The Blue Ridge City Council held their monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 10. The city hall was somewhat fuller than usual with candidates seeking election seeming to take an interest in new business on the agenda. Despite the increase of those in attendance, the meeting was the usual, short and sweet meeting. After the pledge and invocation, the minutes were approved from the August 2013 meeting. After the minutes were approved, council passed the adoption of the Event Center Ordinance. Councilman, Rodney Kendall made the motion to table the proposed quote for meter reading equipment as he stated it was simply something that needed to be allotted for in next year’s budget.

After discussing the rezoning requests during the Tuesday morning work session, at the official meeting, Mayor Whitener and fellow council members decided to accept the rezoning recommendation of the zoning board and approved the petition of Olivia and Brian Petershang but denied that of the Johnson and Queen Properties.

After the rezoning requests, the board unanimously approved the GEFA Free Leak Detection Contract. This contract is an agreement with Georgia Environmental Finance Authority that is supposed to detect water leaks and is a free service within 30 miles of the water distribution system. The contractor used to provide this service will be Wachs Water Services and this will be a free service. After reading the agreement and requirements, the decision was made to adopt the contract and receive this service.

Finally, the personnel item on the agenda was addressed. With changes in the water department, the city hired Nathan Stuart to join the water department team. Other personnel members added to the city’s payroll included Lewis Allen and Mark Clemmons.

During the public comment time of the meeting, Joe Webb made a request that the increase in the hotel excise tax funding help fund the community theatre with an additional two thousand dollars. Mayor Whitener stated that the issue would be something that would have to be checked out to see if there was enough funding to allot the additional funds to the theatre. Webb expressed his gratitude in the consideration of additional funds.

Fannin County Board of Education member, Bobby Bearden expressed his gratitude in the city providing Officer Jason White as a school resource officer at Blue Ridge Elementary School. He continued by saying that the parents, students and faculty seemed to be very pleased with the work White does at Blue Ridge Elementary.

With no other public comment and business on the agenda, the motion was made and moved to adjourn the meeting.