MT. AIRY, GA — The Mount Airy Town Council on Monday unanimously approved an amendment creating a new farm winery license class and expanding the number of available alcohol licenses, but delayed action on a proposed animal control agreement with Habersham County.
The vote came during a full agenda that also included the swearing-in of new Councilman Sam Wilbanks and approval of an intergovernmental agreement with Alto for probation services.
Wilbanks sworn in to fill vacant council seat
Wilbanks was sworn in at the start of the meeting and immediately took his seat. He was
the only candidate who qualified for the special election to replace Councilman Adam Tullis, who resigned to run for mayor. Tullis won the November election.
Speaking with Now Habersham after the meeting, Wilbanks said stepping into public office for the first time was both surprising and meaningful.
“I was a little nervous … I’ve never served in public office at all,” he said. “I’d been approached by several citizens in town, and the mayor — the incumbent mayor and the incoming mayor — and they all thought I’d be a good fit.”
Wilbanks, who grew up in Mt. Airy, said serving the town is something he takes seriously.
“I know all of the council members. I grew up here,” he said. “I feel like it’s an honor. I really do.”
Farm winery license amendment moves forward
The council unanimously approved the second reading of amendments to Alcohol Ordinance Section 4-30, which add a new farm winery license category and increase the number of licenses available in several existing classifications.
Town Clerk Sheri Berrong emphasized the vote does not establish the full farm winery ordinance. Instead, it simply creates the license class and expands the number of permits the town can issue.
“We don’t have an ordinance in place that spells out what those application requirements are,” Berrong told the council. She said staff had hoped to draft the full ordinance between the first and second readings but were unable to complete the work during a busy period.
“Hopefully in the next month or two, we can get that done … tweak it, have discussions about it,” she said. The full ordinance would require two public readings after it is drafted.
The delay frustrated Matt Vrahiotes, owner of Sweet Acre Farms, who told the council he cannot apply for the state winery license until the local license is approved.
“I can’t apply for the state license until there’s a local license approved,” he said. “State license takes them a month … it just delays my production time.”
Council tables animal control agreement
A proposed intergovernmental agreement with Habersham County for animal control services was tabled after Police Chief Jamie Bowden said the county is still finalizing revisions.
“They’re working out some details. It’s some discrepancies in the contract right now,” Bowden said. He recommended the council table the agreement until the updated version is ready.
The council agreed and took no further action.
Mt. Airy has been considering an animal control IGA similar to those already in place between the county and other municipalities, including Baldwin. Such agreements provide full-service enforcement and shelter operations, with costs allocated based on each city’s share of the county tax digest.
Probation services agreement approved
The council approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Alto for probation services. Mayor Ray McAllister said the partnership will reduce strain on the town’s resources.
“It saves us money and manpower,” McAllister said. “We try to be a community-oriented workforce if we can.”
Emergency operations plan update adopted
The council also unanimously adopted updates to the Habersham County Local Emergency Operations Plan, a routine action required as part of regional emergency management coordination. The item passed without debate.
The meeting was open to the public and concluded after all agenda items were addressed.
