The Eatonton City Council met Monday night in its second of two regularly scheduled monthly meetings.
Of significance to most in-town residents was a motion by Councilmember at Large, Mayor Pro Tem Chip Walker, for Mayor John Reid to sign a resolution to adopt the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Walker said the new budget, totaling approximately $9 million, will take effect Sept. 1, 2025, and extend to Aug. 31, 2026.
City Administrator Gary Sanders explained the budget’s general fund reflects $6.68 million of that total, and the gas fund represents an additional $2.25 million.
“Highlights include a three-percent, across-the-board, cost-of-living adjustment and higher medical insurance premiums,” Sanders told the seven-member council, plus the mayor.
He also mentioned the cost of November’s general election and “additional investment in police department retention and equipment,” as well as maintaining capital improvements to the Eatonton-Putnam County Library and increased funding to the Downtown Development Authority and Eatonton Main Street as significant factors in the new budget.
The council unanimously approved of the mayor signing the budget resolution.
Later in the meeting, the council also approved a change to one-way-only for Edwards Street, leading off Oak Street near Eatonton’s old “Aluminum Hill.”
Sanders said with a new triplex nearing completion at the Edwards-Oak intersection, the site developer and/or landowner made the request to make the short, narrow Edwards Street a one-way toward Baynes Street. He envisions angle parking in front of the triplex, which would force cars to back out and proceed northwest.
Sanders added that the city’s Public Works Department was consulted and agrees with the change, then added that, as a city-owned and maintained street, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) does not need to be involved.
Mayor Reid said he recently drove down Edwards Street to experience it firsthand and confirmed that though it’s a paved city road, “it really is just one lane,” and agreed with the motion to make it one-way only.
Council also agreed and unanimously approved the change, with signage and public announcements to follow.
In other business, the council unanimously approved a request, with the blessing of its Historic Preservation Commission, to install a wrought iron safety rail on the north side of the front steps at 400 N. Madison Ave., otherwise known as Panola Hall or where Sylvia the Ghost lives.
Also, a change order worth $13,216 regarding ongoing sewer main construction on East Marion Street was unanimously approved after Sanders explained it was needed to replace filler dirt following excavation. He added, however, that the amount would be reimbursed to the council by the contractor since it was not in the initially accepted bid.
“When they were trying to reach compaction, I think there was too much saturation and water, and they could not reach compaction without dry dirt,” Sanders told the council.
“This is pretty much a formality to execute the change order, but the holdup right now is the approval of the railroad permit,” Sanders added, referring to a recent slowdown in the project’s progression. “So again, the project has been going well; it’s just got to get through the railroad permitting, but this (the replacement dirt) will have no impact on the timeline.”
Additionally, unanimous approval was given to Eatonton Main Street to apply for a T-Mobile hometown grant worth up to $35,000 by the Sept. 30 deadline for downtown signage, pending design and GDOT approval.
All city council meetings are open to the public, with the next scheduled for Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in Room 203 of the county’s administrative building (117 Putnam Dr., Eatonton).