. Next, Arnold said they would deviate from the printed agenda for an open discussion, as several Council members had asked to do.

Strickland stated that he conducted the budget process this year the way it had been done in the three years he had been in Peachtree City. Every city did it differently, and he suggested changing the process next year and holding a pre- budget workshop with Council to get a clear idea of what they wanted. Staff believed the list developed at the retreat in January was a priority list to be budgeted, and he said he was surprised to find some Council members did not view it that way.

Brown stated that she had expected pre-budget meetings so they could go over the priorities and get more of an idea of costs. Strickland noted that there were two workshops this year, then a public hearing on the budget. The budget was presented at the second workshop, and he said that is when questions could have been asked. Next year, they would do it differently.

Holland said he agreed with Strickland and thought they should all submit ideas next year before the budget was created. Strickland said he envisioned it as him doing a presentation of staff priorities and what he believed were Council priorities. He could get feedback from Council and then start working on the budget.

Learnard said if they got into too much of their personal desires, they would lose the unified approach Arnold had mentioned. Council’s job was to set policy and hand the details off to staff. She believed Strickland was frustrated because Council had stepped out of bounds.

A secondary issue, Julio remarked, was “singular, minority, majority.” There were items brought forth by one Council Member, items brought up by two, and items brought up by three or four. Even though something might be favored by the majority, the one or two who were not in support would not let it go and move forward, creating frustration, Julio stated. She went on to talk about how staff must do what the majority wanted and could not pursue items that just one or two members supported. Strickland agreed, saying sometimes Council needed to seek consensus among themselves before reaching out to him.

Facilitator Arnold asked if Council had work sessions? Strickland told her that in the city of Commerce where he previously worked, the Council had two meetings a month, with the first being a work session with the same agenda as the business meeting two weeks later. Council could ask questions then, and staff had two weeks to tie up loose ends and answer those questions.

The next session was a voting session, which would be shorter because all the discussion had taken place at the work session.

Facilitator Arnold asked Council Members to consider if their present systems were productive. Every member brought their own experiences to Council but should consider if their input was helpful or directing. She reiterated that it was staff’s job to do the research, and Council’s to hold them accountable and ask tough questions.

Arnold explained the terminology: a workshop was where information was presented and was educational in purpose, while a work session was where Council discussed business items. Learnard proposed making the monthly morning meeting a work session and the evening meeting a quick business meeting. Holland said he liked that idea and noted that big items could be discussed at two work sessions if needed.

Johnson asked if staff would still be able to place items on the voting meeting agenda? Strickland said in Commerce what was on the work session agenda was what was on the business meeting agenda. That meant that sometimes there were delays, but Learnard said they could make exceptions.

Strickland then proposed eliminating the 2×2 meetings with Council and staff. Council agreed, saying the public work sessions could take their place.

Should the City Manager be able to add an item to a business meeting agenda, even if it had not been discussed at the work session, if it was necessary to make a decision before the next business meeting?

Council agreed that this would be fine, within limits. Learnard said variance requests might be another case, and Johnson pointed out those were public hearings and could not be discussed in advance at a work session.

They moved on to discuss presentations by Council members at meetings, and Arnold asked if those were agenda items?

Julio explained that there would be an item on the agenda, and staff would provide information, but then a Council member would have their own presentation that staff had not seen in advance. They did not want to correct the Council member at the meeting, but Julio said sometimes these presentations had incorrect information that then circulated among the public. Holland said sometimes they might need several work sessions to hash things out, so that by the business meeting they could vote and move on, even if the vote was split.

Facilitator Arnold also said they should decide if they wanted to allow presentations from Council members and how they should be structured. She said it might be best if they were shared among Council members prior to the work sessions so there would be no surprises. They discussed the work sessions and meetings a bit more and decided it made sense to hold a work session as a morning meeting on the first Thursday of the month, then hold a business meeting with public hearings in the evening on the third Thursday. Council/staff topics could be added at the end of both the work session and business meeting agendas and that was when they would vote to decide if they wanted to add something to a future work session agenda. This schedule would start in September, they decided.

The discussion moved on to the budget and Strickland explained he had always taken priorities from what had come up at retreats, and Arnold said that was common. Johnson said she was concerned about Council meddling if they held a pre-budget work session. Strickland said he hoped it would help him get more of a feel for what Council wanted. It was staff’s role to figure out how to accomplish that.

Brown said there was a difference between wanting something and putting it into the budget. She also said she was not happy with the new performance pay plan.

Learnard said that was not Council’s job, and Strickland said changes were needed in order for them to hire and retain people in a competitive market.

After the lunch break, Strickland again asked Council if there were changes they wanted in the budget. Destadio mentioned the splash pad cost and also the bridge at All Children’s Playground, but Strickland said that was a 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project.

Holland said they should be putting money aside for dredging Lake Peachtree, but Strickland said he liked the idea of putting that on a bond, and Holland agreed. Julio said they would look at several long-term projects for a bond, not just the dredging. Strickland agreed that $450,000 for the splash pad seemed high, but that is what the firm that was doing the Recreation Master Plan said it would cost.

The splash pad was planned for Pebblepocket Park, and the estimate was for renovating the entire area and could be scaled back. Brown said she would rather wait until the Master Plan was complete to decide what got funded and in what order. Strickland said this was on the list from the retreat, and Learnard noted that suggestion came from Johnson, and they had all agreed with it. She again said Strickland had created a budget based on what they had told him.

Holland said the minutes from the January retreat said they could accomplish the goals with planning and cooperation, which he felt had not taken place. He asked to wait until the Recreation Master Plan was presented, maybe another year down the road.

Johnson spoke up, noting that the splash pad was her contribution to the priority list because it was important to her constituency of families with young children. She had promised them to work for a free splash pad and said she would not allow it to be pushed down the road

Destadio said he could support a new splash pad in the budget, and Julio noted that meant the majority wanted it. Holland said he was okay with it. Brown said she had asked Johnson if she would support removing the gates and making the existing splash pad at Glenloch free? Johnson said it would be doing a disservice to the Glenloch pool, which charged admission, to have a free splash pad next to it. Also, a splash pad that charged admission might be less crowded than a free one, and some people would be willing to pay for that.

A safe crossing of SR 54 on the east side was one of Holland’s passion projects. That was a 2023 SPLOST project, and it was complex, Strickland reported, but they were working on it.

Brown said she objected to funding an urban forestry manager in this year’s budget, saying it could be funded later in the year.

Learnard said they had a budget with 17 new positions that the City Manager said were necessary to do his job. She said she was not changing her position, and Destadio agreed that if Strickland said he needed those positions, he would support him. Johnson said she liked the budget.

Holland said it was good, but he thought their role was to add and remove things as a body, and he questioned funding an arborist for a whole year. Strickland said the current path supervisor, who was a certified arborist, spent most of his time on trees; this position was vital. Facilitator Arnold then remarked that they needed to ask “why” questions and realize that changes in one area often had broad impacts.

Brown also questioned the economic development manager position and asked if it would overlap with what Retail Strategies was doing? Julio said this position would help the city retain businesses and attract new ones. They could see how this position worked out, then decide if it was necessary to retain Retail Strategies.

Was there a reason why the 911 feasibility study could not be delayed? Brown asked, and Strickland said both Police Chief Janet Moon and Fire Chief Clint Murphy were concerned with the quality of 911 services, mentioning problems with radios, among others. Fayetteville was concerned also, but the County had been unresponsive.

Strickland said the physical space needed for a 911 center was not large, but they would have to purchase equipment.

Brown said her constituents wanted her to address the $2.6 million in additional positions. The rich citizens would not suffer from taxes, but the poorer ones would, she remarked. Arnold said that was important. Strickland said he wanted the City to move from being reactive to being proactive, and Holland said he was glad to see maintenance included in the budget.

Facilitator Arnold then helped the group through an exercise regarding their needs, saying they needed to remember that everyone was flawed and needed grace to be extended and accepted.

She asked staff and Council to write down what they wanted from each other. Among the requests was that Council argue behind closed doors. They all agreed that there should be clarity about budgeted costs. Learnard also noted that Council’s attitudes directly affected staff, and Holland agreed they should be careful about what was said.

Arnold then led them in a two-minute pause, saying afterwards that taking a break gave everyone a change to reflect and reset. She said this was an effective tool that could be used at Council meetings. Learnard added that Council members should not make demands of staff. Strickland said questions were fine; he just wanted everybody to have the same information. After more discussion, Arnold stepped in to say that trust and respect were key, but to receive them, you first had to give them.

Facilitator Arnold then asked them to list several things they saw as Peachtree City’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats. Under strengths, items included lifestyle, a solid master plan, paths, staff, parks, safety, pride, strict ordinances, and active citizens.

Weaknesses listed included aging housing stock, relationship with the Atlanta Regional Commission, aging underground infrastructure, Council not trusting staff to do their jobs, Council relations, lack of forward thinking, resistance to change, traffic congestions, lack of pickleball facilities, and an aging populace.

Opportunities included developing a strategic plan, assisting Council members, city boundary study, changes in revenue sources, recreation plan update, new police complex, and utilizing creativity.

Council and staff listed threats to Peachtree City as including crime, mistrust of staff by Council members, disunity of Council, loss of institutional knowledge, short-term rentals, arguing on the dais, public communication not related to facts, not investing into the city, and inflation.

Arnold remarked that they should address the weaknesses, but the threats often could not be controlled. She then asked the group to look at the threats, weaknesses, and opportunities and choose what they felt was most important.

The items they chose included keeping Peachtree City’s identity while still moving forward. Also deemed important was working to eliminate disunity in Council. Facilitator Arnold pointed out that Peachtree City was looked at as a model community around the country. Creating a strategic plan for the future got approval from everyone, and they decided to discuss that the following day. Other important topics included the lack of developable land and the aging infrastructure, along with an aging workforce.

All of these things could be covered in a strategic plan, Holland remarked.

Learnard said fixing Council disunity was a high priority, noting that there were disagreements, then there was mistrust. Arnold said it was not sustainable to keep working in a place where there was disunity. They had to first focus on the work and let personal grievances go. Arnold used the final minutes of the day to ask for reflections on what they had accomplished. They all agreed that changing the form and functions of the Council meetings was good, with Johnson saying it was fantastic that they started off their day with that.

They decided to discuss the strategic plan on the next day, not going into details but looking at things such as timeline and what they wanted it to contain.

The retreat ended day one at 5 p.m.

The Peachtree City City Council met Wednesday July 31 for the second day of a two-day retreat beginning at 9 a.m. at Suwanee City Hall. Present were Mayor Kim Learnard, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Destadio, Council Members Suzanne Brown, Clinton Holland, and Laura Johnson, along with Interim City Manager Justin Strickland and Interim Assistant City Manager Yasmin Julio. Also present were Administrative Assistant Hannah Thomas and Recording Secretary Martha Barksdale. Facilitator Suzette Arnold said they would continue with their discussion of opportunities, threats, and weaknesses in Peachtree City as they related to a potential strategic plan.

Firstly, Strickland and Council went over what was on the agenda for that week’s Council meeting.

Next, they returned to their list of priorities, noting that three Council members mentioned the need for an annexation, or growth boundary, study. Brown said she thought it should be more of a policy than a specific plan, because they did not want to tip off property speculators that certain parcels could be annexed. They all agreed that input from the City Attorney and the Planning Director were needed before moving ahead.

Next, they moved on to the topic of allowing backyard hens in certain residential zonings. Learnard said she could support that. It had been one of Brown’s pet projects, and they decided to move ahead and look at ordinances in other cities.

Increasing the property tax homestead exemption for lower income seniors was another item on the priority list, and Brown said Strickland had told her that 80 senior citizens took advantage of that in 2023. The current requirements were a household income of $30,000 or less in order to remove $5,000 from the assessed value, resulting in a $40 savings. They decided the $30,000 would be about $45,000 in adjusted income and had looked at raising the income limits to $50,000 or $55,000 in order to take care of things for a few years into the future. This was a way to help this demographic with an insignificant impact to the budget, Strickland said. If they took $15,000 off the assessed value, Brown reported, it would reduce a tax bill by $150. Council said they could support this but wanted more information.

Johnson then mentioned a need for path connectivity down the west side of SR 74 South. Learnard suggested they ask GDOT about the feasibility of a path instead of a sidewalk in that area. They began to talk about paths in other areas, and Strickland said this was something that could come before the Transportation Advisory Group.

Holland thought the Comprehensive Plan should be tweaked every year, as they did in some cities. Destadio then asked about why the plan designated villages that were not villages, such as Lexington Village. Strickland said the villages had not changed, but there were Braelinn and Kedron villages each had two village centers. Learnard said Lexington was not a village; it was a village center.

Brown and Holland then expressed dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive Plan approved in 2022, saying the citizen surveys were not structured correctly and the process felt rushed.

Learnard felt they should leave it alone; there would be another update in 2027. Destadio said he, too, was not happy with the process, but agreed with the Mayor that it was done, and they should leave it alone now.

Learnard said staff members had been harassed, even through the newspapers, and it was an embarrassment. Holland remarked that all he wanted was a more statistically significant gathering of data. He said it was not a statistically valid sample, but Learnard said it was, and she had the numbers. She again said she understood there were things they did not like, but it was two years ago.

Strickland said Holland might be talking about a short-term work plan, which was also for five years. It could be included in the Comp Plan, and Holland said that sounded like a good idea and maybe they should leave the Comp Plan alone.

Johnson weighed in, saying revamping the Comp Plan was not one of her priorities. She noted that Council would have to vote on any rezonings or policy changes in any case.

Learnard said her top priority was to learn what were healthy boundaries for Strickland. He said no one was intrusive about calling him during his off hours, and he did not mind calls if they were not excessive. He joked that he was more likely to contact one of them than vice versa.

Letting the alternate member of the Planning Commission vote when a regular member was absent was one of the Mayor’s suggestions, and the other Council Members agreed.

Another idea was that Council Members should have the option to opt into the City health care plan. She said that might attract some younger candidates to run for office. The group said they did not need the insurance but could see were others might and this would be an incentive.

She also reported that Fayetteville Mayor Ed Johnson had said they would be more likely to qualify for Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) money if they had a regional path/trail plan.

Did they want to talk about eliminating runoffs and going to a popular vote system? Learnard asked, saying runoffs were expensive. Could they move it from 50% to 45%, Brown asked, but Julio said that was not allowed by State law.

Brown and Holland said they could not support eliminating runoffs, while Johnson said she needed more information. Julio pointed out that typically the highest vote getter from the General Election won in a runoff. The 2023 runoffs cost $32,000, she said. Destadio said he needed more information but would support what the majority wanted. Strickland said he would get back to them with more information.

Regarding the Crabapple Lane closing controversy, Learnard said Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial, who used to be a representative to the ARC board, had told her they were not guaranteed the $1.7 in transportation improvement plan money even if their engineers requested it. ARC funding was discretionary.

Destadio said he was not on board with a unified development ordinance (UDO) done by an outside contractor, but he did want to hear from Planning Commission Chairman Scott Ritenour and Vice Chair Kenneth Hamner and give them direction. He also stated he did not want another overlay district for SR 54.

Holland stated they had to watch what came out of the Planning Commission, but he was willing to hear them out. The Battery Way restrooms were a priority of Johnson’s. Strickland advised that Battery Way would be covered in the Recreation Master Plan.

Discussion then followed about why candy was not thrown at the Fourth of July parade, and Strickland said that was a decision of the Recreation staff that he questioned, but he thought they could try it. It was a safety issue, but Johnson said people complained that the parade was boring. Holland asked why there was no school band, and Julio said they tried to get one or even hire a band, but it was not possible. Strickland said there were complaints about too many political vehicles and floats in the parade, but he was not going to do anything about that because of First Amendment issues. Julio said the complaints she saw on social media said it took the focus away from the Fourth of July. Thomas spoke up and said there were also complaints about parade entries that were more advertisements than celebrations of the Fourth.

After a lunch break, the group reconvened. Holland said he really wanted a SR 54 corridor study with leaders from Coweta County, Peachtree City, and perhaps Tyrone involved. He had an upcoming meeting with GDOT and intended to discuss it there.

Another issue was a pickleball venue, for which $770,000 was earmarked in the 2023 SPLOST. Holland said they had to decide on a location, and Strickland said it would be covered in the Recreation Master Plan. The SPLOST called for a free facility. He mentioned that the Newnan Pickleball Association ran their facility, so maybe something similar could be done in Peachtree City. Johnson mentioned the Tennis Center, but someone else said pickleball and tennis did not mix.

Brown said she would like to see a cap on surplus revenue, or fund balance. Strickland asked if she meant they should have a minimum and maximum percentage? He said the Governmental Finance Officers Association recommended at least 30% in order to get the best interest rates on loans.

It just seemed like they were taxing current residents to pay for future projects, Brown continued. Learnard mentioned that the percentage was projected to go down in the next few years’ budgets before leveling off. They discussed establishing a range, saying the number could be tweaked.

Strickland suggested a 20% range and mentioned 35% to 55%. He suggested they look at this next year when they knew more about the impact of House Bill 581, which dealt with capping home values.

Brown said she would like to extend the time for public comments at City Council meetings to three to four minutes each and also allow people to speak about items that were on that night’s agenda. Learnard said she felt three minutes was too long but was in favor of allowing agenda items to be addressed. Holland agreed about the agenda items and suggested two minutes. Destadio said three minutes and was in favor of allowing agenda items, and Johnson agreed.

Julio said they could move public comments to the next item on the agenda after the moment of silence. Holland mentioned limiting comments to Peachtree City residents, but the others said that would be difficult.

The group decided to change the ordinance to allow for comments of no more than three minutes and to allow agenda items to be addressed. Public comment would be at the top of the agenda.

Next, they went over other items on the opportunities list. Strickland mentioned a housing study; Learnard said that was her item but it could come off. Holland suggested they leave it but make it a low priority. Maybe it could be part of a broader study, Strickland said.

They also discussed a partnership with Southern Conservation Trust for $4,000 a year, which everyone agreed was a bargain. Holland and Learnard were united in support of a Tree Commission and having Peachtree City designated as a Tree City. All of this could help them obtain grant money in the future. They decided to back off right now, but it still would be a goal.

Going back to the strategic plan, Facilitator Arnold cautioned them not to let it fall off the table. She explained they needed to set timelines and establish who would be responsible for keeping it moving forward. Another project they decided to move ahead on was the border study, but Learnard pointed out it was not budgeted. Again, they said input from the City Attorney and Planning Director was needed, and Strickland suggested they have a proposal by the end of October with an eye towards getting a plan completed during fiscal year 2025.

Continuing with the timeline discussion, a backyard hen ordinance could be ready for Council deliberation in about six months, it was decided. They first needed to decide on a short-term rental ordinance and the administrative variance ordinance. January 25 was mentioned as a date for the poultry.

Staff would need to consult with the City Attorney about the steps needed to get legislation introduced to change the senior homestead exemption. The final ordinance should go to the legislative delegation by December of this year in order to hold a referendum in November 2025.

Council decided that the Transportation Advisory Group would look at path connectivity issues, including SR 74 South. GDOT would have to be involved. The group should be in place by September, Strickland stated.

The Comp Plan would be left alone since an update was set to be done during 2026. Learnard suggested their focus be on identifying who they wanted to be as a city.

Also on the table was implementing the findings of the Recreation Master Plan.

They said citizens should be informing them on the strategic plan. Brown cautioned that she did not want them to make a list and then have it just appear on a budget. Encouraging industrial and commercial growth was important to Holland.

Julio advised them not to be fearful about costs when setting goals. Staff would share information about the costs. Johnson pointed out that they could issue bonds to spread costs to future years. This was where vision came into play, the Mayor observed, and Johnson and Holland both remarked that they needed vision about what citizens wanted. Brown, too, said feedback from citizens was important, and Julio mentioned maintaining strategic priorities with an eye towards the Five Pillars they had established. Learnard suggested they get familiar with strategic plans for other cities.

They would need to start vetting consultants, but when? Learnard said wait until the new calendar year.

Brown remarked that some things would have to wait. Johnson said they could have both their wants and their needs, mentioning an aquatics center. Holland stated he hoped the strategic plan could focus on attracting businesses.

In summarizing their achievements during the retreat, Arnold said they had worked through some difficult topics, and she again reminded them to remember that everyone saw things with their own unique perspective.

Strickland noted that four new citizen committees would be starting up in the coming year. Council decided to hold a retreat locally in January to include the executive leadership team and maybe another Council retreat in August 2025. The retreat adjourned at 4 p.m.