The Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen held their monthly meeting on August 5 and discussed several points of business.
The board discussed overnight parking on Main Street, with the main issue stemming from tenants of nearby apartments. Booth said that the issue has been ongoing. Building Inspector David Miller discussed possible solutions, saying the owner of the apartments has plans to upgrade his parking lot, allowing for up to 23 parking spaces for his tenants this summer.
Booth explained that the issue with tenants parking on Main Street overnight causes problems with business operations during the day. The city has also had to get these vehicles moved before having special events such as parades or Friday Nights on Main.
The board reviewed upcoming rental requests from the Civic Center and Mendenhall Armory from various organizations. Sheila Magee was denied a refund of $400 after cancelling her plans to use the armory. The board approved the use of the Civic Center by Simpson General Hospital for the Medicare Open Enrollment for Senior Citizens of Simpson County event on October 9. The board declined to waive the rental fee requested by Chris Williams and Farm Bureau for their annual meeting on September 22, which will feature guest speaker Michael Guest.
Mayor Todd Booth was approved to enter a contract agreement for legal services with Wesley Broadhead.
Previous board and workshop minutes were approved, along with the July financial reports.
The board gave Property Clean-up Director Susan McDonald further directions on seven properties brought up for review. The board approved the tearing down of the home on 512 Bailey Street. Attorney Wesley Broadhead asked the board for more time to ensure that the laws do not change before pursuing the lawsuit.
The building at 415 N. Main Street was discussed. It has holes in the roof and is in desperate need of repair. The fine of $1,000 was assessed to the property. Alderman Robert Mangum questioned what would happen if the fines were not paid. Booth said they will be added to the owner’s taxes if not paid or waived once the issues are resolved. Attorney Wesley Broadhead explained that adding the fines to their taxes was an option or proceedings could begin to demolish the property as a public nuisance, but that would be expensive. Robert Miller suggested disconnecting water services from the property, deeming it unsafe to live in. The board suggested Miller inspect the property with the homeowner’s permission and report back to the board.
Chief James Walker updated the board on the Mendenhall Police Department. He said everything was looking good and they were waiting on a full-time officer position to be filled. He noted that the computers in the department have been cloned and have improved speed. He is also working on improvements to dispatch by moving the tower to the back, which will cost $1,400.Walker discussed the shooting incident that left two people injured at a block party. “It was going smooth until the gunfire started,” Walker said. He explained that the gunfire was not directed at anyone but was random shooting that incited a panic. Walker noted that the incident is still under investigation. He asked the board for help to better police the city, requesting that they consider an ordinance against parking on the street, stating that the problem extends all over the city.
“Parking on the street. This sitting around all day in a parked vehicle. We can’t let this happen anymore, they have to go… We can not have these people sitting around all day in parked cars, they need a job,” Walker said. Booth suggested that it be looked at as obstructing traffic. The board discussed the issue and moved to research an ordinance to be presented at the next board meeting.
In the budget discussion, Booth said the current proposed budget was $17,000 short in the water fund, and the deficit may be more with repairs being needed at the lagoon ranging up to $50,000. One solution discussed was to increase water services by $5, which will generate $75,000 to cover the deficits. Another option was to take it out of asphalt funding, reducing the asphalt budget to $150,000 for the year. Judy Lee noted, “D’Lo is charging $22 for water and Mendenhall is charging $14 for water. We’re underfunded!” Mangum suggested an increase of $5 and a 2 percent increase per year for the water fund. A majority vote was passed to allow Mayor Booth and City Clerk Latasha Millis to move forward with projecting numbers for a $5 increase in water services in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. For clarification the board did not vote on an increase of $5 for water services at this time. Following this decision, the board adjourned the meeting.
