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Votes at a glance: council cancels New Years Eve block party, approves FY25 amendments and park rental policy
Summary
At the November meeting the Hiram City Council approved fiscal year-end budget amendments, voted to cancel the New Years Eve block party and shift fireworks to the Christmas tree lighting, authorized a GMA loan for IT equipment, set a Grays Mill Park fee for for-profit rentals, and adopted other ordinances and license fees.
The Hiram City Council on its November meeting took a series of formal actions including budget amendments, event scheduling changes and loan authorizations.
The council voted to cancel this years New Years Eve block party and move the fireworks display to the citys Christmas tree lighting after discussion about low vendor and sponsor commitments and staff workload. The motion to cancel and move the fireworks was made during the meeting and passed by the council.
Council members also approved fiscal year-end budget amendments for FY25. Staff had told the council the amendments were necessary to cover overages in several departments, to account for sanitation fund shortfalls subsidized by the water fund, and to record reimbursements and one-time capital expenses. The council moved and adopted the amendments as presented.
The council authorized a Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) loan of $190,000 plus interest over a five-year term to purchase IT servers, network switches and computers to support a planned switch to a new IT service provider. The staff presentation described a negotiated buyout of leased equipment and the procurement plan for replacement hardware.
On parks policy the council approved a rental policy to allow for-profit entities to rent Grays Mill Park at a usage fee of $400, otherwise subject to the same terms and conditions as non-profits. The council discussed cancellation/refund rules, prohibited items, lighting and cleanup responsibilities before adopting the policy.
Council members set an annual art-shop license fee after debate. A motion to set a lower start-up fee failed; the council ultimately approved a $250 annual license fee for the proposed art-shop permit.
Council also moved to amend the BYOB/open-container ordinance to add a narrow exception for wine or distilled-spirit containers that are resealed with a cork stopper or screw cap; the amendment was proposed after council asked whether resealed bottles should be treated differently than open beer containers.
Notes on vote tallies: the transcript records motions, seconders and the recorded outcomes (approved/denied) but does not include roll-call vote tallies for the items above. The meeting minutes or official roll call should be consulted for exact counts and individual votes.
