Century Mayor’s Emergency Spending Limit Increased, Council Meeting Time Changed

January 23, 2008

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The Century Town Council voted Tuesday night to give Mayor Freddie McCall, Sr. more spending authority in the event of emergencies.

The mayor had been under a $200 spending limit according to the town’s charter, a document that dates from the 1940’s.

A motion by council member Henry Hawkins and approved by the council gives McCall the authority to spend necessary funds during an emergency situation. In non-emergency situations, McCall still must abide by the $200 spending limit or get the council’s permission to exceed it.

The discussion arose after McCall reported three emergencies had arisen during the past two weeks that caused him to overspend his limit. The first was $5,600 to replace a sewage pump that failed at the Century Correctional Institute. The second instance was the $300 replacement of of a control valve that failed at the water treatment plant, and the third instance was the $1,400 replacement of a broken roll-up door on a town building.

In other business, the council voted to change its first and third Monday night meeting time from 6:00 to 7:00 beginning with the February 4 meeting.

The mayor reported to the council that the town will go from being $2,000 a month in red to Allied Waste to turning a profit of about $576, or about 83 cents for each of the town’s 694 residential garbage accounts. The change comes because Allied Waste will begin to bill small business customers directly rather than them being billed the town.

On the mayor’s recommendation, the council voted to repaint the interior of city hall. McCall reported that the only cost would be for paint and materials; the labor would be provided by city staff and inmates.

The mayor reported that he will get prices for the council to consider for additional chairs to be used at the Century Community Center on Highway 4. At Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at the community center, there were not enough chairs available.

The council authorized about $5,000 for Fabre Engineering to develop plans for three projects: a water tank at the prison, a standby generator for a sewage lift station at the prison, and changes to a lift station that has been damaged by vehicles in the past. The project will ultimately be done in lieu of payment of a $16,000 fine to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. One of the three projects will be chosen by the Florida DEP.

The council also declared January 25th as Elmira Gandy Crapps Day in the town of Century. She turns 101 on that day. Mayor McCall told the council she still drives and attends church.

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