City Approves Easement, Additional Shelter Funding

Meanwhile, the city of Toccoa obtains access to some additional downtown property.

On Monday, the Toccoa City Commission unanimously approved a parking easement for Railroad Street.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse says that the city was approached by Norfolk Southern Railroad about this issue.

“The city has the opportunity to lease property from Norfolk Southern that had previously been leased to Hayes Motors,” said Morse. “It is on Railroad Street, from Sage Street to Hill Street. The use would be for public parking.”

According to city officials, the annual rental rate is $360.

Morse said that the city attorney had reviewed the agreement and the city had worked with the railroad to make changes that were necessary.

In other action from Monday’s city commission meeting, Toccoa Commissioners unanimously approved an increase of $10,000 in the amount of money the city gave to the Toccoa-Stephens County Humane Shelter for the current fiscal year.

That takes the city’s total contribution from $150,000 to $160,000.

According to Morse, Stephens County Commissioners gave the humane shelter $160,000 in its budget for this year and an agreement between the two government bodies calls on them to fund the shelter on a 50-50 split for three years.

Morse said he believes this is the third year of this agreement.

The extra money will come out of the city’s General Fund Reserves.