Century Councilwoman Ann Brooks made several inquiries about bills when the council was presented the bill list at Monday night's meeting for approval to pay. Brooks said it looked as if some of the charges were coded to the wrong account.
Charges Brooks inquired about include: payments to Florida Gas Utility and City Services for consulting fee services that needed to be terminated; on vehicles that were supposed to be paid off already; a charge of $41.87 to a restaurant on an employee's credit card; a charge to Bud and Jean's Country Store, which Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said was for drainage issues, such as pipes; an invoice that had gotten overlooked and not paid that was approved to be paid at the council's emergency meeting recently; three charges to Hydra Service totaling $63,496.17 for what Water Superintendent Alicia Jernigan said are lift station upgrades for pumps and parts on Pilgrim Lodge, Jefferson Avenue and Pond Street and Century prison; and a charge from Bright House Networks for services the gas department at Century Business Center, back payments for phone and Internet that has not been disconnected.
On Jernigan's credit card were two charges of $1,647, coded to the General Fund for large equipment maintenance and one for $1,668, coded to the water department. The charge was for two concrete saws, one for the street department and one for the water department.
“They had a deal going on where they gave you a free concrete saw, which is worth about $1,200, if you bought 12 saw blades,” said Jernigan. “One was for the shop and one was for my department. It was a very good deal.”
When asked if the town had budgeted for that charge, Jernigan said that she had that in her budget for supplies. She said the one for the street department should have been coded to equipment maintenance.
Brooks asked why the town had not paid Gulf Power in the last several months. Century Town Clerk Kim Godwin said that the town's balance online was zero, but that they had contacted Gulf Power about a bill for on the list for $28,721.14 instead of zero, but had not heard back from them. Godwin said it was a bill for three months the town recently received, having not paid them very much in the last several months.
“We should expect to get bills from them every month,” said Brooks. “I do.”
Brooks requested a motion to pay all the bills except for the restaurant charge that they will ask an employee for the receipt for. Councilman Luis Gomez made the motion, which was seconded by Councilman Gary Riley. The motion carried.
In other business, the council heard the first of two readings of two ordinances to amend sections of the Land Development Code, one that will limit the height of side and rear yard fences to 6 feet instead of 8 feet and one that prohibits metal shipping containers within the Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company Residential Historic District.
The Historic Preservation Board met Oct. 30 to discuss and made recommendations to the council regarding the fences and presence of metal shipping containers. The council approved the first reading unanimously. The second reading will be at the next council meeting on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
