"Because of our dedication to stop illicit drugs in the city we've had an astronomical thing happen in the city, and that's we had only one burglary in the city the entire month of April," Jones said. "That's really unheard of to have those kind of statistics."
In his monthly report to the council, Jones said the department seized two vehicles and $25,000 in drug busts last month. He also commented that the monthly number of calls has held steady, which still poses a challenge the fully-staffed police department.
"This is a large amount for the size of our department. It's hard for our officers out there that are working, but they're doing a great job to achieve the goals we've put in place for them," Jones said.
City Manager Pat Crook reported on the city's finances, saying that all city departments were under budget, except for the police department. The police were over budget due to gas prices and the increased amount of patrols.
The council looked over three rezoning requests and discussed the purchase of a Grasshopper lawnmower with a 72-inch deck for the cost of $10,768. Community Involvement Director Ben Skipper said it was a necessity as the city only has one lawnmower which is shared among all the departments. Council member Alan Towe supported the purchase.
After the discussion, State Representative Christian Coomer spoke to the council about the new tax reforms which remove a sales tax on electricity for manufacturers and eliminate the ad valorem tax on automobiles.
"The elimination of the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing really came about because, as Georgia is trying to attract more manufacturing investment in the state, we're continually competing with our neighbors: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina," Coomer said.
Those states had already eliminated the sales tax, which had put Georgia at a "disadvantage." The revised law allows cities the option of levying a use tax on electricity to offset losing the sales tax.
To compensate cities and counties for losing the ad valorem tax, which is a major income source, Coomer said, the state will make payments that are adjusted every year.
"Essentially a state safety net," said Mayor Ed King.
"That's exactly right," said Coomer.
The city council's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. in city hall.