Grayville leaders worked through a short agenda Monday night and with no executive session had plenty of time to get home before storms blew through. During the 25 minute meeting, commissioners signed off on parade permit resolutions for both Memorial Day and Grayville Days. Additionally, officials granted the Grayville Moose Lodge’s request for a special event liquor license at their June 20th Hog Roast. Grayville’s top brass also agreed to a first reading setting dates/times for city meetings planning to keep them on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month save for holidays (including Memorial Day). The final two agenda items surrounded utilities. Leaders requested City Attorney Jay Walden draft an amendment to the ordinance language with regards to utility shut offs. Mayor Travis Thompson says the language currently only applies to gas and should include all utilities. Furthermore, it was requested to update the utility policy which would keep utilities for renters in the landowners name ultimately. Commissioner Scott Browning had questions addressed by Mayor Thompson and Commissioner Andi Ford.
Thompson: The utilities would be in the landowners name and then they would dictate if they’re going to be able to shut off the water. Because if they don’t, then they would be responsible for it. The occupant is already paying a deposit fee to us and also should be paying a deposit fee to the apartment complex in the scenario you’re talking about. That should not be our responsibility and not get paid. When you write off…what was it?
Ford: It was $80,000 when Bobby Hatcher and I looked at it last year. We’ve got it down to $46,000. That’s outstanding bills.
The update passed with Browning the lone dissenting vote.
In the engineering update, Rex Gower from Milano and Grunloh says the bid opening date has been pushed back on the water treatment plant. He says the push from May 5th to May 18th is to allow the contractor more time to review documents. Beyond that, he says the firm is working on creating bid documents for the waste water treatment plant and that sludge sampling is also due to be completed in the near future, necessary to secure a sludge application permit.
The meeting adjourned at 7:25pm. Leaders will gather next on May 11th.