City Council Passes Ordinance

The Stuttgart City Council met last week at City Hall. After the prayer, pledge, role call,,approved the previous meeting minutes, paying the bills, they then approved the Departmental Reports.

The first item on the agenda was approving a street closure for the Homecoming Parade on October 2, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The closure will be 7th and S. Main to 1st and Main. Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh street are included in the request,

Next they approved the Stuttgart Water and Sewer Audit. The Audit is available for viewing Monday through Friday in the City Clerk’s office, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

A public comment was next on the agenda. A citizen wanted to ask about a business license and whether or not one would have to have one to have a business cleaning out trash cans. He also had multiple complaints about the need to get permission to speak at meetings, about property management and overreach on the city’s part (although it wasn’t clear what he was asking about, the drainage issues and permissions in general.

The last item on the agenda was an Ordinance to authorize a threshold for settlement of legal claims against the city. City Attorney Michelle Jacobs read the ordinance and after the Ordinance was passed, she read the Emergency clause, it was passed also.

Councilman Henry Newby asked about the budget being 80 percent gone and there are three and one half months left in the year. He is also concerned that only $410 liquor and beer tax was paid. 

“This concerns me,” Newby said.

Mayor Norma Strabala said she had been talking to the Department of Finance and Administration but was not receiving much help. She will continue to work on this and get to the bottom of it.

Newby asked her if she had spoken with the Department Heads about limiting their spending. She said yes, several times.

With no more business before the council, the meeting was adjourned. After the meeting Michelle Jacobs was asked about the Ordinance. She said it is a lawsuit in federal court regarding a former employee.