Forest Park council adopts water‑efficiency plumbing code, keeps millage rate unchanged; pension purchase rules eased; charter vote unclear

Forest Park’s City Council on Sept. 15 voted to adopt a water‑efficiency plumbing code requested by the regional water authority, approved keeping the municipal millage rate unchanged after a public hearing, and approved a technical amendment to the city’s defined‑benefit retirement plan that will allow employees to purchase partial years of prior service. Council consideration of a proposed amendment to the city charter (Section 2.15, “Inquiries and investigations”) was recorded in discussion but the meeting transcript contains conflicting statements about whether the measure received the required vote at this meeting, and the official outcome is not clearly recorded in the meeting record.

Why it matters: The plumbing code change implements water‑use rules the Metropolitan North Georgia Water District has asked municipal governments to adopt; the millage action confirms the council will not raise the tax rate even though rising property values required the city to advertise the proposal as a tax increase; the retirement plan amendment affects how municipal employees may buy back prior service and could change pension cost calculations and employee retirement timing.

The council adopted a text amendment to the Forest Park Code (Title 8, Planning and Development — Building Regulations and Code Enforcement, Section 8‑2‑21) to add a water efficiency subsection requested by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water District. A staff representative told the council the district “is in charge of creating [standards] to preserve and protect the water resources within all 15 counties” and asked municipalities to incorporate the district’s efficiency code into local plumbing rules. The council’s vote on the ordinance was recorded as unanimous.

Council members held a final public hearing on the proposed millage rate. City staff and the city attorney explained the city is not increasing the millage rate itself but rising property valuations required the city to advertise the measure as a tax increase; the council voted to adopt the tax ordinance and keep the millage rate at the current level. Finance Director Wiggins presented the monthly financial review for August 2025, telling the council the general‑fund revenue and expense totals for the period are both $43,034,008.57 and that August monthly revenues were about $1,325,007.42 while monthly expenses were about $4,242,006.91; he characterized the early fiscal months as seasonally uneven and said revenues typically outpace expenses later in the fiscal year.

On the retirement plan amendment, Michelle Warner, director of retirement at the Georgia Municipal Association, explained that when the city’s pension plan began it only began accruing service from the plan start date and the council had offered employees the option to purchase prior service. Warner told council members that some employees submitted partial payments that did not buy whole years of service under the plan’s administrative rules; the proposed amendment would allow the plan to accept partial‑year purchases so those already‑received employee contributions can be applied. Warner said the payments were made from pretax payroll sources (for example, 457 accounts) and noted the city had opened purchase windows twice; staff said a current window remains open. The council voted to approve the resolution amending the defined‑benefit retirement plan.

Council discussion on a proposed charter amendment to Section 2.15 (Inquiries and Investigations, Article II) included a reminder from the city attorney that the charter requires adoption at two consecutive meetings to take effect. Councilwoman Gunn moved to approve the amendment with a second from Councilman Gutierrez. The transcript contains inconsistent statements about the result: one recording indicates the vote did not carry, and the city attorney later referred to the measure as having passed at the prior meeting and discussed the vote threshold requirement; other remarks in the record say the amendment “passed this time as well.” Because the meeting transcript contains conflicting statements and does not clearly record a final, unambiguous outcome of the roll call for that ordinance, the official result is not clearly ascertainable from the public record provided here.

The council also motioned and voted unanimously to enter an executive session to discuss real estate, personnel and litigation matters and later adjourned the meeting.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript): - Ordinance: Title 8 (Plumbing) — add water‑efficiency subsection (per Metropolitan North Georgia Water District). Motion moved and seconded; recorded outcome: approved (unanimous vote recorded). - Ordinance/Resolution: Tax/millage ordinance (final public hearing). Council approved keeping the millage rate unchanged; recorded outcome: approved (unanimous vote recorded). City staff noted the rate is unchanged but rising property values required the city to advertise the measure as a tax increase. - Resolution: Defined‑benefit retirement plan amendment — allow acceptance of partial‑year service purchases and apply previously deposited partial payments. Motion moved and seconded; recorded outcome: approved (unanimous vote recorded). - Ordinance (charter amendment): Amend City Charter, Section 2.15 (Inquiries and Investigations). Motion moved and seconded; recorded outcome: not clearly recorded in transcript (conflicting statements in the meeting record about whether the measure carried; see article for details). - Executive session motion: Motion to go into executive session to discuss real estate, personnel and litigation. Motion moved and seconded; recorded outcome: approved (unanimous vote recorded).

Council members and staff who spoke during the items above included Mayor Pro Tem Kimberly James; Councilwoman Gunn; Councilman Gutierrez; Councilwoman Wells; Finance Director Wiggins; Michelle Warner (Georgia Municipal Association, Retirement Department); a representative for the Metropolitan North Georgia Water District; the city attorney; and interim City Manager Clemens. The meeting record shows multiple unanimous votes on the plumbing code, the tax ordinance, the retirement plan resolution and the executive session motion. The transcript does not contain a clear, unambiguous roll‑call result for the charter amendment measure.