Centerville Mayor and Council members met for their regularly scheduled work session on Tuesday evening, November 17. Of the many topics discussed, one of the most prevalent pertained to the new organizational chart for the police department introduced by Councilman J. Michael Evans and City Accountant Carol Harrison.
According to the organizational chart, the Chief, Administrative members and City Hall will be on the top tier, followed by a patrol division and all of the subcategories. Councilman Evans justified and simplified the chart by stating, “This organizational chart basically ensures us [that] on any shift, we’re going to have leadership.” It covers the need for calling in a “higher up” by placing another in a leadership role at the given time.
“I look at this and I think it’s a good plan and I think it’s very reasonable,” commented Evans as he passed the floor to Harrison to explain the numbers she ran of what the positions would be from the organizational chart after talking with Captain Harlowe and Corporal White.
“I just estimated what the annual [cost] and what the cost for seven months would be, and the additional cost was about $19,201,” stated Harrison. “That’s really just a best guest estimate until, of course, specific personnel is identified and where they’re going.” This estimate is with no additional personnel – just keeping it at the 22 people that are currently budgeted for the whole year.
According to Harrison, there are additional funds with the current police budget due to COVID affecting the jail invoices, as well as an overtime line item.
Captain Ricky Harlowe joined the discussion and addressed the mayor and council members by adding, “It will certainly help the morale and boost the police department in the upcoming months and years. I feel that as we expand in the city, and as we receive new businesses and residents, in your work sessions between now and the fiscal budget of next year, you may want to look for funding sources for [several] positions of patrol officers. Just keep that in mind as you move forward with the budget.”
The motion was passed to approve the police department organizational chart and funding source with a unanimous vote from the board.
Also discussed at the work session was the Fire Department Memorandum of Agreement concerning the new fire station and the adjoining property. Chief Jason Jones and City Attorney Rebecca Tydings expounded the agreement that was deliberated between the city and the budding property owner. Tydings stated that they have a great relationship with the property owner and was able to draft up an agreement pertaining to an issue that arose. She described, “something like a trench and it collects trash and stuff. It’s a site for drainage.” She went on to state that as part of the fire station project, it would be cleaned out and filled with gravel to facilitate drainage and to “not be a trip hazard or ‘catch-all’ for trash.”
The agreement needed to be drafted due to the fact that half of the property is the fire station’s and the other half belongs to the adjoining property owner. Tydings ensured the mayor and council that, “the agreement serves the purpose of having their permission to be on their property, make the improvements as well as ours, and [that] we will maintain it and keep it free of debris. The agreement, once signed, which Chief Jones has already gotten them to sign, will be recorded by both pieces of property and state that no owner – whether it’s the city [or] the current owner of the budding property, will be able to alter that without written permission via [both] parties. So that means it would be maintained as drainage until we agree otherwise.”
The council approved the agreement.
Items on the agenda also passed were the approval of city employee Christmas bonuses administered on December 4, moving forward with the resolution of the Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan 2020 Update that is required every five years, approving the 2020-2021 Georgia Forestry Commission Volunteer Fire Assistance grant, replacing a priceless sewer camera for the water sewer and updating the signature card for the bank.
The meeting adjourned with Councilman Justin Wright urging citizens to practice security precautions and lock their vehicles due to the amount of break-ins that occur during the holiday, and Councilman Edward Armijo commending several VFW Posts and local restaurants that offered free meals to veterans last week to recognize them and their sacrifices.
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