The Norris City Board met Tuesday, September 8, with Mayor Charles “Skip” Land presiding. Board members Dee Dee Bradley and Kevin Pettijohn were absent due to work obligations.
In committee updates, officials reported that ballgame practices are wrapping up. Following the season, the city plans to remove a metal fence and install a temporary replacement. Hopefully, a new auger will be used as part of the project. “We need to, after the school gets done, they want us to take that metal fence down, put the temporary fence back up. I looked for an auger to set the settings for those fence posts. And I couldn’t find one, so we should order one. It’s just an auger that goes on the cordless drill. It’s a two inch auger, so I’ll get rid of that.”
Mayor Land reported that JoJo’S Grab & Go has plans for expanding with a building addition, which will include the relocation of a water meter. The board also discussed concerns involving alley and street layouts. Additionally, plans continue for installing flags along East Main Street. The quotes currently in talks with the mayor currently estimate for costs to remain below $1,000, not including storage and mounting expenses. However Wayne McKenzie mentioned that a local funeral home has offered to store the flags.
Moving to regular business, the board also clarified that the city’s nepotism policy remains in effect. Although there had been previous discussions about removing the policy, it will remain in the city’s policy book. Three new warning sirens are being installed throughout the city, including one that will serve the grade school. Officials also reported that Phase IV of the city’s water main replacement project is complete, while Phase V is now beginning.
The board approved also plans and donations supporting the Dairy Day parade. As Mayor Land summarized, “We’ve got the day-to-day parade permit. It’s already been approved, so we’ve got it. I’ve got the insurance company from the rides. I’ve got our rider for the insurance company. We’ve been giving them $1000 donation plus we’ve been paying for the generator and the diesel fuel for the generator. So I would need either a discussion or a motion to continue what we’ve been doing with the year.” A donation request from the Red Army was also discussed and approved.
Officials also discussed the possibility of changing TIF legal providers because of slow response times from the city’s current attorney. Board members generally agreed with making a change, but no formal action was taken.
The next meeting of the Carmi City Board is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, at 7 p.m.