The Euharlee City Council approved a rezoning, an intergovernmental agreement, and conditions needed to pave the way for a Dollar General Store to open in the city.

The vote came at the council's regular meeting Tuesday night, after several spoke out against the rezoning and others expressed concerns about the development's effects on the area.

The application was from Hale & Etheridge Development Group, who asked the council to rezone 1.25 acres of property at 915 Euharlee Road. An official with the development group said they plan to continue to own the property and lease it to the Dollar General franchise.

The public's primary concern was traffic and safety. The proposed development would be directly across from the only entrance into the Westminster subdivision and residents told the council increased traffic from the store would make it unsafe and impossible to exit the subdivision onto Euharlee Road.

Ron Goss Jr., the city's administrator for planning and zoning, said there has to be a "trigger number" for traffic before a traffic light could be installed.

Additionally, the area has some bureacractic problems regarding road and safety improvements. City officials said one side of the road is actually in the county and the county is responsible for maintaining Euharlee Road. Also, Goss said a bad economy is forcing local officials to look to private money for improvements rather than pulling it from already over-strapped budgets.

While many at meeting were concerned about an intergovermental agreement between the City of Euharlee and Bartow County, Goss said the agreement actually puts things in place to remedy traffic and safety issues once more development comes to the area. However, there are still questions about who exactly would pay for what when those improvements are needed.

The vote was not a unanimous one. Only one councilmember voted for the rezoning and a second voted against. Two abstained and Mayor Kathy Foulk broke the tie.

Regarding the vote on the agreement, it was a 2-2 tie, with the mayor breaking that tie also.

In other business, the long-awaited new library could be opening Aug. 15. The city council voted to ask the Bartow County Library Board to be open five days a week with two days extending into the evening. The library has been ready to go for some time, but the opening has been stalled because of arguments between the city and the library. Arguments have been over staffing, money to support the library, and the paint color of the building.