MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2008
9:55 AM

I look forward to the city council meeting tomorrow night. I am eager to learn what solution the alderman have for the garbage situation. I have a meeting scheduled with the budget committee and four other alderman before the council meeting. I will present them with the cost to continue the service that is now provided. If they choose that option, the rates will have to be increased.

There is an option to scale back the service and not have to increase the residential rates. That solution would stop the city from picking up any class three or four garbage. The city would provide, at the city shop, a container for citizens to place their trash for a fee. We could offer that option and only the citizens who have that type of garbage would have to pay. The way the system is now operated all citizens pay a monthly fee for this service. There are a number of citizens who never use the system, and there are a number of citizens who have trash out each week. One of the complaints the aldermen received during our shut down was that people were willing to pay for the service. If we go to this system, we can find out how many are willing to pay.

Last week I went to the doctor for my yearly check up. I got a good report. In fact the doctor took me off one of the medicine that I have been taking for a number of years. This good news is related to my taking my medicine without fail and staying on my diet. I do not like the diet, but I do not like what could happen if I eat some of the foods that I now do not eat, or eat in very small amounts.

Pat and I visited the Jacksons yesterday. We had been invited to a birthday party for Sol. I will be on my way to Mississippi State and Pat will be on vacation in Iuka next Saturday when the party is scheduled. Sol seemed to enjoy the gift that we had taken to him. The gift was a talking book. You can never start reading to children too early.

We talked to Amy several time over the weekend. She had to work this weekend and she said that they were busy. That makes the time go faster, when they have work to be completed.

I have started to take applications for the job of Chief of Police. I will accept applications from now until October the 1st. I placed an ad in the local paper this morning. The ad will run for two weeks. I hope that I receive a number of quality applications. I am in no rush to make a decision. I have discussed the position with an individual and he has informed me that he is willing to be the chief on a temporary basis until I make a decision.

The new animal control officer started to work this morning. I hope that he is pleased with his new job and that he does a good job for the citizens of Wynne. He is following a very good officer and he will be judged against Rick, who did an excellent job.

I did a little more painting on the outside of our house this weekend. If fact I used all of the paint that I had on hand. I purchased some more paint this morning. I plan to continue painting until I complete the job, but I am in no rush. I plan to work on the painting in small time frames until I complete the job.

We had a candidate at church this weekend to be our music minister. We voted last night to approve the recommendation of the committee. He received a 95% approval vote. I am excited about having a music minister on staff full time. David Dowd has done an excellent job filling in on a temporary basis, but David has a full time job as well as doing a lot of volunteer work in the city and county.

Our new music minister is married to a lady who grew up in northwest Alabama. I told her that I grew up only 40 miles from her home town. She is friends with a couple from Iuka that I have known for several years