| Troy has collected $37,150 in fire subscriptions so far | | Posted: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 9:12 pm
| By DONNA RYDER
Associate Editor
The collection rate on rural fire subscriptions in Troy is coming along.
Mayor Jimmie Hart informed the board of aldermen Monday night the town had collected $37,150 and had 491 signed contracts for rural fire service. About 780 contracts were mailed.
On contract numbers alone, that’s about 63 percent, but seven of the contracts are “blanket” contracts and cover more than one parcel of property per single owner in the town’s rural fire district. When considering the total number of parcels, it could push that percentage to as much as 70 percent, which is what Obion County said it was collecting when the county was running the subscription program.
Hart said the town is still “getting a few along.” He said there may be some people who do not have the money right now and there are others who simply will never pay the subscription fee.
The new subscription year will begin July 1, 2013.
In other business, the board:
• Granted Lee Cleek permission to use Troy Community Center on Dec. 22 for the Troy Police Department Needy Children’s Christmas party and Dec. 21 for set up of the party. The board also gave her $1,000 to help with the expense of toys and food. She said she generally has between 70 and 80 children who are granted Christmas each year through the program.
• Approved the renewal of two CDs. The mayor said the interest rate is .65 percent.
• Paid the bills, including city and county property taxes on property the city owns and leases out.
• Decided to purchase Thanksgiving turkeys for city employees and elected officials.
• Received copies of the financial statements.
• Noted the Troy Christmas Parade will be held on Dec. 8. City Hall staff will take on the responsibility of providing snacks after the parade and have asked that aldermen and their spouses provided two or three dozen cookies each.
• Read thank-you cards from Gene Gurien’s family. Gurien was serving as an alderman of Troy when he died recently. Alderman Deanna Chappell said he was a valuable asset, that she appreciated his service and that he will be greatly missed. The mayor and other aldermen agreed, with Hart stating the town needs to have a plaque made honoring his service.
• Learned the town did not receive a Community Development Block Grant it applied for to pay for a project in the water department. A letter from the state said the town should revise the application and try again next year. Hart said towns rarely receive such grants on the first application.
• Heard a culvert at Moffatt and Mary Kay streets has been replaced. Hart said the whole bottom of the one which was there was rusted out. He also said it was a tricky job because they had to work around water and gas lines.
• Discussed pot holes, including one in the industrial park.
• Heard from Fire Chief Mark Watson that the fire department’s application for narrow banding is at the FCC and should be received within a couple of days. He said when they were revising the fire department’s license, they learned the police department’s license also needed to be revised. That has also been done.
Watson told the board the fire department can begin changing over its radios to the narrow band. There will still need to be a couple of radios which will need to be replaced. One of those radios is for the water tank generator.
• Learned Watson would like to have a meal for the firefighters.
• Voted to keep the salaries the same for elected officials for the next two years. The board traditionally has set the salaries the meeting prior to a city election. Published in The Messenger 11.6.12 | | | | |
