Civic Corner: Board of Aldermen Recap
By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman-at-Large
The Board of Aldermen received a report from Courtney Nunn, Director of Parks and Recreation. Director Nunn shared that much construction was underway in the city. Summer sports such as tennis, baseball and softball will begin soon, and a dodgeball tournament will take place. The next event will be the Eggstra Special Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Junior Auxiliary of Clinton on April 13. New restrooms at Traceway Park should be complete by mid-July, and the new Brighton Park playground equipment is complete. The lighting project at Traceway Park, which is the largest sport lighting project in the state, should be finished by July 4, and there will be new scoreboards for baseball. Various tournaments will also be held in Clinton.
A variety of adoptions of final resolutions granting exemptions from ad valorum taxes to Gulf States Canners and McNeely Plastics were approved in one vote. Voting locations for the upcoming municipal election were also approved, including the Clinton Visitors Center for Ward 1, Wildwood Baptist Church for Ward 2, Traceway Park for Ward 3, Wood Activity Center for Ward 4, the Public Works Building for Ward 5 and the Clinton YMCA for Ward 6. The election will begin with primaries on April 1, run-off elections, if necessary, on April 22, and the general election on June 3.
The Board of Aldermen also approved the appointment of Rodney Harris and Russell Wall as members of the City of Clinton Election Committee and authorized an agreement with Election Systems & Software to provide election machines and support services for the municipal election. The Board also approved executing an agreement with Pharos Consulting Services to provide election support services for the municipal election.
The Board of Aldermen approved consideration of an addendum to the interlocal agreement between the City of Clinton and the Clinton Raymond Bolton Wastewater Authority.
In final action, the Board approved the hiring of an accounts payable clerk for the Finance and Administration Department, a certified booking officer for the Clinton Police Department, and a maintenance worker for the Clinton Public Works Department.
At our Work Session on the previous evening, Ward 6 Alderman James Lott brought forward for discussion the possibility of expanding the short-term rental ordinance to include the entire city, rather than just Olde Towne Clinton. Each short term rental request currently comes before the Board of Aldermen for approval, and that practice would continue if the ordinance were expanded to include all of the city. Neighborhood Associations could potentially have a vote on whether to allow short-term rentals in a neighborhood. More discussion on this topic will take place at a future Work Session of the Board.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Space will be provided in each issue of The Clinton Courier to the Board of Aldermen for a recap of each meeting. Aldermen are asked to volunteer to provide this recap for the Courier.
