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Valdosta Mayor John Gayle says that his focus since the day he took office in early January has been improving the city’s reputation in the areas of code enforcement and building inspections and permits.

“This was the reason I ran for office. Since Jan. 5, the day I was sworn in as mayor, I’ve been fighting to correct issues in that area,” said Gayle.

“Since then, we’ve only had compliments, not complaints.”

Gayle wants to ensure that the word gets out in the development community that Valdosta is very business friendly and willing to work with them. The mayor was concerned when a recent Times’ business column addressed the city’s negative reputation in working with businesses, saying, “That’s all in the past.”

Gayle said the work the city is doing hasn’t been discussed in an open meeting, as the issues are being addressed behind the scenes by a small group of council and employees.

“You can get things done more easily in small groups than you do in large ones,” said Councilman Tim Carroll.

One of the biggest changes Carroll cited is in how contractors and developers are treated.

“Our main focus has been on customer service. Instead of someone being told they can’t do something, city employees are working with them to show them what they can do if there is an issue.”

Carroll has been involved for several years in working to make the city’s LDR (land development regulations) more business friendly, while ensuring that the city’s vision for the future is not compromised. He has been an integral part of the Chamber of Commerce SORT (special ombudsmen response team) committee, whose goals are “to identify obstacles in the business development process and facilitate mutually beneficial resolutions,” according to the Chamber’s website.

Gayle points to very recent success stories as proof that the city’s departments are focused on encouraging, not discouraging, local development. He provided The Times with several emails from landowners and developers, thanking the city for its assistance.

“Bill Langdale told me if the city hadn’t done all it did, Gander Mountain wouldn’t be coming here.”

Valdosta attorney Bill Langdale is a partner in Meacham Farms LLC, which owns approximately 200 acres of land on Norman Drive, on either side of Sam’s Club and Walmart. Gander Mountain recently purchased 6.4 acres beside Walmart from Meacham Farms for more than $2 million, and has already begun building its new retail site for sports enthusiasts.

Gayle provided a March 5 email from Langdale to City Engineer Patrick Collins and City Manager Larry Hanson, which said, “We closed on Gander late this afternoon. I want to thank you for all your help. Without your and the City’s help and cooperation this would have never happened.”

Gayle indicated that he is working with the same landowners on development plans for another portion of their acreage on Norman Drive.

The mayor also provided a note from Don Shearer of Barber Contracting Company, superintendent of the Durocky Road project in the Westside Business Park, which said, “I have had no complaints. Everyone has been very helpful!”

Another large project underway, the Publix off Inner Perimeter Road, is on a portion of the more than 100 acres of land owned by Staten Plantation LLP. Executor Gray Murray emailed Gayle to thank him for the city’s assistance, stating, “I want to take this opportunity to express to you my appreciation to the total team of City employees who have gone beyond the call of duty in getting the Publix development on Perimeter Road through the process.”

Murray stated that the culture within city departments is developing into one of “how do we get things done that make sense to move the process along,” instead of “putting up roadblocks,” which he says is often an undeserved complaint.

Gayle said much of the city’s issues in past years have been in enforcing state and federal codes, rather than city codes.

Carroll agreed, saying the city has done a great deal towards relaxing some codes, including the sign ordinance, during the economic downturn to give business owners more affordable options to promote their businesses. He acknowledges that the LDR manual is a large document, but its reputation as being longer and more restrictive than Atlanta’s is untrue.

“There used to be several manuals — one for landscaping, one for building codes, etc. — and the LDR just pulled them all together into one document. It’s no bigger than it used to be,” said Carroll.

The biggest change that Gayle and Carroll cite involves attitude on the part of city employees.

“There is a different attitude now. We make people feel welcome. Customer service is a very big thing of mine,” said Gayle.

He also cited the way the city handled recent changes in the Utilities Manual.

“We pulled together a committee of three contractors, who each read 150 pages of the document, and they identified 157 problems. We addressed each and every one of those problems before it was adopted. One of the contractors told me it’s the first time he’s ever felt part of something the city does,” said Gayle.

The mayor and Carroll agreed that this is an exciting time for the city.

“There are big growth opportunities in Valdosta. We are a new team and we are all working together now,” said Gayle.

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