Although the heat index was pushing into the triple digits outside on July 9, the Madill City Council held their regular monthly meeting in the cool confines of the Fred Stanley Center, Library Room.
The group had a short agenda to review. Four of the five council members were present: Mayor Travis Williams, Vice Mayor Bobby Davis, member Terry Rushing and member Shauna Hendrix.
The group approved all items on the agenda by a unanimous four to zero vote.
Most of the discussion came during the city manager’s report provided by city manager, James Fullingim.
Fullingim said the City of Madill has begun talks about partnering with the City of Ardmore regarding the City of Madill’s Animal Shelter.
Fullingim said the city recently faced a controversy over being told they could not take animals to the Ardmore shelter. He added that the discussions are in their early stages.
“Right now it’s just a phone call,” he said. “We’ll find out tomorrow if it’s going to actually work. Kathy Germany is the one who was assisting me in it. She actually called the Ardmore Animal Shelter to make sure that we were allowed to bring animals over there cause there was some controversy over us being told no. We want to verify. I don’t wanna say how many we’re allowed to bring over because it may be limited. It would allows us to take them animals [from here] that have not been adopted out.”
At the request of Hendrix, Fullingim, will begin providing the board members with biweekly reports.
Davis asked about the city’s vacant lot mowing enforcement lot policy.
Fullingim said the city used to mow vacant lots as a courtesy to the community.
“However, now we want to make sure and do it the legal way,” he said. “I did it as a part-time city employee.”
Hendrix added that sometimes churches or groups like 4H would mow yards as a form of community service.
Fullingim said Davis has a good point about having a clearer policy when it comes to yards with high grass; particularly those lots that are vacant.
“There has been some neglect maybe because folks don’t live here,” he said.
SORD price increase
The monthly Madill Public Works Authority held its meeting following the adjournment of the city council meeting.
During that meeting, Fullingim announced that the man hole that is covered by orange barriers on the intersection of Main St. and Highway 70 is ready to reopen on July 10.
“We opened it to put a camera in to check the sewer line all the way down Lillie,” he said. “Then the old manhole wouldn’t fit back on. But it is done and ready to reopen.”
Also during the meeting Fullingim shared that he received notice from SORD that the trash collecting service will be utilizing a clause in their 2016 contract with the city to add a 2.5 percent increase on polycart [trash pickup] service.
“It is allowed in the second and fourth years of the contract,” he said. “The contract was done before I became city manager. It runs through 2021.”
Fullingim said the charge is passed along to residents and he is working with city staff such as Carol Minor, treasurer and city clerk and Cindy Burchfield, deputy city clerk, to notify residents of the effective date of the increased rate with SORD.