Aragon cleans up votes on finances
Surplus chipper bids being accepted through Mar. 16
Amid announcements of a new subdivision and plans for parks and garbage service, there were other items on the docket during the month of February for the Aragon City Council.
Among those items included a note the city is looking to hire a finance consultant who will work on an as-needed basis for Aragon’s administration.
Mayor Garry Baldwin presented a plan in February which council members approved to allow for the city to negotiate with the potential new finance consultants.
He said he spoke with several potential candidates to help the city with keeping the books in order, but the one he was in negotiations with to settle a rate to work only a few hours at a time.
Problems with bookkeeping software the city has previously paid for and Baldwin has said he wanted to seek extra packages for the program in past months, since former financial officer Hal Floyd resigned in November 2016.
In other financial news, the council came back to budget re-alignments approved tentatively in January for the FY 2017 fiscal year.
These changes were needed to make adjustments to several line items in order to fund changes needed based on increases in funds needed f or elections and training requirements for new council members, along with a change in salaries to cover overtime costs to the cities in several departments.
Back in January, counc i l member Hunter Spinks sought to make sure that it was clear in the realignments that the increases to salaries for department heads and others were not raises, but there to cover those overtime costs only for when employees are required t o work after hours.
The changes made by Baldwin for the budget were approved again by the council when brought back in old business during the Feb. 16 meeting.
Items also purchased for the Public Works department also needed some fixing by the council before becoming official items spent from the 2014 Special Purpose, Local Options Sales Tax.
Baldwin told council members during their meeting last month they had voted to approve the spending, but didn’t specify where the funds were coming from and thus needed another vote to fix the issue.
Council members approved the update unanimously and without any issue.
Spending for Public Works included a new Leaf Vacuum machine, welding equipment and chipper have already delivered results, according to Public Works Superintendent Daniel Johnson.
He said crews have already been out using the equipment in a variety of areas, and the chipper is working well enough that the old machine is no longer needed.
The council voted unanimously during the February session to surplus their old chipper, which i s going on sale t his month.
Bids are being accepted for the Bandit chipper, Model 200+ which features a diesel Caterpillar engine, will be accepted until 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 16.
They’ll be opened at the upcoming Aragon city council meeting at 7 p.m. later in the evening.
Council members also heard Baldwin read a letter written to the council on behalf of the Aragon Historical Society offering their note of thanks for a new heat and air unit installed at the Historical Society building in front of Pittman Park. The previous unit had been damaged by theft and council members approved spending in previous months to install a whole new system and fix duct work, replacing old window- based units in the building as well.