ABERDEEN – A reoccurring topic of Nov. 17’s board of aldermen meeting was the city’s Urban Development Assistance Grant (UDAG) program, which began with no action taken on an application by Tony Rodgers for $35,000.
The program is intended to provide financial assistance for local business startups and expansions.
Ward 4 Alderwoman Carolyn Odom asked if there was collateral included in Rodgers’ application, which she hadn’t seen.
Mayor Maurice Howard said he had the application in his office and collateral was included.
“Mayor, that’s the problem. You always have everything, but we have no knowledge of anything,” Odom said.
Howard said board members knew the item was going to be on the agenda since the previous Thursday and no one asked to see the application.
“We have done this numerous occasions. You approve it contingent on the proof of collateral, and this is what we were expecting to do – the same thing tonight. I’m not going to force it. I’m not going to argue about it, we’re just going to move on,” Howard said.
Later in the meeting, Ward 3 Alderman Edward Haynes presented an updated UDAG request form, which is more thorough in addressing questions and explaining collateral than the form the city has used. Board members were favorable of the new format.
Howard revisited UDAG discussion during his input.
“I definitely appreciate the tightening down on the UDAG procedure but I will say we definitely have to create more structure on how we issue these out,” he said.
He said one applicant submitted her request early on for $10,000 for film equipment, but the application hasn’t been addressed by the board.
“I’m just thinking back to past history when we’ve given $25,000, $45,000, $50,000 and what they put up for collateral was, take beauty equipment like dryers; I’m sorry, but they aren’t worth anything after they’ve been used. We have to pay attention. This is not just free money,” Odom said.
“Actually it is. I’m just being honest. We didn’t have to pay any of the money back. It was a grant,” Howard said.
Odom said she doesn’t want the word on the street to be that the city is giving away free money.
It was noted during the meeting that interviews will begin this week for the Aberdeen Electric Department general manager position.
An agenda item last week was a budgeted $29,465 vehicle purchase for the water department and a $4,500 annual lease-purchase for a mayor’s vehicle. Howard noted an annual $5,000 is budgeted towards his vehicle.
Odom and Ward 5 Alderman John Allen asked for the two items to be separated, which Howard refused at first. After discussion across the table with Ward 2 Alderwoman Lady B. Garth, he split them into two motions.
Ward 1 Alderman Nicholas made a motion for the mayor’s vehicle, but it died due to a lack of a second. The water department vehicle was approved 5-0.
“You have a problem every week approving my mileage but yet you don’t want to purchase a city vehicle that’s in the budget. What do we do about that?,” Howard asked, but he didn’t get an answer from the board.
In other business, the board approved to advertise for bids on two city-owned parcels in Ward 3. Haynes said a resident alongside Glenn Circle has been maintaining the parcels, and she asked about the proper procedure of purchasing them.
Aldermen hired Brenda Wilson as a part-time dispatcher for the Aberdeen Police Department with Odom and Allen voting against. Both of them said they never saw the job application.
Jack Hamilton asked for the city’s assistance in repairing three monuments at the Old Aberdeen Cemetery, which was granted.
Aberdeen Visitors Bureau Director Tina Robbins updated the board on how funds received through the Tourism Recovery Fund are being spent to promote the city. In addition to ads in national magazines, Aberdeen will be featured on digital billboards in Meridian; Tupelo; Corinth; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Florence, Alabama; and Jackson, Tennessee. A film production crew was also in town last week to film marketing videos for Aberdeen.
She also asked for permission to bolt information kiosks for the city’s restaurant and merchant guides, which can be updated. She was granted the okay for locations near City Hall; the intersection of Commerce and Meridian streets; and the Cooperwood building, near the intersection of Commerce and Maple streets.
Haynes said he wants the board to talk to Lisa Wise, who runs a dog rescue, again at the next board meeting following nine calls he’d received from neighbors in the area in previous days. She and her supporters appeared before the board Nov. 3 following aldermen discussion in October about complaints.
He said after walking down the street in front of her house, he didn’t feel comfortable about some of the dogs.
“If she’s going to rescue those dogs, I need to rescue those neighbors who are complaining about the noise level,” Haynes said.
Howard said the board had a conversation about the city letting Wise use its facilities. Haynes hopes the board and Wise can find a resolution on the neighbors’ complaints.
“Remember last time [animal control officer] Pedro [Clay] said we didn’t have anything in the paperwork saying you’d can’t have a certain amount of dogs on your property. We also need to make sure we stay legal in the decision we make,” Holliday said.
Also during his input, Haynes complimented department heads on working to decrease overtime hours.
Holliday passed along the message that if any elderly people throughout the town need to be checked in on during the winter months to call City Hall, the police department or him personally.
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