Commissioners punt on Planning Commission, Utility Board appointments

ALBANY – It’s back to the drawing board for the Albany City Commission after several candidates for appointments to various agencies did not win a majority of support during the board’s Tuesday meeting.

The commission gave its approval to reappoint Frank Middleton III and Sanford Hilsman to the Albany-Dougherty Aviation Commission for new three-year terms that expire in July 2022 and a two-year term for Debbie Sutton on the Albany-Dougherty County Land Bank Authority. The commission also ratified the appointment to Friends of Chehaw of Tom Seegmueller and the appointment of Rachelle Bitterman to the Chehaw Park Authority.

However, positions on the Albany-Dougherty Planning Commission and Albany Utility Board went unfilled.

Instead, the city will advertise again for applicants to fill those positions.

Following the meeting, City Clerk Sonya Tolbert told The Herald that people interested in those positions should apply.

“Citizen participation is encouraged,” she said. “Contact City Hall for information.”

Commissioners approved a rezoning request that encompasses 3.6 acres for a new Colony Bank location at the corner of Old Dawson Road and Pointe North Boulevard. The change from C-2, office-institutional-residential, to C-5, general mixed-use business, will allow for greater setback and also for greater design flexibility and an illuminated sign.

A further consideration of right-turn-only ingress and egress on Old Dawson Road also was granted.

Colony Bank President and CEO T. Heath Fountain told commissioners construction is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year and be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

In other business, the commission:

♦ Approved a property tax millage rate of 9.729 for the next budget year, a decrease from the current 9.804 rate;

♦ Increased the contribution for senior management employees in the defined-contribution plan to 12% to match the rate of other employees;

♦ Approved an alcohol license application for Rao’s Citgo at 1800 E. Oglethorpe Blvd. and the transfer of ownership of a license at Pace Food Mart on South Slappey Boulevard;

♦ Authorized a new one-year management agreement between the city and the Chehaw Park Authority;

Accepted a grant award from the Georgia Department of Transportation for urban bus and bus facilities.