Eatonton City Council held a brief meeting May 6 at the county commission building, its first of two regularly scheduled monthly meetings.
The council meeting followed a brief awards presentation ceremony by the Eatonton Historic Preservation Commission (EHPC), recognizing Aaron and JoAnne Raatz for Excellence in Rehabilitation and Restoration for their home at 414 N. Madison Ave.; James and Nancy Marshall for Excellence in Stewardship for their 1818 home at 104 Church St.; and Tim Wilder of Chattahoochee Shoals Investment Group for Excellence in Rehabilitation of the 1885 home at 409 N. Jefferson Ave.
Also receiving EHPC awards were Karl and Myrna Taylor and family for Excellence in Rehabilitation of two side-by side historic commercial buildings at 108 and 110 N. Jefferson Ave.; and a special award went to Steve Noles and his son Blake, of Noles Landscaping, for contributions to the creation of the Bronson House Memorial Garden at 114 N. Madison Ave.
“We’ve had some really good projects and we’ve seen some big changes in our district, but the credit goes to the owners and that’s why we do these awards,” EHPC Chair Lyn Romine said. “Because this would not happen if we didn’t have people who cared about preservation and about these homes and these buildings in town and keeping the character of our city.”
Eatonton Mayor John Reid also offered praise and thanks to the EHPC and its members for their efforts.
“Thank you to all of you who do so much to help preserve the history of Eatonton,” Reid said. “It is home for you all, but it’s also a tourism help for the city, so we really appreciate your efforts.”
Among the motions approved later in the council meeting, by a unanimous vote, council members approved of Reid signing a memorandum of understanding for the city to continue its participation in the accredited Georgia Main Street program under the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
According to the DCA website (dca.georgia.gov), “the Georgia Main Street program began in 1980 as one of the original pilot state coordinating programs of the National Main Street Initiative launched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.”
In addition to historic preservation, DCA and Main Street programs contribute to small business development, expansion of the state’s employment base, leveraging private investment, increasing tourism, and providing a positive road map for public-private partnerships.
The council also unanimously approved continuing the practice of not outwardly marking official city vehicles for the mayor and City Administrator Gary Sanders, though Reid currently does not drive a city-issued vehicle. This discussion and resolution satisfied a requirement for an annual public hearing regarding the issue of marking/not marking city-issued vehicles to the mayor and city administrator.
Next, the council unanimously approved nominations for new Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) representatives for District 6, which includes Eatonton. Current Eatonton City Councilmember Janie Reid is the outgoing 2024-25 District 6 president.
Approved were Toomsboro Mayor Joyce Denson as the incoming 2025-26 district president; Edward Armijo, a council member from Centerville, as first vice president; Denese Shinholster, a council member for Milledgeville, as second vice president; and Mayor Michael Chidester of Byron as third vice president. Councilwoman Reed assumed the role of immediate past president for District 6 and will serve in that capacity for the coming year.
The council also heard a first reading of proposed cemetery zoning and excess dirt removal ordinances, but will take no action at least until its second scheduled reading on May 19.