Quick Poll

Do you give annually to the Coweta Can-A-Thon?

Related Story

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Thursday, October 09, 2008 in Local

Senoia taking steps to prevent identity theft

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

Senoia city officials won't have to make many changes to comply with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.

The act, designed to help prevent identity theft, requires any organization that deals with credit information to put in place certain protocols.

The Senoia City Council voted to approve a FACTA ordinance on Monday.

The act requires organizations to limit access to personal information, and to dispose of that information in a manner to ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

The only change the city will have to make, said administrator Richard Ferry, is that driver's license numbers will no longer be written down on utility applications. Instead, said Ferry, city staff will inspect a driver's license and check off a box saying the license was inspected.

"We don't do background checks on people," Ferry said. "And as long as we eliminate those numbers, we're going to be in good shape."

In other meeting business:

n The council voted to increase the mileage reimbursement rate for city employees to the federal rate, currently 58.5 cents per mile.

Before Monday, the city was only paying 28 cents per mile, said Mayor Robert Belisle. "I believe it is time that we reimburse people appropriately."

The federal rate has been 58.5 since July, said City Attorney Drew Whalen.

Ferry said the city has a "pool car" that is often used when city employees have to go for training. "Obviously we will be able to save" money on mileage if the pool car is used appropriately, Ferry said.

n Heritage Point resident Brian Tidwell spoke to the council about getting a separate water meter for irrigation. Tidwell said he has spoken to city staff on several occasions, but said he was told the city was not allowing separate meters.

"Under state water conservation ... aren't they frowning on that?" asked the mayor.

"Actually, they are encouraging that," said Ferry.

"I think at the time we limited them, they were discouraging them," said Councilman Larry Owens.

"That's the reason we did away with the practice," Belisle said.

Ferry said the city might need to reexamine the issue. Currently, City Engineer Ben Turnipseed is studying the water and sewer rate structure.

Tidwell wants the new meter because his bill for sewer service is based on his total water usage. "I don't think I should be paying sewage for the 5,000 gallons going on my yard," Tidwell said.

n The East Coweta High School Homecoming Parade will be held in downtown Senoia on Oct. 23.

n Owens thanked the Downtown Development Authority for the successful car show. "It seems like every year it gets a little better and a little better," Owens said.

The council also introduced the city's new downtown development coordinator, Jennifer Cleland.

"She has been specifically tapped ... to market Senoia, to increase our downtown commercial development," Belisle said. "We're glad to have you."

"I'm glad to be here," said Cleland.

n The council approved an electrical easement for Historic Development Ventures at 48 Main St. The transformer for the building will be placed next to the city's water tower.

n The council delayed taking action on a request to the Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Center.

The city hired Chatt-Flint to do grant administration for an Employment Incentive Program grant for the Winpak expansion.

There were some site issues with the soils, Ferry said Wednesday. In a discussion with the city, contractor, Chatt-Flint and the engineer, it was decided the project should move forward, and a change order could be submitted, if necessary. An additional $100,000 was needed to replace unsuitable soils and bridge the roadbed with a fabric, Ferry said. But when the change order was presented, the Department of Community Affairs said change orders are not permitted with EIP grants.

"We relied on the Chatt-Flint expert to provide us that that expertise," Ferry said. "Because of the lack of follow through on that person's part, the city was hit with that $100,000 charge," Ferry said. "So we are trying to negotiate with them to see if we can provide a little bit of these funds back to the city."

The city hasn't yet paid for the grant administration, Ferry said. The actual project is "basically done," he said. The request is for the city to receive a portion of the administration fee.

"We'll just delay it and hopefully we'll hear back from them," Belisle said.

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.