The city of Brundidge may have a new church coming into town, if one pastor has his way.

Mark Pickett, pastor of Tabernacle of Development International Worship Center, Inc., along with his wife, Sherry, spoke to the Brundidge City Council Tuesday to request a temporary use of Galloway Park on Sundays.

Pickett, who already has a ministry in Dothan, said the church would rent the Galloway Community Center each Sunday for three months until they are able to purchase a building.

“We have a location in mind, but we are trying to go through the process of acquiring the property,” Pickett said.

Pickett said the current members of his ministry are from Barbour and Houston County, but he is looking to make his permanent residence in the Brundidge community.

The council did not take in action on the church’s use of the park at the meeting.

In other business, City Manager Britt Thomas reported three local lending institution’s rates to the council.

In a prior meeting, the council authorized Mayor Jimmy Ramage and Thomas to begin looking for a new lending institution to finish paying off the town’s debt.

The council chose First National Bank in Brundidge to complete the four years left on the city approximately $385,000 in debt payments.

With a 5.25 percent fixed rate, Thomas said paying off loans through First National Bank would provide more security in the payments.

Right now, Thomas said the council pays loans on a variable rate of 2.96 percent, but they also have to pay an annual $7,000 for a letter of credit, as well as other trustees fees and marketing fees.

Paying at the fixed rate will ensure the amount they pay each year remains the same, and they would still complete the loan by October 2012, he said.

Thomas said the city currently pays $12,300 each month on loan payments, and with the new bank the monthly payments would be somewhere around $9,000.

The City Council also approved paying $2,500 next year to ensure there are no cut backs in meals served at the city’s senior center.

The South Central Alabama

Development Commission, which provides meals to the Brundidge senior center, is facing a 48 percent cut in funding, which would have reduced the number of meals served without additional city funding.

Also in the meeting, Thomas laid out some points for the city’s upcoming budget. The council will schedule a time to begin discussing the budget for the 2009 fiscal year in the upcoming weeks, Ramage said.

The next city council meeting will be held Oct. 7, the day of the District 5 runoff election.