This was a low new week. The regular scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen was held. There were several new ordinances that are being considered by this board, including but not limited to establishing fines for those who wear their pants too low (exposing their underwear), an ordinance on the number of dogs a person can own within the city limits and a noise ordinance and fine system for excessive and/or unnecessary noise. I'm not certain how the latter would be determined. Would it be limited to music from passing cars or will it also include conversations because when some of these indivuduals travel on foot, they can generate a lot of noise and at times, I consider it both excessive and unnecessary. There will be a public hearing on this matter and I will keep you posted on when it will take place. It seems that this board is eager to have these ordinances established before the end of this term. Seems like someone has made some end of term promises but it's up to the citizens to voice either their approval or disapproval of the proposed ordinances.
The board finally voted to terminante the employment of Susan Guidry. After working for the City of Lumberton for eight years, she did not have enough training to run the office for eight hours. City Clerk, Merlene Walls is conducting interviews to fill the post. She said she will interview all applicants and will follow up with a letter letting the applicant know of the decision that was made. I had the opportunity to see our new city clerk in action this week and I must say she's rather impressive. She was handling a difficult customer/situation and she remained professional and calm throughout the whole ordeal. As a matter of fact, at the end of the exchange, the customer was smiling and thanked the new city clerk for assisting her in getting the matter resolved. I remember there was a time when one couldn't say anything to the clerk without the threat of getting arrested. In addition to turning the seemingly insurmoutable chaos of the clerk's office into a mole hill, Merlene Walls also extended the clerk's office hours to allow people enough time to register to vote in the upcoming election. I was told the candidates had been certified, but I promised Mrs. Kathleen Bogle that I would not publish the names, I would allow her to be the first to release the names in her article.
In case you haven't heard, water bill payments will not longer be accepted after 3:00 p.m. This is to allow the city clerk time to get the money deposited. Citizens can pay using money orders and/or checks after hours by using the drop box. Any payments left in the drop box will not get posted until the next business day. Also, an employee from the Public Works department is taking over the duties of reading water meters and bills. He is on a 90 day trial period but they are looking to make this a permanent position. This move will also bring accountability to the water department because one person will be responsible for collecting and enter the billing information.
Also this week, the Lumberton Fire Chief came under fire by members of the Board of Aldermen. There was quite a few inbox inquiries about the LVFD budget. There are those that wanted to know why was the City of Lumberton paying their expenses and paying them a $1,000/per month. There are those that said they were told the fire department did not receive any money for their services and wanted to know what the money was used for. I don't have the answer to those questions, but you may direct any questions to the Jerry Walter, LVFD Fire Cheif. That's a wrap up of this week. Be safe and enjoy your weekend.
This was a low new week. The regular scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen was held. There were several new ordinances that are being considered by this board, including but not limited to establishing fines for those who wear their pants too low (exposing their underwear), an ordinance on the number of dogs a person can own within the city limits and a noise ordinance and fine system for excessive and/or unnecessary noise. I'm not certain how the latter would be determined. Would it be limited to music from passing cars or will it also include conversations because when some of these indivuduals travel on foot, they can generate a lot of noise and at times, I consider it both excessive and unnecessary. There will be a public hearing on this matter and I will keep you posted on when it will take place. It seems that this board is eager to have these ordinances established before the end of this term. Seems like someone has made some end of term promises but it's up to the citizens to voice either their approval or disapproval of the proposed ordinances.
The board finally voted to terminante the employment of Susan Guidry. After working for the City of Lumberton for eight years, she did not have enough training to run the office for eight hours. City Clerk, Merlene Walls is conducting interviews to fill the post. She said she will interview all applicants and will follow up with a letter letting the applicant know of the decision that was made. I had the opportunity to see our new city clerk in action this week and I must say she's rather impressive. She was handling a difficult customer/situation and she remained professional and calm throughout the whole ordeal. As a matter of fact, at the end of the exchange, the customer was smiling and thanked the new city clerk for assisting her in getting the matter resolved. I remember there was a time when one couldn't say anything to the clerk without the threat of getting arrested. In addition to turning the seemingly insurmoutable chaos of the clerk's office into a mole hill, Merlene Walls also extended the clerk's office hours to allow people enough time to register to vote in the upcoming election. I was told the candidates had been certified, but I promised Mrs. Kathleen Bogle that I would not publish the names, I would allow her to be the first to release the names in her article.
In case you haven't heard, water bill payments will not longer be accepted after 3:00 p.m. This is to allow the city clerk time to get the money deposited. Citizens can pay using money orders and/or checks after hours by using the drop box. Any payments left in the drop box will not get posted until the next business day. Also, an employee from the Public Works department is taking over the duties of reading water meters and bills. He is on a 90 day trial period but they are looking to make this a permanent position. This move will also bring accountability to the water department because one person will be responsible for collecting and enter the billing information.
Also this week, the Lumberton Fire Chief came under fire by members of the Board of Aldermen. There was quite a few inbox inquiries about the LVFD budget. There are those that wanted to know why was the City of Lumberton paying their expenses and paying them a $1,000/per month. There are those that said they were told the fire department did not receive any money for their services and wanted to know what the money was used for. I don't have the answer to those questions, but you may direct any questions to the Jerry Walter, LVFD Fire Cheif. That's a wrap up of this week. Be safe and enjoy your weekend.
Mr. Informer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the week in review. From what i have seen and heard, the new city clerk is doing a wonderful job. Things are finally starting to get straightened out and running in an orderly fashion. I would also like to thank you for the way you handled your remarks about the LVFD. I am always available to answer any questions that the citizens may have. They can reach me at lumbertonfiredepartment@yahoo.com or by calling the Fire Station at 601-796-8901. Maybe i will be able to answer all questions in a satisfactory way. If need be you or anybody else can stop by the Fire Station any time and i will be more than happy to sit down with you and discuss any questions you may have. May the Lord continue to cause his face to smile upon you and may you continue to always be within his favor.