Austell City Council to Vote on Sunday Alcohol Sales Referendum

, and tonight, the Austell city council is set to approve putting the referendum on the ballot on March 6 during the Presidential Preference Primary.

The referendum, if approved by citizens, would go into effect on March 18.

Austell Mayor Joe Jerkins said, although he personally does not support Sunday alcohol sales, he supported allowing citizens the right to choose having alcohol sold on Sundays in the city. He also said the city would not put Sunday alcohol sales on the ballot unless the county did.

The election will cost the city $875 because most of the election costs will be absorbed by the County Board of Elections and Registration, which will conduct the Presidential Preference Primary simultaneously.

Gas Board to Pay Increased Revenue to City

The council is expected to approve a proposal to increase the amount of gross revenues the Austell Gas Board pays to the city. This increase requires approval of an amendment to the city charter, since the current charter only allows the city to collect a maximum of 7 percent of the Austell Gas System’s gross revenue.

According to the amendment, the Gas Board is required to pay 8 percent of its gross revenues for both the fiscal year quarter ending on April 30 and the quarter ending on July 31.

The Gas Board will then pay an additional .5 percent of its gross revenue to the City at the end of each fiscal year. The Gas Board must pay 8.5 percent for the fiscal year ending on July 31, 2013 and then 9 percent of its gross revenues to the City for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2014 and so on until the percentage increase reaches a cap of 10 percent.

Austell City Attorney Scott Kimbrough stated in an email, “This (the increased gross revenue payout) will put the payment to the city more in line with what other municipally owned utilities pay as a franchise fee.”

City Employees to Receive Christmas Bonuses

Full time city employees will receive a Christmas bonus, a Christmas gift and a holiday dinner at the city’s annual Employee Christmas Party, which will all cost the city a total of $17,879, if approved at tonight’s council meeting.