MOULTRIE — In a single vote last week, Moultrie City Council sought to improve the city’s housing situation and its business opportunities, along with other matters.

The consent agenda — a list of decisions that are made with a single vote and little discussion — included 10 items at the May 20 council meeting. Among them were progress toward a workforce housing grant and an infrastructure project at Citizens Business Park.

The Workforce Housing Grant was the subject of an online presentation during the March council work session. The city can apply for the grant to fund infrastructure that a developer puts in to create a new housing project. Several restrictions apply, but it could significantly decrease the initial cost for the developer, according to discussions during that presentation.

Three development groups applied, City Manager Pete Dillard said last Tuesday. One, which including City Councilman Cole Posey, was found to be ineligible; Dillard did not say what factor made them ineligible.

Of the remaining two, a committee of the council recommended the council support JCG Development LLC, led by Justin Murphy. Dillard said Murphy had already built 40-50 houses in the Moultrie area, and he owned the property in the Baell Trace area that he planned to develop under the grant.

The other contender, MGBG Living, has an option to buy property on Doc Darbyshire Road, but the deal hasn’t gone through yet, Dillard said. He said the state Department of Community Affairs, which is managing the grant, prefers the developer own the property because of a bad experience in which another developer received a similar grant but was unable to close on the property and therefore couldn’t build the houses.

MGBG Living is a national company that has built many houses, Dillard said, but none of them have been in the Moultrie area.

Being selected by the city council does not ensure JCG Development will get the grant, Dillard said. The city will now apply for it using JCG’s subdivision plans. Other cities with different projects may also compete for the grant. Dillard said they hope to have DCA’s decision in August or September.

Meanwhile, in the same consent agenda vote, the city also approved a $1.8 million project to extend water and sewer to Citizens Business Park off the Quitman Highway.

Citizens Business Park is already home to Sanderson Farms, which has its own water and sewer system. There’s room for one or more other businesses at the park, but nowhere else in the park has access to water and sewer service.

“In the next five years we’re going to have to have water and sewer in the business park,” Dillard said. “It’s not viable without it.”

The project hinges on participation from two other entities. The city is hoping for a $500,000 OneGeorgia grant from the Department of Community Affairs, and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority, which operates the business park, has committed $600,000 to the project. That leaves roughly $684,000 for the city to pay, and Dillard said there’s a 50-50 chance the city can get another grant to help with that.

Other items approved on the consent agenda included:

— Consider Jinright, Ryan and Lynn Architects and Planners agreement with Doors of Arkansas. Dillard told the city council this was a “housekeeping” matter. Because of his connection to Doors of Arkansas, Councilman Cecil Barber abstained from voting on this issue.

— Consider a memorandum of understanding with Colquitt County Archway Partnership. This is an annual agreement among the city, county, hospital, school system and the University of Georgia that makes UGA resources available to study and find solutions to local challenges.

— Consider the slate of officers proposed for the Georgia Municipal Association District 10: President, Commissioner Chad Warbington of Albany; first vice president, Councilmember Cody Shiver of Pelham; second vice president, Mayor Harold Proctor of Sylvester; and third vice president, Councilmember Demario Bryden of Cairo.

— Approved consideration of two zoning requests. J&J Success, LLC, seeks to rezone property in Land Lots 399 and 400 of the 8th Land District from R1B (single family residential) top RPUD (Residential Planned Unit Development). Market Rate Rentals, LLC, seeks to rezone two lots on 23rd Street Southeast from R1B (single family residential) to RPUD (Residential Planned Unit Development). More details will be made available at the June 17 city council meeting, when a public hearing will be held on each project. Votes to approve or deny the rezoning requests are expected at that meeting.

— Approved two separate bids totaling five vehicles for the Moultrie Police Department. Three Durango Police Pursuit Utility Vehicles (total bid $131,520) and two Durango Police Pursuit Admin Utility Vehicles (total bid $81,774) will be purchased from Woody Folsom of Douglas. Both purchases will be funded by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax money.

— Consider an agreement, release and indemnification with Solos & Serrano, LLC. The company is opening a Mexican restaurant on Second Avenue Southwest and was in the process of erecting its sign on an existing brick pillar when Dillard saw them. The pillar, he knew, is city property along with the parking lot it sits on. He held up the sign erection until City Attorney Mickey Waller could draft an agreement that said if anything happened due to the sign, the city would be held blameless. The council was asked to approve the agreement after the fact, and it did so.