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The Magee Board of Aldermen met on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, for a regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting opened with prayer by Jim Ball and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Dale Berry introduced the city’s Interim Police Chief Bryan Green and reminded department heads that all budget requests must be received by July 30.
He told the board that AMR had begun and had a 60-day completion time and that work has begun on water well number one.
The minutes were amended to reflect a change concerning surplus property and then approved as amended.
The claims docket was approved.
Johnny Runnels appeared before the board, accusing Zoning Administrator Penny Aguirre of “bullying” and “abuse of power” after she visited his property on May 24. According to Runnels, Aguirre walked around his property, investigating handmade pens he has for his cats. He said the cats only stay in the pens at night for their own safety. He also claimed he received a second notice only a few days after Aguirred delivered the letter to his home.
“That’s criminal trespassing,” he said. “There’s a right way and a wrong way.”
He urged the board to “put a leash on the way things are handled.”
“If it happens one more time, there will be charges filed,” said Runnels.
Alderman Sammy Tebo said, “She was just doing her job for the safety of the animals.”
Later in the meeting, Aguirre explained to the board that she mailed a second letter, which was not a second notice, because she had been unable to speak to Runnels personally and that she had walked around the house because she heard animals in distress.
“This was broad daylight,” Aguirre said. “I didn’t see any food or water.”
“I understand that he’s upset, but his neighbors are also upset,” she continued, stating “Pictures do not lie.”
Tebo told her, “I personally thank you for the job you do for the city of Magee.”
Public Works Superintendent Tim Bray presented the board with two quotes to repair and replace the manhole and junction box at 5th Avenue and Choctaw, which is washed out. He reminded the board that Magee schools start this month, and the manhole in question is at the main intersection near the school. The street is also on the list to be paved, he said.
The quotes for the project came in at $65,000 and $59,000.
Brett Duncan of Prince CPA asked if it is possible the repairs could turn into a more expensive project and asked, “Do we need to have Forrest look at it? They may get in there, and this thing may double.”
Duncan also told the board there are funds available for the repair work.
“We have some earmarked money that’s gonna pay for one-fifth of it,” he said, “and the proper spending over the last few months will pay for the rest of it.”
The board asked how long the project would take, and Bray said, “It’s gonna take two weeks to have the junction box built.”
Considering the timeline, the board decided to ask City Engineer Forrest Dungan to look at the project before moving forward.
Alderwoman Lawana Thompson expressed her gratitude for the work at the steps to the Community House and Civic Center.
“That’s gonna keep somebody from getting hurt,” she said.
Aguirre informed the board that the Main Street Association will be doing a walk-through of the downtown area on July 25.
“We need to spruce up a little bit,” she said.
Tim Bray said, “I’ll assign a couple of guys to it.”
The board approved giving the residents of 926 4th Street until the August 6 board meeting to complete the cleanup of the property.
The board voted to move forward with cleaning up the property located at 807 5th Street.
Mahmood Abedikichi appeared before the board and was given until the next meeting to complete the work on his property as well.
Building Inspector Kara Lucas informed the board that a local restaurant that has received a stop work notice has now installed a playground on the site near two manholes and at the back of a parking lot.
“At a minimum, there should be a fence around it,” she said.
City Attorney Wesla Sullivan advised Lucas to make a detailed list of violations and send a letter to the business owner.
Jimmy Zila presented the board with two quotes for painting the Michael Dunn Building at the city Sportsplex, including bleachers and dugouts.
The board considered the quotes and determined they were not comparable and advised Zila to get comparable quotes.
Mike Berry informed the board that from June 11 to July 11, the airport sold more than 600 gallons of fuel, but he said the motor went out.
“We’re at a standstill til we get our gas going,” he said.
The board approved the application for an FAA grant for fencing. The gran would be 90% federal, 5% state, and 5% local, which would be approximately $3000.
Sullivan reminded the city’s advisory committees that they have no authority over expenditures and urged them to keep minutes at their meetings.
The board voted to adopt a resolution for the extension of liquor sales. Liquor sales will be allowed in the city seven days a week, including Sundays, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. This resolution applies to restaurants, retail permits, and licensed caterers.
The board discussed rental use agreements for the city’s facilities.
“Y’all need to tell me what you want,” Sullivan told the board.
Questions arose about the usage of the PriorityOne Senior Center and the process for using it.
“PriorityOne doesn’t own the building,” said Thompson. “The taxpayers are paying for the upkeep.”
“We can’t obligate a public property for a private entity,” said Alderman Patrick Brown.
Concerning the Community House, Thompson asked, “Do we really want to rent out a potential historical landmark?”
“I think it needs to be a very limited use,” said Tebo.
About McNair Springs, Berry said, “We can’t keep water and we can’t keep plumbing there because of vandalism.”
“We’ve done redone those bathrooms three times,” Bray said. “They get destroyed every time.”
The board decided to discuss the rental use agreements further at their next workshop.
The board approved the minimum qualifications for the position of police chief and voted to advertise the position with an application deadline of August 15.
Sullivan advised the board to begin zoning hearings at five or 5:30 on general meeting days so that those meetings begin on time.
Dunan presented the board with information concerning the city’s sales tax so far this year.
“Your sales tax is up significantly for the year,” he said.
To explain some of the differences from prior years, he said, “We didn’t sell more hamburgers. We sold a $3 hamburger, not a $1.50 hamburger.”
Duncan also gave the board tentative dates for budget workshops, as well as dates for the budget publication, hearing, and adoption.
The budget will be published on August 20. A hearing will be held on September 5, and the budget will be adopted on September 12.
The board entered an executive session to discuss personnel matters.
