VALDOSTA —
Valdosta’s City Council members were in sync on each item on Thursday’s agenda, as the council unanimously approved the city’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget and followed through on this month’s earlier decision to deed a tract of land to the South Georgia Regional Library Board of Trustees for a new library.
With the debate on next year’s budget ironed out, the council spent little time presenting and approving the $86,254,976 budget proposal.
The final decision on the Five Points land long promised to the Library Board was discussed in a private, executive session of council.
After reopening the chamber to the public, council members revealed that the city would indeed grant the library board the public land needed to construct the new library.
“Councilman Alvin Payton Jr. motioned to deed an approximate 3.7 acre tract of the Five Points property to the South Georgia Regional Library Board of Trustees for the purpose for constructing a new regional library facility,” according to the motion.
Councilman Ben Norton seconded the motion and the council backed it with a unanimous vote.
Though favorable, the motion stated that the council’s decision is still subject to provisions recommended by library staff and a legal description of the site’s master plan.
The gifting of the public land enables the library board to receive state funding for the new facility. The new site, out of the shadow of the ever-growing South Georgia Medical Center, will allow for a new branch library that meets the needs of the community now and for 20 to 30 years in the future.
In other business, council unanimously approved each of the following agenda items:
• Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the filing of an application with the U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance to fund the purchase of eligible bullet-proof vests for City of Valdosta Police Officers. The deadline for the matching grant is set for June 27.
• Consideration of bids for uniforms for the Police Department. Azars Uniforms, based in Jacksonville, Fla., was the only company to submit a bid by the department’s June 5 deadline.
• Consideration of bids for work uniforms for City of Valdosta personnel. Cintas submitted the lowest bid for the contract, while previous contractor, Command Uniforms, failed to submit a bid by the deadline.
• Consideration of bids for plumbing services for the City of Valdosta. Only one bid was submitted, as city officials sought out a single source to fulfill the city’s plumbing needs.
• Consideration of bids for hand tools for the City of Valdosta.
• Consideration of a request to purchase a video camera platform for use by the Valdosta Police Department. Officials said the $143,862.72 camera system would be funded by SPLOST and would not be used to enforce red light rules.
Council members also heard the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the Water and Wastewater Rate Sufficiency Study that includes proposed changes in the City of Valdosta’s water and sewer rates.
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