Ivie's first City Council meeting called "fastest in the history of the city" by visitor

Charles Ivie seemed a little rusty in his first night as Mayor of Watkinsville

Watkinsville Mayor Charles Ivie did not waste any time in tearing through the agenda, but did raise a few eyebrows by wanting to ban construction vehicles over 15,000 pounds at houses with home business licenses on an update to the city business license.

The recently elected Mayor seemed somewhat stunned and agog at how rapidly he plowed through the small agenda, making a joke on the record about receiving a $50.00 bribe from council member Henry Norman to finish early.

He changed the manner with which the council members approve the motions twice in one brief meeting, getting a gentle verbal nudge or two from City Attorney Joe Reitman to right the ship of city business when the former city councilman from 1974 forgot a point of order or some other trapping of government. Whether with uplifted hands or the council members saying "aye," the agenda was attended to in quick succession and with little fanfare or questioning. No comments were made during the citizen's comments.

Rick Waller received a business license for use of a storage room at 54 Nancy Drive for the The Waller Agency, Inc. and Noel Carter was granted permission for the Main Street Tax & Accounting at Dan Elder property at 11 School Street. These two were the only new accomplishments of the evening in a meeting that did not last 20 minutes.

The new Mayor recounted how he wants to protect the asphalt streets of the subdivisions, lest they become "distorted" by the heavy home equipment. Ivie cited his own neighborhood as a perfect example of tranquil home business harmony with a neighbor having a landscape architect business with no heavy equipment parked out front. He cited an unknown violator on Jackson Street as someone needing to comply with his heavy handed sentence, upped from 13,500 upon recent revelation. The sentence was tabled, yet the new motion carried. Ivie also rebuffed City Code Enforcement Officer Robert Hegge's attempt at addressing tow behind equipment, dismissing it out of hand instead to discuss the ban on vehicles over 15,000 pounds on our streets.

City Council member Samantha Purcell brought a levity to the meeting with her letting know there will be a tree give away during the second week of February at the Community Center for the third year in a row with oaks, maples, crape myrtles, and dogwoods for free from your city to celebrate Arbor Day.

Ivie instituted an essay contest for public school sixth graders, asking them what they would do as "If I Were Mayor for a Day" under 350 words with a $250.00 savings bond as the pay-off, along with the possibility of coming down to watch City Clerk "Miss Julie" Sanders conduct the day to day business, and possibly give the Mayor a few new ideas.

"I might now know myself by then," once again the self-deprecating humor of Ivie instead initiated silence. He also talked about a blue or red ribbon panel coming to the city, with everyone expected to clean up and make every effort, but especially the city employees, for this "golden opportunity." If a date was mentioned for this clean up or the tour, I sure missed it. No organized litter clean ups were even suggested this time around, unlike Mayors Luken and Walter in recent years.

Council member Toby Smith was the only Watkinsville City Council member to bring a laptop computer to the meeting. He suggested contacting several home based construction businesses to see their view on what may or may not be needed in terms of banning heavy equipment on their streets.

The new Mayor seemed to get lost in describing some of the arrests and citations offered up by Police Chief Lee O'Dillon and breezed right through the pertinent numbers in the "checking account" as he called the tax monies held in the general and SPLOST funds reconciliation reports. His predecessors would at least mention the balances. Mayor Ivie and Council member Norman had some softly spoken exchanges about some accounting matters that escaped my listening during this administrative section.