The Ellisville Board of Aldermen continues to operate with a limited agenda on Tuesday evenings as officials work to handle essential items during the coronavirus pandemic.
Among the items addressed during the most recent town meeting were Ellisville Mayor Lynn Buckhaults and the Board of Aldermen deciding that the city will be resuming the normal operations of its water policy and approving some PPE purchases for the city’s fire department.
“They (residents) had two months where we did not do any cut-offs based on the state policy,” Mayor Buckhaults said during the meeting, referencing the board ‘s March vote to follow the Mississippi Public Service Commission’s policy for COVID-19 Emergency Order for no cut-off for 60-days.
Based on the policy, the board unanimously agreed not to cut anyone off of its water service for 60 days.
“We should do what we can to help,” the mayor said at that time. “They are doing this to ensure people have water during this crisis.”
Under the policy, the residents were still responsible for their water bill. Officials said it’s just extending them credit for 60 days. Then state officials extended the policy for an additional 10 days.
“They had two months and then they added 10 days to it,” the mayor said this week. “We are just agreeing that we will go back to the city’s policy concerning water cutoffs.”
Officials said according to the city’s policy, payments are due on the 15th of the month and normal cut offs are not conducted until the 26th of the month.
Therefore, the city could possibly start cutting off residents’ water before the end of May.
City officials said residents have continued to receive bills for their water and utilities, and some residents have paid their bills and some have not. Last month the board voted to put notices out reminding residents that their bills had not been paid.
In a separate matter, the board approved paying for terminal imaging equipment for the city’s fire department. The mayor said the department has been in need of these machines.
“It will be two thermal imagers. They have needed them and we had put it off,” he said. “The ones they have are obsolete . . . It will be a great tool for the fire department.”
Officials said the funds will come out of the city’s volunteer fire department account. The cost of the equipment is $4,913.06.
Also, the board agreed to purchase some COVID-19 supplies for the Ellisville Fire Department in the amount of $649.40.
In other business, the board met with the engineer about some projects and approved the initial application for ad valorem tax exemptions for Howard Technology Solutions Division and Howard Industries, Inc., Power Transformer Substation.