Comcast Woes, Roof Pitches and Local Author Recognized: Grayson City Council Recap

The Grayson City Council and mayor met Monday (Nov. 18) for their monthly meeting and work session. 

One of the main topics of the work session involved about $26,000 that Comcast owes to the city.

According to City Administrator Laura Paul-Cone, residents who are also Comcast subscribers pay a franchise fee, or rent for the right-of-way where the company has wired its cables. This fee is supposed to go to the city of Grayson, but, as Mayor Jim Hinkle discovered some months back with his own bill, Gwinnett County is getting these funds from certain residents.

The city of Grayson has been trying to resolve the issue since February, but it's been difficult because of the lack of response from Comcast, said Paul-Cone. 

She and an auditor hired by the city both have checked addresses to determine the exact discrepancies. They discovered that some addresses have been miscoded, leading to the mix-up with the county and city.

Because of the slow process on Comcast's end, the Grayson City Council unanimously approved 5-0 to send a letter to Comcast with a copy of a proposed resolution that says the company is in violation of their agreement and the city can cancel Comcast services for its area. Paul-Cone said that when other cities in similar situations have sent their letters, Comcast almost always speeds up the process. 

"[Comcast is] just delayed," Paul-Cone said. "It's very common that they drag these things out like this."

Other business on the agenda included:

-The council also unanimously approved the request by Acadia Homes to reduce the roof pitch requirement for homes in R4 zoning at Sayer Farms subdivision. 

-Mayor Jim Hinkle read a proclamation recognizing Joey Hancock as a "writer in residence" in Grayson. Hancock is an outdoor television personality and hunting guide.

-The council approved to replace the slide at Grayson City Park.

-They also approved to accept the bid for a tree removal at the city cemetery.

-A proclamation was read promoting Small Business Saturday for Nov. 30. 

-They also set Dec. 2 as the date for landscape contract interviews.

-Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Charlotte Nash was in attendance to catch up on the Grayson city council.