Police equipment, playing fields on city agenda
The Rome City Commission is slated to sign off tonight on a federal grant application for nearly $20,000 to buy evidencegathering equipment for the city and county police departments.
Rome will administer the annual Byrne Justice Equipment Grant under an agreement worked out by the city and county managers.
Floyd County police will get $3,800 for two new RADAR speed detection systems and a hand-held alcohol detection device. The goal, according to the application, is to identify accident-causing behaviors before a crash.
City police will use the balance of the $19,190 JAG grant to offset the cost of a $21,400 Sokkia iX-505 Robotic Total Station.
One officer can use the portable equipment to quickly collect and store a variety of measurements for accident reconstruction and crime scene processing. The state-of-the-art total station will replace 15-year-old, obsolete technology.
Commissioners are scheduled to caucus at 5 p.m. and start their regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 601 Broad St.
Both sessions are open to the public.
The caucus will feature an informal update on Land Bank Authority activities from Community Development Director Bekki Fox. The joint city-county agency is tasked with getting condemned, confiscated or abandoned properties back on the tax rolls.
Several public hearings are slated for the regular session, including a request for annexation of a home at 56 Honeysuckle Ridge Road.
A final hearing and ruling from the board also is expected on a request for a special use permit to allow the YMCA to use property at 803, 805 and 807 Darlington Way as greenspace and soccer fields. Mary and Fred Taylor are donating the lots, and the existing rental houses will be demolished.
The board also is expected to approve the Rome-Floyd County Fire Department’s plan to take official responsibility for enforcing fire safety standards on new building construction.
Currently, the department conducts plan reviews and inspections under the authority of the state insurance commissioner’s office. Fire Chief Troy Brock said the work has been done at no charge but a state audit resulted in an order to collect fees from builders.
Rather than pass the revenue to the state, the fire department will become the enforcement authority. Floyd County Commissioners approved the transfer of responsibility last month.
City Commissioners also are expected to approve an agreement to devote up to $452,000 in state Community HOME Investment Program funds to build four homes on Pollock Street in South Rome.
The project is a continuation of the community development HOMEBuild initiative aimed at expanding the stock of affordable housing in the city. The properties are to be sold to qualified households with incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median income.