Walker County Commissioner candidate Shannon Whitfield on Thursday night advised the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Council on how he would address the county’s present dilemma of $84,000,000 of debt that he calculated that current commissioner Bebe Heiskell has incurred.
He highlighted certain roads and bridges within the county that are past repair and unable to allow school buses to traverse. He also spoke of current issues with Mountain Cove Farms, Ms.
Heiskell’s project, that he said lost $670,000 last year, and the county landfill, that he said lost over $500,000 in the last year.
Mr. Whitfield also said he will work to fund important services like libraries. He also will require that the county produce quarterly financial statements rather than yearly and change the commission meeting to a time when more county residents are able to attend.
Councilwoman Caroline Williams reported that Friday is the last day at Fairyland School, which has a graduating class of 37. The first day of school for the 2016-2017 year will be Aug. 3. She also said that Ellen Lifsy is retiring after 27 years at Fairyland School.
Councilwoman Taylor Watson said there will be a letter going out to all residents in the coming weeks to remove vines and invasive plants. She said the new park across from the Methodist Church now has grass and a water source. She said she and Mayor David Bennett have taken care of some of the lawn maintenance themselves.
Chief Todd Gann reported that city police officers will be changing uniforms and are presently using the new body cameras. He also reported that there was one burglary in the last month during the daytime. He reminded residents to be vigilant in watching for suspicious people and activity and report anything to local police.
Mayor Bennett reported that paving on Lula Lake Road begins in late June. Street striping will also begin this summer. The council and sewer board are working on improvements as well as ways to streamline the billing process. Mayor Bennett, along with the help of sewer chairman Jimmy Campbell, encouraged the council to look at some proposed money-saving changes. Mayor Bennett and Mr. Campbell will be meeting with representatives from Covenant College and Brow Wood to discuss the terms of use of the city’s sewer system.
The council approved on first reading the proposed budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. The council also passed ordinance 294 adopting the amended budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.