Fountain Green council mulls business license, Lamb Day restructuring

FOUNTAIN GREEN—The owner of FNG Autowerks appeared before the Fountain Green City Council seeking renewal of his business license as the city continues to address alleged violations at the business.

Brian Casselman brought documents to the council meeting, including original permits signed by a former mayor. He also brought witnesses, including the contractor who worked on the structure and a former member of the Planning and Zoning Committee who served when the committee approved the building.

The city previously declined to renew Casselman’s business license, instead offering a temporary license while the alleged violations are addressed.

Casselman disputed the city’s concerns during a discussion with Mayor Willard Wood. After the exchange, Casselman and his witnesses were asked to take their seats while the city agreed to renew the temporary business license and consult with the city attorney.

Wood later told The Messenger that the original building had several violations. He said the city plans to continue issuing temporary licenses until the violations are resolved.

Casselman said he has corrected the issues and disputes the city’s allegation that additional violations remain.

Lamb Day committee to undergo restructuring

The committee responsible for Fountain Green’s annual Lamb Day celebration will undergo a restructuring ahead of the 2027 event.

Brandon Ivory, the current acting chairman-elect of the Lamb Day Committee, told the council the celebration generated more than $15,000 in revenue this year.

Ivory said the new structure would formalize the process for selecting a chairperson, vice chairperson and other committee positions. Under the previous system, a chairperson served for five years and selected a replacement.

Wood thanked Ivory for his work on the reorganization and said the new organization should include a subcommittee with people trained in accounting who would oversee the event’s finances.

“It needs to be run like a business, because it’s getting big,” Wood said.

Ivory said the restructuring is intended to strengthen the relationship between the city and the celebration.

“Going forward, we can both be assets to each other,” Ivory said.

The next meeting to begin planning the 2027 Lamb Day celebration is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2027.

City plans ribbon cutting for new projects

The city also discussed several projects that have been completed or are nearing completion.

The new Fountain Green Cemetery bridge is finished and open to traffic. The only remaining work is reinstalling the cemetery sign.

The pickleball courts at the city park have also been completed and are already in use almost every day. Installation of the court lights remains.

The council scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for both projects for Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. The ceremony will begin at the cemetery before moving to the pickleball courts.

The city also expects installation of a new playground at the city park to begin this fall. The playground will substantially expand the existing play area.

The equipment has been purchased, and the city is considering bids for installation of the sand and cement curbing.