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For the City of Auburn, 2009 involved a lot of change – from the creation of a Christmas festival to the revamping of its business fees – but it seems that in a dismal year, the City has continued to push forward.
The City voted to move forward with its Strategic Implementation Plan. The plan, which spans 20 years, will involve four major tasks, including taking inventory of previous plans for the city and the county’s comprehensive plan.
The study will not only look at existing buildings, but also open space, different types of housing, bike and pedestrian traffic, parking and green space.
The goal is to "create a sense of place" in the city, or to give it its own identity.
In addition to the aesthetics of the city, members will focus on an economic analysis as well.
The analysis aims to look at the city and see how more desirable growth can be attained. Gaps in services will be looked at, and then plans to bring those sorts of businesses into the city may be established.
The results from the study might make it easier to obtain funding for different projects within the community.
The benefit of a fiscal analysis will offer ways to increase tax revenue, create jobs and lobby for funds and grants.
Some of the things Auburn has done to revamp itself include the reworking of R.H. Burel Park, which was showcased at the city’s first "Sounding Off the Christmas Season."
The park has had a new update, with sidewalks, a gazebo and new sod.
The nameplates that were on the benches in the old park, which held the names of previous donors, were placed back in the park, Auburn Mayor Linda Blechinger told the attendees of the Christmas celebration.
After speaking at the park, Blechinger, members of the city council and donors to the park gathered behind a red ribbon, which was cut to signify the area’s official reopening.
Some financial changes were made by the council in 2009, as well.
The council voted to change its business license fees, with some resistance from one council member.
In a memo, City Clerk Rafael Avalos told the Auburn council that it is "not competitive, in respect to other municipalities and counties, in the collection of occupational taxes," adding that the city’s fees were "very low."
With the new current fee schedule — which matches the City of Winder’s — there would be a $10 fee increase for home-based businesses with only one employee. However, the increase for some commercial businesses is larger.
The city used the examples of South Point Distributing, with 130 employees. Previously, the cost for its business license would be $465, but the maximum tax liability stopped fees at $350. Now, the new charges will be $1,425 and the tax liability is at $3,500.
Another example is Waffle House, with 20 employees. Prior to the change, its license cost $155. Now, it’s $325.
Council member Sally Brown was opposed to the change, saying, "I don’t think we need to raise taxes on a business" with the current economic climate.
The City also worked on cleaning itself up, from creating architectural guidelines for the downtown overlay district to citing a local mobile home park for unfit units.
The City also replaced its City Hall roof, which now matches the overlay design guidelines. The pavilion roof in downtown Auburn also was replaced so it conforms with the guidelines.
Thirty-two acres were annexed into the city, and the JD Withers building was renovated and is now available for community use.
Roads were paved with SPLOST funds, and a number of programs were started by the city, from community gardens to the farmer’s market expo.
