Council member Dianne Tate thanked department heads for their hard work in cutting the budget.
"I know it was tough. I know you worked on it April, May, June until the vote now. And we appreciate it. We appreciate all the work," Tate said.
A measure to raise water and sewer rates by 5 percent across the board was also passed. The increase will finance maintenance and upkeep on the water and sewer systems.
A number of appointments were made, with Hans Lutjens and Lamar Pendley being appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals and Nikki Murphy being appointed to the Cartersville-Bartow Library Board when Bryan Canty's term expires. Lutjens was also re-appointed to the Airport Authority.
Richard Osborne, Cartersville's city planner, delivered the Urban Redevelopment Plan quarterly report. Last year the city received $200,000 in grants to improve owner-occupied homes, which was used to renovate or repair seven homes near Gilmer Street, Mary Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. When council member Lindsey McDaniel asked if there was any way to add additional homes to the list, Osborne said there might be a few openings left.
"The qualifications were owner-occupied, so it's taken us a few months to identify appropriately interested persons in this target area. But we think we've got a good group now. But there may still be one or two more spots that may open up," Osborne said.
The council also approved a contract allowing PT Solutions to use the Senior Aquatic Center on Thursday afternoons for one or two hours, before the center opens, to treat their patients. Since PT Solutions is the first business to contact the city about using the center, their contract is limited to July through December as a trial period. If the trial is successful, the council can re-approve the contract.
Near the end of the meeting Ed Mullinax, assistant director of the water department, asked the council, the city and the community to keep the family of James England in their prayers. England was a second-shift operator at the water treatment plant and was killed in a car accident earlier this week. Mullinax said he left behind a wife of 20 years, an 11-year-old son and a 14-year-old son.
"It's a terrible tragedy," Mullinax said. "He was a very devoted father and husband and very well-liked."
Other council business includes the following:
* the first reading of an annexation and zoning application by the city for property at 13 Corinth Road;
* the first reading of a rezoning application by Terry Tumlin for properties located at 2 Dixie Ave. and 329 E. Cherokee Ave.;
* approving an agreement with DataRx to take over pharmacy claims processing for the city;
* renewing the city's property and casualty insurance with Travelers Insurance;
* purchasing Manager Plus Fleet Maintenance Software for the city in the amount of approximately $7,700;
* approving the purchase of a backup transformer for large industrial customers in the sum of $30,081 from ERMCO;
* approving the purchase of a narrow-band VHF repeater for the public works department for $6,880 from Coosa Valley Communications;
* approving the replacement of the civic center's roof in the sum of $54,960 from All Top Roofing;
* accepting the donation of gymnastic equipment from the Gymnastics Booster Club;
* approving the purchase of leadless brass fittings in the sum of $20,099.34 from Kendall Municipal Supply; and
* approving the purchase of a 1-ton truck in the sum of $31,998 from Wade Ford.