Staff Writer
The Adairsville Police Department will start concentrating on Ga. Highway 140 in an effort to get drivers to slow down, said Adairsville Police Chief Robert Jones in his monthly report to the city council Tuesday night.
"It is becoming evident that most of our traffic crashes that we've had, out of the 52 that we've had total this year, 40 of them have been on Highway 140," Jones said. "So it seems like Highway 140 is going to be a place that we're going to start concentrating on a bit more."
Jones continued his report, saying the police department responded to 1,441 calls last month. He noted that while the number is down slightly from April, the call volume has held steady.
Community Involvement Director Ben Skipper reported on the Elm and Cherry street projects. Elm Street is finished and while work continues on Cherry Street, Skipper said it should be done by the end of the month.
City Manager Pat Crook gave the finance report, saying the city was in healthy financial shape.
"The good news is every single department is under budget," she said. "Including the police department."
Discussions during the meeting focused on the purchase of a used police vehicle and the proposed street light ordinance.
The street light ordinance allows the council flexibility when deciding where to install streetlights. Residents can petition for them, with the council voting on the measure, or the council may vote on where to install lights by creating a district. Skipper explained which areas the ordinance would cover if approved.
"The streetlight district will apply to all new developments being built within the city limits. The developer will be required to install streetlights," Skipper said.
Skipper added that any intersection within the streetlight district will be required to have a light.
The council set the agenda for their next meeting, which includes appointments to the library board and Downtown Development Association, two sign variance requests, the first reading of the street light ordinance and the purchase of a new police vehicle.
The Adairsville City Council's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at city hall.