By Terry Schrimscher, For the Tribune
ARGO – The Argo City Council met Monday night, Oct. 9, for the first regularly scheduled meeting of the month. The Council moved quickly through the work session and agenda, tabling two items of business for further discussion.
Members of the Argo City Council met on Monday, October 9, 2023 to discuss city business including a proposal to join with the EDC in grant writing activities.
During the work session, the Council discussed a proposal from Knight Works Lawn Care to repair erosion in front of City Hall. After some discussion on the options, and a walk outside to view the areas needing repair, the Council decided to table the discussion until the next meeting.
The city’s Fall Festival, Monster Mash, will be held at Argo City Park, behind City Hall, on Oct. 21, and several members of the Council expressed concern that the repairs would require more work than anticipated. Mayor Betty Bradley said waiting until after the event would allow the city to get more quotes.
The festival will feature a petting zoo, games, inflatables, face painting, hotdogs and other family-friendly attractions. Monster Mash begins at 2 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The Council also tabled a discussion on a proposal from the St. Clair County Economic Development Council regarding contributions toward a grant writing service.
“The county has started a relationship with a grant writing company and they’re asking that each municipality in St. Clair County contribute $6,000 annually to cover the process to give us an assessment and they will be available to give us resources as far as lists of grants that are a possibility,” said Councilmember Rick Hopkins. “The cost does not include the actual writing of the grant but they will be an aid to us.”
The Council decided to vote on the contribution in November in order to gather more information about the process with the grant writers.
The city agreed to a contract with Tabitha Hanner for cleaning services at City Hall. Hanner will deep clean public areas of the building every other weekend.
The Council held a second reading of Ordinance No. 2023-09-01, which is a proposal to adopt standards set in the International Building Code, 2021 edition, to set inspection guidelines for construction, maintenance, safety and other considerations for commercial and residential buildings in the city. The ordinance will be discussed in a public hearing on Oct. 23 and voted on in the regular meeting that evening.
In other business, the Council heard monthly reports from the Argo Fire Department and Argo Police Department. Fire Chief Scott Payne gave his updates on 52 total calls including 10 burn permits, 39 medical calls and four assists. Payne also noted the state remains under a no burn order. Last month, the Alabama Forestry Commission issued the warning due to lack of precipitation.
Police Chief Alan Busler gave a brief update listing 517 total calls in September. He did not offer a breakdown of the types of calls during the public meeting but said they consisted of “a little bit of everything.”
The next regular meeting of the Argo council is scheduled for October 23 with a work session at 5 p.m. An agenda for each meeting is posted in local businesses including Hill Top Farms, Argo Hardware, Liberty Automotive, Shell, Southland BBQ, Fox’s Pizza and Buckeye Grocery. Agendas are also posted on the city’s Facebook page.
