Making the best of “Your City” in these unique and challenging times
Mayor’s State of the City Report
It’s a New Year. It’s 2021. And it’s still true…
Things are HAPPENING in Lula!
With everything that 2020 threw at us, it quickly became a year of Action and Reaction. January through March was a time of Action as the Council continued to move forward with plans defined in the 2018 Comprehensive Long Range Plan for our City.
The Vision stated in the 2018 Comprehensive Long Range Plan states that the City of Lula will be:
- A quality, safe and attractive hometown where residents can live, work and play
- A community fostering economic growth for the greater area
- A community that values its history, protects its natural resources and works for its people
This Vision will continue to guide your Mayor and Council as we make decisions to benefit our citizens and our community. Together we will move forward, working together, and achieve great things.
Action!
January, February and early March, was a period of time where the City of Lula took action and moved forward with plans to accomplish this Vision. Here are a few things that were accomplished during that time.
Downtown Public WiFi Access Installed: Council approved moving forward with a system providing public internet service and security monitoring to City Hall, Veterans Park, the Depot Community Center as well as a portion of the Walking Trail in the Wellness Park. A system that would provide public WiFi access at each of those locations was also approved. The first three phases of the project were completed in March, before the pandemic hit. Since then, this system has been available to Lula Elementary and East Hall Middle and High Schools students and Banks County Schools students to provide internet access if they did not have access in their home. The final phase of WiFi access and security for the Walking Trail in the Wellness Park was put on hold until after the impact of the pandemic on the budget could be evaluated. Later in December, Council approved moving forward with the final phase of this project.
Planning Commission Empowered: The Council established a three member Planning Commission for the City. The purpose was to be able to gain their input on planning, zoning, variances and annexation issues before those actions reached the Council. After the Council approved members of the Planning Commission, they began their meetings in January. We are grateful to Shannon Jenrette, Wayne Clanton and Ricky Lewallen for stepping up and serving as members of the Planning Commission.
365 Well Development: To ensure that our City has an adequate supply of water for current and future needs we analyzed several different sites for wells that would provide an additional water supply for the City. A site near Bellton Bridge Road southeast of Hwy 365 was acquired in 2019. However, before exploratory tests were begun at this site, an opportunity to acquire an existing well with a proven production capacity came about. A plan was developed and a loan application was submitted to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) to finance a large part of the cost of renovation of this well and extension of water lines to connect it into our system.
In February we received approval of that loan from GEFA for $636,000 at 1.94% interest. This low interest rate was available because a few years earlier, the City had earned the designation as a Plan First Community from the Department of Community Affairs. However, as the pandemic developed Council chose to put that project on hold before accepting the loan. Fortunately, GEFA extended the time for the City to accept that loan and in December, the Council voted to accept the GEFA loan and move forward with that project. When completed in 2021, this will provide needed capacity for growth of our City and will also improve the insurance rating for property and casualty insurance for all of our Citizens.
Sewer Line I: As part of our Long Range Plan for sewer service in our area, this line would provide capacity to serve areas of expected growth along a portion of the 365 Corridor and Bellton Bridge Road. It would also replace an existing pump station that is nearing the end of its useful life. The engineering was complete, necessary easements were acquired, bids were received for the project and a loan application was submitted to GEFA. The $1,245,000 CWSRF conservation loan will extend the city’s gravity sewer system to an existing residential and commercially-zoned corridor along State Route 365. Because the project eliminates an existing pump station, it qualifies for a reduced interest rate. The City will pay 0.94% interest on the 20-year loan.
Even with such incredible loan terms, after the pandemic hit, the Council wisely postponed accepting this loan until economic conditions improved. GEFA has extended the loan acceptance period into 2021.
Sludge Disposal Problem Solved – An excellent example of inter-governmental cooperation was achieved during 2020. The City of Lula and Habersham County realized that each had a problem and the other had a solution. Early in 2020, Habersham County agreed to dispose of sludge from the Lula Waste Water Treatment Plant while Lula would dispose of leachate water from the Habersham County landfill. The exchange has been underway since the Summer and has been beneficial to both the City of Lula and Habersham County, solving two problems while reducing costs for each other.
Reaction!
When the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic descended on us, Governor Kemp declared a Public Health Emergency on March 13. From that time on, “Reaction” was the name of the game.
Immediately, the City Council and Staff began to develop new procedures to provide as much protection as possible for the public and our City employees while still continuing to deliver essential services to our Citizens. When the decision was made to close City Hall to public access, Council adopted a measure to offset costs of our citizens paying their water/sewer bills online. The Council even extended cutoff notices for customers who were having difficulty paying their bills. Council Members searched for ways to assist our Citizens who were unable to work during the “lockdown period” of the statewide Public Health Emergency. During this time they created the “Lula Cares” program to assist where we could and where we couldn’t, to connect our Citizens with agencies and organizations who could provide more assistance financially or otherwise.
Daily procedures were modified to be able to isolate groups of employees so if anyone contracted the virus then other groups of employees would be able to carry on. The requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), along with CDC, White House Task Force and Georgia Department of Public Health recommendations had to be analyzed. Procedures were developed for what should be done if an employee tests positive and how and when they could return to work. Then as new recommendations and requirements were released, we had to analyze and incorporate those in our policies and procedures.
Emergency Plans were developed so that if any group of our employees were ill, then skilled employees from nearby cities and counties could step in to keep our water and sewer systems and our administrative processes functioning. These procedures and processes were important when some of our employees were tested and found to have the coronavirus. In every case, the new procedures and processes worked well protecting other employees and keeping the City running with minimal interruption.
In the midst of all this, in May, the Council was developing the FY2021 Budget. They were receiving reports of April economic activity that showed a startling 10.7% statewide unemployment rate and a 14.3% drop in Net Sales and Use Tax collections for the State. By May that unemployment rate had increased to 12.6% which was an incredible jump from 3.1% in February. After careful consideration of all the options, Council approved a budget that was cautious, reflecting decreased revenue streams. No one had experienced this type of sudden economic change before so there were no guidelines to follow.
Along with a number of other cities, the Council adopted a hazard pay adjustment for many employees whose duties would potentially bring them in contact with people who have the coronavirus. While it was expected that Federal funds would be made available from one of the stimulus programs to help with these additional payroll costs, that funding never materialized. Fortunately, the expected revenue losses for the City were not as severe as anticipated so these coronavirus related expenses did not adversely impact our budget.
Then in October, remnants of Hurricane Delta and Hurricane Zeta ripped through our area causing over $150,000 in damage to the City. Delta brought heavy rains and flooding in a few short hours overnight. Flooding from Delta washed out and destroyed the culvert and roadway on Victoria Lane. Flooding also undermined the outlet structure at our Waste Water Treatment Plant and clogged or damaged numerous other culverts in the City. Fortunately, no one was injured and our employees responded quickly to mitigate the immediate damage. They then engaged the emergency assistance of qualified contractors who could help restore the culvert and roadway on Victoria Lane.
Zeta later pounded us with high winds that slashed through our Community. Trees and power lines were down and our City Employees again responded quickly to clear our roads and isolate dangerous areas until the problems could be resolved and power and communications were restored. Our Wellness Park and facilities at the Rafe Banks Park were hard hit with falling trees. A huge tree smashed our often used playground equipment in the Wellness Park to the dismay of many children of our Community and their parents!
A Strong Finish!
Veterans Day 2020 Celebrated: This poignant event marked the first public gathering sponsored by the City and the Lula Bellton Historical Society since the Governor’s Declaration of the Public Health Emergency. Although the rain forced us to move the event from the Veterans Park to the Depot Community Center, it was an inspiring occasion as our City’s Veterans from World War II to current active duty came to be recognized and honored for their service to our Country.
Christmas in Lula Sparkled: There was a special sense of excitement this year as Christmas in Lula promised a chance for many in our City to come together to enjoy our traditional outdoor festival. This was especially exciting this year after Railroad Days and Lula’s Fall Festival were cancelled due to the pandemic. It was organized a little differently this year being relocated from our Veterans Park to the other side of the railroad at the Lula Depot Community Center. All of the booths were located outside on the Depot Grounds and visitors were guided in a path to encourage enjoyment of the treasures being given away at each booth while encouraging a “social distance”. Then as sunset approached a record breaking crowd gathered along Main Street for a festive parade of lights filled with firetrucks, marching bands, classic cars, floats and of course, Santa Claus. After the parade, families with children made their way back to the Depot Community Center where the children were able to visit with Santa by Zoom.
City Hall Quietly Turns 50: Our City Hall was initially constructed in 1970. It was constructed with the help of contractors, Council Members and the Lula Volunteer Fire Department. Part of the role of the Fire Department was to deliver water to the site for use in mixing mortar because the water lines and plumbing weren’t completed yet. The building was constructed to house the fire truck and all of the Lula City Offices. Over the years, some renovations have been done as the fire truck bay was converted to more office space.
Our City Hall Annex building was originally built in 1985 as the Lula Library. In November an agreement was reached with the Hall County Sheriff’s Department to share the cost of a renovation that would allow a portion of that building to be used as a Sheriff’s Department Precinct which would be regularly staffed as well as provide a place where deputies could get out of their patrol cars and complete reports or make phone calls in a more comfortable office environment without having to go all the way to Gainesville or the North Precinct in Clermont. This will ensure an increased presence of Hall County deputies in our City.
Playground Equipment Replaced: After reviewing several alternatives, Council approved a contract for the purchase and installation of a replacement playground equipment system. This is expected to be installed in the Wellness Park by the end of January (weather permitting) to replace the equipment destroyed in the October storms.
365 Well Moves Forward: The Council voted to proceed with the 365 well construction accepting the loan from GEFA and committing the necessary funds from the City’s SPLOST accounts.
As we look back on the past year and look forward to 2021, we have much to be thankful for. I am thankful our City employees are ready and willing to respond to emergency situations and to find creative solutions to problems in stressful situations during regular working hours or nights and weekends. I am thankful that we have individuals and groups within our City such as the Lula Bellton Historical Society, the Lula Ladies and our area churches who take the time and effort to plan festivals and events that bring us together as a community. We have missed that this past year.
Again, I am grateful for your Council Members who give of their time to make plans and consider how to solve problems for our Citizens. As this past year has proven, many of these are problems with no easy answers.
We continue to be grateful to our Community’s medical personnel and First Responders who have been dealing with the coronavirus on a daily basis. We are especially grateful to those First Responders who assisted us during the dangerous conditions that were produced by the October storms and throughout this coronavirus pandemic.
I am grateful to all of the educators who teach and coach the children of our Community in the Hall County and Banks County School Systems. They have endured numerous challenges this past year and have demonstrated their dedication to helping our children grow and learn scholastically and socially.
And I am grateful for all of our churches and their Pastors and church leaders who have been there to anchor and guide us through this challenging year.
This is a long report, I know. But I hope this gives you a sense of the number of issues our City has faced in 2020 that bring us to where we are today. Your Council Members have faced challenges and technical issues finding new ways to meet and discuss plans, problems and solutions. But they have put in more time and effort than ever before to serve you well. They have worked together to get past disagreements and differences of opinion to make our city a great place to live and do business. You can be sure that they will continue to do so in 2021.
Eventually the coronavirus will be a thing of the past. The City of Lula will be poised and ready for what comes next.
Jim Grier, Mayor
