by Hannah Caudell
Alto’s Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to authorize an update to the town’s total road mileage with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).
According to Mayor Gail Armour, eight streets in the town limits were unaccounted for in GDOT’s records, including three private roads and five city roads. Some, Armour said, have been in the county since she was a teenager.
The five county roads added to GDOT’s records could help the town secure more Local Road Assistance (LRA) and Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) money from the state to help improve roadways. Private roads cannot be counted in that estimation, according to Armour.
Council also discussed updating the town employee insurance plan. While council does not have to vote on any changes, Armour asked council Tuesday night about what they would prefer in terms of raising or lowering the deductible for employees. Chief Financial Officer Lisa Turner recommended that if council wished to raise the employee deductible, they could raise it from $750 to $1,000.
However, council wished to raise the deductible to $1,500 to save the town on funds; a higher deductible for employees means a lower premium cost for the town. This year, the town is responsible for paying $1,399.52 per employee per month for the health portion of their insurance; next year, they could pay a lower rate of $1,246 per employee per month for the health insurance portion, while also paying $30 for dental, $7.46 for vision and $5.70 for life insurance.
In other business, council unanimously approved the radio network intergovernmental agreement with the county, and a resolution to proclaim September as National Recovery Month. Representatives from Self-Discovery 24, an organization in Habersham and Stephens counties that helps empower those seeking long-term recovery from addiction and mental health challenges, attended the council meeting on Tuesday night for the proclamation’s passage.