Society Hill closes out 2016-2017 finances
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
With a check for $1,500 from the Rescue Squad in the bank, Society Hill can close the books on their 2016-2017 fiscal year. Mayor Tommy Bradshaw informed town council members Dec. 12 that the town had been paid back after the squad did not purchase the equipment it intended to.
The rescue squad requested money from the town and a check was issued in July 2016 for the purchase of a heart monitor. The equipment was not purchased because the squad said they were waiting on the ambulance that it would be placed in. Without a receipt to place in the town’s records, the 2016-2017 books could not be closed out.
“You know from last month that we requested from the captain of the rescue squad that the $1,500 be returned,” Bradshaw said. “That has been recovered and is listed under miscellaneous receipts and miscellaneous revenues.”
In other business, the council voted to amend the 2017-2018 budget to include the annual town employee end-of-the-year bonus, which had been overlooked when making the budget.
“It has been customary over the years for us to give our town employees a year-end or Holiday bonus. We’ve always stuck by the policy of roughly half of one week’s pay. I’ve checked with other towns and that is a little less than what they do but roughly equivalent. We didn’t include that in our budget when we were preparing our budget. I would entertain a motion from council to approve that expenditure.”
The vote to approve the expense was unanimous.
Police Chief David Young reported that the Catfish Festival held last month had been a success. He said that there were no incidents that required law enforcement. He also proudly noted that the officers who provided support from other law enforcement agencies commented on how smoothly everything went considering the large crowd that was there to enjoy the festival.
In other business, councilwoman Carolyn Oliver announced the winners for the annual Christmas light contest.
Richard Gainey won Best All Around
Nolan Keith won Best Imagination
Wilma Kinley won Southern Elegance
Clifton and Virginia Pickrel won Best Use of Lights
Kathy Turner earned an Honorable Mention
Oliver said that she was thrilled to have more people participating this year and that the judges had a hard decision to pick the winners. She also said that she would like to see more folks on Main Street participating so that when people travel through Society Hill it is lit up for the Christmas season. She encouraged everyone to drive around and look at all of the lights, saying it was “worth the drive.”
Council bid farewell to member Denise Douglas who lost her bid for re-election during the November election. They thanked her for her service and she assured everyone she would still be around. Tammy Gandy will be sworn in to office during the January
9 meeting. As with all regular meetings, it starts at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
