Christian Peterson: reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Thursday, May 15, the Jasper City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with the approval of the agenda for the evening. The Council then called for public comment, to which there was no response. The Council continued approving the consent items, which included the minutes from the previous meeting and the April checks.
The Council then called for City Attorney Rhett Bullard's items. He told the Council that the recently discussed land annexation was moving forward. He then requested permission to retain Bruce Robinson as outside counsel just in case there was a conflict of interest in the future. The Council approved unanimously.
The Council then moved on to the city manager's report and directors' reports. City Manager Mark Meyers told the Council that the Daniels Building had been deeded to the county, and the city would be working with the county on that venture. The city finance department then stood up to speak. The Council was told that, in total, the town had a loss of $300 for the year. On top of that, there was $6.7 million in the bank. The Council was also told that the town was now sending out requests for proposals through a government website that would allow them to reach even more businesses. The Jasper Police Department reported next, telling the Council they had received 577 calls for service, which had resulted in 55 reports and 23 arrests. The Council then responded to a concern regarding the lack of speed limit signs at Maplewood and Pine Lane. Meyers said the signs had been ordered and had not arrived yet; however, when they arrived, they would immediately be put up.
Jennifer Gisonni then stood up for public comment. She first asked the Council for permission to put up the crosses along the walkway for Memorial Day. The Council readily approved. She also told the Council she would soon have more information available on the Tidy Town program. Sarah Higgenbotham was the following public comment. She voiced her concern with the fact that the mural by Jasper Town Hall says Hamilton County, but not Jasper. She also expressed her concern about broken glass at the city park. Gisonni stood up to say that the Chamber of Commerce was fixing the broken sign and glass within the month. Finally, Higgenbotham told the Council that she was hoping someone would do something about a house on Highway 129, as she called it a "disgrace."
The Council then moved into its own comments. First, Carlton Selph said that there was a slow children's sign on 5th Avenue that had been pushed over and needed to be fixed. He also pointed out that all of the swings at the city park were broken. Vanessa Smith was next, and she invited Code Enforcement up to speak about a house on 7th Avenue and MLK Drive. The Council was told code enforcement currently has 23 cases open in the city, and the particular house Smith was referring to was at the top of the list. Bullard then stepped in to explain further how the issue was that no one technically owned the property, as the previous property owner was dead. Additionally, there was no established estate to deal with, so the town needed to locate the heirs of the property and find out what they wanted to do.
After this, the meeting was adjourned. The next Jasper City Council meeting will be held on Thursday, June 19, at 6 p.m., at Jasper City Hall, located at 208 Hatley St. W.