The following are my notes and thoughts from the Jan. 13, 2026 regular council meeting. I encourage you to comment below or email me at reedforcavespring@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns. To get updates any time I post, please subscribe to my Kristi Reed | Cave Spring City Council Post 3 blog through follow.it.
Appointment of Chair/Vice Chair
Councilman Dennis Shoaf was selected to serve as city council chair in 2026 and Councilwoman Joyce Mink was selected to serve as vice chair.
Citizen Comments
Claudia Littrell spoke about her plans for the 2026 mushroom festival and expressed her desire to hold part of the event on the property surrounding city hall.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Dec. 4, 2025 work session and the Dec. 4 2025 regular session were approved.
DDA Report
The DDA plans to introduce several new events in 2026:
- Galentine’s Tea, a Valentine-themed tea
- Murder at the Shamrock Shindig, a St. Patrick’s Day–themed murder mystery
- Porches & Pastries, a tour visiting five historic Cave Spring homes, each with a live musician and a themed pastry.
- Mrs. Roper’s Romp, an event in which guests will be encouraged to dress as Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company while enjoying themed food, sales and activities downtown
- A September 11th memorial service
The DDA also plans to expand the Coffin Races with a skeleton-themed run, and invest in expanded design elements throughout downtown.
This year’s calendar:
- February 15- Galentines Tea (Community Center)
- March 14- Murder at the Shamrock Shindig (Murder Mystery)
- April 18- Porches and Pastries
- May 3- BaconFest
- May 26- Memorial Day Service
- June 27- Liberty Day Fireworks
- July 25- Block Party
- August 22- Mrs. Roper’s Romp
- September 11- 9/11 Remembrance Service
- September 26- PigOut
- October 17- Coffin races/Skeleton Run/Halloween Parade
- November 11- Veteran’s Day Service
- December 1- Tree Lighting Ceremony
- December 12- Christmas Parade
Reports
Court
There were no fines levied in December 2025. The total collected (for code violations/citations paid) was $110.
Police
Chief Randy Lacey presented the police report. The activity breakdown was as follows:
- 4 reports
- 2 burglary alarms
- 1 accident
- 4 phone calls
- 124 welfare checks/keep checks
- 1 scam
- 2 trespass
- 62 meet in person
- 2 suspicious persons
- 7 EMS/Fire/PD assists
- 2 domestic/fight
- 2 theft/loss
- 2 miscellaneous
Chief Lacey added that there were no citations and no pullovers, saying no traffic violations were observed in December.
Fire Department
For December 2025, there were 16 total calls resulting in 31 man hours of activity.
Billing
In November 2025, 38% of water pumped to the system by the city was non-revenue water, meaning the city did not collect payment for that water. The breakdown provided prior to the Jan. 6 work session was:
- 24,362,000 - water pumped to the system
- 13,506,222 - total revenue gallons billed
- 107,200 - non-revenue real water loss (explained on the report as “Tank Overflows, SLL, MLL, Valve Replacement”)
- 1,000,000 - Accounted for non-revenue apparent water loss (explained on the report as “Hydrant Lks, Fire Service, Council Extra & City Leaks, Flushing)
- 15,073,174 - Total accounted for water
- (9,288,826) - Diff. of water billed - non-revenue water
Clearly, the fact that we are treating and pumping 9.3M gallons of water that we are not able to bill is problematic. I have been told that the upcoming water project should solve some of the issues with leaks in the system. Replacing older meters is also expected to help.
According to Bluefield Research, small utilities report, on average, water losses above 20% of the total supply. An April 2025 press release by Bluefield provides some helpful context for understanding the scale of this loss and emphasizes how important it is for the city to explore ways to mitigate water loss.
Adjustments
No special adjustments this month. All adjustments are related to leak insurance.
Financial
No financial reports were available for the meeting.
Requisitions
There were no requisitions.
Old Business
None
New Business
Mushroom Festival Request
The organizer of the Georgia Mushroom Festival would like to host part of her event on the grounds around city hall. Council members Baker Harbin and Charles Jackson raised several important questions about the security plans, parking plans and other festival-related concerns. The organizer acknowledged she did not have answers to all of the questions at this time.
As a result, discussion of the request was tabled.
The city currently lacks an ordinance or administrative process to evaluate and safely manage public events on city property. In my opinion, the council needs to adopt an ordinance or formal policy to cover events conducted on city property or requiring city support or resources. I’ve drafted an event ordinance to share with council in hopes we can establish a process by which we can make sure all events held within the city are safe, enjoyable and accessible for all.
Appointments
- Attorney - Winston Gammon will serve as the city’s attorney.
- Engineer - Turnipseed is the engineer for current projects.
- Judge - The city will continue with Judge Steven Burkhalter.
- DDA Liaison - Dennis Shoaf will serve as the DDA liaison.
Committee Appointments
The following committee appointments were confirmed:
- Public Safety Committee - me and Baker Harbin
- Financial Committee - Dennis Shoaf and Joyce Mink
- Water and Sewer Committee - Charles Jackson and Baker Harbin
- Oversight Committee - me and Joyce Mink
Authorized Check Signers
Joyce Mink, Baker Harbin and Dennis Shoaf will serve as the authorized check signers.
Holiday Designations
The list of 11 holidays observed by the city is unchanged from last year.
AdventHealth EMS Community Center Request
AdventHealth has requested use of the community center at no cost for a banquet. It was noted during the discussion that AdventHealth has been a good partner for the city in that they have donated equipment to the city and have supported the DDA. The request was approved.
LMIG
City council needs to provide a list of project recommendations by the end of the month for using available Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant funds.
GFL - Update
The city’s trash provider - GFL - has notified the city it intends to increase its rates by 4.3% on February 1, 2026, the start of our new 12-month contract period. With the passage of the emergency continuity of operations resolution (see below), Chairman Dennis Shoaf will immediately begin seeking bids in an effort to ensure we have a competitive rate. Chairman Shoaf also indicated he intends to conduct a poll of city residents to get feedback regarding the situation.
Acceptance of City Manager Resignation
The city council voted to accept the resignation of the now-former city manager.
Resolution
The city council passed a resolution (see below) to establish continuity of operations procedures.
Executive Session
Property and personnel were discussed in executive session.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CAVE SPRING, GEORGIA DECLARING A TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL EMERGENCY AND ESTABLISHING CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PROCEDURES IN THE ABSENCE OF A CITY MANAGER
WHEREAS, the Charter of the City of Cave Spring establishes a council-manager form of government and vests administrative authority in the office of the city manager; and
WHEREAS, due to unforeseen and exigent circumstances, the office of the city manager is presently unavailable and no eligible interim city manager can be immediately appointed; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that the Charter expressly prohibits the appointment of a person holding elective office as city manager,
WHEREAS, the City Council further recognizes that the Charter does not permit the suspension or waiver of eligibility requirements by ordinance, resolution, or emergency declaration; and
WHEREAS, it is nevertheless necessary to ensure the continuity of essential municipal operations, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and legal compliance during this temporary period; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Cave Spring, Georgia, as follows:
SECTION 1.
DECLARATION OF TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL EMERGENCY.
The City Council hereby declares that a temporary operational emergency exists solely for purposes of continuity of municipal operations during the period in which the office of the city manager is unavailable.
SECTION 2.
GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION.
This Resolution shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia. The City of Cave Spring, Georgia shall have jurisdiction over all matters arising under this Resolution.
SECTION 3.
COLLECTIVE EXERCISE OF COUNCIL AUTHORITY.
During the period of this declared emergency, the City Council shall act collectively, through duly noticed public meetings or special called meetings, to exercise only those powers explicitly vested in the Council by the Charter, and shall exercise approved administrative functions reserved for the city manager. Such powers include but are not limited to:
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Approval of all expenditures and contracts;
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Authorization of emergency actions necessary to protect public health, safety, and property;
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Direction of policy and priorities consistent with adopted ordinances and budgets.
No individual councilmember is authorized to act unilaterally except as expressly authorized by vote of the Council.
SECTION 4.
MINISTERIAL AUTHORITY OF THE CHAIR.
The Chair of the City Council is hereby authorized, when expressly approved by majority vote of the Council, to:
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Execute contracts, agreements, and documents approved by the Council;
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Serve as the official point of contact with county, state, and emergency management agencies;
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Perform ministerial acts necessary to carry out Council-approved actions.
The Chair's authority is strictly limited to actions expressly approved by a majority vote of the Council and does not include independent authority.
SECTION 5.
CONTINUATION OF DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS.
All city departments and employees shall continue to operate pursuant to existing ordinances, policies, budgets, and lawful directives in effect prior to the absence of the city manager. Department heads and employees are authorized to take actions within their existing scope of authority necessary to maintain essential services.
SECTION 6.
TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.
The City Council may authorize the procurement of temporary professional or administrative support services, including consulting or emergency operational assistance, provided that such services do not constitute the appointment of a city manager or confer independent administrative authority. Any temporary support services procured must not involve the delegation of powers or duties exclusive to the city manager under the City Charter.
SECTION 7.
RATIFICATION OF NECESSARY ACTIONS.
To the extent permitted by law, the City Council may ratify actions taken in good faith by city employees during the emergency period that were reasonably necessary to preserve public safety, protect property, or maintain essential services.
SECTION 8.
DURATION, TERMINATION, AND RENEWAL.
This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption and shall remain in effect for a period not to exceed 30 days, unless sooner terminated by the City Council or superseded by the appointment of an eligible interim or permanent city manager.
In the event this Resolution is not sooner terminated by the City Council or superseded by the appointment of an eligible interim or permanent city manager, this Resolution may be adopted for a subsequent period not to exceed 30 days by a majority vote of the City Council during duly noted public meeting or special called meetings.
SECTION 9.
CONSTRUCTION.
This Resolution shall be construed narrowly and in a manner consistent with the Charter of the City of Cave Spring and the laws of the State of Georgia. Any provision found to conflict with the Charter or state law shall be deemed null and void without affecting the remaining provisions.
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