New alderman sworn in at Bronaugh

Monday evening’s ordinance hearing and regular meeting of the Bronaugh Board of Aldermen received a series of brief reports but was highlighted by the filling of a vacancy on the board.

The vacancy was created by the Aug. 22 death of Harry “Red” Pitts, who not only was an alderman for 20 years but was a lifetime resident and beloved member of the Bronaugh community.

At the Monday meeting – and seated next to Pitts’ sister, Nancy, who is president of the board – was Bronaugh Mayor Sherry Brown who said, “You can’t replace a man like Red; we can only fill his position and work to move Bronaugh forward which is what he’d want us to do.”

Brown said two people had expressed interest in the position, Doris Ann Ricketts and Jim Gransbury. Aldermen voted to go into what turned out to be a six-minute closed session in order to discuss the candidates.

Returning to open session, Brown requested council’s agreement to appoint Jim Gransbury to the open Alderman position. Further, she stated that as the city’s current meter reader, he would have to abstain from any discussion on complaints or decisions regarding meter reading.

Gransbury, who was on hand for the meeting, said he understood and will abide by the rules pertaining to conflict of interest.

Aldermen Nancy Pitts, Rachel Jones and Keri Yount all stated their agreement with the appointment.

Brown then declared, “I hereby appoint Jim Gransbury to the open Alderman-at-Large position for the City of Bronaugh effective immediately.”

Brown turned toward Gransbury and said, “Well Jim, you’ve got the job, congratulations.

No sooner did he thank the board for electing him when he asked, “What exactly are all the duties of an alderman?”

Everyone laughed and Brown said she had a packet of materials to give him after the meeting. With a wry smile she added, “You should expect to get one or two phone calls from citizens.”

The aldermen, city clerk and treasurer all laughed.

With a more serious tone the Mayor said, “While you can listen to their concerns you’ll need to urge them to attend the next regular council meeting and provide them the date of that meeting. Citizens need to come to these meetings because only the city council can provide answers or take action.”

Brown also briefly spoke about procedures and mentioned several current issues facing the city.

Prior to the close of the meeting, outgoing city clerk, Lori Conner, administered the oath of office to Gransbury.

As the final meeting of Conner as Bronaugh City Clerk, Brown asked Conner to step forward as the Mayor thanked her for seven years of “outstanding service, not only to the city but also in being a big help to me so many times.”

The mayor presented the outgoing clerk with a certificate of appreciation from the city and a card signed by the aldermen and city officials.

City Treasurer Ann Loudermilk echoed Brown, stating she knew how good a job Conner had done because “she took over from me when I switched to being treasurer.”

“I’m not moving, so I’ll still be around to help with things,” said Conner as she thanked the board and the people of Bronaugh for their trust and support.

Seated next to Conner throughout the evening was her successor, Rauni Brown; last month she had been appointed from a slate of candidates.

The regular monthly meeting was preceded by a public hearing related to the grass mowing ordinance.

Mayor Brown informed council of the properties posted with a mowing notice and sent a letter stating this to the owner but this letter was returned as undeliverable.

Said Brown, “We charge based on the number of lots and this one is 2.5 lots; so what do you want to do?

Alderman Rachel Jones moved to approve mowing only with no yard cleanup. Alderman Keri Yount seconded. Motion passed 3-0.

City Water Operator Derek Brown reported the chlorinator is not coming on correctly; he had to flush the system in order to balance things. He said the chlorine residual was a little high but not too bad.

Brown contacted the electrician who had installed the unit and was told, most likely it was not an electrical problem. He and the electrician will look into this further and Brown will report later.

Another area of concern regards the installation of the latch on the clearwell.

“But before I go and do that, I first want to get in touch with someone regarding a clean out of the clear well,” said Brown. “It hasn’t been cleaned out since it was installed a couple of years ago and so I want to get that done before I replace the latch.”

Earlier this year when Public Water Supply District No. 1 of Vernon County utilized the Moundville connection into the Bronaugh system, Brown noticed the pump on the well was able to keep up with the heavy water usage.

“I think this means we may not have to be so concerned about always having to have the water tower full in case of a major fire,” said Brown.

He also reported that the light outside the clear will is not coming on and Septic Operator, Gary Loudermilk reported that the thermostat for the heater needs to be replaced. Derek will contact Perry Cash.

He reported the lead and copper samples have been taken and that citizens have stated they appreciate the lower chlorine levels.

In an effort to become the city’s licensed septic sewer system operator, Brown said he will soon be taking a further class online.

City Treasurer Ann Loudermilk reported to council that the $3,300 CD which recently came due was placed into a 24-month certificate of deposit at 2.4% interest.

Loudermilk asked the board if they wished to have another budget hearing prior to the regular meeting in November as was done last year.

Alderman Yount moved to approve a budget hearing take place prior to the November Regular Meeting. Pitts seconded the motion and it was adopted on a vote of 3-0.