Brundidge City Council members are concerned about problems at a public park.
During the council meeting on Tuesday, members discussed with Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport their concerns with the litter, language and drinking problems at Galloway Park.
Two council members said they have received many complaints about the park.
Betty Baxter said the neighbors are disturbed by the litter and the conduct of many of those who frequent the park.
Davenport told the council that Galloway Park is a public park and that it is a gathering place, especially on Sunday afternoons.
Mayor Jimmy Ramage said although the park is public, people should be respectful of the grounds and the neighbors.
“It’s a park, not a trash dump,” he said.
Davenport said there had been no major incidents at the park but Baxter said that fighting occurs before the police arrive.
The council members discussed several ways to govern the park. One was is to hire an off-duty police officer to have a presence at the park. Another suggestion was to close the park during certain hours on Sunday. No action was taken.
In other business, the council approved more than $1 million in amendments to the FY2014 budget on Tuesday.
Due to time considerations, the Council voted in last October in favor of a level funded budget. On Tuesday City Manager Britt Thomas offered the proposed budget changes to the council.
Thomas explained and underlined each proposed change to the FY2014 budget which included an expenditure of $228,000 for a new pumper truck for the Brundidge Volunteer Fire Department and a TAP grant for sidewalks on S.A. Graham Boulevard and Galloway Road and the government money to fund those projects. The amendments to the budget also included the city’s match of the $975,000 Drinking Water Project.
The council approved the changes and added an additional $15,000 for two Ford Taurus vehicles for the police department.
Thomas also reported the installation of the city’s new water meters is almost complete. He demonstrated how the software will be utilized to map water usage at individual households and industries. “If a resident questions the billing, we can pull up their household and they will be able to see when and how much water was used,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the decision is in on the city’s LED light replacement project.
“We put a meter on the LED light BB&T and one on the old sodium light at the same location,” he said. “Based on the findings, the change to LED lights will result in a savings to the city of about $10,738 a year.”

The council also appointed Councilmember Cynthia Pearson the voting delegate to the Alabama League of Municipalities business meeting in Mobile May 5. Council members Margaret Ross and Betty Baxter were appointed the first and second alternates, respectively.
The Brundidge City Council meets at 4 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public.