Staff Writer

Members of the Troy City Council took care of several items of business during a brief meeting Tuesday night.

Bids for five vehicles needed by the Troy Police Department were awarded to Ken Cox Ford, which submitted the only bid.

Bids on the Crown Victoria were $21,078.98 and the Explorer will cost $25,342.50.

Police Chief Anthony Everage said he budgeted the four patrol units and one Explorer to replace "high-mileage" vehicles.

It will be about six to eight weeks until the new units are delivered. The older ones will be sold at auction around April.

Everage said if the bids had not been awarded by Jan. 25, it would have been six months before Ford could deliver the vehicles.

The council also made several board appointments.

They chose to reappoint: Jack Norton and Henry Greer, whose terms expired Nov. 23, 2001, to the Board of Adjustments; Jack Norton, Williams Wright and E.M. Motes Jr., whose terms expired July 14, 2001, to the Board of Adjustments and Appeals; Lomax McLean, Russel Liles, and Leon Hilyer, whose terms expired Dec. 7, 2001, to the Industrial Development Board. Greg Meeks was chosen to replace William Hopper, whose term expired Dec. 7, 2001, on the Industrial Development Board.

John Parker was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the Rev. Bobby Cox on the Troy City Board of Education. His term will expire April 30, 2006.

Mayor Jimmy Lunsford also updated council members on improvements at the Troy Municipal Airport are on "the fast track" and nearing completion. The fencing project is about halfway finished and the safety project is complete, Lunsford said.

The goal, he said, is to have all improvement work under contract by the end of July.

During the executive committee meeting, prior to the regular meeting at 5 p.m., the council discussed standardization of time off/holiday pay throughout all the departments and ideas for the additional land purchased for the Sportsplex.

Councilman Jason Reeves said he wants to see the city bring a halt to paying "double time" in addition to giving employees a day off for working on holidays.

"It seems fair to me," Reeves said of offering double time or an off day. "I feel strongly about that and I’m not going to vote for triple pay."

Reeves said he would agree to paying time and a half plus an off day.

Lunsford said he will have another meeting with department heads before bringing a final plan to the council for approval.

Council President John Witherington suggested beginning formal planning for what the city wants to do with the land next to the Sportsplex.

"I’m still not satisfied, in my mind, what we need out there," Witherington said.

Councilman José Henderson suggested a needs assessment and consideration of a public pool.

"We don’t have a public pool in Troy. We have a community pool, but not a public pool,"

Henderson said, referring to the one city-owned pool located off Academy Street.