Manchester City Council Hears From City Development Authority

Manchester’s monthly City Council meeting opened with an update from Heather Carter for the Manchester Development Authority October 13^th. The M.D.A. has spent the last few months focusing on balancing development opportunities and property needs. Thanks to their strategic plan that has been put in place, the M.D.A. has four areas of focus moving forward: prepare, recruit, grow, and partner. Their goal is to have Manchester be known as a “thriving rural community.” One of the key components of their focus on preparation is taking inventory of the properties the M.D.A. has as well as their needs. Recruitment includes the networking and outreach to try to bring individuals and businesses to Manchester. While they cannot share more information, the M.D.A. assures citizens that there is interest being taken in Manchester. Growth is measured differently by each individual, so to many it may seem like Manchester has not had any growth in some time. However, growth should not be counted by meetings but by progress no matter how small. The Manchester Mill has currently completed being cleaned of the overgrowth of vegetation on the premises with the hope of future opportunities in mind. The M.D.A. also has plans to try to restore the historic water tower and overall celebrate Manchester’s industrial heritage. They also have plans to revamp the M.D.A. office on Main Street to include a possible visitor center. With cooperation with the city and the Downtown Development Authority, the M.D.A. has made progress with partnering with those inside the city as well as outreach to bring more to Manchester. Going forward, they plan to have insight as to what they have as far as properties and resources within six months, advance site plans and gaining funds for projects within twelve months, and by eighteen months they hope to make progress on infrastructure and work connections.

The City Council approved the bid for the lead service line project to United Water Solutions for the amount of $579,750.50. This will be to replace the galvanized lines within the city and will mark Manchester as the first city in the state of Georgia to have this completed. It is estimated that it will take approximately six months after starting to complete.

The year end budget adjustments were also approved Tuesday evening. Part of the adjustments were a result of overestimation and the rising fuel costs. There is a deficit of about $76,000 which City Manager Mark Pullium said could be partially reimbursed once the city is able to sell some of the surplus items such as the fire trucks.

Pulliam told the Council that Martin Environmental has passed on a surcharge as a result of the cost of fuel. The surcharge is sixty-four cents per ninety-six gallon garbage can. The City Manager proposed that the surcharge be passed on to the customers and added to their monthly bill starting with the upcoming pay period. It was estimated that if the city took the charge, it would cost approximately an additional $1,100 per month versus adding the sixty-four cents to each customer. The cost for commercial cans may vary. The council approved to pass the surcharge on to customers.

Mayor Mark Trimble used his personal story of recovery from back surgery as a reminder that while recovery can come with pains, it is necessary. Through such pain comes growth. In a similar fashion, Manchester has been in recovery which takes time. Often times, we the people dislike waiting for change or progress, but we have to work through the discomfort to get to the outcome we desire. In May 2025, the city came up with a strategic plan for Manchester to move forward over the next five years. As of today, that list is already half completed. Recovery takes time, but it is a step by step process.

City Manager Pullium commended how the G.I.C.H. committee meeting went and gave Mayor Pro-Tem Quardez Warrior compliments for his presentation at the meeting. If the city is awarded the rural title, it will allow Manchester to apply for C.D.B.G. grants yearly. Bids will open for the Main St. sidewalk repairs soon.

Chief Chris Jones reported that Manchester Police Department participated in the Excellence in Policing Assessment Thursday, October 15^th. This assessment was over the training and policies the department has worked towards for over a year now. It was estimated that it would take the department close to three years to complete, but they put in the hard work and effort to get there in a just over one year. Manchester Police Dept. proudly received their certification.

City Marshal Mohammed Salihi reported thirty-two cases in the month of September with only seven still pending. The City Marshal Office also participated in the Excellence in Policing Assessment. Manchester is the second City Marshal Office in the state of Georgia to receive this certification.

Chief Ben Williams with the Manchester Fire Department declared that they have closed the A.F.G. grant. The architect with Jefferson and Associates will be finalizing the bidding packet for the station remodel soon. The department will undergo an audit this week to check purchases and inventory. Yoder and Fray will be coming to give an estimate for the surplus trucks also.

Sam Summers reported that they were given the green light to proceed with Big Lazar Creek despite the work not being started yet. The tarring on West Main St. and Third St. will be completed at a later date. The machine broke, and it will be re-striped once fixed.