There were several items on the agenda for tonight's meeting. In new business, Mike Knight and another gentleman approached the council for permission to organize unified public prayer meetings within the city during one day of each month. Those meetings are currently going on in neighboring communities and are scheduled for 10 A.M. on the second Saturday of each month. The council unanimously agreed to allow those meetings within the city and on city property if they so choose.
In old business, we took action to alleviate the shortfall the city's endured related to garbage pickup. The council decided unanimously to increase rates across the board. Residential and business customers will all see an increase of $4 per month, while the minimum fee for special pickups will increase to $15 from $10. Councilman Pinkerton also proposed that we place $1.25 per customer per month in a fund which will be used for maintenance costs related to our current truck and to purchase a new truck when it's appropriate. That proposal was also accepted, but will not go into effect for one year to allow the city to recover some of the shortfall we've seen in recent years. It is a goal of this council to become as efficient as possible to minimize or eliminate the need to borrow money for such projects. Mr. Pinkerton's proposal is a step in the right direction.
In other old business, we accepted a proposal from RPS (Regional Paramedical Services) to provide ambulance service to the city of Guin. This service includes stationing an ambulance inside the city limits which will serve the citizens of Guin and surrounding communities. The service comes at no cost to the city. RPS will man the truck with two people at all times including at least one certified paramedic. They will deliver to the hospital of the patient's choice given they are stable enough to do so, but will deliver to the closest hospital when that's not the case. Their service would also provide us with an additional ambulance as needed if the primary truck is on a run. If they can't get a backup to a location quick enough, they can and will call on other local companies to provide coverage as needed.
In other news, we tabled a proposed annual one time payment to city employees to allow the finance committee an opportunity to review our current finances.
Our current administration just completed their first month on the job and I want to personally thank each and every member for the work that's being done to move Guin forward. It's been a pleasure, thus far, to work with a group of people who really have the best for Guin in mind.
One final note, please remember that Guin's Christmas Parade will be next Monday. I encourage all civic groups, churches, athletic teams, etc.. to take part in the parade. If not, please make plans to be downtown next Monday to watch and enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment