After emerging from a closed executive session, the Indianola Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to accept the retirement of Fire Chief Eugene Snipes and promptly voted in the same like manner to appoint Captain Orlando Battle to fill the soon-to-be vacated position.
Snipes’ resignation becomes effective April 15, and Battle assumes the title on the day after. Snipes has led the Indianola department since July of 2012 when he was appointed chief after previously serving as assistant to former chief Dana Myrick.
They also voted to accept the resignation of one police officer, hire one new police officer and reinstate police officer Darrell Fischer pending the outcome of his court appeal.
In other business,
The officials heard and approved departmental reports for the inspection, municipal court and police departments. Chief Edrick Hall reported 962 calls for the month of February that resulted in 44 arrests. Hall said that was a low number for monthly call outs and hopefully the volume will remain low. Court clerk Teresa Nolden reported $12,974.70 in court fees plus computer system and credit card payments with 159 community-service hours worked.
They tabled a decision to secure financing of $568,990 for four police vehicles, four pickup trucks, a dump truck and a street sweeper after questions were raise by aldermen Sam Brock and Gary Fratesi. Brock’s initial question was regarding a discrepancy in the number of vehicles mentioned. Fratesi wanted a clearer breakdown on the financials.
Evidently the documentation presented to the board did not include a vehicle-by-vehicle rundown of the dollar amount. Fratesi said, “The public wants to know amounts, percentages don’t mean as much.” Brock said, “We need a breakdown on each of these vehicles, what the price is and where it’s going.”
Brock had an additional question, “And why do you need a new vehicle at the animal shelter? Rosenthal answered, “Because the old one quit. It was 12-years-old.” Rosenthal proceeded with a chronological breakdown of which department had use of the truck before it was put to use in the animal shelter. Brock then surmised, “We need to find out what you’re talking about before we can go further with this.”
Mayor Steve Rosenthal explained that these were items budgeted and approved by the previous board and that the seated board had already approved to pay the invoices for the items on a previous meeting’s docket. Brock had several questions about the procedure. Rosenthal said the city typically purchases the items, chooses a four or five year lease, waits until all of the purchases have arrived and then seeks financing so the city coffers can be reimbursed.
Brock said he didn’t remember agreeing previously and requested that the minutes be pulled up. Rosenthal explained that they agreed to pay the dockets and those items were on the dockets. Alderman Marvin Elder then asked to table the issue until they could go back and look.
Community Bank of Indianola and Hancock Bank headquartered in Gulfport submitted bids for financing. Even though Hancock had a slightly cheaper rate, Rosenthal explained that the city would usually go with a local vendor if the rates were within 10 percent of the lowest bid.
In addition to the issues involving the financing of the vehicles, Brock inquired about the size of the truck purchased for the animal shelter, which was a Ford F-150, and wanted to know why the city could not have purchased a smaller truck since this is a small community. Rosenthal responded that the vehicle was purchased under state contract and that it could be bought for less than the regular price for a small truck.
Brock also questioned the need for large vehicles in other departments including the use of Chevy Tahoes in the police department.
They approved the emergency purchase of a well motor.
Alderman Marvin Elder asked that the city not pay a $16.04 purchase that appeared on the docket for medicine purchased by Leflore County for an Indianola prisoner, but the motion to approve the docket was made seconded and unanimously approved without that exception.
