Local & State Headlines

Unnamed 'entity' may be willing to help blight fight

• Albany's Code Enforcement department may get more help than it bargained for.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — According to Mayor Willie Adams, there is an “entity” in the city willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to Albany’s well-documented battle with blight.

Adams told city commissioners during a Tuesday-morning work session that he’d been approached by “another entity” willing to fund a Code Enforcement officer to help with the department’s work in conjunction with efforts to help clean up blighted areas in the city.

“I’m really excited about this proposal,” Adams said. “I prefer not to say who this entity is right now, but City Attorney (Nathan) Davis is in the process of drawing up an inter-governmental agreement that would fund the officer for a three-year period.”

Adams’ disclosure came during fiscal year ’09 budget discussions for Code Enforcement, one of three departments whose directors presented proposals to the commission. Recreation and Parks’ Suzanne Davis and Transit’s Nedra Woodyatt also made presentations.

The “extra” Code officer is not part of the 41 percent budget increase sought by department Director Mike Tilson. Tilson told commissioners he wants to bring on two civilian and two sworn enforcement officers, the major portion of a $354,251 increase he is seeking over the department’s ’08 $873,849 budget total.

“This certainly isn’t ‘everything’ we’ll need, but it’s definitely a good start,” Tilson said in response to a commission question.

Davis’ proposed recreation budget calls for a 12 percent increase, from $3,334,202 to $3,754,813. That proposal includes funding for three new full-time employees. Woodyatt’s proposal calls for no changes within the transit department but does seek an increase from $2.2 million to $2.5 million to account for increases in fuel and other related costs.

She did, however, present a list of more then $170,000 worth of changes that would increase the efficiency of the department.

Commissioners voted to support amendments to the Historic Preservation Commission’s role in downtown development by removing voting privileges of the staff member on the nine-person board and by making the panel an advisory board rather than one that dictates policy.

“The way I see it, that’s nine people holding up progress,” Commissioner Tommie Postell said. “It’s chaotic.”

City Manager Alfred Lott said that’s why the proposed amendments were offered to the commission.

“These boards should be advising you,” Lott said. “The final decision should be made by the commission. That’s what you’re elected to do.”

Commissioners also voted to OK Urban and Community Forest Grant applications that will fund part of the salary of City Arborist Ili Si Malone and will help purchase software that will allow Malone and an intern from the University of Georgia to complete a street tree inventory. A number of alcohol license requests for one-day events, permanent applications and license transferals were also approved.

A license application for Marco’s Grocery at 715 S. Madison St. was tabled so that commissioners could receive information about crime statistics related to the establishment.

The commission tentatively approved (no votes will be final until taken at the city’s April 22 business meeting) a resolution calling for renewal of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Safe Community grant, Community and Economic Development’s 2008-09 action plan and budget, and bids on the purchase of two tractors from Albany Tractor Co. ($69,148) and a whole-body NEOS electronic gaming system from Southern Playgrounds of Marietta ($59,900.70).

Davis said the interactive gaming system would be utilized during planned youth programs at the Henderson and Thornton recreation centers this summer.

“It’s a videogame-type atmosphere, which the kids love, but it also gets them up and moving,” she said. “It also meets our goal of keeping our kids active in positive activities that keep them off the streets.”

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