by Janice Daniel
The Mayor and Council of the City of Villa Rica met for their monthly Work Session on Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., at the Holt-Bishop Justice Center, Municipal Courtroom, 101 Main Street, Villa Rica, with all members present.
Dick Chambers of the Villa Rica Housing Authority gave a history and update about his efforts to bring affordable housing to the city. He said he had no success until 2012 when President Obama’s Housing Secretary Donovan got involved in affordable housing development. He created a team at HUD which developed the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program. Prior to that Villa Rica didn’t have access to the Section 8 Government Housing Assistance program, since it had already been stopped. Chambers met Jerry Anderson, who was one of the team members that set up the RAD program, now retired, and he became a friend and consultant with Chambers, showing the city how to get into the RAD Program in November of 2019. Chambers also found Scott Spivey, the attorney who got the City of Macon into the RAD Program, and he was also assisting Chambers and Anderson.
At that time, Chamber said Villa Rica had 141 units owned by the city’s Housing Authority, and the three men found Walton Communities, a senior housing developer who partnered with the Housing Authority to build Walton Trail on Highway 61 (across from Tanner Hospital) which consisted of 90 senior apartment homes which were completed in 2022.
Residents were moved to temporary housing while 62 units of Old Town Homes were demolished by the Housing Authority to make room for this new development of two (2) 3-story buildings, managed by Walton Communities. This left the city’s Housing Authority with 25 units at Anderson Homes on Anderson Street, 25 units at Nunley Homes, Horace Luther Drive, and 19 at Auburn Homes on Booker Street. All combined, there are 20 1-bedroom, 36 2-bedroom, 19 3-bedroom, and 4 4-bedroom apartments which make up the 79 units. Chambers advised that the Housing Authority of Villa Rica currently has no plans to obtain or build any more affordable home units, but instead to put the remaining funds into upkeep of the current 79 units, some of which were built in 1953. They are updating HVAC, plumbing, roofs, and making other repairs and improvements. Chambers then introduced members of Walton Communities to talk about Phase II of their development on Highway 61.
Russell Smith said that Phase II is now under construction and will consist of three (3) buildings with 143 family apartment homes, not age-restricted. He advised that the project is 85% complete, and they will be moving the office to the corner of the property in October. The community will not be gated, but will have breezeway gates on each building. These are 3-story buildings with no elevators, unlike the senior apartment buildings which do have elevators.
The amenities in Phase II will be a dedicated community room, covered porches, a fitness center, a covered pavilion with picnic tables and grills, an equipped playground, a furnished arts and crafts activity center, and a laundry facility in the first building. Jill Dixon, the Area Director for Walton, said Phase II apartments are geared toward the workforce, and are income-restricted. There are 38 1-bedroom, 87 2-bedroom, and 18 3-bedroom apartments, none with 4 bedrooms. The federal tax credits on this development will go to the investor. The estimated projected completion date is January 2026.
Mayor Leslie McPherson said that more senior units are coming when In-Line completes their project just off of Cleghorn and Villa Rica Parkway. She also stated that the Council needs Housing Authority updates more often, and also that the Mayor’s Housing Committee should meet with the Housing Authority Board which meets quarterly and the public is invited to attend. See the city’s meeting agenda page for exact dates.
Mark Teal, City Engineer, presented Robert Renwick, Eric Childs and Kevin Bacon from Keck & Wood Civil Engineers, who designed the streetscape improvements for the north side of Downtown in accordance with the LCI grant which pays 80% of the cost and the city pays the other 20%. Eric Childs said this plan is from the 2021 LCI plan where they spoke with the citizens of Villa Rica, along with elected officials, staff, and business owners to try and find out what was most important for the new streetscape project for downtown. He advised that 97% said walkability, 86% said beauty and safety, and 62% said greenspace. The concept plan they presented was to connect Main Street at Loft Lane to Temple Street, with features like flush, curbless streets, pedestrian zones with amenities, street trees and native plantings, angled and parallel parking, all on a two-way street. He opined that it is really important for businesses to thrive on Temple Street, to shift from car-first to people-first focus for access, safety, economic, and public life.
The plan provides for maximized accessibility to businesses, outdoor dining, a Great Lawn with terraced seating, a shaded pavilion, and a fountain plaza with planters, benches and shade trees at the corner of Temple & Carroll Streets, and a playground at the corner of Loft & Temple Streets with an elevated grove with crushed stone surface where a coffee shop or something similar could be located. The Great Lawn is 40 feet wide with a 35-foot buffer to the railroad tracks.
Renwick said “We are at the concept phase. The next phase is the concept layout and documentation to GDOT, who has oversight of design process which they hope to get this fall. Then the permitting, design and environmental documentation will begin.” He anticipates the project to be ready for construction early in 2028.
Ward 3 Councilmember asked where the 20% match would come from in the budget, and Interim City Manager Hallman said probably 21SPLOST. All the councilmembers seemed to note the lack of improvements planned for other sections of the city or any way of getting over the railroad tracks. Mayor Pro Tem McCoy stated, ”We don’t want one side of the tracks to look wonderful and have nothing on the other side.” Parking was another issue, as well as safety measures, such as a fence, around the playground.
Teal said the LCI ’21 study had encompassed Fullerville and a few other places, but the streetscape portion was focused on the northside of downtown. Teal also cited issues with GDOT and Norfolk Southern regarding pedestrian crossings. He said there is approximately 50 parking spaces in the new city parking lot behind the police station, but parking in the concept plan was limited.
Childs said that parking had been part of the discussion from the start, but “this is a trade-off in terms of what downtown will be, and parking is at the expense of vibrancy and walkability.” He suggested working with owners of private lots around town to share their open spaces, and emphasized wayfinding signage for people to know how to get where they want to go. “These are catalysts to get people excited to move forward.” Ward 3 Councilmember Warmoth said “Please include some walking paths for both sides of the railroad tracks. So many businesses have closed because they are not walkable for their customers.”
Jennifer Hallman presented a Level I Certification as a Certified Human Resources Manager to Tiffany Lanford, HR Director of the city. To achieve this certification Lanford completed 13 classes and a self-directed learning project. The Georgia Local Government Personnel Association (GLGPA) is the only program in Georgia whereby local government employees may become certified in the Human Resources field. It is administered by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Everyone extended congratulations to Lanford.
The Consent Agenda was prepared as follows:
1. Approve request for temporary signage for the 20th Annual Don Rich Ford Villa Rica Frontiers’ Rodeo organized by Villa Rica’s County Commissioner, Clint Chance. The exciting event will take place this year in the big field beside the V-Plex on August 22nd and 23rd starting at 8:00 p.m. Chance said the signage will be the same as in previous years and would be removed no later than August 26th. He said the rodeo was a major fund-raising event for various organizations in Villa Rica, and this year it will be for the Villa Rica High School Band Boosters and the Temple High School Soccer Team. Villa Rica off-duty policemen will handle safety and parking control and West Georgia Ambulance will be on-site the entire time. No alcohol is allowed within the event. The Department of Health and Georgia Department of Agriculture both have to approve the event, and the City of Villa Rica is insured as a courtesy. Chance said, “This event brings thousands of people into the city, as well as keeping residents in the city for the weekend instead of going somewhere else.”
2. The SPLOST Intergovernmental Agreement was presented by ICM Hallman who explained that all of the County municipalities were accepting a smaller percentage than their normal population allotment until such time as a 2.5 growth rate has been reached in order for the county to build the new jail complex, Sheriff’s Admin Office, and mental health facility, since these will benefit all the citizens of the county. Hallman said Villa Rica will receive just under $15 million, but could receive more if the growth rate exceeds the estimated 2.5%. She advised that the county will have to issue bonds, and the entire debt payment will be paid by the county and there will be no delays in SPLOST payments to the municipalities. Mayor McPherson advised that the one-cent SPLOST percentages have to be approved by the largest city in the county, which is Carrollton, and they approved it at their meeting on August 4th, 2025. Villa Rica has to sign the agreement in order to get the SPLOST and make it valid for six years instead of five.
3. The annual update of the Insurance Renewal Agreements was presented by One-Digital representative, John Bezi, at a price of $98,201, a 4% increase over the previous year.
4. The new Medical, Dental and Vision premium charts were presented by Tiffany Lanford, who said they will be begin September 1st, 2025. The dental plans saw a 5% increase, but vision premiums remained the same.
5. Three Rivers Commission area agency on aging contract for services for fiscal year 2025 were presented by Lisa Demming, Senior Center Manager. She said the contract is actually for services through fiscal year 2028, and that Three Rivers gives good support, information and equipment needed for the seniors. The total cost of the meals is expected to be $134,839.68.
6. Request to approve a contract with Summit Construction & Development, LLC to perform the work of installing a left turn lane on Mirror Lake Boulevard at a cost of $447,360.97. This lane was supposed to be installed by Fuqua, but was left off the contract by a former administration.
7. Request for provision of sewer service to parcels on South Street not currently served by the city’s wastewater conveyance system. This project will consist of a low-pressure sewer system extending from just north of Meadowlark Drive to the existing manhole on South Street. This system will provide residents with an alternative to septic systems, especially if those systems are failing, and also provides for the development of any lot where septic is not a viable option. The cost will be $80,572 (estimate) to come from the water and sewer fund. Residents will be responsible for the cost of installing the line and grinder pump required to hook onto this low-pressure system.
8. Approval to accept Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC as the city’s financial auditors for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 with an optional extension for an additional two years. Cost will come from Professional Services and will be $32,000 for FY25 plus $4,500 for single audit if needed. FY 26 will be $32,950 plus $4,500 for single audit, with that amount remaining the same and each progressive year increasing by $1,000.
9. Approve Budget Amendments #166 – 173 to repriortize some projects and move dollar amount of the Mirror Lake left-hand turn lane to come from the Carroll SPLOST.
In other business items that were for information only, Kevin Drummond asked Nicole Smith to be at the meeting in his place to advise the Mayor and Council that he had spoken with Lori Brill of the Carl Vincent Institute to consult with them about reviewing the City Charter for the purpose of updating and possible changes that need to be made. Brill will make a presentation to Council at the September Work Session, but the process will likely not begin until 2026. She said it is a year-long process, and any urgent changes need to be sent to the Georgia Legislature as soon as possible.
Drummond has also asked Smith to convey to the Council some information about the city’s Ethics Ordinance, and some alternatives where citizens can seek relief for perceived wrongdoing by the mayor or councilmembers. These options are actually empowered to require punitive actions unlike the Ethics Ordinance the city is currently using.
She said if someone believes there has been a violation of a criminal statute, they can go to law enforcement for investigation, and if warranted, law enforcement can go to the District Attorney who can bring a case against the violator in Superior Court. Councilmember Momtahan, who is himself an attorney, stated that should this option fail, a person can go to Magistrate Court which can issue an order that an action be taken.
Smith also named a few other avenues that could be taken in the legal system, such as a Mandamus Order. This is a court order that compels a government entity, organization or individual to perform a specific act which they are legally obligated to complete. Typically, when there is no other adequate remedy available, this order can be used to compel lower courts to act within the jurisdiction or to ensure that public officials fulfill their duties. This order has to be filed with the Superior Court as well.
A Declaratory Order is a binding court decision that clarifies the legal relationships and rights between parties in dispute, and simply states the court’s authoritative opinion on the matter at hand before any act legal action occurs. A Petition for Review is a formal request submitted to an appellate court to examine and reconsider a decision made by a lower court or administrative body. And, of course, there is the State Ethics Commission where a complaint of violation of ethics can be filed against elected officials if there is suspected wrongdoing regarding their campaign funds or personal income funds, and possibly other ethical violations. In all cases except the State Ethics Commission, the complaint has to be heard by the Superior Court of Carroll County. Smith said this is not a complete list of possible avenues a citizen could take, but simply a partial list for information.
Mayor McPherson said that all the councilmembers, as well as Drummond, agree that the City Ethics Ordinance is a bad one, but is still being used, and has taken up much time and taxpayer money. It has no mechanism for weeding out frivolous claims, and no authority for punitive action even if they find a claim to be valid. The only thing they can really do is issue a report to the Council, which would become public knowledge and might damage someone’s reputation for consideration in future elections. Momtahan said there have been twelve (12) complaints filed and all have been dismissed as unfounded or not properly stated or supported. McCoy said, “Everybody agrees this ordinance is awful, but there should be another mechanism before it gets to the choices presented above in order to give transparency to the public. Mayor McPherson urged Council to repeal the current ordinance. She said that Drummond has estimated around $10,000 already spent for zero results.
Smith advised that the city’s Ethics Ordinance is atypical and could blow up in expensive litigation, and she added that some of the complaints address behaviors or actions not covered by the ordinance, but she did admit that most of the presented avenues of relief will come with a cost to the complainant. Momtahan said the Superior Court fee is $250.00, but can be waived if the complainant can prove they don’t have the means to pay it, and even if the city imposed a fee for filing a complaint, Smith did not know if that was legal.
After much back-and-forth discussion Mayor McPherson advised that this item will be on the agenda for the Regular Meeting of August 12th, 2025, for Council to take some kind of action on it. As was pointed out during the discussion, this issue has taken an awful lot of Council meeting time and nothing has been done to solve it as yet.
Nic Griffin, Deputy Director of Building Development, was also at the meeting to give an update on the various projects, both residential and commercial, which are at some stage of development throughout the city. Griffin had a list of each development and the status, but councilmembers all agreed they would like to see a map of where each of the projects are located, and Griffin agreed to provide that as soon as possible. He also took a portion of time to describe the formal processes that have to be taken once an application is made for a rezoning of property or a variance to a project, which is quite a long list and resulted in quite a few questions from the mayor and councilmembers along the way. His presentation was very informative, and is listed here for public information.
1. No application will be accepted unless and until the water/sewer approval letter is obtained from the Utilities Director, a requirement recently enacted by Council due to the critical point the city has reached on their water and sewer capacity.
2. The water/sewer approval letter is presented to staff, along with the formal application for whatever project or variance is being sought.
3. The application is reviewed by the Staff TAC team (Technical Advisory Committee), and if approved there, it is passed on to the Planning & Zoning Commission, who votes to either approve, possibly with conditions, or deny the application, which then goes to Council for final approval or denial and conditions. The Council is not bound by the P&Z recommendation.
4. If approved, the developer prepares civil plans for pre-review by Engineering, the City Manager and the TAC team, and pays the fee for the plan review.
5. Developer then submits the final civil plans for review by Engineering, Planning & Zoning, and an overview by the TAC team.
6. Developer submits preliminary plan in tandem with the approved civil plans, including infrastructure such as utilities, water and sewer, and any other that may be applicable.
7. Developer is required to do addressing on the preliminary plat, as well as submitting the addresses to the post office, E-911, the Building Director, and when the final plat is approved, addresses are submitted to the County Tax Assessor for recording.
8. The final plat then goes to the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission for approval, then to the Fire Marshall for approval.
9. Any applications are made to GDOT, if needed.
10. If any stream crossings are involved, the plat then goes to the Army Corp of Engineers.
11. Once all the above steps are reviewed and approved with documentation, developers pays fees at a pre-construction meeting.
12. Developer starts doing civil work with the city.
13. Developer submits erosion control bonds, if applicable, a performance bond to cover deceleration lanes, and a maintenance bond which covers infrastructure.
14. Land Disturbance Permit is applied for and issued by city.
15. Developer meets on-site with city representatives.
16. Pre-construction and inspections are done along the way as the development progresses.
17. When completed, owner submits a temporary certificate of occupancy, then a final certificate of occupancy when project is rented or sold to residents.
Council was provided a list of on-going residential projects and a list of on-going commercial projects along with the status of each one as completed according to the list of requirements. These lists can be viewed at the City Clerk’s Office.
The meeting was adjourned after all agenda business was completed.