The Eutaw City Council tabled most items on its agenda for its regular fourth Tuesday meeting on August 27, 2024, pending further study and discussion. Many of these tabled items were deferred to a ‘work session’ to be held on September 5, 2024, to make additional decisions on these items.

The work session on September 5th at 11:00 AM will also allow the Council to interview two applicants for the District 5 seat vacancy on the council. Jacqueline Stewart resigned effective August 15, because she moved out of her residence in the district and purchased a home in another part of the city.

Ralph Liverman, Financial Adviser sent the city council members a memorandum suggesting that they restrict travel requests and expenses for the period of mid-August to mid-November, due to limited cash flow, in the General Fund, during this period. Several agenda items, dealing with travel requests for staff and council members were tabled.

The Council received another communication from Financial Adviser Liverman that he had requested $30,000 from the Sheriff, from the bingo funds that he controls, to pay for the increase in engineering costs on the Street-Scape Project. The Sheriff agreed to the city’s request for $30,000.

There was a discussion with a member of the Dangerous Divas’ Social and Savings Club concerning their request to use the Robert H. Young Community Center and adjoining park for a Class Night Out program to be held in October. The Council tabled discussion of this agenda item until the upcoming work session, to recheck the prices and deposits charged for use of the city facilities.

The Eutaw City Council did approve the Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, scheduled for February 21 to 23, 2025.The council also approved a reimbursement of $3,500 to Robert Rose for a mathematical error on a building permit charge. They also approved payment of bills.

The Council tabled a claim from Dave and Ethel Black for some repairs to their fence and property caused by the city. The claim was tabled because there was no specific amount requested. Later in the public comment session, Ms. Black said that until the city removes some tree branches from the fence that she could not determine the amount of damages
She urged the city to do their part, so she could determine the damages.

The Council agreed to a motion presented by Councilwoman Hunter to repair the roads in Branch Heights that had been damaged by work on sewage pipes. Mayor Latasha Johnson said there was a long list of roads that needed to be fixed, and some were in worse shape than the ones in Branch Heights. She felt the Council should prioritize the list of repairs and seek funding on that basis. Th Council ignored this recommendation and approved the resolution.

Councilwoman Valerie Watkins spoke up about dealing with vacant lots like the one at Roebuck and Edwards Drive that she has been complaining about for years. She also said something had to be done about people  taking care of their property on O’Neal Street.

City Attorney Zane Willingham said the new procedures for dealing with vacant lots in the city that had not been maintained was pending the receipt of citations that could be issued by police to landowners who were not taking care of their properties. After the official citations were given, the owner would either clean-up or the city would clean-up at the owner’s expense.

The Council tabled the final item on the agenda for a discussion of raising Mayor and Council salaries in 2025 for further discussion at the work session.