WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

9:00AM



The Wynne City Council met last night. The meeting lasted about two hours. The item that took the most time was and ordinance proposed by the Wynne Water Utilities. It took over one hour to read the ordinance. The ordinance is 22 1/2 pages single spaced. The council did suspend the rules and it only had to be read one time.



I met at 6:00 PM with a group of council member and explained the cost of providing solid waste services. We had to stop the meeting at 7:00 PM to attend the council meeting. I told them in the committee meeting and again in the council meeting that I did not want a decision last night. I want them to consider the options and notify me of their decision before October 1, 2008. I told them that I need to know of their decision so I can prepare a budget for 2009.



There seems to be three options to deal with the problem of a shortage of money. One option is to raise the rates for all citizens and continue the service as we have operated in the past. Another option is to have a pay as you use system. A citizen would call the sanitation department when they have class three trash and we would charge them the cost of picking up the trash that they have. If you do not have class three trash, you would not have to pay. The other option that has been discussed is to stop picking up the class three trash and have a pay for use bin at the city shop. There are good points and bad points to all of the options. I do not have an idea of what the council will agree to based on the committee meetings and the discussion during the council meeting last night.



The council agreed last night to allow the regional airport to use the Wynne Airport as security for a loan to allow them to move forward with the regional airport. The money will be paid to the bank for the loan from grant funds that will be received by the airport. They simply need some money to operate on until the grant funds are received. The airport is paid for with a 95% funding from the federal government and 5% funding from the state government. The problem is that the state does not release the funds until the work has been completed and paid for. This loan will allow them to move forward.



I placed a memo in the city council packet last night requesting input from the members about the 2009 budget. I ask them to please submit their request to me before October so I can prepare a budget.



The council also made John Brown Road and St. Peters Avenue a truck route last night. I am concerned about the damage that the large trucks will cause to these streets.



I checked on my T-top for my camaro on Monday and Larry said that he would have it ready yesterday, but he did not call. I told him that I needed it before this weekend, because I plan to go to the Mississippi State football game in Starkville on Saturday. He assured me that he would have it ready. I need to drive the camaro rather than the avalanche because of the better gas mileage.