GOODMAN — The Goodman Board of Alderman, at its meeting Tuesday night, approved the purchase of two new Tasers for the police department.
Police Chief Adam Miller said the department has Tasers that are not in commission because they need batteries. He said the department is paying $946 per year on its current Taser contract and could get two new ones for $849 per year. He said the old ones are from 2012. He said the new ones come with rechargeable batteries and the latest technology.
Alderman Paula Brodie said she was all for the Tasers but wondered if Miller had taken another bid.
Miller said he didn't know if the company he had been working with had a competitor and also said the department has a credit with that company.
The board approved the purchase of the Tasers.
Mayor J.R. Fisher told the board that the city received a grant from the Department of Natural Resources to have engineers video the town's sewer system and give a report. The results will tell the city what the condition of the system is and where roads can be paved, he said.
"This is information we can use 10, 20, 30 years down the road," he said.
Goodman resident James Carter appeared before the board to address some concerns. He said stray dogs have become a problem on his street since September, and the city has picked them up multiple times, but they always return. He said the nuisance recently became a serious concern when a big lab growled at his wife and lunged at her and she thought it was going to bite her. He also said Goodman Telephone trucks have been speeding down First Street, and he asked that the city call and remind them not to do that.
Miller said he had talked to City Clerk Georgia Holtz about the city's animal ordinance, and it needs to be updated. He said the city now picks up dogs and holds them for two days. He said the city is working on updating that ordinance. He also said he would call Goodman Telephone and also try to catch the offenders in the act.
In other business, the board approved an ordinance declaring surplus property and approved bills in the amount of $28,068 and transfers in the amount of $28,726.