WASHINGTON – The Washington City Council met on 9-15. Mike Roberts, the water manager, gave the water report. There isn’t anything new to report. Mr. Roberts said everything is working. Mr. Roberts asked if the city should adopt a Low to Median Income, which makes the city eligible for certain grants from the government. Mayor Paul Henley said that they are in the process of getting that. The city would need to get a grant for that. Joshua Williams told Mr. Roberts about a broken meter, which is on Lawrence St. Mr. Roberts said he would look at it.
Jon Barry, the fire chief, gave the fire department report. Just in the last couple of weeks there have been 4 fire calls. Mr. Barry asked how much the city charged people for putting out fires when they haven’t paid their dues. Mayor Henley said $250. There was a huge forest fire a week before last week, on Thursday. Mr. Barry said it took about 5 hours to put the fire out. Mr. Barry had the battery replaced in a truck, but there is a problem with an alternator light not working that he will have to get it fixed. Mr. Barry asked Mr. Roberts how far the city water went, so as to support a fire hydrant near the edges of the city limits, as there are houses on either side — both north and south — that don’t have a hydrant near them. Mr. Barry asked the city to install a hydrant near those houses, with Joshua Williams mentioning that installing hydrants could improve the city’s ISO rating. A citizen told the city that he would like Jackson and Hannah Streets to be paved, as with the condition the roads are in right now, they are tearing up his car. Mayor Henley said the highway department is spending $350,000 to pave the streets. He said it would take all the money just to pave Jackson St. There was some heated discussion about the road being torn up, the citizen said that the road is washed out.
Mayor Henley told the council that the financial/client statements are in. There was a misfiled audit statement about an ice maker. Catherine Rowe said that the city needed to do a better job about filing what the city had. Mr. Barry said he could help with fire department inventory. Mayor Henley said the city has some money to repair the buildings around Washington. He said the well houses needed to be repaired. The meeting was then adjourned.
