[00:00:08] HAS ARRIVED. I'D LIKE TO START THIS EVENING'S SERIES OF MEETINGS WITH OUR WORK SESSION. [I.Staff Discussion Items ] FIRST ITEM IS THE ZIP CODE PROJECT UPDATE BY MISS CARTER. LONG, MISS LONG. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. TONIGHT BEFORE YOU, I HAVE SOME INFORMATION REGARDING A ZIP CODE BOUNDARY REVIEW. THERE'S NO ACTION NEEDED TONIGHT, BUT WE ARE GOING TO REVIEW A LITTLE BIT OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE ISSUE IMPACTS OF OUR CURRENT ZIP CODES, AS WELL AS OBJECTIVES FOR THE CURRENT REVIEW REQUEST, AS WELL AS TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS. SO AS YOU KNOW, SANDY SPRINGS HAS MORE THAN 63,000 ADDRESSES WITHIN CITY LIMITS. THE CITY HAS EIGHT ZIP CODES WITHIN OUR MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. THOSE ARE 303 5030 3283 0342 3033 9303383032730319, AND FINALLY 30092. THE ZIP CODES REFER TO THE ZONE IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WHICH THE USPS PUT IN PLACE IN 1963, AND SO THOSE ZIP CODES REFER TO THE REGION WHERE THE POST OFFICE FACILITY SERVICES THOSE ADDRESSES. SO WHEN THE CITY WAS FORMED IN 2005, WE INHERITED THOSE ZIP CODES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR THAT TIME. SO AGAIN, WE HAVE EIGHT TOTAL IN OUR MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. AND THESE ALL HAVE A RECOMMENDED CITY NAME FOR ADDRESSES WITHIN EACH OF THOSE ZIP CODES, WHICH IS CURRENTLY THE CITY OF ATLANTA. IN 2010, THE CITY MADE A REQUEST FOR USPS TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT LAST LINE FOR ALL ZIP CODES CROSSING MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES BETWEEN ATLANTA AND THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS TO BE SANDY SPRINGS. WITH ALL OF THOSE ZIP CODES IN OUR CITY BOUNDARIES AT THE TIME, THE USPS REQUIRED BUSINESSES TO APPROVE THIS REQUEST, SO WE HAD TO HAVE 80% OF THE BUSINESSES IN THE CITY AGREE TO THIS CHANGE, AND MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR RESIDENTS. SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT VOTING PROCESS TOOK PLACE IN 2012, BUT IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD DUE TO SOME OPPOSITION. IN 2016, USPS INSTITUTED MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTION IN GUIDING USPS TO REALLY WORK WITH USPS POLICIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN WIN ABLE MODIFY AND ACCOMMODATE THOSE REQUESTS FOR ZIP CODE BOUNDARIES TO CHANGE WITHIN THE LAST LINE OF USPS ADDRESSES. IN 2020, THE CITY MADE A REQUEST AGAIN, BUT THAT THE USPS THAT CHANGED THE DEFAULT PREFERRED LAST LINE, BUT THIS DID NOT MOVE FORWARD DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND OTHER FACTORS IN JUST LAST YEAR. ANOTHER REASON WHY WE'RE BRINGING THIS FORWARD TO TODAY, EXCUSE ME, IS THE CITY OF JOHNS CREEK WAS SUCCESSFUL IN UNITING THEIR ZIP CODES AND THE PREFERRED LAST LONG LAST LINES WITHIN THEIR MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. SO THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPACTS OF OUR CURRENT ZIP CODES WITHIN THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS. AND I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT REQUESTING THAT THERE ARE ANY ZIP CODES WITHIN THE CITY THAT ARE CHANGED. WE ARE RATHER ASKING USPS TO USPS TO ALIGN THE ZIP CODES WITH THE PREFERRED LAST LINE FOR SANDY SPRINGS. SO SOME OF THOSE CURRENT IMPACTS CAN BE THE POTENTIAL DELAYS WITHIN EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR POLICE AND FIRE FOR SERVICE DELIVERY, AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS LIKE OUR PARAMEDICINE PROGRAM, TAX ATTRIBUTION ERRORS IS ANOTHER ONE. AS YOU KNOW, ELENA'S TAX RATE IS HIGHER THAN THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS, AND THERE ARE MANY COMPANIES THAT USE SOFTWARE THAT USED TO CALCULATE THE TAX REVENUE ON PURCHASES. AND THAT IS BASED ON ZIP CODES. SO SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE WRONG CITY TAXES ATTRIBUTED TO ONLINE PURCHASES. SOME OF THESE ONLINE SYSTEMS THAT LARGE COMPANIES AND SMALL AND MIDSIZE COMPANIES USE ARE EXPENSIVE TO INSTALL OR TO UPDATE. AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN EVEN LARGE COMPANIES THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND TO HAVE INCORRECT CHARGED ATLANTA SALES TAX TO SANDY SPRINGS RESIDENTS. PUBLIC CONFUSION ABOUT JURISDICTION IS ANOTHER IMPACT OF THE CURRENT ZIP CODE AND PREFERRED LAST LINE. THESE DAYS, PEOPLE GET AROUND USING GOOGLE MAPS AND WAZE AND MAPPING SOFTWARE SUCH AS THOSE SCRAPED DATA FROM OUR GIS, AS WELL AS ESRI AND OTHER MAPPING SOURCES. AND ESRI WILL ONLY USE THE USPS CITY, WHICH IS CURRENTLY ATLANTA. THAT CAN CAUSE CONFUSION FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING TO GO TO SOMEWHERE IN SANDY SPRINGS. BUT AN ATLANTA ADDRESS POPS UP. ADDITIONALLY, BRANDING AND COMMUNITY IDENTITY CONCERNS ARE HIGH ON THE LIST. THE CITY JUST [00:05:04] RECENTLY MARKED TWO DECADES OF INCORPORATION, WHICH IS QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT. YET WE ARE STILL RECOGNIZED ATLANTA IN OUR ZIP CODE, SO THIS UNDERMINES OUR EFFORTS FOR CITY BRAND AWARENESS AND CIVIC PRIDE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SPENDS A GREAT DEAL OF TIME, MONEY, AND RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO RETAIN AND BRING NEW BUSINESSES TO SANDY SPRINGS. AND WHEN THEY ARE DOING THAT UNDER THE SANDY SPRINGS BRAND. ALTHOUGH SITE SELECTION LISTS ATLANTA AS THE ADDRESS, IT CAN CAUSE CONFUSION. AS YOU MIGHT MIGHT SEE. I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT THERE IS NO IMPACT TO USPS OR OUR RESIDENTS OR BUSINESSES, SO PEOPLE WILL NOT NEED TO UPDATE THEIR MAILING INFORMATION OR STATIONERY. IF SOMEBODY STILL LISTS ATLANTA DRESS THAT WILL BE DELIVERED CORRECTLY AND THERE WILL BE NO ISSUES OR DELAYS IN THE USPS PROCESS. OBJECTIVES OF THE ZIP CODE BOUNDARY REVIEW. WE ARE HOPING TO ALIGN THE CITY ZIP CODES WITH OUR CITY NAME, AND THAT WILL HELP TO IMPROVE ADDRESS ACCURACY, REINFORCE OUR MUNICIPAL IDENTITY FOR THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS, SAVE RESIDENTS SALES TAX AND INFORMATION AND MONEY IN THEIR PROPERTY TAXES. AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE ISO RATED ONE FOR OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS A GREAT TAX BREAK FOR THOSE IN CITY IN THE CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE ARE GETTING THOSE BREAKS. AND WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY RECEIVES PROPER RECOGNITION AND WE'RE APPLICABLE REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH COMMERCE IN THE CITY. IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS PROCESS LOOKS LIKE, THE MAYOR HAS REQUESTED THIS FORMAL REVIEW AS OF THIS MONTH, AND THE DISTRICT MANAGER IS TO REALLY TO REVIEW ALL OF THE ISSUES, POTENTIAL COSTS AND SOLUTIONS, QUANTIFY ANY SORT OF OPERATIONAL IMPACTS AND FEASIBILITY OF OUR REQUEST, AND THEN GET BACK TO US WITHIN 60 DAYS OF WITH THEIR FINAL DETERMINATION. IN THIS PROCESS, WE'RE ALSO REACHING OUT TO ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO GET SOME SUPPORT BEHIND OUR EFFORTS, WHICH WE'VE SEEN SOME SUCCESS WITH THE CITY OF JOHNS CREEK. AND SO IF USPS CONSIDERS GRANTING THIS REQUEST, THEY WILL ARRANGE A MEETING WITH US AFTER THAT 60 DAY PROCESS TO DISCUSS THEIR ACCOMMODATION TO THAT REQUEST. AND THAT'S IT. ALL RIGHT. YOU'VE HEARD THE REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, MR. PAULSON, THEN, MISS MUELLER? THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. SO HOW DID JOHNS CREEK DO THIS? DID YOU GET THE DETAILS OF EXACTLY THE SAME PROCESS? YES, SIR. SO WE REACHED OUT TO THE CITY OF JOHNS CREEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS. AND SO THEY DID MUCH OF THE SAME. SO OFFICIAL REQUESTS FOR THE BOUNDARY REVIEW, USPS GRANTED THEM WITH THREE OPTIONS. THIS OPTION, WITH THE CHANGING OF THE DEFERRED LESS PREFERRED LAST LINE, WAS THE BEST OPTION FOR THEM. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH. DID THEY HAVE TO DO THE 80% AGREEMENT DEAL. THAT WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THEM AT THIS TIME. GOOD. YES. THANK YOU MISS MUELLER. SO A QUESTION. ARE WE GOING TO DO ANY KIND OF COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE OF THIS MEETING TO RESIDENTS ABOUT THIS PROCESS? THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. I THINK THE THE IN THE PAST, USPS HAS REQUESTED THAT THEY WE GET 50% OF THE RESIDENTS ON BOARD WITH THIS. AND THAT'S NOT A DETERMINATION THIS TIME. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, A REASON WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT, THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO DO THIS, BUT NO SORT OF CAMPAIGN TO GARNER VOTES OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE. OKAY. I JUST MEANT, ARE WE GOING TO BE ARE YOU POSTING SOMETHING ON FACEBOOK ABOUT THIS? SURE. THAT'S THAT WAS KIND OF. I'M SORRY. WELL, THE AVERAGE RESIDENT IS NOT GOING TO SEE ANY CHANGE. YEAH. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS, IS IF YOU ORDER SOMETHING FROM AMAZON RATHER THAN IT AUTOMATICALLY FILLING IN ATLANTA, IT'LL PUT IN SANDY SPRINGS IF YOU WANT TO OVERRIDE IT AND PUT IN ATLANTA AND A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND I GET IT, YOU KNOW, MAJOR CORPORATIONS LIKE MERCEDES NEWELL, THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO RETAIN THAT ATLANTA DESIGNATION BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT ATLANTA GLOBALLY THAN THEY DO SANDY SPRINGS. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING THAT. BUT FOR NOW IT'S THAT'S AN ISSUE. SO IT'S RIGHT NOW YOU CAN FORCIBLY ENTER SANDY SPRINGS AND YOUR MAIL GETS THERE JUST THE SAME. SO IT'S JUST SWITCHING WHICH ONE POPS UP FIRST. JUST PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK APPRECIATE THIS. A LOT OF PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK THIS QUESTION. SO I THINK THIS IS GREAT. IF IS THERE ANY INDICATION OF THE TAX TAX IMPLICATIONS IF WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING MONEY THAT WE DIDN'T USED TO GET, IT'S PROBABLY HARD TO ESTIMATE THAT VERY DIFFICULT TO CALCULATE. IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO CALCULATE THAT. ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY TRIED TO INFORM OUR RESIDENTS, MAKE SURE YOU SELECT SANDY SPRINGS SO THAT [00:10:01] YOU, AS AN INDIVIDUAL, ARE PAYING A LOWER TAX RATE THAN WHAT IT DEFAULTS TO WHEN IT GOES TO ATLANTA. WE DID A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THIS CAME BACK UP. ZIP IT UP, SANDY SPRINGS, WHERE WE DID ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO USE THE CORRECT NAME OF THE CITY FOR THAT SAME REASON. I THINK THIS IS THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO BREAK OUT THESE THAT INFORMATION. THEY THEY APPORTION IT BASED ON POPULATION. BUT IF IF SOMEBODY PAID EIGHT POINT, WHAT IS 8.7%, 8.8.9 8.9% VERSUS 7.75%, AND THEN IT'S LIKELY OR AT LEAST POSSIBLE THAT THAT MONEY, THOUGH IT WAS EXPENDED IN SANDY SPRINGS AND IS DUE TO COME TO US AT LEAST FOR CREDIT, THEN IT MIGHT MOST LIKELY GOES TO ATLANTA IF THEY'RE PAYING THAT RATE. AND IT'S AN ATLANTA ADDRESS, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE DOESN'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, IS THAT CORRECT? THEY JUST THEY JUST BASE IT ON WHAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SELF-REPORTED. SO THEY DO IT. SO IS THERE SUSPICION THAT WE'RE LOSING REVENUE. YES. IS THERE PROOF HARD TO COME BY. ANYTHING ELSE MR. CHINSKY. SO I'VE HEARD SOME CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS NOT ONLY ABOUT HAVING SANDY SPRINGS LISTED AS THEIR ADDRESS, BUT ABOUT THE ACTUAL ZIP CODE, SPECIFICALLY ON THE WESTERN PART OF THE CITY, THERE IS AN AREA THAT'S 339, I THINK, LIKE POWERS FERRY LANDING, ONE RIVER PLACE, AND THAT'S A PREDOMINANTLY COBB COUNTY ZIP CODE. AND I'VE HAD MULTIPLE PEOPLE ASK, CAN WE CHANGE THE 30328330327? IS THAT POTENTIALLY PART OF THIS PROJECT, OR WOULD THAT BE A SEPARATE PROCESS, THAT THE CHANGING OF A ZIP CODE IS A LITTLE BIT HARDER OF A PROCESS, BUT SIMILAR IN NATURE? I BELIEVE I ATTACHED IN THE THE DOCUMENTS. IT SHOULD GIVE SOME SOME DETAILS TO THAT, BUT I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A MORE DIFFICULT PROCESS. ANY OTHERS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MISS SLOAN. APPRECIATE IT. JUST KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON WHERE WE'RE [II.City Council Discussion Items ] GOING. ARE THERE ANY OTHER CITY COUNCIL ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE WORK SESSION, MR. PAULSON THANK YOU. MAYOR, JUST A COMMENT. I GOT AN EMAIL TODAY FROM A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT ONE, WHICH IS A LETTER FROM THE CITY OF ATLANTA SAYING THAT HER WATER SYSTEM SUPPLIED TO HER HOUSE MAY HAVE LEAD IN IT, AND IT WAS REALLY A STRANGELY WORDED LETTER, AND I'D HEARD THIS FROM SOMEBODY ELSE. DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE GETTING THIS LETTER FROM CITY OF ATLANTA WATER TALKING ABOUT LEAD IN THE WATER, AND THERE'S NO SPECIFICS. THERE'S NO NOTHING. BUT DO WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? AND WHAT CAN WE SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY OUT THERE? OTHERWISE THIS PERSON IS WORRIED. RIGHTFULLY SO. SO A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, THE ATLANTA WATERSHED COMMISSIONER FOLLOWED UP WITH HIM BECAUSE WE HAD STARTED HEARING FROM SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS IN THE MOUNT AIRY SPRINGS AREA THAT THEY WERE GETTING SIMILAR LETTERS. I REACHED OUT AND THEY HAD PROVIDED THEY BEING ATLANTA WATER, A DATABASE TO STATE EPD AS THEY WERE REQUIRED TO THAT WAS TO IDENTIFY LOCATIONS THAT HAD PIPES THAT EITHER THEY HAD TESTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THEY DID HAVE LEAD, OR THEY WERE UNABLE TO TEST AND CONFIRM OR THEY WERE INCONCLUSIVE. I CAN TRY TO DUST THAT OFF AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT, BUT AS OF TODAY, THAT'S THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF ANY ADDITIONAL LETTERS THAT HAVE GONE OUT. I DO KNOW THAT WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE WATERSHED COMMISSIONER, HE APOLOGIZED FOR THEM NOT GIVING US A HEADS UP THAT THOSE LETTERS WOULD BE COMING OUT. PART ONE, PART TWO. IT IS ALSO NOT COMPLETE. THEY WERE WAITING ON FEEDBACK FROM EPD TO DETERMINE WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THEY NEEDED TO PROVIDE. AND AGAIN, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING NEW FROM HIM YET, BUT I'LL FOLLOW UP. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, WE WILL * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.