By Jennifer Dearborn
The City of Thomas met in regular session with the ongoing discussion of fulfilling the city clerk position was again brought to the table. Currently the city has a temporary clerk but she will be leaving in September. “We need to get this position filled so Stephanie”(the temporary clerk) “can train the new employees for this position before she leaves” council member Kelly Stadleman stressed the dire need for fulfilling this position. The council has also agreed to hire two part time clerks with pay based on experience. Stadleman will be screening the applicants to make sure they meet all qualifications before conducting interviews. If you would like to apply you can do so on indeed.com or by emailing your resume to cityofthomas@frontiernet.net.
It was on the agenda under old and new business for the Zayo Group Right of Way Agreement but it has been brought to the council’s attention that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completely shut this project down. No details to support this claim were readily available at press time.
Erika Smith, council member, has been in contact with Mon Forest Towns about placement of a kiosk with maps and trails of the area on city property. The council will look at a couple locations for placement of the kiosk before it is finalized.
The council had two absent members during the meeting but each member present stressed the need for work sessions as a council. They want to have these to update ordinances as some are decades old, amongst other duties. They decided unanimously to wait until all council members were present to start these work sessions. The members also discussed the importance of having all financial reports readily available at monthly meetings for review and discussion.
The town would like to have a website designed and implemented, but like all other things, this can be costly. The town is currently trying to pay off and crawl out from a pile of fees and penalties imposed by the recent financial troubles of the city.
Jody Flanagan updated his fellow council members that there is a need to expand the cemetery. Currently they have approximately 20-25 acres but they would like to purchase at least an additional 10 acres for more plots. Flanagan commended Stephanie on a job well done dealing with the cemetery for several hours a day.
The next council meeting will be Tuesday September 14, 2021.