The City of Blue Ridge agreed to develop cooperation agreements with the Fannin County Fire Department as well as the Fannin County Building Inspectors following a City Council decision Tuesday, April 13.
Blue Ridge Council members, with Harold Herndon absent and Mayor Pro Tem Rhonda Haight acting as mayor in Mayor Donna Whitener’s absence, agreed to present the Fannin County Board of Commissioners a Fire Protection Agreement.
The agreement would provide the city with full fire protection as well as yearly commercial fire inspections and hydrant inspections.
In return, the city would fund $25,000 to the county annually and $3,000 monthly, as well as give them their fire truck
Planning, Zoning and Project Manager Jeff Stewart proposed that the council allow Fannin County Building Inspectors to handle the city’s building inspections and permitting.
“Any new permits would go to the county. They would collect the fees and do all the inspections for most everything,” Stewart said explaining the proposed process. “If it’s a new driveway and land disturbance, sign permits, demo permits, or rezone requests, right-of-way abandonment, variances or sidewalk permits, I would still do them here.”
County Building Inspector Keith Nicholson said that the county used to do this for the city before, and he felt it is a “good opportunity for everybody.”
Due to the city’s zoning, Stewart will receive zoning-related requests first, and then will send any pertinent information to the county regarding the zoning regulations and request.
He said bigger commercial inspections are written by the state fire department, and all permits will go into the Fannin County tax system, which will generate the tax money to the city faster.
The city will not pay for this service as the builder pays the fees, Nicholson said.
Members also agreed to change meeting days to the third Tuesday of each month, but they did not move to have it placed in an ordinance.
Councilman Mike Panter accused council members of trying to change meeting minutes. Councilman Nathan Fitts responded to the accusation, claiming he’d only ever asked for minutes to be expanded upon and asked that the recordings be used for exact recollection.
Panter also claimed that Fitts should not have abstained from a zoning vote in which his parents owned neighboring property as the property is held in a trust.
“I am not going to vote on an issue that my family owns property next door whether it’s in a trust, whether it’s in their personal names or whatever,” Fitts said. “I’m not going to vote on it because that is a conflict of interest.”
Members also agreed to have City Attorney James Balli review the possibility of a golf cart ordinance for the city that meets state standards. Councilwoman Robbie Cornelius opposed.
They also agreed to allow Pedego Electric Bikes to donate up to eight bike racks that will be placed in various locations throughout town.
The locations must be approved by the city, and Pedego has been allowed to display a logo sticker on the racks.