Cochran council approves package of tax relief, park bid, contracts and cybersecurity grant

Cochran — The Cochran City Council on March 10 unanimously approved a set of routine but consequential actions, including tax relief for a downtown property, contracting for park and landscaping work, and acceptance of a state cybersecurity grant.

Why it matters: The measures cover capital improvements, routine city operations and cybersecurity, and collectively influence near-term spending and staffing. Several items require or referenced external funding matches and future administrative steps to implement.

Votes at a glance

• Commons Building tax relief: Council approved a three‑year tax relief/waiver for the Commons Building as requested by the Cochran‑Bleckley Chamber of Commerce (motion: Lonnie Tedders; second: Shane Savant). The motion passed unanimously; the minutes record unanimous approval but do not list individual roll‑call votes.

• Downtown Day street closure: Council approved a request from the Downtown Development Authority to close North 2nd Street (Ash to Cherry) on April 25, 2026 for Downtown Day (motion: Lonnie Tedders; second: Shane Savant). Approved unanimously.

• Police position: Council converted a part‑time Police Department administrative position to full‑time to provide benefits for an employee already working full‑time hours (motion: Shane Savant; second: Lonnie Tedders). Approved unanimously.

• Budget amendments: Council discussed and adopted FY2025–2026 budget amendments encompassing overtime and operational costs across departments; the ordinance was adopted by unanimous vote (motion: Shane Savant; second: Lonnie Tedders).

• Willie Basby Park: Council awarded the walking trail and playground construction bid in the amount of $171,250 (motion: Dianne Lester; second: Lonnie Tedders). Council discussed funding sources and match requirements; the award passed unanimously.

• Landscaping contract: Council awarded an annual landscaping maintenance contract to Dixie Landscaping for $17,148 (motion: Shane Savant; second: Lonnie Tedders). Approved unanimously.

• Community Park lighting: Council approved Georgia Power’s rental option for additional lighting at Community Park, concluding the rental option was the preferable long‑term cost approach discussed in the packet (motion: Lonnie Tedders; second: Trecia Gardner). Approved unanimously.

• GEMA cybersecurity grant: Council accepted a GEMA cybersecurity grant of $175,283 with a required local match of $43,820.75 (motion: Lonnie Tedders; second: Rufus Veal). Approved unanimously.

• 2026 CDBG engineering services: Council approved selection of Falcon Design Consultants to provide engineering services for the city’s 2026 Community Development Block Grant application (vote recorded as unanimous approval).

Implementation notes: Several items referenced funding source determinations or matching requirements that will be resolved in follow‑up administrative work; the minutes do not record detailed line‑item allocations for the budget amendments or the specific source of match funding for the park project. The minutes record unanimous votes but do not provide individual roll‑call tallies.

The meeting packet and motions provide the specific motions and movers; staff will carry out contract paperwork, grant acceptance paperwork and any required change orders or match arrangements in follow up. The council set no controversial conditions or dissent in the public record during the votes.