At their meeting on Feb. 4, the Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen were met with several items on the agenda, including acceptance of the resignation of long time City Superintendent Kenneth Red Lewis.
Lewis served in the position for 9 years before officially resigning. In executive session the board discussed a replacement for Lewis, then moved to hire Justin Peacock, who has been a part of the city crew for some time. Peacock was hired with a majority vote, with on the basis of concerns about Peacock’s age. Thomas believed Peacock was too young, he said, and would struggle managing the crew and keeping workers on task. Alderman Tim Gray suggested that he keep a list of jobs visible to everyone so the crew knows what needs to be done.
The board unanimously approved renewing the Rural Fire Protection Agreement and Fire Protection Agreement for the town of D’Lo. The fire agreement between Mendenhall and D’Lo states that in return for fire protection the Town of D’Lo will transfer all state rebate funds annally for the purpose of defraying training expenses and for the purchase and improvement of firefighting equipment.
The agreement also states that the Town of D’Lo will provide volunteers for assisting the Mendenhall fire Department with fighting fires within the town.
The board approved the renewal of the Mississippi Peacemaker Lease and also to advertise the municipal depository.
The City will once again make a donation to the Mendenhall Library Summer Reading program, and will sponsor a table at the Mendenhall Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
The board approved city clerks Tiffany Wallace and Tasha Millis to attend training, and for Lorie King to attend the 2019 Spring Leadership Conference.
Purchasing a handheld radio was discussed. Booth made the case that it would help him better communicate and coordinate with city employees throughout the day. The board agreed to purchase the radio for the Mendenhall Police Department to then be issued to the mayor.
The board accepted the resignation of Chanston Camper, Brad Davis, and Jerry Smith from the city crew, and employed Bradley Berryhill as a part time member of the grass crew.
The city also accepted the resignation of Kathy Teater and hired Arien Cameron as part time clerk.
Fire Chief Brandon Wester appeared before the board with business concerning the purchase of the new fire truck. The Board approved Wester to apply for the loan to purchase the fire truck, and accepted the resolution for CAP loan. The board accepted the bid for the new fire truck at the total cost of $496,985 last October. The City will receive money from the County and Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program which will offset some of the cost. The city will need to apply for a CAP loan in the amount of $277,000 for the remaining balance on the fire truck. The new apparatus will be a Rosenbauer custom truck. The Magee Fire Department is also getting a new truck and that the two will be “sister trucks”. The two departments worked closely together on the design of the new fire trucks with the goal being to maximize interoperability. There will also be a foam system in place which allows the firefighters to switch between water and foam with the pull of a lever. The truck also comes equipped with a 1500 gpm pump which will be the best the Mendenhall Fire Department has had. The new truck is expected to be complete in November of this year. The board also approved the purchase of new turnouts for the department.
The Mendenhall Police Department was approved to purchase a radar, E-Citation computer, and printer for unit four. The department also added Jason Smith as part time patrol and approved Charles Sherman to attend the full time academy.
The condition of Springhill Drive was discussed. The issues with the road were brought to the board’s attention in December when several residents attended the meeting to voice their concerns. This month the board confirmed that the potholes have been filled. Alderman Robert Mangum discussed purchasing a new mix to patch and seal potholes. Alderwoman Janna Miller said that the road should be added to the list for the next paving cycle.
The Board went into executive session to discuss personnel before adjourning the meeting.
