Ten residents have been selected by LaGrange City Council for a group home task force.

Most, but not all, potential members have been contacted, City Manager Tom Hall said Tuesday.

“We talked to just about everybody involved,” he said. “… The council appointed them pending on their ability to serve.”

The 10 are Joan Woodson, George Moore, Matt Orr, Tom Gore, Wayne Pittman, Zsa Zsa Heard, June Nelson, Ricky Bolden, Linda Buchanan and Andy Brubaker.

No meeting dates have been set, but council would like an initial meeting to occur within two to three weeks, Hall said.

Council had proposed an ordinance that would set zoning standards for all future group homes, require current and future group homes to purchase licenses, and give the city some control over the homes. Council this month tabled its proposal in favor of a task force of residents which would study the issue and come up with a new ordinance proposal within a year.

Group homes have been in the spotlight after the Nov. 14 shooting death of Joseph “Peace” Boison, a clerk at the Shell Mart on Vernon Street. Christopher Caruso, 18, who was charged with the slaying, had been a resident of a group home on Ridley Avenue until leaving a month earlier.

In another matter Tuesday, council authorized the submission of the Capital Improvements Element to the Three Rivers Regional Commission in Franklin, putting it a step closer to citywide impact fees.

“We determined that the areas eligible for funding under impact fees included police, fire and transportation improvements,” Hall said.

Impact fees could provide the city’s capital costs needed for roads, fire and police services for the next 21 years through fees added to building permits requested by developers.

Otherwise, residents could pay the equivalent of 4.3 mills in property taxes to fund the growth projects.

Currently, the city governmental operations are paid for without property taxes, a millage rate of zero.

“Assuming growth of ‘X’ then you’re going to need to have in place an additional equivalent of 4.3 mills of tax to pay for (the future services),” Hall said.

Impact fees are used to allow new growth to pay for itself.

“(City officials) identified transportation improvements primarily out of the countywide transportation plan that would impact LaGrange, a list of some $50 million, $60 million worth of potential projects,” Hall said.

The Capital Improvements Element will be reviewed by the regional commission for 60 days. Following that, a draft impact fee will be created through Ross and Associates of Atlanta and a series of public hearings will be held.

“The CIE before you tonight does not mean that you are committing to charging impact fees in the future,” Bill Ross, who helped Troup County draft its own impact fee ordinance, told council members. “What we’re doing is putting the pieces in place so that you can make that decision.”

Within that time, council will decide what the fees should be.

“It’s up to this body … to decide what’s right for LaGrange,” Ross said.

That’s a policy issue that doesn’t have a mathematical answer.”

In other matters, council:

— Held the first reading of an ordinance that could place a $100 surcharge on every 1,000 gallons of cleaned septic tank water being disposed of in the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

— Approved placing 11 banner poles on Broad and Vernon streets, creating a connection between LaGrange College and the downtown area through seasonal and city banners.

— Approved an annexation of about 5 acres at 1955 Roanoke Road for Torrance Construction on Hogansville Road. A medical park is slated for the spot bordering Sawmill Plaza.

— And approved a temporary sidewalk easement on Main and Broome streets for a revitalization of the former Seymour’s Engraving store and Kress department store through the Callaway Foundation. Although pedestrian walking room will still be available, areas surrounding the two buildings will be closed. The project, a combined multiuse building containing conference space, a restaurant, office space and four loft condominiums, is slated for completion between October and January 2011.

Trey Wood can be reached at twood @ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.