Kristi Reed | Cave Spring City Council Post 3

The Cave Spring City Council work session will be held Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m. Items up for discussion include a commercial property flood zone moratorium, updates to the city’s personnel policies, a pending American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) project and plans for the laundry building. Council will also meet in executive session to discuss personnel and pending litigation. The full agenda, as of Aug. 29, is listed below. Cave Spring City Council Work Session Meeting September 1, 2026 5:00 P.M. Call To Order Reports DDA Court Police Fire Expense Billing Adjustments Committee Reports Public Safety Finance Water Sewer Oversight Commercial Property Flood Zone Moratorium Flood Administrator Training/Designation Laundry Building ARPA Funds/Project NWGHA Groundbreaking Personnel Policy Update Flagging Certification/Necessary Equipment Safety Coordinator SCADA Water Equipment Text My Gov Presentation Executive Session Litigation and Personnel

The Cave Spring City Council Oversight Committee met Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, to review the status of more than 60 open items and establish priorities for moving them forward. Joyce Mink and I serve on the Oversight Committee, which monitors progress on council-approved initiatives and may recommend improvements to strengthen governance and fiscal responsibility. City Manager Stephen Walker provided updates on numerous items and worked with us to determine the matters requiring the most immediate attention. We identified five items as high priority: updating personnel policies, updating Municode, resolving outstanding lease issues, determining next steps for the water resource study, and addressing the disposition of a city-owned property. We will continue monitoring these and the other outstanding items and will review progress at our next meeting. The date of that meeting has not yet been set.

Chris Sartin, owner of Storybook Inn (formerly Creekside Motel), voiced his concerns regarding the status of his renovation project during the Aug. 11 Cave Spring City Council meeting. Though Sartin was issued a permit and no stop-work order is in place, progress on the project has been delayed after the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) was contacted regarding the building’s location within a flood plain. Sartin has provided additional documentation, including calculations related to the project. According to City Manager Stephen Walker, the matter is now under state review. In other business, the council authorized Walker to retain Joey Harris Company LLC to handle lawn care services at Cave Spring Cemetery through the rest of the season. The service will be funded through the existing budget line item and then supplemented with the cemetery perpetual fund once that line item is exhausted. Walker said the cost will be $1,475 per cut. The cemetery will be cut twice a mo...

Maintenance of Cave Spring Cemetery and a proposal for human resources consulting services are among the items scheduled for consideration when the Cave Spring City Council meets in regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 11.  The council will also receive updates on the city’s public safety facility and the city’s GEFA water project. Cemetery Lawn Care Services The City Council will consider proposals for lawn care services at Cave Spring Cemetery as the city faces significantly higher costs for maintaining the grounds. Three proposals were received, with prices ranging from $1,249 to $2,300 per mowing. One potential option for controlling costs is to limit mowing to once per month. However, it has already been determined that infrequent mowing is not a feasible option if the appearance of the cemetery is to be maintained. The city now expects to mow at least twice a month during the seven-month growing season. The city plans to use the funds remaining in this year’s budget for ceme...

Increased rates for water, sewer, garbage and fire protection services will become effective with the next billing cycle. The adjustments will add approximately $2.90 per billing cycle for City of Cave Spring customers. Customers outside the city limits will see a 2.5% increase to water service rates, as fire protection and garbage collection fees do not apply. The new rates were among the items discussed during the Aug. 4, 2026, work session. Other items discussed included departmental reports and various proposals. Highlights from the work session are listed below.  DDA Report Preparations are underway for the PigOut coming up in September. The DDA is also already working on plans for Halloween festivities including the second annual coffin race. Other family-friendly events planned for October 17 include a skeleton fun run as well as the Halloween parade. Court Report The City of Cave Spring Municipal Court collected $110 last month for one paid code violation. City Manager...