BY LAURA HEWELL
THE TOCCOA RECORD
The Toccoa City Commission recently proclaimed the month of February as the Black History Month in the city.
Mayor David Austin read the proclamation before a vote was taken.
Shantelle Grant from the Toccoa-Stephens County Library and Marie T. Cochran, a representative of the Appalachian Leadership Institute, accepted the proclamation.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the city approved the county’s appointment of James Addison as private sector representative for the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission.
City commissioners also approved the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) for the amount of $171,472 with the city matching 30 percent, which will be $51,441, for a total of $222,914 for street resurfacing projects.
This will give the city an opportunity to submit a large resurfacing project to the state to the state Department of Trans-portation to begin in the spring of 2024.
The city will try to retain the engineering firm of KCI to evaluate the roads for resurfacing and then the city will enter into an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Stephens County for the actual work to be done.
“The county provides the work, the equipment, and it’s much more cost effective for us, plus it provides income for the county. They do a great job better than some other groups we’ve had,” said commissioner Gail Fry.
Other items on Monday’s agenda included:
• Commissioners approved the new contract for probation services which included a pay increase for cost of living adjustment (COLA) from $35 to $45.
• The consideration and approval of an agreement for the airport engineering design and planning assistance funding.
• Approval of a resolution for Georgia Council for the Arts grant funding to allow for the seventh season of the Night at the Ritz event series.
• Heard the presentation of the FY24 budget calendar.
The commission was also addressed during the public comments section by Brenda Cornell.
She said her comments were to help her and others better understand how to get businesses such as Aldi into the community.
Chamber of Commerce president Julie Paysen was in attendance and explained the process.
Paysen also encouraged anyone that wants certain businesses in the area to either reach out to her directly or to let the businesses know they are wanted in here.
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