The Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen met for their regularly scheduled meeting on August 1. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Todd Booth and the prayer was given by Alderman Donnie Thomas. This meeting was held after the MML Conference, which the aldermen said was extremely beneficial.
The first item on the agenda was for Brittany Peacock to speak to the Board concerning the city’s insurance policy offered to employees. Peacock made her case as to why her company was better. In the spirit of fairness, Alderman Tim Gray moved to table the item for a month to allow Peacock to put together an offer. The offer will be compared to the city’s current provider before a decision is made.
Trish Roberson of Central Sunbelt Credit Union appeared before the board to get the city approved as a select employer. This made all city employees eligible to join the credit union. Roberson listed several benefits that come along with joining Central Sunbelt Credit Union and revealed that they plan to open a location in Magee. The Board unanimously approved Roberson’s request.
After declaring property surplus and approving of its disposal the board set a date for the fiscal year 2018 Budget Hearing, which will be held on Tuesday, August 15, at 6 p.m. This meeting allows the public to be a part of the budget process. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen met on July 20 for a workshop, but they were not able to finalize the budget at that time. The city is required to adopt a budget no later than September 15.
The next item was for the board to approve the July 5, board meeting minutes. The July 5 meeting was the first held by the new Board of Aldermen. The minutes reflected details of new contracts that were tabled due to election such as the agreements between McGuffee’s and the Cemetery association.
The parking lot agreement between the City and Joe McGuffee needed to be amended to include the new owners of McGuffee Drugs. The agreement as it stood does not call for any monthly payments for the use of the parking lot, but the city was required to maintain and clean the lot and possibly make any necessary repairs. It was brought to the Board’s attention that the city could not legally maintain a privately owned parking lot. Instead they would need to establish a contract and pay a monthly fee for the use of the parking lot, leaving maintenance, repair, and upkeep to the owner. The item was left on the agenda through the election process because it was illegal for the board to enter into any new contracts until afterwards. Booth explained to the board that in order to make the deal legal a contract and dollar amount was needed. He explained the terms and conditions which gave each party the right to terminate the contract with a 60 day notice to the other. The city will also not be limited to only night time use of the lot. Booth said that citizens can use the lot without any problems and that the maintenance should be less than $2,400 a year.
The next item was the memorandum of understanding in regards to the Mendenhall Cemetery. The $4,400 payment made to the Simpson County Cemetery Association for the maintenance and upkeep of the Mendenhall City Cemetery was previously questioned. There were questions as to if the City actually owned any portion of the Cemetery. Wallace reported to the board that the city does in fact own approximately three acres of the cemetery. Former city attorney Bill Smith was hired to help research the issue and he produced deeds and an unsigned memorandum of understanding. City Clerk Tiffany Wallace presented the board with all of the pertinent information who unanimously agreed to sign the memorandum of understanding and agree to pay the Cemetery Association $4,400 a year for maintenance.
The July 5 meeting minutes show that the city approved the purchase of a new patrol car for the Mendenhall Police Department. During this time the City Superintendent Kenneth Lewis also received approval to repair streets that have been cut due to water line repairs and others that were in extremely bad condition.
During the July 5 meeting the Board entered into executive session to discuss personnel matters. The minutes reflect that during executive session Alderman Tim Gray was appointed as Mayor Pro Tempore which was unanimously approved. Wesley Broadhead was reappointed as Board attorney and municipal court prosecutor. Christopher Purdum was reappointed as Municipal Court Judge. Alexander Candy McCullum, Kenneth Red Lewis, and Tiffany Wallace all retained their positions with the city and made recommendations concerning their personnel. The final personnel matter discussed involved employing Witt Fortenberry as the public defender at the rate of $7,000 per year.
Alderman Tim Gray moved to accept the minutes pending one correction. The board unanimously approved the minutes. The next item came from Police Chief Candy McCullum who requested the board hire Inet Kemp as a part time dispatcher. Kemp’s hire was unanimously approved. Superintendent Lewis recommended Michael Parish for employment which was also approved. The Board entered into executive session to discuss personnel matters. The meeting was recessed until the public budget hearing held on Tuesday August 15.
