| Dresden addresses Civic Center guidelines |
By: Sara Reid, Special to The Press
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Posted: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:02 pm
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In a special-called meeting Thursday night, the City of Dresden Board of Mayor and Aldermen addressed some house-cleaning issues.
Mayor Danny Forrester brought the board up to date on a topic regarding the Civic Center and its exercise equipment.
A meeting was held recently with Susan Hill, Gail Rogers, Melanie Bynum, Forrester, County Mayor Houston Patrick, Beverly Oliver and Shawn Francisco in attendance to discuss guidelines.
“There was some information not given to us,” Forrester explained.
“The city doesn’t own the exercise equipment. It was purchased through a grant with the Department of Aging. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. the center is open for 60 years of age and older. There’s a sign-in sheet. From 4-7 p.m., 18 and older can use it. An employee, Butch Stricklin, is there and makes sure everything goes okay.”
The contract specifies five rooms for exercise equipment use and the rooms are locked when the building is rented.
The board voted to approve the guidelines drawn up from the Civic Center meeting.
In a previous board meeting, Forrester briefly mentioned the idea of setting up financial analysis committees to review the overall financial scope of the city.
Alderman Dick Tidwell will head the benefits and retirement committee. Alderman Gwin Anderson will head the salaries and insurance committee, Alderman Donnie Essary will head the water and sewer committee. Alderman Jake Bynum will head the general fund committee. Alderman Joyce Hurt will head the drug fund committee and will float to other committees and Alderman Mike Parrish will float to the different committees.
Each committee will “go its own direction” and report the findings to Forrester, Melanie Bynum and Jennifer Branscum for future presentations.
Aside from the agenda, Forrester reported several concerns being lodged with how baseball and softball league money is being spent.
He suggested the idea of having league directors present financial information to the board and was met with mixed reactions.
“Any parent who puts a child in a league needs to know where the money goes and how it is spent,” he explained.
Alderman Bynum disagreed, comparing the leagues to “private businesses.”
“We have some obligation to see that these leagues are appropriating their money in the appropriate ways,” Anderson noted.
“A motion can be made for the information to be turned over and they can elect to say no,” Forrester added.
“I don’t think we ought to get into their books to see how they’re spending their money. I don’t think we ought to police them,” Tidwell commented.
Anderson made a motion to get the accounting from the leagues, but it died from lack of a second.
With no budget amendments to discuss for the 2008-2009 budget, the meeting concluded.
WCP 6.30.09 |
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