February 16th Mayor and Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026

The Dalton Mayor and Council met on Monday night for their second session of the month. The meeting featured a relatively short agenda, with a pair of second readings of ordinances regarding zoning measures. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF MONDAY NIGHT'S MEETING

The first ordinance up for a second reading was Ordinance 26-03 which amends the Dalton-Whitfield Unified Zoning Ordinance (UZO) by adding definitions for biohazard and biological waste, hazardous waste, and data centers. The amendment only permits operations or waste facilities for hazardous, biohazard, or biological waste in manufacturing zones and only with a special use accommodation. That means they would have to be approved by the Dalton-Whitfield Planning Commission as well as the City Council or County Board of Commissioners. The ordinance also places a requirement that data centers would only be permitted in the heavy manufacturing zone. The ordinance also adds flexibility to the Urban Planned Unit Development (UPUD) type of zoning district by adding a greenspace courtyard subdivision option. You can click here to read Ordinance 26-03. The Mayor and Council voted 3-0 to approve the ordinance (Councilmember Dennis Mock was not present and the Ward 2 seat is vacant so Mayor Annalee Sams cast the third vote). To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

Caption: Mayor Annalee Sams listens to a speaker during Monday night's meeting 

The Mayor and Council also voted to enact Ordinance 26-04 to rezone a parcel of land at 409 S. Spencer Street in Dalton from general commercial (C-2) to medium density single family residential (R-3). The rezoning was requested by Viviana Ramirez to convert the commercial property there to a family residence. The property is close to the family's business interests and is also located near other single family residences. The Dalton-Whitfield Planning Commission recommended approval of the request. To read the recap of the Planning Commission meeting, click here. To read the Planning Commission's staff analysis, click here. To read Ordinance 26-04, click here. The ordinance passed 3-0 with Mayor Sams casting the third vote. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

During the public comment period, three people rose to address the Council. Luis Gomez spoke to the Council about his trouble applying for an alcoholic beverage license to open a liquor store in Dalton. Last July, the Council passed an ordinance that capped the number of liquor store licenses that can be issued for businesses within the City relative to the City's population. Based on the most recent Census, that cap is set at 14 licenses and there are already 14 liquor stores licensed within the City. Mr. Gomez told the Council that he has already invested a great deal in opening his business, a process that he started last year. Mayor Sams told him that the Council would work with him to determine if anything could be done. Melissa Williams once again returned to address the Council for a third time about her concerns about loud music coming from the Deja Vu night club downtown on Hamilton Street which she says disturbs tenants in her building which adjoins the club. Mayor Sams encouraged her to meet with the police department regarding her request for extra patrols downtown. Umar Sheikh addressed the Council about his concerns about Ordinance 26-02 which would regulate vape shops operating in the City of Dalton. The ordinance was discussed in a January work session of the Mayor and Council and received a first reading at the Council's February 2nd meeting. However, City staff is still working on requested changes to the ordinance and it was not on Monday night's agenda for a second reading. Mr. Sheikh told the Council that he owns a vape shop and is concerned about the ordinance.  He said that he has enjoyed doing business in Dalton, but he was concerned about the costs that would be associated with licensing his business under the new ordinance. To watch the public comment period, click here. 

Dalton Tourism Director Margaret Thigpen presented an update to the Council to show a new video that has been produced to illustrate the impact of tourism on the local economy. Thigpen also presented an overview of the 2025 year-end statistics for tourism. Thigpen reported that 2025 saw an increase in revenues and also visitors to Dalton. Thigpen did note that hotel-motel tax collections went down last year, which was attributed to the closing of one hotel resulting in the loss of $83,000 in collections. Thigpen told the Council that all of the social media channels for local tourism have seen increases in traffic. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

Monday night the Council also voted to: 

• Approve an update to the Dalton Police Department's agreement with the Flock Group to add three additional Flock cameras - The Dalton Police Department already has an agreement to operate the Flock cameras which are traffic cameras that read and record license plates on passing cars and enter that information into a searchable database for law enforcement purposes. The camera system can also send alerts to the police department when it detects vehicles that have been flagged in the database as being wanted in investigations. Chief Cason pointed out that after a January 10th homicide in Dalton, suspect vehicle information was entered into the system which led to the vehicle being located several hours later in Kentucky. The department already operated nine permanent cameras and one portable camera with the system. The amendment to the agreement adds three new cameras at a cost of $1,950 which Chief Cliff Cason told the Council would allow the department to cover the three remaining highway entry points to the City with Flock cameras. To read the contract amendment, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the contract amendment with Mayor Sams casting the third vote.  To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 
• Approve an extension for the completion deadline for the Hangar Development Project - The Dalton Municipal Airport's project to build new hangars has already reached substantial completion, however there is still additional work remaining for corrective action items to bring the project to final completion. The extension is for 53 days due to the additional work needed and also weather delays that have sidelined the project. To view the contract amendment, click here. The Council voted 3-0 to approve the amendment with Mayor Sams casting the third vote. To watch this portion of the meeting, click here. 

The Mayor and Council's next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 2nd at 6:00 pm in City Hall's Raymond A. Elrod Council Chambers. 

Below: Click "Play" to watch Monday night's meeting.