Catoosa County is set to begin the process of updating its comprehensive plan.

“The county is mandated by the state to do this,” said Vice Chairman Ken Marks. “If we do not do this it could affect getting grants and monies in the future.”

The plan is required under the Georgia Planning Act of 1989.

According to David Howerin, planning director for Coosa Valley Regional Development Center, the plan focuses on population, economic development, housing, natural resources, intergovernmental coordination, transportation, and land use, among other areas.

“We are doing a partial update but it is significant,” he said.

He said the plan will include looking at what areas of the county will be in the future such as residential, commercial, and industrial.

Howerin said the plan will also identify short-term projects the county and cities anticipate doing within the next five years.

Catoosa Economic Development Director J. Olney Meadows said the updated plan will need to be drafted, approved, finalized and adopted by the county by the end of February 2008.

Meadows said the services provided by RDC at no cost are a great asset to the county

“It would cost the county over $100,000,” he said.

He added that through the process he hopes the county will draw input from all the interested stakeholders in the process.

The RDC will also be working with the two cities to complete the plan by October for submission and review by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Howerin said.

Catoosa went through the process of creating its current plan, now being updated, from 1999-2001, according to Meadows.

In other business Thursday, Jan. 4 at the Governmental Building the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to:

* Appoint Commissioner Ken Marks the Board of Commissioners vice chair.

* Approve the following board appointments: Commissioner Bobby Winters to the North Georgia Community Action Board; Chairman Bill Clark to the E-911 Advisory Board; and Commissioner Jim Emberson to the Board of Health.

* Approve the nomination of Lana Duff to Emergency Medical Services Regional Board.

* Ratify the appointment of Phil Ledbetter as the coordinator of the Catoosa Family Collaborative.

* Approve a maintenance agreement with Tyler Technologies, Inc. for $11,198.25 for accounting software.

* Approve a maintenance agreement with Duplicator Supply Co. for $300 for copy machine in the Catoosa County Tax Commissioner’s office.

* Approve the re-establishment of a line of credit for $2.5 million relating to forward financing of 2004 SPLOST, special purpose local option sales tax, projects.

* Approve the draw of $1.25 million on the line of credit for the following projects: Ringgold Youth Athletic Association; Jack Mattox Recreation Complex, Courthouse renovations, roads and bridges, and reimbursement of debt.

* Approve the expenditure of approximately $2,000 to send J. Olney Meadows and Commissioner Bobby Winters to a conference in Baltimore, Md. relating to making closed landfills more profitable.

* Approve a lease agreement with North Georgia Community Action for office space at Boynton Voting Precinct. The county provides office space, heat and telephone totaling approximately $4,200 for services the organization provides in the county.

* Approve a request by the Catoosa County Economic Development Authority to create a property tax incentive for Project MSR, a business considering locating on 20 acres within the county. According to Catoosa County Attorney Clifton “Skip” Patty, the tax abatement does not cost the county money its simply delays taxation on improvements made to the property. The tax abatement begins at 100 percent, then 66 percent, and 33 percent over eight years until the company will pay full taxes on improvements to the property, he said.

CLICK ON THESE LINKS

---

FEEDBACK: Send a
letter to the editor

SUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each Wednesday

GO
BACK: Return to our homepage

---

[ad1]