City of Bainbridge -

As students began to return to school this week, here are some refreshers on safety with the buses and extra traffic:

We are looking for new team members! You can find a full list of available jobs online at www.bainbridgecity.com.

The new Animal Services Center located at 808 Zorn Road is open to the public! Currently, their hours are Monday- Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Stop by to find your family's perfect addition!

 Last week in Savannah, Utilities Director Rusty Adams and Operator/ WW Lab Analyst Patryk McLaughlin were asked to join Paula Dorn with Aqua Aerobic and Jared Wozny from Carter and Sloop in a panel discussion relating to the first full scale AquaNereda® Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) Plant in Georgia, located here in Bainbridge, at the Georgia Association of Water Professionals Conference. Patryk presented on behalf of the city, stating "We are also very pleased with our monitoring and control capabilities. Via Aqua-Aerobics provided software we can reset alarms and control actuators and pumps remotely. And by using field instrumentation data regarding tank levels, phase statuses, flow metering, and daily trends we can diagnose and correct many problems quickly from home. And I think I can speak on behalf of Rusty, myself, and The City of Bainbridge when I say that we are lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful project in which the collective goal is to better treat life’s most valuable resource." Stay tuned for more information regarding an open house for our new Waste Water Treatment Plant in the coming weeks!

A week or so ago, we were notified through or website that a tree was downed on a city easement that need to be removed. The tree went over a drainage ditch, and it could have impacted water flow. A work order was issued the same day as the request and then we got this message back from the resident. Thank you to our hard-working crews who give 110% for our citizens and thank you to this resident who made this crew's day with their sincere appreciation!

Please be advised that on Wednesday, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, bypass traffic between the Tallahassee Highway and Highway 97 exits will be rerouted. This is necessary to allow crews to safely run fiber across the bypass. During this time, traffic will be moving very slowly as a pace car will be used to ensure safety. We strongly encourage you to use an alternate route to avoid delays. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding.

OCGA 110-12-1 sets the standards by which local governments do comprehensive plans. In order to maintain our Qualified Local Government status, we must have a comprehensive plan adopted that meets or exceeds the standards set forth by the Dept of Community Affairs. Local governments are required to completely redo their comp plan every 10 years and do a comp plan update every 5 years. The City of Bainbridge did a comp plan update in 2020, so our next comp plan will be a full comprehensive plan redo and it needs to be adopted by the City Council by October 31st, 2025. To learn more about this new comprehensive plan and how you can be involved, visit www.bainbridgetomorrow.com.

City Councilman Kregg Close recently received the Certificate of Excellence from the Georgia Municipal Association. This level of distinction was reached after he completed 120 hours of credit through their elected official's leadership training.

The City Council will hold their annual retreat Thursday and Friday of this week. You can learn more about those meetings here: https://www.bainbridgecity.com/documents/your-government/agendas-%26-minutes/2024/city-council-retreat-07%2F11%2F24---07%2F12%2F24/665938

We are thrilled to welcome Claire Phillips as our new Special Events Coordinator. Claire hails from Cairo, GA, and brings a wealth of enthusiasm to our community. A dedicated soccer player throughout her four years at Emmanuel University, Claire graduated with a degree in Organizational Communications. During her college years, she also honed her skills through an internship in the college's sports public relations department. Claire is excited to start her journey here in Bainbridge, eager to meet wonderful people and uphold the tradition of outstanding events that make our community unique. We look forward to the fresh perspective and energy she will bring to our team!

The Bainbridge Decatur County Planning Commission will hold their regularly scheduled monthly meeting tomorrow. You can find more information about that meeting here: https://www.bainbridgecity.com/documents/your-government/agendas-%26-minutes/2024/06%2F09%2F2024-planning-commission-meeting/664245

See you at the Earle Boat Basin for live music, vendors and the largest fireworks show in SW Georgia!

Items declared to be surplus by a vote of City Council have been included on a list available on our website. Please contact Brenda Strickland at (229) 248-2017 if you are interested in bidding on any of these items. You can find the list here: https://5il.co/2qe36

All non-emergency City of Bainbridge offices will be closed Thursday, July 4. Thursday's residential trash route will be picked up on Friday. Should you need to make a utility or court payment, you may do so online at www.bainbridgecity.com or at the payment kiosks on Broad and Clark Streets.

The time is now to be sure you are prepared for hurricane season! Here's a list of supplies to help get you started: https://www.bainbridgecity.com/article/1629633

Welcome to Bainbridge! City officials were excited to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Marriott Element Hotel being developed next to the Flint River by Jeremy Emmett and his team at Port City Hospitality! Read more about the development here: https://tinyurl.com/3amz4zcm

Safe drinking water is one of our most precious natural resources. Most of us don’t think much about where our drinking water comes from or how it’s made safe to drink. At the City of Bainbridge Utilities Department, we work hard every day to protect and maintain our community’s water system and we’re proud our water meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water requirements. Providing you with safe drinking water is one of our responsibilities we take seriously. You can read our most recent Water Quality Report online here: https://5il.co/2q2an

All non-emergency City of Bainbridge offices will be closed Thursday, July 4th. Thursday's residential trash route will be picked up on Friday.

Sorry, not sorry for posting this, but we couldn’t let Beverly Allen retire after 21 years of service to our citizens without a little fanfare! 🎉 Even though she didn’t want this posted, she means too much to us to let her slip away quietly. Here’s to a fantastic retirement filled with joy, relaxation, and all the things you love. We’ll miss you!

City Council Meeting Recap: June 18, 2024 Bainbridge City Council Unofficial report of city council meeting Called to order: 6:30pm Present: Mayor Edward Reynolds, Councilmembers Glennie Bench, Don Whaley, Roslyn Palmer, Kregg Close, Keenan Adams and Sylvia Washington Absent: NONE Business Items: Approval of minutes from previous meeting. Approval of street closure request. Approval of animal services fee schedule. Approval of alcohol beverage licenses. Approval of surplus items. Special Guests: Robert and Company were on hand for Public Hearing regarding the Comprehensive Plan. The next regular City Council meeting will be held July 16, 2024 at 6:30 pm. Note: Council recaps are not official minutes of city council meetings. Official minutes are posted on the city website upon approval by the city council.