The Ellijay City Council approved raising the city’s hotel-motel tax and chose contractors to pave various city streets when meeting Monday.
The second reading of an ordinance to increase the city’s lodging tax from 5 to 8 percent was given at the meeting with no opposition or public comment. It followed a first reading at May’s city council meeting.
The increase comes after Georgia House Bill 708, which authorizes the city to increase the tax, was signed into law. The tax is paid by those renting hotel or motel rooms or short-term rentals.
Councilmembers Sandy Ott, Al Fuller, Katie Lancey and Kevin Pritchett also approved contractors for projects that will be included in a total $500,000 worth of paving budgeted by the city.
One of those paving projects, which will cover a stretch of Progress Road from the intersection with Maddox Drive to the intersection with Old Highway 5, will be funded in part by a state LMIG (Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant). Another paving project will cover Forest Glen Drive and Alpine Way, both in the Westwood subdivision.
Mayor Al Hoyle said part of Progress Road was paved last year, and this round of paving will pick up where that one left off at the four-way stop.
The rest of the proposed paving will be paid for by whatever is left out of the $500,000 and will cover some of the following streets: South Main Street, Old Highway 5 South, Broad Street, Corbin Hill Road and Old Tails Creek Road.
“There are some areas that are worse than others, so we’ll try to pick out the worst parts,” said Hoyle.
Councilmembers awarded the Progress Road paving contract to Colditz Trucking and the Forest Glen/Alpine Way project to Johnson Paving. Colditz will also cover the other paving work to be funded by the balance left after the other two projects.
In other news …
Councilmembers also approved:
﹣ An additional speed bump to be installed on the south end of Lucille Avenue.
﹣ New terms for county library board members Reece Sanford and Mitchell Morgan and a new term for Dennis Buice on the city planning commission.
﹣ A farm winery tasting room license for 29 North LLC.
﹣ Four special event permits for alcohol vendors at the upcoming Blue Ridge Mountains Wine and Jazz Festival.