Greensboro City Council voted last Tuesday night, March 26 to accept a bid of $77,800.00 from Central Alabama Training Solutions (CATS) for new turnout gear to outfit the city’s volunteer fire department. The Greensboro Volunteer Fire Department recently received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for $74,000.00 towards the purchase, said City Clerk Lorrie Cook. The grant means the city is only obligated to pay matching funds of $3,704.77 towards the full purchase price. When the city advertised for bids on the new equipment, CATS was the only bidder.
At that same meeting, the council also voted to participate in Alabama’s annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. The holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on the third Friday in July and ends at midnight on the following Sunday. During that designated weekend, numerous items will be exempt from state and local sales taxes to provide parents with a break as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
In response to a question during the “public comment” portion of the meeting, Cook informed the council that the city’s attorney had recently sent over a proposed letter for the approval of Mayor J.B. Washington regarding the establishment of a “halfway house” for former inmates.
The project, which has apparently been operating for some time, is sponsored by Third Street Church of God. It was recently featured by local news station WVUA 23.
When the church was first proposing the project, Rev. Kervin Jones, joined by supporters and other ministers, asked the council for their permission to go forward. But controversy and public concerns about safety at subsequent council meetings led the city to withhold their permission. The council voted on March 12, 2019 not to permit the project to operate at the Main Street home, which is owned by the church.
The Council voted at their Feb. 27 meeting to ask the city’s attorney to look into the situation. Cook said that, pending the approval of the Mayor, the city would send the letter to those responsible for the program via certified mail.
