The Union City

Council moved through a heavy agenda at a fairly fast pace Monday night,

with all but one issue earning the unanimous vote of the entire council.

The group authorized

the city administrator to secure a lease/purchase three-year loan for

the financing of 16 new police cars at an estimated cost of $348,000.

Thirteen units purchased three years ago will be replaced and three new

cars will be added to the fleet to accommodate staff increases, said Chief

B. L. Fronebarger.

Lester Road,

which runs through Christian City, will be resurfaced in the near future

using funds from the city's Local Assistance Road Program contract with

the Georgia Department of Transportation. LARP is money from gasoline

taxes that the state distributes to maintain roads in the counties.

After voting

to approve the resurfacing, Mayor Ralph Moore called for citizens to write

letters to Gov. Roy Barnes requesting that money from the previous year's

budget be reinstated to allow for other much-needed road repair. Over

the last several years, Barnes has substantially reduced the amount of

money allocated to the LARP program, Moore said.

A request from

the Parks and Recreation Department for an additional mini-van to transport

seniors to events drew some intense discussion. According to Sonia Wimbish,

parks, recreation and cultural arts director, the vans they currently

have are often overloaded. She noted that a new van would have a lift

so that seniors with physical limitations would be able to enter safely

- they are currently using a footstool that is "somewhat dangerous,"

she said.

The Recreation

Department has three vans that hold up to 15 passengers each. They were

used primarily to transport children until participation in the senior

program increased substantially. Councilwoman Joan Steward brought up

the need for drivers to have commercial licenses, and the cost of insurance.

Ultimately, after some discussion, Shirley Jackson and Steward voted to

purchase the mini-van for $44,889; Barbara Bohanan and Helen Turner voted

against the proposal. Moore broke the tie to approve the purchase.

Council moved

to unanimously approve spending an estimated $800,000 to move the fire

station currently situated behind City Hall to Highpoint Road. Citing

increased growth in the area, including a new school in Fulton County

that will have up to 1,000 students, Kenneth Collins, chief of the Fire

Bureau, made a strong case for the move. He noted that local developer

Fred Schwaemmle had donated land for the new station.

In other business,

a number of rezoning requests were approved. Chuks Odikpo's request to

change the zoning category of 5064 Harris St. to O-I (office-institutional)

to build a mortuary was approved with stipulations that it be a minimum

of 300 feet from residences and that there be sufficient parking. Some

members of the audience came to the meeting hoping the request would be

denied, but no one spoke in opposition. The new mortuary will be near

the Green Manor restaurant.

Five properties

on the Shannon Parkway or Flat Shoals Road near Shannon Mall were on the

table for the third rezoning. The land owners were requesting that the

land be zoned neighborhood commercial, their original designation. Previously

the land had been changed from NC to C1 (light commercial), then been

changed to O-I. All were approved.

Stating, "If

we don't get the money from sales taxes it will have to come from property

taxes," Moore voted with the council to approve the extension of

the 1 percent educational purpose sales tax for the Board of Education.

The council

approved the Comprehensive Mitigation Air Quality contract with the Georgia

Department of Transportation. The city applied for funding from the federal

program a year ago and was awarded money for three projects to build sidewalks,

bike paths and other similar items. The current project will use $250,000

allocated from CMAQ to put in sidewalks in the Shannon Mall area.

The city was

able to acquire the 50 needed easements from businesses and property owners

at no cost.

In other action:

Council voted

to require that applicants notify neighboring land owners via certified

mail of rezoning requests if they are within a 250-foot radius.

A stop sign

was approved for the intersection of Main and Church streets.

The 15-day

due date for requests for final plat approval was extended to 45 days

and cemetery regulations were amended to require that cemeteries be a

minimum of ten acres.

Council also

approved the Short Term Work Program for 2002 - 2007.