Residents of Porterdale will not be receiving a census form in the mail due to a rule that prohibits the form from being mailed to post office boxes.
Residents can pick up a census form from city hall during normal business hours; however, the at beginning of May census workers will be canvassing the city to get an accurate reading of the population of Porterdale.
At the city council meeting Monday night, Mayor Bobby Hamby said the city has, in the past, taken a hit because all of the population was not counted, and this affected the amount of federal funding Porterdale is able to receive.
The census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in annual federal funding for things like senior centers, job training centers, schools, hospitals, emergency assistance and bridges, tunnels and other public work projects, according to the census Web site.
The council also heard and approved a final reading of a golf cart ordinance that will allow carts to operate on certain streets in the city limits.
There are provisions to operating golf carts on city roads, however. The golf carts must be registered with the Porterdale Police Department and owners need to pay a $15 registration fee which will be good for five years. The exhaust on the cart must be maintained and the vehicles should have proper lighting equipment (including brake lights and turn signals), a horn, mirrors, windshield and safety belts. They also require an amber strobe light.
Only licensed drivers may operate a cart on city streets, or drivers with a learner’s permit who are accompanied by a licensed adult 21 or older. The vehicles cannot be driven on sidewalks or walking trails and cannot be operated on Crowell Road, Covington Bypass Road, Ga. Highway 81 and west of the intersection of 81 and Crowell and Covington Bypass. Maps are available at the PPD.
City employees are also donating time and resources to sprucing up City Hall. City council member Robert Foxworth has donated paint and labor and city hall employees have donated some paint as well, to paint city hall.
According to city clerk Judy Johnson the freshening up will include painting the outside of the building and the handrails of the stairs. People who are performing community service for the city will be required to help with the project as well.
