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| Martin Mayor Breaks Tie in April Board Meeting |
By: Sara Reid
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Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:29 am
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With Mayor Randy Brundige casting the deciding vote, the Martin City Board of Mayor and Aldermen passed Resolution R2009-11 to provide possible grant funding for four full-time entry level police officer positions. This includes benefits and step increases for three years with a one-year mandated retention of full staffing to include the Cops Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) hired officers to be funded by the City of Martin.
After much discussion, the vote came to a standstill with aldermen Danny Nanney, David Belote and Johnny Tuck voting against the hiring of four officers and aldermen Bill Harrison, Terry Hankins and Randy Edwards voting for it.
Police Chief David Moore explained that while it was a “quick turnaround on a grant process,” members of the department met in Jackson on March 25, were informed on the process and formulas for obtaining grants and were then encouraged to go after the grants. He further explained that figures had been calculated since the informal board meeting this past week.
“The federal share for four officers is $573,328 for the first three years and the local share for the fourth year is $203,556 that the city is obligated to pay under retention of the grant,” Moore reported. “For discussion purposes, I want to go ahead and share with you what two officers would cost. For the first three years, it would be $86,664 and with the fourth-year share, it would be $101,778.”
Moore explained that the department was working on rounding out shifts and he believed that they could go ahead with two officers -- “one to work C.I.D. and one to be on patrol” -- if necessary.
“My issue is not with the pursuit. It’s with the funding,” Belote stressed. “We’re down in property taxes at the moment. I don’t see any plan in sight to help that right now.”
“We’re spending money we don’t have,” Tuck admitted. “I go along with the hiring of the policemen, but two instead of four. We need to slow up on spending for the jail.”
Belote admitted that because of being “unsure of the anomalies” he had to question hiring four officers.
When the vote tied, Brundige looked to Moore and the Chief of Police admitted he would “stand by two” as stated prior to the vote, but Brundige broke the tie by voting in the hiring of four officers.
“The citizens of Martin deserve the protection,” he emphasized.
In other new business, the board passed two ordinances and one resolution for the annexation, zoning and adoption of services for a parcel of land on Hwy. 22.
Ordinance O2009-02 is an ordinance to annex and incorporate within the corporate boundaries of the City of Martin property measuring one foot north of the southern right of way on Hwy. 22 from current corporate limits to and including property owned by Weakley County for the benefit of the Weakley County Municipal Electric System.
Ordinance O2009-03 is an ordinance to providing zoning services for the land to receive a zoning designation of R-1 (Low Density Residential).
Resolution R2009-09 adopts a plan of services for the area including police, fire, water, sewer, refuse collection, inspection service, planning and zoning and miscellaneous.
The ordinances and resolution will be brought up again for a second reading and public hearing at 5:15 p.m. on May 11 at the city courtroom.
Resolution R2009-08 also passed. This resolution includes the participation of the City of Martin in the agreement between the cities of Athens and Hendersonville and other such municipalities a participate therein, said agreement being to cooperate in creating, establishing and contracting with the TML Risk Management Pool, a not-for-profit Tennessee corporation organized to provide a method for political subdivisions of the State of Tennessee to obtain risk management, insurance, self-insurance or any combination thereof for any and all areas of liability or insurability. The mayor is empowered and directed on behalf of the City of Martin to enter into said contract with the TML Risk Management Pool for certain services of risk management and insurance in accordance with chapter 282 of the Tennessee Public Acts of 1979, and to take such steps as may be necessary to implement and carry out the intent of the resolution.
Other resolutions that were passed included:
* Resolution R2009-10 on the spending of federal economic grants to the City of Martin.
* Resolution R2009-12 to authorize the submittal of an application to the U.S. Department of Justice for BYRNE/JAG direct grand funding.
Additionally, the board voted to purchase three new vehicles on state bids to be used for administrative and public works purposes. The board also voted to look into authorization to purchase natural gas in the future and to relocate the waterline at Century 21, 804 N. Lindell St. per recommendations from the Public Works committee.
Finally, two proclamations -- one proclaiming April 25 as Arbor Day and the other conveying appreciation to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service Institute for Public Service University of Tennessee on its 60th birthday -- were read by Brundige.
The next formal meeting of the City of Martin Board of Mayor and Aldermen will take place at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, May 11 in the city courtroom.
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