agreement with Troy, Pike County

By AMANDA R. BRADLEY

Staff Writer

Published Aug. 18, 1999

BRUNDIDGE – In a cost-cutting move, the Brundidge City Council opted to sign on to a program that would allow the city to capitalize on items bought in bulk by other government organizations and to hold the line on taxes.

The Brundidge City Council approved to become a part of the Pike County/Troy/Brundidge Intergovernmental Purchase Agreement Tuesday night.

This agreement between the three governments will allow engineers Steve Hicks with the Pike County Commission, Britt Thomas with the city of Brundidge and Alton Starling with the city of Troy to bid on necessary items such as gas, paper and cholorine in large quantities. After one bid is made the other two entities will have the opportunity to purchase the supplies for the same bid amount.

The agreement was made to help the three bodies cut costs.

The council also approved for Pike County Tax Collector Curtis Blair to continue the ad valorem millage rate of 8.0. Part of property tax is the millage rate of eight percent which goes to the city. Last year this rate brought in $53,000 for the city of Brundidge.

In other council business:

A letter was sent to the council for review regarding the Pike County Emergency Warning Siren System. The letter stated the Pike County Commission will accept bids on the siren system until August 23 at 3 p.m. Council member Sherroll Tatom complained to the council about citizens hiring tree companies to come in the town to cut down their trees and then the company leaving the tree on the curb by the road for the city to pick up. "If they can spend the money to hire someone to cut their tree down they ought to be able to pay someone to carry the tree off of the property," said Tatom. Tatom said he witnessed a lone city employee with a front-end loader trying to pick an entire pine tree off the side of the road. This could cost the city money due to workman’s compensation if the employee was injured. Tatom asked for Britt Thomas, city engineer, to look into city ordinances on such matters.