First Meeting in 2016 Blue Ridge City Council ~ Sign Moratorium, Water & Sewer, Security, & More Spending

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Blue Ridge City Council held their bi-monthly meeting on Jan.5th.  Major items discussed were a sign moratorium, information security for Blue Ridge residents and city employees and the ongoing water infrastructure project for downtown Blue Ridge and Orchard Boulevard.

Council members voted that Blue Ridge businesses and property owners will not be allowed to place permanent signs on their property for 120 days, which is roughly until the end of April 2016.  The sign moratorium is at the request City Attorney David Syfan who wants to review the city sign ordinance to see if it matches the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision on Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, Arizona.  This decision states that local sign ordinances cannot restrict permanent signs such as billboards or store signs based on content of the signs.  According to Blue Ridge Zoning Administrator, Roy Parsons, Blue Ridge’s sign ordinance already says that sign permits cannot be denied based on content on the signs.  Hampton Square is the first Blue Ridge business that the sign moratorium affects.  Hampton Square has been trying to gain the permit for several months so that it can replace its previous sign which was destroyed in a storm.

https://youtu.be/P-GYldDM6WA

City of Blue Ridge wants to enact a ‘red flag’ ordinance which will tighten security of personal information such as addresses and social security for Blue Ridge utility customers and Blue Ridge employees.  The added protection will make it more difficult for computer hackers to access Blue Ridge records.

Like much of the past year, a large part of the City Council meeting dealt with the state of water and sewer lines in the city. Matt Smith, an engineer with Carter and Sloope, the engineering firm hired by Blue Ridge to repair the water problems, said that the initial professional reports about pipeline damage are being processed by the firm and more precise repairs as well as precise cost estimates will be available soon.  However, the city will still need to wait before beginning many of the repairs because Blue Ridge has not yet received grant funding from state and federal governments.  Blue Ridge business owners can greatly contribute to the obtaining the grants if they would fill out economic questionnaires passed out earlier in the year.   Blue Ridge must show that improving water infrastructure along East Main Street and several drainage ditches will aid in the city’s economic development in order to compete successfully for grant money.

The intersection of Orvin Lance Connector and Hwy. 515 is getting a new name, Sgt. Lents intersection.  Sgt. Lents was a former Post Commander for Georgia State Patrol Post 27 located in Blue Ridge.  Georgia DOT has a tradition of naming intersections after Georgia State Patrol officers.

 

The City Council approved the following expenses: $4,490 to Jarrard & Davis, LLP, the law firm investing the Mayor and City Council; H&D Supply purchases; and, Johnson Paving Invoice.

 

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