02 02 21 Minutes Called Meeting

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ATHENS CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING

February 2, 2021

The Athens City Council met in called session on February 2, 2021, at 5:15 p.m. with Mayor
Perkinson presiding. The invocation was given by Mayor Perkinson; and upon roll call, the
following members were present:

Curtis, Pelley, Witt-McMahan, Lockmiller, Perkinson

The following decision was made and ordered made a part of the records of the Athens City
Council.

The purpose of the meeting, as issued in the “Notice of Called Meeting” dated January 28, 2021,
was read and made a part of these minutes:

NOTICE OF CALLED MEETING

There will be a called meeting of the Athens City Council on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, beginning
at 5:15 p.m. in the Athens Municipal Building Burkett Witt Council Chambers located at 815 North
Jackson Street.

The purpose of this meeting is to:
e Discuss capital projects for the City of Athens including Phase 2 of the Athens City Schools
Building Project.
e Motion to approve a resolution authorizing capital projects including the City of Athens
Department of Education’s request for Phase 2 of the Athens City Schools Building
Project.

/s/
William Bo Perkinson, Mayor

-1-
NEW BUSINESS

DISCUSSION ON CAPITAL PROJECTS INCLUDING PHASE Il OF THE ATHENS CITY SCHOOLS
BUILDING PROJECT

Mayor Perkinson asked City Manager Sumner to reprise the history of the request from the
School Board for the Athens City Schools Building Project. City Manager Sumner reviewed the
adopted phased in funding plan agreed to by the City Council in early 2020. First, was a sales tax
increase that was voted on and approved by the voters. Second, was the savings from the phased
in approach of building one of the two schools, of approximately $150,000 plus the third item of
an $.08 property tax that was to be implemented this current fiscal year. That property tax was
not implemented by the Council. In August 2020, a savings agreement was put in place between
the City and the School Board. The funding level at that time would have provided for roughly
$30,000,000 to begin Phase | this year. Phase II was projected to begin in roughly 2026, or as
soon as fiscally feasible. The City Council stated several times they would move forward with
Phase Il as soon as they could but no later than the 2026 deadline. Phase II would rely on the
adopted sales tax and an extra savings from closing the remaining facilities of $550,000, which
would have been a total of $700,000 in savings that the School Board would be remitting to the
City of Athens to fund a portion of the debt service. A $.12 property tax increase at that time
would have provided for $20,000,000 to build the second school at that site and complete the
two schools under one roof design. That would be a total of a $.20 property tax increase along
with the savings plan with the School Board and the sales tax that had already been allotted for
this program. The third phase of approaching the needs at the Athens City Middle School would
begin in roughly 2030. This was the adopted phased in approach that was adopted by the City
Council. This meeting was to alter that approach if that was the desire of the City Council. The