PINEVILLE -- The Pineville Board of Aldermen, at its meeting Tuesday, voted to give Pineville water customers a $10 rebate on their water bill so they can run a steady stream of water to keep their pipes from freezing during the extremely cold temperatures starting tonight and going through this weekend.
Mayor Gregg Sweeten said on Thursday night, that on Friday and Saturday, there would be life-threatening wind chills, and public works superintendent Chris Tinsley told him the city should have people run their faucets on more than a drip so their pipes do not freeze. The board voted to give a $10 rebate on customers' January water bills so they could run their faucets without fear of the cost.
Tinsley said, "If it does what they say, things will freeze that have never frozen before. A drip isn't enough ... it needs to hit a steady stream."
He said residents should run their faucets Thursday night, Friday and Saturday, turning them off Sunday morning.
Also on Tuesday, the board voted to hold an election on the question of appointing a police chief.
Sweeten said the issue of appointing a police chief rather than electing a marshal has been on the ballot a couple of times, and the last time it was turned down narrowly. He said a candidate has to be a certified peace officer to be elected marshal.
Alderman Connor Underwood said a candidate for marshal has to live within the city limits, which narrows the pool of candidates.
Alderman Scott Dennis said there are only two cities with marshals in the state -- Pineville and Noel.
The board accepted a bid from CARDS Holding for sanitation for the city. Sweeten said the board reviewed the bids from a few companies and then sent out a survey "because we didn't want the decision to be taken lightly."
He said CARDS was the lowest bid and, based on the survey, he believed that was the best option.
Sweeten told the board that property and vehicle insurance expenses had increased significantly. The old plan was $32,857, and the new plan was $44,268 if the city raised its deductibles to $10,000 and $47,797 if it did not raise the deductibles. He said there are companies willing to quote prices, but the city needs the insurance in the meantime. He said he and Clerk Melissa Ziemianin suggested keeping the current plan for the first quarter and giving the other companies time to bid.
The board approved this plan.
Awards were presented for the annual Christmas light contest. Angela Cawood received first place, and Autumn Hottinger received second place. Bumper to Bumper Auto received the traveling trophy for the winning business.
In other business, the board:
- Approved moving at least $600,000 into a six-month CD at 3.25 percent interest.
- Approved bills in the amount of $119,212. This amount also included a new vehicle from earlier in the year, a payment on the Big Sugar water line and an insurance payment.