Rockmart council gives approval to zoning changes
The latest session of the Rockmart City Council remained l i ght once again with only a few items to vote on, from looking at zoning requests to getting ready for the city's upcoming municipal election.
With conditional use requests for two buildings in Rockmart yet to be approved, citizens and council members discussed whether use of the buildings should be permitted.
First up for the meeting's agenda on July 11 was the Marietta Recycling conditional use request for their property located at 327 Industrial Drive.
Marietta Recycling wants to turn the I- 2 zoned property into a recycling/ salvage center, and since few citizens had any complaints, council members promptly approved the conditional use request.
The company is now free to move forward with their new salvage center.
Concerned citizens also
had the opportunity to share their thoughts on another conditional use request: turning the Old Euharlee building into a senior housing facility. If approved, the building would sport 13 one-bedroom apartments and an additional 26 units after expansive construction.
A few citizens expressed concern about the use request and questioned how it "would affect property value," but the citizens worries were dismissed by the council members who pointed out that Northwest Georgia Housing Authority- a group that has done very consistent, quality work in Polk County - would be in charge of the building.
The Northwest Georgia Housing Authority purchased the school building for $75,000 around 4 years ago.
Outside of public hearings, the council officially approved an election contract giving the county permission to handle all aspects of the upcoming Fall election. This is a standard contract that typically gets approved every year.
City manager Jeff Ellis later spoke about Public Works projects and asked for continued patience in regards to repairs and fixes needed.
Ellis mentioned the rain and bad weather had slowed progress on various jobs the works department had been attending to, but the crew fully intends to get as many fixes and touch ups done as possible for events like Homespun.
Council members also approved moving forward on the first step of the upcoming November election by setting qualifying fees for the three seats up this year. Those interested in running for the seats held by Lucille Harris, Sherman Ross and Joe Henderson will have to pay $108 to participate in the election and meet other qualifications to be a council member. City officials will be able to provide further details about requirements for running for office, and all paperwork and fees must be turned into the Polk County Board of Elections in Cedartown during the Aug. 21 through Aug. 25 qualifying period.
The Rockmart City Council meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the Rockmart City Hall at 214 N Piedmont Ave., starting at 7 p.m. Their next meeting will be on Aug. 8.