Aragon council approves alarm fixes
♦ Film ordinance and more coming for the city after first reading
Aragon’s council is saying goodbye to their faulty, barely-functioning fire alarm system and making room for something new. Secure Source, LLC, the supplier of city hall’s security cameras, was approved as the vendor for a new fire alarm, an updated fire protection surge kit, and much more.
The work is calculated to cost a total $3,383 to be paid out of special assets and paid back from SPLOST, but the repairs and updates are almost mandatory.
Security upgrades come as the latest item to be spent out of the Special Assets Account, which as of earlier in the month was reported to stand with a balance of $38,982.67. It previously had a balance of more than $200,000 at one point.
The current system gives false alarms, and if there were a fire, it would be a surprise if the lights or sprinklers kicked in.
“It (the alarm system) failed the inspection every year,” Public Works Superintendent Daniel Johnson said. “What we’re looking at is the drive that communicates with the sprinkler system. It’s what sets off the alarm and everything.”
He added that “The strobes don’t even work right now. The alarms silenced because there’s a fault with it, and it’s been that way for years. Honestly, we’ve not had our building monitored in years. The building used to be monitored when we were away. It would let us know if smoke were detected and anything of that nature- and it would dispatch the fire department automatically. This will get it all back on track.”
Secure Source is already familiar with the building’s wiring, so one can only hope for a speedy repair.
Film Permit Ordinance
Georgia’s film industry is no doubt booming, and smaller cities are also getting attention from the market. While Aragon’s city hall was previously used as a music video set, the town doesn’t have a formal ordinance regulating filming or video production.
The potential for profit and exposure is high, so the council members crafted an ordinance and completed its first reading.
Officially known as the ‘Film Permit Ordinance,’ the document is designed to outline a procedure for the filming of movies or otherwise motion pictures on public property while protecting public interest. It hasn’t been enacted into law, and more public readings could result in various changes.
Should it pass, it’s important to note the law would affect primarily larger scale productions, and various groups would be exempt from the regulations listed. News media, individuals filming personal or family videos, those filming inside a movie studio, students filming productions, and low-impact production teams need not apply for a film permit.
Otherwise, the document states that “no person shall engage in, conduct or carry on the business of film production on private or public property within the incorporated area of Aragon, Georgia, including but not limited to rights of way, without first receiving a film production permit from the city. This is in addition to any permit that may be required by the International Fire Code or any other provisions of the city of Cedartown Code.”
Productions large enough to need the permit should find the ordinance standard. Those interested will have to complete a written application form provided by the city no less than 5 days and no more than 180 days prior to filming. Permits have a set fee of $100 per day, but necessary road closures can amplify that cost by at least $200. Productions interested in using general city facilities will pay $500 per day; using city hall will cost $1,000 per day.
Productions will find the biggest cost for filming in Aragon is the liability insurance fee. Before a permit is issued, a minimum $1,000,000 certificate of insurance made out to the city is mandatory. Any structural damage, personal injury, or wrongful death caused as a result of filming will be paid for with the insurance claim.
The council is making an effort not to be too restrictive, and they want the rules to be fair to all productions regardless of content type. However, the group doesn’t want their city to be poorly represented or associated with negative attributes.
“We can be a little restrictive, but we can’t be too broad or we start getting into first amendment rights,” Aragon Mayor Garry Baldwin said. “If its on private property, which most of the time its probably going to be, we have no control over that at all.”
Employee Policies
Various employee-related issues were addressed during the June 21 meeting, and it seems as though there’s never been a better time to be an Aragon city employee.
Workers were barred from carrying over unused sick time for the longest time, and under the previous policy, an employee with 80 hours of accumulated time would be reverted back to 0 hours after Jan. 1.
Now, sick leave is for available for either immediate use or as a long-term tool available at employee discretion. Doctor’s notes are still sometimes required for repeat absences.
Those fated to spend their holidays in the office also have something to look forward to.
Up from simply double time, workers who cover holiday shifts will take home double time and a half, and the group also agreed not to put a maximum limit on comp hours.