The Habersham County Commission will hold two public hearings and discuss vehicle purchases during its regular meeting on Monday, October 21.
The first public hearing will be for a conditional use permit for a Christian retreat that will be located at 5315 Piedmont Mountain Road. The applicant has requested that up to 30 cabins and five parsonages be built on 200 acres. According to the applicant, the property would be used by church groups.
The Habersham County Planning Commission has forwarded the application to the county commission for its approval. The planning commission approved the application with conditions.
The conditions for the development would restrict the project to a maximum of 30 cabins not to exceed 500 square feet each. A maximum of five parsonages not to exceed 1200 square feet each. The developed area cannot exceed 15% of the total land mass of the property. The cabins cannot be used as long term rentals as defined by Habersham County regulations. The final restriction for the property is that the organization must handle all rentals itself.
The second public hearing will be for an amendment to the comprehensive land development ordinance.
The county has had issues with developments placing numerous driveways on county roads, avoiding the construction of an internal road for a subdivision. The amendment would limit the number of parcels in a development to four that can build driveways on a county road. Developments with five parcels or more will be required to build a subdivision road. The amendment would also address gated communities. It would ensure the gates would not negatively impact a public road.
Other business
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office has requested that the county commission consider accepting the award of a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety HEAT grant and Traffic Enforcement Network grant. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting to use those funds to purchase two fully equipped patrol vehicles.
The Sheriff’s Office is also requesting the commission to create a full time Public Information Officer position.
Car rental at airport
The Habersham County Airport Commission has requested approval to enter into a contract with a car rental company to provide rental cars to pilots and passengers that use the airport. The airport commission has used Hertz and Enterprise car rental companies in the past but both companies have struggled to meet demands at the airport.
The county requested RFP’s for the service. Only two bids were received, one from Enterprise and the other from FBO Drive. The Enterprise bid was incomplete and did not provide pricing.
FBO Drive will provide the vehicles that will be located on-site at the airport. Booking of vehicles and payment processing will be conducted online through FBO Drive. The county will receive up to 12% of the rental fees on a monthly basis. County employees will not be responsible for deep cleaning of rental vehicles, only the removal of trash. The airport commission is requesting the commission to approve the contract with FBO Drive.
Fire ladder truck purchase
Habersham County Emergency Services Director Jeff Adams has requested the commission to consider the purchase/lease of a new ladder truck for the fire department. The cost of the ladder truck is $1,324,730. The lease agreement would be for 10 years, with an annual payment of $183,356. The payment would be made through the general fund.
County Manager position
The Commission will be entering into an executive session to discuss personnel. The county recently advertised the county manager position to accept applications. According to County Manager Alicia Vaughn, the application period closed on October 14. The county received 31 applications.
According to Vaughn, the commission will be presented the applications during the executive session and will discuss next steps in the hiring process.
The Habersham County Commission will meet on Monday, October 21, at 6 p.m. in the Jury Assembly Room in the Habersham County Courthouse located at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville.
