Coming Soon: New Greensboro city manager

The city of Greensboro has been without a city manager since Jarvis Sims resigned under pressure effective Jan. 31. 

After Monday night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Corey Williams told the Lake Oconee News that he hopes he will be able to announce his choice for a new city manager at the next meeting on Monday, April 15.

“Yes, that’s a realistic hope,” Williams said.

Under the city charter, the mayor nominates a candidate for the post but it must be approved by City Council. At the March 4 meeting, Williams named former Georgia Commissioner of Revenue David Curry to fill the opening. The mayor appeared surprised when council members voted 3-2 against the Curry appointment.

Even if the council approves of Williams’ next appointment, the Georgia Open Meetings law requires a two-week waiting period before it can officially be certified because candidates were not interviewed in a public forum. The city is required to release the names of up to three of the top candidates and provide the public with information about all of them.

This is designed to allow the public to do research on the candidates and provide input to council members before the final vote two weeks later.

Former City Manager Sims was in his role for only nine months before leaving. City officials and members of the public complained that he was rarely in his office or available for discussions. Sims attended a few city council meetings and occasionally was said to be participating via telephone.

Mayor Williams explained that Sims was working at home and he, Williams, was managing whatever work Sims could not.

The Lake Oconee News reported that more than two years before accepting the Greensboro job, Sims knew he had stage 5 kidney disease. He revealed that in a 2022 lawsuit, he filed against the City of Augusta-Richmond County for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The case is still pending.

Industrial plan tabled

A controversial annexation and rezoning request for 264 acres of land off South Main Street was scheduled to be heard at Monday’s meeting but the developer asked that the application be tabled following a vote by the city Planning and Zoning Board to recommend denial. 

The property was seeking zoning of L-1 Light Industrial and the proposal included over two million square feet of warehouse space. There was strong opposition to the plan because of the predicted amount of increased traffic.

Signs and other zonings 

Also at Monday’s meeting, the Council approved a completely new sign ordinance with two changes recommended by the Planning and Zoning Board. The prohibition of “A-frame” or sandwich board signs was removed following complaints by downtown merchants. 

Also, the number of signs allowed on buildings was increased to two signs for every exterior door.

The addition of references to Breweries and Distilleries to the city zoning guidelines under Commercial Planned Unit Development (CPUD) was also approved.

The council gave initial approval for rezoning from residential to CPUD for Infamous Whiskey, which plans to build a distillery at 208 East Broad St. 

Owner Lorenze Tremonti told council members he will invest $5-7 million to completely renovate the building and expects to hire seven employees to start. He said the distillery will not sell its product on-site, although it’s expected to have tasting tours as a downtown attraction.

Final approval will come at the next city council meeting.

Festival Hall

Festival Hall manager Nichole Chillemi reported the city-owned facility is increasing its income by producing more of its programs in addition to renting the facility for weddings, meetings, and other productions. 

Council members approved one-day beer and wine licenses for the next events at Festival Hall: Lake County Chorus' Spring Concert on April 23 and The Jazz Legacy: Nat King Cole (Unforgettable) event on May 23.