Board passes 2022 budget; City hosts open house for proposed police station

     The Board of Aldermen met for their final meeting of 2021 on Monday, December 13th, approving the 2022 budget and fee schedule for the city.
     In other business, the board approved the write off of more than $17,000 in uncollectible and bankrupt utility accounts, and approved a resolution allowing the city to opt into the national settlement related to the opioid epidemic.             
     The board will next meet January 10th.
     On Tuesday, December 14th, the City hosted an open house to display the work completed by a resident study group tasked with developing plans for a new police station facility. While the board and mayor remain stymied over the location of the facility, it appears the possibility of an April 2022 bond issue for a new police station will remain on the Board’s agenda in January.
     Two locations are now being considered: the original site identified behind the Community Center and land adjacent to the city’s Butterfly Trail.
     Jo Anne Wasson Honeywell, a Ward 1 resident who served on the study group, said her biggest takeaway from their work is the current station is not meeting the needs of the officers and is impacting their ability to safely and efficiently do their jobs and recruit new officers. The debate over where to locate the facility is of less concern to her.
     “It depends on what the community wants. In the end, we need a new police station. We need to make their (the officers) station comfortable and safe so they can do their job efficiently,” Wasson Honeywell said.