The Brundidge City Council worked from a three-item agenda Tuesday afternoon but veered from the agenda to discuss several other issues of interest to the council and to entertain comments from several city residents.

The first item of business on the agenda was the signing of a proclamation by Mayor Jimmy Ramage declaring the week of May 16 through 21 Police Week in Brundidge.

Police Chief Moses Davenport presented K-9 Officer Howard Dickey Jr. to the Council. Dickey and the department’s German Shepherd drug dog demonstrated the dog’s ability to sniff out drugs that had been place in the council area by Davenport.

The Council then watched a video of the testing for certification of both Dickey and the drug dog.

Had the dog not found all of the drugs placed for testing the duo would not have been certified.

“We’re right proud of our K-9 officer and our drug dog,” Davenport said. “This is Officer Dickey’s first time handling a drug dog and he’s done a great job. Dickey is young and energetic and we are confident of what he and the dog can do as far as locating drugs. The K-9 division is very beneficial to our department.”

Brundidge City Manager Britt Thomas reported to the Council that the city discharges it treated wastewater into Walnut Creek at a rate of about 310,000 gallons every 24 hours.

“The city is permitted at 600,000 gallons per day so we are about half way to our limit,” Thomas said. “That information was provided in the annual report that must be submitted to ADEM along with the repairs that had to be made to the system.”

Thomas also gave a financial report for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2010 through March 31 and concluded that the city is on track with its annual budget.

In business not on the agenda, the Council discussed moving the city’s polling place from the old Haisten building to Brundidge Station, which is more conveniently located and has adequate parking.

Thomas also displayed a map with the proposed changes in the city district lines. According to the latest census, the city’s population dropped from 2341 in 2000 to 2076 in 2010. Changes in three districts will be necessary due to changes in the census and only about 75 people, not voters, will be affected.

The Council also discussed the purchase of a building within the city that is to be sold for the property taxes.

Thomas said the building could be used for a facility to provide medical services or for a number of county satellite offices.

The Council voted to give the mayor and city manager the authority to bid on the building and to use their discretion in the bidding.

The Council also discussed possibilities for a city park to remediate the one the city took out. The Council has discussed parks for community gardens and train watching and with walking trails.

Thomas said after looking over the site to be used for the community gardens, he was not sure that it would be a good use. Councilman Lawrence Bowden said he was opposed to the use.

Thomas said there was not enough land value for a train-watching park.

The council is, therefore, looking seriously at walking trails within the city’s baseball park off South Main Street.

Sidewalks on S.A. Graham Blvd. and Galloway Road were discussed and Thomas was given the go-ahead to get preliminary estimates of the cost of the proposed sidewalk projects.

Margaret Ross and Dot Laney addressed the Council as to whether the bid for the furnishings for the addition to the city library had been awarded to an out of town business rather than to a local business that was the low bidder by $24,000.

Thomas explained that the city is bound by the state competitive bid law to accept a bid that meets the specifications set forth in the bid.

The local bidder Lynn’s Interiors did not meet or exceed all of the specifications for the furnishings, Thomas said.

“Also, the city received a $126,000 USDA grant which required that the city abide by all bid laws,” Thomas said.

Only two bids were submitted for the furnishings and fixtures for the addition to the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library. The bid from Business Interiors of Dothan was around $67,000 while Lynn Bundy of Lynn’s Interiors of Brundidge bid around $43,000.

Ramage said the Lynn’s Interiors will get business “from us.”