Last meeting for mayor, council members
Published 11:00 pm Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Troy City Council met with a heavy agenda Tuesday night. It was also the last night Mayor Jimmy Lunsford and longtime Councilman Charles Meeks would be acting officials at a city council meeting.
Lunsford joked as he pointed to three front row seats in the council chambers.
“You see those three chairs right there. Me and Mr. Meeks and Ms. Moultry will be right there. We may not be called on for reports, but we’ll be there,” Lunsford said.
Outgoing councilwoman Wanda Moultry was not present at the meeting due to a prior commitment.
At the meeting, city council members voted to approve $12,000 for use by the Nutrition Center for artworks and furnishings; to approve $38,426 for use by the Public Works Department for desks, chairs and other office items at the department’s new facility; to approve the sale of abandoned and confiscated firearms by the police to a Montgomery company to be used as credit for future equipment purchases by the department; to enter into a permanent lease with a family for property adjacent to the Troy Municipal Airport; To authorize the use of grant money for the airport and amend a contract with Goodwyn Mills and Cawood as the city’s airport engineers; to rebid for a new Tourism Department vehicle; to declare city property surplus and donate it to the Economic Development Corporation; to amend tax abatements for KW Container; to rename Railroad Avenue to Charles W. Meeks Avenue; to order abatement and assess the cost of weed maintenance to owners of two properties; to annex 3.48 acres owned by Troy Bank & Trust into the city limits; and to allow a 3 mil increase to utilities as part of a five-year deal with energy suppliers.
Lunsford explained the mil increase numerically using figures for the average monthly power use in Troy. In terms of 1,087 kilowatt hours of electricity, a bill for 2012 would be $115.43. As of 2013, the bill will be $117.76. In comparison to rates from Alabama Power Company for 2012, the same amount of electricity would cost $128.63.
“We are having a minor adjustment, but that adjustment will be in place for a good long while,” Lunsford said.
During closing remarks, the city’s longest serving elected official, Charles Meeks, once again said how proud he was to have served Troy.
“I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I’ve had over the years to serve,” Meeks said. “I am just so happy to see our city continue to grow.”