Clarkesville council approves budget amendment

CLARKESVILLE — The Clarkesville City Council unanimously approved a 2025 budget amendment Monday night and received updates on wastewater infrastructure planning, economic development efforts and possible changes to the city’s brush collection program.

Mayor Pro Tem Angelia Kiker presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Franklin Brown and council members Blake Rainwater and Leigh Johnston, who were on vacation.

The council’s only item of new business was Resolution 2026-4, amending the city’s 2025 budget.

Interim City Manager Julie Poole described the measure as a routine adjustment to reconcile the city’s finances for the prior fiscal year.

“That is just super cleanup just to balance our budget for the prior year,” Poole said.

Councilman Don Nix said budget amendments are a normal part of city operations and are used to account for revenues and expenditures that differ from original projections.

“Two or three times a year, the budget has to be adjusted to be balanced,” Nix said. “If you have things that come into the budget that we didn’t anticipate in the beginning of the year, then the budget gets balanced.”

During a May 27 work session, Poole told council members the amendment included potential draws from prior-year reserves and reflected several significant expenditures, including a $200,000 down payment on the former Habersham County courthouse property and approximately $201,000 in demolition costs. She noted at the time that the figures were preliminary and subject to revision before formal council consideration.

Brush collection updates

Much of Monday’s discussion centered on updates from city departments and consultants.

Joe Deputy of ESG told council members the city continues to evaluate improvements to its existing wastewater treatment plant while planning for construction of a new facility.

Deputy said the city has engaged an additional outside firm to provide estimates for retrofit work intended to help maintain reliable operations until a new wastewater plant can be built.

He also updated the council on efforts to evaluate alternatives for the city’s brush collection program, an issue first raised during an April work session when council members discussed the strain the service places on public works employees.

According to Deputy, preliminary reviews indicate contracting brush collection services a few days each month could be significantly less expensive than hiring additional full-time employees, although the city continues to evaluate its options.

Deputy also praised personnel from Camp Merrill for assisting city crews in recent weeks with grass cutting and brush removal projects.

Department reports

Economic Development Director Yvonne Marinelli reported progress on development of the city’s economic development strategic plan and ongoing efforts to pursue grant and infrastructure funding opportunities.

Marinelli said she recently launched a community feedback survey to gather public input for the strategic plan and expects to close the survey this week. She also reported securing $9,500 in partnership funding from local businesses and organizations.

In recent months, Marinelli has met with economic development officials from neighboring communities, attended state and regional economic development events and worked with city staff and community partners to explore infrastructure funding opportunities through organizations including the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Department reports included in the agenda packet showed the Clarkesville Fire Department responded to 86 calls during April, including 54 emergency medical calls, four fires and two motor vehicle accidents.

The city’s Main Street program reported three new businesses opening or changing ownership during April: BP Clarkesville 442 Inc., Oasis of Clarkesville and Provision Design. The department also reported involvement in 35 downtown events with an estimated attendance of 890 people.

Planning and development staff reported continued construction activity at the future Waffle House location and noted growing interest in residential construction within the Village Crest subdivision. Staff said the restaurant could open as early as June.