Called meetings add to an already busy week

Called meetings by Stockbridge and the board of commissioners during the upcoming week add to an already busy schedule of millage rate public hearings, SPLOST V discussions, and meetings.

Residents have a number of opportunities to attend local government meetings during the week of July 15 and learn more about ongoing projects. Every city has events scheduled.

Board of Commissioners Meetings

The Henry County Board of Commissioners will meet three separate times on Tuesday, July 16. Meetings at 9 am and 6 pm will allow residents the opportunity to comment on the proposed millage rate increase. County officials have stated the proposed tax increase would be utilized to pay for additional police officers.

The third and final meeting of the day will be a regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 pm. Agenda items include several requests to modify zoning conditions, including one proposal for an extended stay hotel off Jonesboro Road in McDonough.

SPLOST V meeting on Wednesday

The commissioners will also meet on Wednesday, July 17, at 10 am to discuss SPLOST V projects. Commissioners engaged in heated dialogue this past week over the suggestion that funding for a jail pod addition and fleet replacement program be reallocated to build two aquatic centers within the county. A motion to change the county’s project list failed in a 3-3 partisan vote.

The county’s project list budgets roughly sixty percent of collections for transportation improvements, including road widening projects along state route 81 in Ola, Rock Quarry Road in Stockbridge, and Fairview Road. Any changes to the list are unlikely to pass in the politically-charged partisan-split board.

All board of commissioners meetings are held at the Henry County Administration Building located on Henry Parkway in McDonough and are open to the public.

City Council Meetings

The cities of Locust Grove, McDonough, and Stockbridge will meet at various times on Monday, July 15. Locust Grove and McDonough will hold regularly scheduled meetings starting at 6 pm and Stockbridge has a called meeting to discuss the SPLOST V program at 4 pm.

The city of McDonough will hold a public hearing and is expected to vote on a proposed annexation and lateral rezoning for new commercial space at I-75 exit 218. The subject property, identifiable as the now-closed Ruby Tuesday restaurant, is proposed for a general commercial strip building and possible oil change business. There are no public hearings scheduled in Locust Grove.

Hampton Community Workshop

Hampton residents are invited to a community workshop meeting on Wednesday, July 17, between 4 and 8 pm for a planned mixed use development at the intersection of highway 20 and E Main Street. The twenty-five acre development is planning a mixture of single-family homes, townhomes, a small number of apartments, and commercial space.