The Cave Spring City Council voted to appoint Stephen Walker as the new city manager during the Tuesday, April 14, council meeting. Walker holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of West Georgia and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from the University of Georgia. His most recent position was as assistant director for the Polk County Board of Elections. I look forward to working with Mr. Walker and wish him success in his new role.
Event Ordinance Fails to Move Forward
After months of work and review of a comprehensive event ordinance, the ordinance will not be moving forward because no one seconded my motion for a first reading. This is disappointing because a fair and impartial process would benefit the city and ensure public health and safety issues were adequately addressed. We had numerous work sessions and called meetings about the proposed ordinance and the ordinance was circulated and revised multiple times in order to incorporate provided feedback. I am surprised my fellow council members chose not to let it come to a vote, particularly given the time and effort invested in developing the ordinance.
Stewart Circle Renaming Request Deliberation Postponed Until May
During the April 7 work session, Hannah Turner, Chief Operating Officer at the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, suggested changing the name of Stewart Circle to Heritage Circle, a name she said would honor the history of the homes that were built on the site in the 1950s. Local historian Peggy Allgood spoke in opposition to the request and shared that Stewart Circle was named in honor of former fire chief Sam Stewart.
At tonight’s work session, Ms. Allgood shared additional information she obtained from speaking with Mr. Stewart’s daughter and granddaughter. The road is actually believed to have been named in honor of Mr. Stewart and his wife Eva, who served on city council and on the Cave Spring Housing Authority. Ms. Allgood also noted that the fire station was actually named in honor of Mr. Stewart, though the name is not currently posted on the building.
Councilman Jackson made a motion to rename Stewart Circle as Heritage Circle and rename the drive between the old housing authority building and the fire station in honor of Mr. Stewart. Though I appreciate the effort to find a compromise solution, that particular solution did not take into account the information about Stewart Circle potentially being named for both of the Stewarts. I moved to postpone the discussion until next month to allow time for the public to provide additional feedback. That motion ultimately passed and there will be a public hearing next month to allow anyone with concerns or opinions about either street naming to provide feedback.
Other Business
In other business, council unanimously approved:
- a requisition for $7,305 for the purchase of software, training and a setup fee for software needed for monitoring existing water meters. The original software system crashed last month requiring meter readings to be manually input.
- a requisition for $7,050 for a new water meter and the associated cellular plan and software service plan.
- a key policy to govern the issuance and management of keys. The purpose of the policy is to establish controls over physical keys and facility access in order to safeguard City Hall, public records, assets and personnel.
- a resolution related to the Certified City of Ethics program.
- a proclamation recognizing Georgia Cities Week.
- a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day 2026.
- a resolution to establish a schedule of fees and fines.
Council also met in executive session to discuss potential litigation. No action was taken.
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