By JIM MANSFIELD

Special to the Press

SHARON – Sharon Police Chief Jerry Wilson told Mayor Monroe Ary and the Sharon Board of Alderman on Monday night that city police shifts had been changed since the recent break-in at Little General.

“We’ve also received grant money to pay for a new camera to be used by law enforcement,” Wilson said.

Bill Bostwick, director of Sharon parks and recreation, told the board that new lights were installed at Sharon’s baseball field and that the city had received $700 back on the original estimate for the work and new lights.

“We’re ready to start our youth basketball program this week,” Bostwick said.

A motion was made and passed 5-0 to split the $75 center rental fee equally between the center and city hall and allot a $10 fee for inspection.

Public Works Director Greg Evans said that one of Sharon’s regular water customers had helped themselves to extra water from a city hydrant but that there was no way to know exactly how much water was taken.

“Our city dump truck has a broken axle and the truck is so old it’s hard to find parts,” Evans said.

Fire Chief Gary Eddings reported that the fire department had performed E-VAC drills since the last board meeting and that the department had received a grant for Energizer batteries. Eddings said the department had an average response time of seven and a half minutes.

“During 2012 we had 64 calls, 24 for the city and 36 outside the city limits,” Eddings said.

Ary said he was concerned about school safety and that he would like to have a police officer present during the afternoons at the school.

Alderman Jimmy Harris told the board he wanted to support Sharon businesses by purchasing what the city needed locally.

Ary said a new set of tires had recently been purchased in Martin but that the same tires would have cost $140 more in Sharon.

Alderwoman Wanda Hamlin said she agreed with Harris.

“We don’t have a lot of business in Sharon, but we need to support the ones that we do have,” she said.

Hamlin told the board that because she was new there were a lot of things she didn’t know about the jobs of city employees.

“I’d like to meet with our employees and learn about their jobs and responsibilities,” Hamlin said.

Ary said fact-finding meetings were permissible but that no decisions could be made at such meetings due to Tennessee’s Sunshine laws.

City Recorder Donna Stricklin told the board that 40 percent of city taxes had been collected and that last year’s audit was complete.

“I have the completed audit and if anyone has any questions an auditor will meet with the board,” Strickland said.

Two Sharon residents voiced praise to the board and city employees for what they called a job well done on 2012 Christmas decorations. Published in The WCP 1.17.13