Southwest City's fire station is soon to have a new head on its shoulders. At the regular meeting on Tuesday, the city council voted to pay half of the total roof repair cost upfront and the remaining $6,000 upon completion. DRC Contracting will begin work replacing the leaking roof at the end of June.

Departmental Reports

Mayor David Blake reported a successful kayak race and sand castle building contest over the weekend. He thanked Shane Clark and his family for putting on the events, as well as the sponsors who helped see them through.

Public works director Shane Clark reported mowing and weed-eating high weeds on the right-of-ways, repairing a water main at Cherokee and School Streets, and he spoke about an issue at the wastewater treatment plant. Clark said there was an electrical issue on Sunday that caused the pump sequencers to surge. He ordered two replacement pieces and two backups at a cost of $410.

Mayor Blake asked Police Chief Bud Gow about additional personnel for the July 3 event. Gow assured him it has been secured.

City Clerk Missy Zinn relayed interest in city property for sale to the council. Zinn suggested setting a base price to recover some cost of demolition, then having interested parties bid at a live auction.

"If the bid's too low, we don't have to accept," said Mayor Blake. "We can have the lot appraised instead."

Zinn also spoke about the possibility of a regular Farmers Market in town.

Assistant Clerk Danielle Smith noted the city has a large farming community, a good location and plenty of business along Main Street on Saturdays.

The council asked Zinn and Smith to move forward researching necessary permits and calculating booth-space fees.

The council again discussed building permits in surrounding towns and the inevitable revision of Southwest City's permit process. Council members agreed it would be preferable to charge by the square footage of the project, rather than the construction costs.

Zinn will continue to research more into building permits.

In other business, the council:

• Voted to purchase radio ad space for the upcoming Third of July event at a cost of $120 for 20 thirty-second ads.

• Spoke about the need for increased security at Blankenship Park. Mayor Blake asked Chief Gow to look into additional security cameras.