By By JOHN DILMORE JR. Publisher
The Brewton City Council looked ahead to a series of sewer improvement projects that will likely span the better part of 20 years at their regular meeting Tuesday night.
The projects will take place in geographic areas of the city broken down two ways -- those eligible for work funded by Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and those not.
There are nine areas in which CDBG funding -- which is dependent upon on a number of factors, including the income of people living in the vicinity of proposed work -- can be applied.
Once a CDBG project has been initiated, the city will have 1.5 years to complete it, at which point it can apply for funding to put toward the next project. That makes for one project every other year or so. Thus the nine areas in which CDBG work will be done are likely to be worked in over the next 18 years.
Mayor Ted Jennings said the city will have to explore ways other than CDGB funding to take care of needed sewer work in parts of the city where CDBG funds can't be used. In both categories -- CDBG and otherwise -- the work is badly needed, Jennings said.
In other action, the council passed a resolution endorsing renewal of the current three mill education tax and implementation of a new 10 mill education tax, two measures which will go before voters on Dec. 9.
The council also heard from director of community development Pete Diurno on the status of past due fines the city is in the process of collecting. About a month ago, the city was owed $299,911 in back fines. As of Nov. 19, that number had been reduced to $297,269, Diurno said.
The council also took the following action Tuesday: