The City of Winder is hoping to clear up a little FOG.

A fee schedule has been set in place by the Winder City Council, which met Tuesday evening for its monthly meeting.

FOG, or Fats, Oils and Greases, will now be monitored by the City. FOG disposal by restaurants recently became an issue after a local establishment pressure washed gallons of the fluids down drains.

The restaurant had to hire a crew to clean it up, City Administrator Bob Beck said.

The council passed an ordinance regarding a fee schedule for FOG monitoring.

Under the fee schedule, restaurants will now pay $150 for an interceptor inside the building and $250 for an interceptor outside of the building. Inside interceptors have a capacity of 100-300 pounds, while outdoor interceptors can containing up to 5,000 pounds.

Under the new ordinance, a one-time fee of $100 will be charged for a FOG evaluation. Each time a restaurant changes venues, they will must have an evaluation. Thereafter, FOG re-inspections will cost $50. Restaurants also will register haulers. The fees will be $150 for the first truck and $50 for each additional truck.

At a Monday work session, council members discussed how the ordinance will have a six-month period to be instated, allowing for restaurants and the city to work together.

FOG inspectors will go to each restaurant in the City, and Beck said he estimated there were 125 businesses supplying food in the city limits.

The FOG inspector will be a part-time position, he said, and no new person will be hired. Pre-existing employees will do the inspections.

Also at the Monday work session, Beck also discussed tap fees with council members. The City is currently taking bids for a water and wastewater rate and fee study. Look for an upcoming story on the City of Winder and its water and wastewater plans in Sunday’s edition of the Barrow County News.

The City recognized Records Clerk Elaine Turner at Tuesday’s meeting. Turner has completed professional training as a records manager.

Beck said the City has been awarded for the past three years for its records keeping practices. Winder "is thrilled to have [Turner] with the City of Winder," Beck said.

The City approved the following actions:

• An event permit for the Summer’s End 5000 Race, sponsored by Winder-Barrow Brad Akins YMCA,m on Aug. 8

• A permit for the Lazy Daze Music Festival for July 25

• A resolution to allow consumption of alcoholic beverages in public from open containers at the Lazy Daze Music Festival

• A Melrose Pyrotechnics Event Permit in conjunction with the Lazy Daze Music Festival. A fireworks show will conclude the event.

• Open Records Request fees will now be $.25 per page, and state authorized labor fees. Beck said this will only apply to large documents and not minor requests.

• A 1988 Ford Truck in the Public Works department was declared surplus.

• The Council adopted a legal level of budget control for the City. Department heads are responsible for monitoring their own budgets.

The Winder City Council meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Winder Community Center. The public is invited to attend.