Litter Control Director Seeking Community Service Help

Dave Milligan with the McDonald County Litter Control Program and Community Services, spoke to the Southwest City Council at its Feb. 24 meeting about reducing debris and litter in landfills as well as along the road sides.

"If you'll drive just out of town, you can see, clearly there is a problem," Milligan said.

He proposed that the municipal judge sentence some of those found guilty to community service of cleaning up litter. Or, he added, any other task that the city would like to see completed.

The city would email Milligan with the offender's name, the task assigned and how many hours required. Then, offenders would meet with Milligan in Pineville to arrange a time to complete the assigned hours.

The McDonald County Litter Control Program would provide vests and bags for the crew. Those doing community service would report directly to Milligan, who would sign off on hours once a task was completed. If an offender did not complete their obligations, they would be held in contempt of court with a $200 cash bond.

Milligan also brought up the idea of an Adopt-A-County-Road Program. The signs are free and promote accountability.

Departmental Reporting

Fire Chief Shane Clark reported the emergency rescue vehicle was to be picked up Feb. 25. Mayor Joe Carpenter noted that $700 of the $1,200 needed had already been donated and thanked the community greatly.

Clark, who also serves as Public Works Director, reported the water department has been fighting with the freezing temperatures, but had repaired the water leak south of the lumber yard. They are, however, still locating another. Meanwhile, the street department has been avidly clearing snow from the roads.

Old Business

Acting Police Chief Bud Gow updated the council concerning the search for a replacement time clock. He recommended the Pyramid Automatic Swipe Time Clock. This model comes equipped with it's own software, but it can simply be manually transferred into Summit Software. The council motioned to purchase the new time clock for $325.

New Business

The meeting then went into closed session to interview applicants for the Summer Ball Program Director. Ultimately, they council agreed to hire Bobbie Wolf for the position.

Alderman David Blake then spoke about a window that needs to be repaired at 103 North Main Street. He said it is ready to start splintering and needs to be addressed. Since there is no "boarding up" of windows on Main Street, it is considered a safety hazard and could be cited as an ordinance violation. The council motioned to have Gow speak with the property owners about replacing the glass.

Carpenter then suggested that the city check on all the vacated meter cans to ensure they are not leaking and to help identify water losses. It would also serves to detect any city leaks on vacant lots.

The meeting again went into closed session for the remainder of the evening.

The council began by renewing the contract of Melissa Lance, director of the Southwest City Senior Center. They then reviewed the appraisals from Owen Appraisal Service's of the properties on Chickasaw and Birkes streets and discussed how to market the properties.

City Clerk Teri Thorpe suggested a procedure for water billing disconnects. Allegedly, water bills were not being properly terminated, leading to incorrect water billings. Thorpe recommended that after 90 days of no activity, the meter be disconnected. The council approved adopting this policy.

Community on 03/05/2015