Monday, November 24, 2008

MONDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2008
8:23 AM

Pat, Oscar and I went to the Mississippi State Arkansas football game at Mississippi State. Oscar did not actually go to the game. Sher met us near West Point and picked up Oscar. The weather was not too bad. We dressed in a manner to keep us warm. It only got cool about the last 30 minutes of the game. The game was very close. Mississippi State beat Arkansas 31 to 28. The last play of the game was a field goal attempt by Arkansas. If it had been good there would have been overtime.

After the game we went to Sher's home in Columbus. We had a very good time visiting with her. She was an excellent host.

We came home yesterday. We arrived home about three pm. The last time Mississippi Sate beat Arkansas was in 1998. It is about time to beat the hogs.

We plan to make a quick trip to Iuka on Thursday. We will have dinner with my family and then visit and eat with Pat's family for supper. We will then come back to Wynne.

Pat and I are going to go to Memphis and celebrate Thanksgiving with Amy. She has to work on Thursday. There are no holidays in the funeral business.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2008
8:35 AM

The Wynne City Council held the November meeting last night. There were eleven items on the agenda to be acted on.

1. VDCI Year End Report---no action the company was not present.

2. CCEDC REPORT----Arron Stewart reported on the recent study conducted by ASU about
impact of the sales tax that has been used for economic development.

3 Drug testing for non CDL city employees---The council adopted an ordinance that will
require most of the city employees submit to random drug test.

4. 2009 Budgets for the city---I presented my budgets for the city for year 2009. I ask
for no action. I ask the city council members to study the budgets and if they have a
questions, contact me and I will give them an answer to any of their question. I told them
that they will be asked to approve the budgets at the December meeting.

5. The council approved a contract with the local Veterinary Clinic to sell dog tags for the
city. They have done this for a number of years and this was just a renewal of the
agreement. It has worked well.

6. I proposed and the council approved my appointment of Michael Hinton to the Wynne
Parks and Recreation Commission. He was appointed to a five year term.

7. The council also approved a resolution that allows me to execute an agreement with a
bank that will loan the DRA money. The Wynne City Airport will be put up for collateral.
A couple of months ago the council approved this arrangement. The bank needed the
resolution passed to complete the loan.

8. The council passed an ordinance that sets the floor elevations for any new buildings in
the city. The floor elevation will now have to be six inches above the highest point of the
street or curb in front of the property. This will solve some of the problems with water
getting in some buildings.

9. We amended an ordinance that had a mistake in the original ordinance. The old ordinance
stated the wrong state law. The only change was the number of the state law. The
ordinance deals with the payment of routine bills and the amount that can be purchased
without bidding.

10. Class Three Trash---The council held a vote to increase the residential fee by $5.00.
The motion did not pass, so that means that beginning January 1, 2009 class three
trash will be picked up on a pay as used program. There is also an option for the citizens
to carry their trash to the public works building and pay a fee for the disposal. This is
a big change to the way that garbage is dealt with in the city. Beginning in January, if
citizens do not use the service they will not have to pay. In the past they were charged
for the service whether they used it or not.

11. Alderman Bankston ask the council to pay for his health insurance at the end of his term.
He was defeated in the last election and his term will end on December 31 of this year.
The city has an ordinance that pays the health insurance for some elected officials if they
serve ten years. He has not served ten years. He is short about one month and ten days.
The council took no action. They asked me to discuss the matter with the city attorney and
report back to them next month.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2008
12:42 PM

The city had the exit conference with the state auditor this morning. Everything went well. We only had one finding. It is the same finding that has occurred for several years. They want some of the duties segregated. That is not possible with the number of people employed by the city. That is a finding that happens with a huge number of cities. We understand the problem and the auditor understands the problem. There is really nothing that we can do to solve this problem, except we will get written up each year. Everything else was OK.

Theda does an excellent job in keeping the records for the city. I should tell her more often how much I appreciate the work she does in behalf of the city.

The city council meets tonight. We have a long agenda. I will give a report later in the week about the meeting.

Monday, November 17, 2008

MONDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2008
10:00 AM

The weather has changed quite a bit. The temperature is much lower than it was last week.

I did not remove leaves Saturday. The wind and temperature caused me to spend the day inside. I spent most of the day in my garage. I took apart our yard swing. I cut the new boards to replace the old ones and have painted quite a bit of the swing. I hope to complete the job sometime this week. I did watch TV while I was working Saturday. I watched parts of several football games and some racing.

The city council agenda for tomorrow night has eleven items on the agenda. We will not have a 20 minute meeting this month. Tomorrow we have the exit conference with the state auditor. I do not think that there are any areas of concern. Theda does a wonderful job keeping the records for the city. In fact the auditor has commented that because of Theda's work her job was much easier.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2008
10:53 AM

Theda and I have solved the problem with one of the ordinances. I have typed the new ordinance that corrects the mistake we found in the old one. The only change we have to make is the reference to a state statute.

I conducted another wedding yesterday afternoon. The couple were two of my former students. When I filled out the paper work I placed the wrong date. A few minutes later the groom came back to my office and said the the county clerk would not record it with the wrong date. I corrected the mistake and he returned to the county clerk to have it recorded.

This morning I received a freedom of information request from the city of Helena-West Helena. They requested all records from the sanitation department since January 1, 2005. They requested all tickets, checks, contracts and it appears that they want every piece of paper related to the sanitation department. I asked Theda to call the city and inform them that their request was rather large and that there is a 25 cents per page requested. Their request will be several dollars. It will take quite a bit of time to gather the information they have requested.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2008
8:56 AM

I got to do most of my yard work yesterday after all. I made a quick trip to Jonesboro to pick up some lumber to repair my swing. I went to Jonesboro because the lumber is not available in Wynne. I shop at home when the products are available.

After my trip to Jonesboro, I worked in the yard for a while. I removed the leaves from the back yard again. This morning there were several that have fallen since yesterday. It is easier to remove them in small amounts, rather than wait until they all fall. It also gives me something to do.

Monday Theda and I discovered a problem with one or the city ordinances. There is a small change that needs to be made in one of the ordinances. I think that we are legal, but there is a problem that needs to be corrected. We spent a lot of time working and discussing the problem on Monday. After thinking about it for the last two days, I think I have solved the problem. We can pass an amendment at the next city council meeting that will correct the problem.

It has been raining here since sometime in the night. The forecast is for rain the rest of the day. I glad that I have a job that is inside.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2008
9:57 AM

I am at the office killing time. The city is observing veterans day today. It is raining so I could not do the yard work that I had planned to do today. I cannot go in the house, because the housekeeper is there today. I do not want to disturb her in her cleaning.

Pat had a test done this morning at the hospital. We went to Kelley's this morning for breakfast. That is the first time is several days that I have not had my usual breakfast. My usual breakfast is a honey bun. I went to Kelley's before Pat and got caught up on all the information I needed. The coffee table is always full of information and they have no problem expressing their ideas and suggestions.

The representative from the storm door stopped by and measured the back door. Oscar has caused some damage to the door. He said that he could repair the door. It will take a few days. Oscar did not cause the damage, but he increased the damage. He loves to paw at the door when Pat gets home in the afternoon. His best friend is Pat. If she is not around, he sometimes will be friendly to me. If she is around, he usually has nothing to do with me.

I went to the high school last night to hear about the EAST project. The students are working on eight projects at the present time. It seemed strange to visit the room where I last taught. The EAST classroom is the room that was assigned to me the last part of my teaching career.

Yesterday afternoon I performed a wedding. A few minutes before four Theda got a call and asked if I would perform the ceremony. I told her, and she relayed the message that I would perform the ceremony. The young couple showed up in a few minutes and I performed the ceremony. While I was filling out the paper work for the wedding, I ask where the couple were from. The young lady was from Memphis and the young man was born in Wynne. If fact I taught his father and I have known his mother for a number of years.

Monday, November 10, 2008

MONDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2008
11:00 AM

Saturday morning I removed the leaves from the back yard. I blew the leaves off the drive way and carport. I mulched the front yard. A few minutes after I removed the leaves from the back yard and carport they were covered again.

While I was working in the front yard, my neighbor stopped and said that we should make our other neighbor rake his leaves. The neighbor I was talking to and I do not have trees in our front yards, but we have to remove leaves from our other neighbor's yard. Sounds good, but that neighbor likes to look at the leaves in his yard.

I spent the rest of the day enjoying football on TV. There were several good games to watch. Next week Mississippi State plays Alabama in Alabama. At the present time Alabama is ranked number one in the nation. I will get to watch the game on TV. I do not think that we can beat them, but we beat them last year.

I drove by Jessie Wynne Park this morning. The work is progressing quite well. I have had a number of questions about what is going on in the park. When I explain, they seem to all agree that some changes needed to be made. I will be glad when the work is complete and we can enjoy the park again.

This morning I wrote an ordinance for the city council meeting next week. The ordinance requires buildings floor level to be six inches higher than the curb or street. This will aid in the drainage around buildings. If citizens do not want to follow these specs there is a provision for them to develop a drainage plan and submit it to the city engineer for approval. I hope the city council approves this ordinance. I think that this will aid drainage for the city.

Friday, November 7, 2008

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2008
1:38 PM

Yesterday I answered the phone and a man told me that he was planning to move to Wynne. He had accepted a job in Forrest City, but wanted to live in Wynne. He asked me if I could give him the name and phone number of some businesses that had rental property. I gave him the name and number of three companies that offer residential property for rent. He thanked me for my time and trouble.

This morning a man stopped by to see me. He told me that he had talked with me yesterday about property rental companies in Wynne. He was in Wynne and had made contact with the companies. He was successful in his search. He had rented a home. He said that he wanted to meet me and personally thank me for my help. I thanked him and asked where he was moving from to Wynne. He said that he now lived in Little Rock. He told me that he did not think that the mayor of Little Rock would be so helpful.

Sometimes a mayor gets personal thanks for helping citizens.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2008
8:45AM

I met with the city council budget committee yesterday and went over the budget for 2009. They were pleased and voted to recommend the budget to the full council. There are only two major changes in this years budget. The budget contains a 3% raise for the employees and we had to increase the amount for fuel in all of the budgets. The rest of the budget remains very much like the budget for 2008.

I plan to go in a few minutes to get my annual flu shot. This year the county health department is giving the shots free. I have gone to the health department for years to get my flu shot and had to pay a small fee, but this year they are free. They plan to start at 9:00 AM and go until 4:00 PM or until they run out.

The leaves have turned and in my yard they are falling. I started raking them yesterday afternoon, but I did not get very much completed. I plan to work on the leaves tomorrow.

We have a burial today at the cemetery and we also have one scheduled for Sunday at 10:00AM. This is the first time that I have been involved with a burial on Sunday morning. We have had a few on Sunday afternoon, but this is my first for Sunday morning.

The work continues on Jessie Wynne Park. The contractor has completed quite a bit of the work. I look forward to the completion of this project.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2008
2:25PM

Yesterday was election day in the United States as well as in Cross County. I went to the courthouse last night to observe and get the results of the election in Cross County. Bill Lee and Kenneth Witcher will be in a runoff for the county judge position on November 25. My JP member, Bobby Hess, was defeated by Mike Curtner. J. R. Smith won the race for sheriff. The turnout was over 7200 out of about 11,000 registered voters. Over 3900 citizens voted early.

Kirk Owens wanted to know the results of the election. As soon as the votes were announced I called Pat and she sent Kirk and email with the results. When I got to work this morning he had already sent a thank you email.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2008
2:49 PM

I have been busy today. I have done quite a bit of work for the cemetery. We have a burial at 10:00 AM Sunday morning. When I called the grave digger he repeated the day and time, I said yes. This is the first time I have had a service on Sunday morning.

I also sold a burial plot to a lady. I went to the visitation for Mrs. Boger this morning and Kaye told me that we would have another one later this week. We sold a burial plot last week and the man told me that his wife was near death.

Carol and I met with the auditor this morning. Carol does not keep records of vacation and sick time like the other departments. The auditor needed an explanation of the way she keeps the time. I think that she will have to change the way she is recording her time.

Yesterday a man stopped by and ask if I could show him the grave of one of his relatives. I told him that I could. I looked up the records and found the plots. Lynn was here and he told me that he would go to the cemetery and show the man the graves. He called me about 30 minutes later and said that he could not find the graves. I went to the cemetery and I could not find the graves either. I told the man to give me a phone number and I would find the grave and give him a call. I came back to city hall and located the burial plots. I made a map and went to the cemetery. I found the lots, but there were no markers. I called the man ( he lives in Marked Tree) and told him of my findings. He thanked me for my trouble.

I voted this morning about 9:00. There were several people voting, but I did not have to wait but about 5 minutes to gain access to the machine. Cross County had a large number (over 3,000 out of about 11,000) of voters vote early. I like the early voting. That makes it easier for some people to have an opportunity to vote.

I attended the quarterly meeting of the FCI Community Relation Board this morning. It was good to see my friends I have made while serving on this board. It is always good to here the reports of the management at the prison, and we get a free lunch.

Monday, November 3, 2008

MONDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2008
7:57 AM

The time has changed and my body has not adjusted to it yet. I woke up about four this morning. As usual I could not go back to sleep, so I got up and did my normal morning routine, it was just longer this morning. I will adjust to the time change, I just hope I do it soon.

I went to Mississippi State football game on Saturday. State lost to Kentucky 13-14. It was an interesting game and it was not over until one minute left in the game. The weather was very good and I enjoyed the kickoff time. It was 1:30 pm. I left Wynne about 7:30 am and I arrived back about 9:30 pm. That is easier that a night game, but it is still hard on an old man. I ate supper in New Albany at a truck stop. I also filled up with gas. The price was $2.03 per gallon. That was the cheapest gas I saw on my trip.

Pat and I went to Jonesboro on Friday night. We did that to avoid the Halloween crowd. We had a good trip. We ate and then bought Oscar some dog food and then went to the mall. Pat spent an hour in the bookstore. On our way home I stopped and filled up with gas. The price was 2.06 a gallon. That was the cheapest I saw anywhere on our trip.