By Tina Montgomery
The Board of Aldermen for the Village of Dixie decided to table some issues that were up for discussion at their meeting on August 9. This included reinstating the Officer Reserve Program and appointing an alderman to fill the remainder of the term for this year.
Mayor Donna Hoffoss said due to some changes in the laws regarding Law Enforcement Officers, reserve officers are required to complete a 14 week basic academy training program.
“We decided to revisit the program due to the changes in the law. It’s mostly retired people who are looking to serve but not looking for a full time position,” Hoffoss said.
She stated the program is definitely needed so this will be revisited at a future date. “They [the police officers] need some backup out there on patrol,” she said.
The vacant Alderman seat will remain unfilled for the remainder of this year. Hoffoss said they had planned to appoint Nell Finlay to serve on the Board but learned in a consultation with the Secretary of State it was not possible to appoint Finlay. Anthony Crittenden is running against Finlay for the Alderman position in the November election. Hoffos said they were advised it would be unethical to appoint an electoral candidate as it would appear to be favoritism between the two candidates.
“If she [Finlay] had been an incumbent it wouldn’t have mattered. So for now we will continue with only two Aldermen as we’ve been doing,” she said.
The Board is awaiting advice from their attorney about filling the City Clerk position with a part time employee. Current City Clerk Dana James is working part time due to personal matters. Hoffoss said they are trying to find out whether they can hire another part time employee for the Clerk position.
During department reports Police Chief Edwards said they are in need of a new truck. The crew cab will replace the oldest vehicle which is a 2014 model. Edwards explained it takes about a year and a half to get a new vehicle after it is requested. The new crew cab will be one of three vehicles the police department uses.
In another matter which Chief Edwards had previously brought to the Board is the issue of animal control in the Village. Edwards said the overpopulation of unhomed cats is becoming a nuisance to the businesses in Dixie Inn. He said they are looking into a few solutions, including the possibility of doing trap/neuter/release to control the cat population. Mayor Hoffoss said they are open to solutions to decrease the number of nuisance cats in the area.
The Board of Aldermen for the Village of Dixie Inn meets on the second Tuesday each month and the public is invited to attend the open meetings.
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