City Council Meeting 2 Oct 2018

Invocation by Mr. Mike Lanier.

Call to order at 6 PM by Mayor Wolff.

Roll call revealed all members present.

The minutes of previous meeting was approved by unanimous vote.

Mayor’s Reports and Comments:

Council person Davis asked the mayor what could be done about dirt washing from the old Magnolia apartment’s area into the street. Mayor Wolff stated that a temporary measure of using R/R crossties to hold back the dirt would be instituted. Intentions are to clear the area and compact the soil so it will not washout.

Ms. Davis asked about testing the soil for contaminants due to the black mold in the buildings formally on the site. Long range plans are to turn this into a park area and she has concerns about what could happen to children playing here. Mayor Wolff assured Council person Davis that the soil would be tested prior to opening any type of playground or park.

Ms. Davis also expressed concern about the lack of proper cleanup at and around the old armory. She is concerned that it may be becoming a breeding ground for snakes and vermin. She asked the mayor if he could speak to Dr. Byrd about getting better work done to that area.

Ms. Davis has concern for the Magnolia Cemetery. She stated several portions of the fence is leaning and are unsightly. Mayor Wolff noted that other fences around the city are also in need of upkeep. The city is going to attempt to get some paint, post and any other needed items and rework the fences in the entire city.

Mediacom Franchise Agreement.

Council person Caylor handled the report on this issue. He noted that a meeting was held with Christopher Lloyd, the governmental relations representative for Media Com, to discuss the currently expired contract. The result of this meeting is, the city and Media Com will continue the current contract for one year. The city is in the midst of renegotiating the contract and needs additional time to review and implement changes. A motion to continue the contract for one year passed by unanimous vote.

Old Business:

Council person Upton gave a report on the old City School repair update. During a work session last Thursday the council met with Donofro Architects, the company responsibly for drawing plans to renovate the city school into a cultural center. It was decided there were too many rooms in the current plans and Donofro will re-evaluate and determine how to trim the number of rooms.

To pay for this renovation the City Council voted to increase the city sales tax from .08 to .09 cents, an increase of a penny per dollar. After the debt is paid in full the tax will be retired.

Council person Upton has spoken to Dr. Byrd and he is going to get the old City School Deed straightened out and assigned to the city. In conjunction with this, the city will also inherit the deed to the gym at the old High School.

Fire Chief Ricky Nobles spoke on fire fighter training. The association has received a grant for this training. The training consists of 160 total hours broken down into 40 hour time periods. Chief Nobles believes there are approximately 20 members in need of certification.

Chief Nobles noted the city has a need for trained fire fighters and this training has no pay with it. He appealed to the city to grant some pay to those undergoing the training. For each 40 hour block of training the participants will receive $400.00 in incentive pay.

New Business:

Rental fees for Parks and Recreation Department facility usage was presented by Superintendent Gray. Mr. Gray noted he did not have a monetary figure to apply at this time but he would review all charges and present to the council at the next meeting what fees he recommended. He also wants to put a fee on the use of the gym. Currently the city is receiving nothing from extra activities at the gym however, they are having to furnish insurance and upkeep on the building.

Accounts Payable:

Motion to pay the bills approved by unanimous vote.

Adjourn: 6:33 PM