Last week, our city and the family of Lt. Michael Vogt suffered a great loss. We will never be able to replace this loss. We are all hurting but we must find the strength to go on.

Out of every tragedy comes some good. As the old saying goes, “The cream will always rise to the top.” Our city staff stepped forward to meet the challenge and do all the necessary things and much, much more. They were at city hall from the early morning hours until late at night, not because they were required to be there; they wanted to be there to help the community and the Vogt family.

Our police staff remained on duty 24 hours a day until the suspect was apprehended, not because they were required to be there; they wanted to do their best and support each other through this tragedy. I watched Chief Jones, his entire staff and all the other agencies involved in the operation work around the clock. Our fire department staff not only did their jobs but filled the gaps in so many other areas. Most came in on their off days and would not leave. They are truly an asset to our community. Our public works team put in long hours and was instrumental in helping the family, as well as the city. The teamwork between our staff and the agencies supporting us was impressive and showed the true brotherhood between public safety professionals in a time of need.

Our community, once again showed everyone why our city is a special place. Many people brought food to feed everyone working at city hall. Others came by to offer their help where needed. All wanted to do something to show they cared. I expected our regular volunteers to show up to help; they always do. The thing that really hit home were the people that we don’t normally see around city hall. There were citizens from all areas of the city bringing supplies and food. People from outside our city also called and brought food. They offered to help in any way they could. Public safety staff from supporting agencies as well as the press said they had never seen anything like the support that poured in from our citizens.

If there is a silver lining to this tragedy, it has to be the way our city came together and responded to this once in a lifetime occurrence. I don’t know of anyone that wasn’t touched in some way by this tragedy. I’d like to thank our public safety staff, our city staff and all the citizens and volunteers that went above and beyond anything that could have been expected of them. My heart goes out to the family of Lt. Michael Vogt. May God bless them and this city; may He help each of us heal and recover.

Don Hayes, Mayor

Business Occupational License Renewals are due before March 31,2010. Licenses are delinquent on April 1, 2010. Businesses with a current Business Occupational License will receive their renewal application in the mail. For any questions, please call Dana Wicher in the City Clerk's Office at 770-463-8881.

The City of Chattahoochee Hills is beginning the process of writing our own Comprehensive Plan for the City. The Comprehensive Plan is the City of Chattahoochee Hills’ most important document regarding growth, development and change. It establishes government policy to help guide public and private activities as they relate to land use and resource utilization. It is the basis for land development regulations and decisions (rezonings, use permits), the City’s budget and capital improvements program, transportation investments, preservation of our natural and cultural resources, and decisions on the City’s economic development efforts.

The comprehensive planning process is a public process. The final goal of the plan is to create a vision for the future; the vision must be that of those who live in the City. Please take this opportunity to be involved in the comprehensive planning process and complete our short online survey. The survey has been designed so that residents can communicate what it is most important to them with regard to the growth and development of the City. The results of the survey will inform the comprehensive plan task force committees in their work writing the plan. Thank you for your participation

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