By Hannah Caudell
Residents took their first opportunity to tell the Baldwin City Council how they felt about Cook Construction's newly proposed development Tuesday night.
Cook Construction representatives and residents took to the podium to let council know how they feel about the potential development, the night after the county objected to the annexation and rezoning petition.
Cook Construction’s main representative, Ethan Underwood of Underwood Scoggins Attorneys at Law and part of the legal counsel for Cook Construction, presented before council regarding what the development will likely include, while reiterating that the development would fit into the city’s and county’s comprehensive plans.
A number of residents spoke for and against the development in the 10 minutes allotted for each portion of the hearing — one for the annexation petition, the other for the rezoning petition. Those who were for the property believe the development could draw more attention to Ga. 365, encouraging drivers to slow down, while bringing in development that could benefit county residents. Those who were against the property expressed concerns about heightened traffic, and wondered if the businesses planned for the development would actually bring community benefits.
The county commission's objection Monday night will send the county and city into an arbitration process, while Baldwin will still be allowed to conduct public hearings on the petition. Tuesday night was the first public hearing; the next will be on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Baldwin’s council will not be allowed to vote for or against the annexation and rezoning until the county’s arbitration process is finished.
In other business, council also discussed two intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with the county during the work session regarding radio and animal control services. Council and the city’s legal counsel expressed concerns regarding both. For the radio agreement, council was unsure about what would happen in the event that the county were to terminate the agreement; for the animal control agreement, council wished to reconvene with the county about concerns regarding the fee structure.
Council only unanimously approved one item on Tuesday night in the old business section of the agenda: the Automated Clearing House (ACH) Policy. The policy allows the city to go from cutting and mailing checks to paying vendors electronically. The policy is meant to reduce administrative time, and any transactions will still need two council member signatures.