New members to join council at Tuesday’s meeting

Two new Bainbridge city council members — and a pair of returning ones — will take the oath of office at tonight's council meeting.

Two new Bainbridge city council members — and a pair of returning ones — will take the oath of office at tonight’s council meeting.

Kol Medina, who ran unopposed for the District 2 North Ward council seat, will take the oath of office along with fellow newcomer Ron Peltier, who was elected to the District 4 Central Ward position after defeating Pegeen Mulhern.

The council will also host a farewell ceremony for Anne Blair and Steven Bonkowski, the two council members who did not seek re-election and ended their terms on the seven-member council at the end of December.

The newly-formed council will tackle a thick agenda at its first meeting.

The agenda includes the selection of a final design for a city logo, and council members will also weigh in on the best public process to consider the future of the city’s Suzuki property, an 13.83-acre parcel located at the southeast corner of Sportsman Club Road and New Brooklyn Road. Some in the Bainbridge community hope to see the Suzuki property developed as a housing project that would include affordable housing units, while others want the land dedicated for use as a park.

Also on the agenda: 11 items of new business. Items range from an employment contract for Joseph Tovar, the city’s consultant on the update of the comprehensive plan who is expected to be hired as the interim director of Planning and Community Development Department, to the purchase of a new boat for the police department and changes to the city code prompted by the legalization of recreational marijuana.

The meeting starts with a closed-door executive session at 6:30 p.m. where council members will discuss potential litigation.

The council will reconvene for the public session of the meeting at 7 p.m.