The Brooklet City Council met on Thursday evening November 14, 2024 for a work session meeting.
They opened the meeting by approving the public hearings and work session agenda as written.
Simon Hardt, the Planning Manager at Coastal Regional Commission, ‘kicked-off’ the public hearings and Brooklet Comprehensive Plan discussion.
The comprehensive plan is an important tool for promoting strong and healthy communities, which outlines visions and a set of goals that help a community reach achievable futures through policies and work plans, Hardt said.
Comprehensive planning is required for maintaining Qualified Local Government Status, which allows for access to a special package of financial resources including:
- Community Development Block Grants
- Water and sewer loans from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
- Economic development funding from the OneGeorgia Authority
- Other programs from DCA and partner agencies
Brooklet attained QLG status with the adoption of the broader Bulloch County Comprehensive plan, but Hardt said there are many benefits of having city specific plans. The Coastal Regional Commission worked with Statesboro to develop their comprehensive plan and is hopeful to be able to delve deeply into the neighborhoods of the city of Brooklet similarly.
The public will have the opportunity to make comments on the plans at each of the work sessions and during the month of April, where there will be a specified 40-day period for public comment. The initial project timeline of the Brooklet Comprehensive plan is as follows:
- November 14, 2024 - City council meeting and announcement of Plan Update
- December 3, 2024 - Work session #1
- December 17, 2024 - Work session #2
- January 8, 2025 - Work session #3
- January 22, 2025 - Work session #4
- March 2025 - Initial draft submitted for City Stakeholders
- April 2025 - Receive all comments on draft and finalize document
- May 2025 - Submit to DCA/City Council
- July 2025 - Incorporation of final comments after review period
- July 2025 - Adoption of final plan by City Council
The plan follows a five year timeline, and is reassessed at each 5-year point.
Public Hearing #2
4.1 First Reading: An ordinance by the mayor and city council for the city of Brooklet amending and restating chapter 10 of the code of the city of Brooklet, Georgia to provide for the control, health and treatment of animals; to provide for an effective date; and for other purposes.
Mayor Nicky Gwinnett said that the ordinance is in intergovernmental agreement with Bulloch county to utilize the county's animal control when needed in Brooklet.
APPROVED 5) Motion to come out of the public hearing and go into the work session
6) Work session discussion items
6.1 - Select Comprehensive Plan Stakeholders
Mayor Pro-Tem Rebbeca Kelly, council member Sheila Wentz, and Mayor Gwinnett will form a committee to review the list of stakeholders before next Thursday.
6.2 - Brooklet animal control agreement, first reading to be voted on next week in regular session
6.3 James Holloway - Question “Is it the practice of Brooklet to provide service to some people but not to all who need it?” Example: Street Edging in Winnie Brook Subdivision
Similar to previous statements, Mayor Gwinnett attributed the difference in levels of service across the city to a lack of manpower, disabling the city to trim the edges of all right-of-ways.
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - 6.4 Georgia Fund 1 (GF1) - e-resolution process
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - 6.5 AllGreen Services Invoice #68 - $7,558.25
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - 6.6 Florida Labor and Business Solutions, LLC invoice #0000543 - $25,000
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - 6.7 Standard and Poor’s Financial Services, LLC Invoice #11485650 - $16,687.50
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - - 6.8 Standard and Poor’s Financial Services, LLC Invoice #11485888 - $5,562.5
Placed on Next Thursday’s Consent Agenda - 6.9 2025 SPLOST Distribution & Drat Project List
6.10 Drainage Concerns
Mayor Pro-Tem Kelly said that Lee and Lynn Street were under water this week with the 10 inches of rain, and that the issue of drainage in this part of town has been brought up before and disregarded over time.
City Engineer Wesley Parker said that the issue in this area is that there are roughly 500 acres of land where the water is draining through four pipes.
One solution that has been suggested is replacing the pipes with box culverts, starting on Lee Street on the lower elevation, as well as not paving further near Lee Street because it could continue to add inches of flood water.
A ‘swinging guess’ of the cost of constructing four box culverts could be about half a million.
6.11 Bid Opening Results - Brooklet to Statesboro Sewer Project (PE21193)
A new resolution will be voted on for the matter at a later meeting.
6.12 Town Hall meeting for Sewer Project and other items
The council agrees that residents need to be informed that the sewer project could impact the right-of-ways that are adjacent to their properties, which could impact the characteristics of their yards.
The council plans to send a letter to affected property owners that will detail the right of way boundaries and notify them of the town hall meeting pertaining to the matters of the sewage pipe installation.