Daniel Prince
Police vehicles, garbage carts ordered
At its regular meeting Tuesday night, Union City Council got out ahead of some supply chain issues the city has been experiencing over the past year that has affected everything from the purchase of police vehicles to garbage carts. Council passed first reading of an ordinance to appropriate money from the general fund to buy three Chevy Tahoes that are currently available from a local supplier. Police vehicles have been very low in stock over the past year or so, and a long lead time on purchasing such vehicles over the next few months is expected. The vehicles were recommended for purchase now when they are available rather than trying to wait for the new fiscal year when they might not be available. Cost of the vehicles is expected to be $170,800, and the Public Safety Department would not include new vehicles in its budget request for the new fiscal year. The vote was unanimous.
Council voted to transfer $15,260 from the Street Department to the Solid Waste Fund in order to purchase 200 garbage carts for the city. In a similar circumstance as the police vehicles, garbage carts have been in short supply over the past year, and a long lead time is expected in coming months, as well. The city’s supplier has 200 carts on hand, and since the Street Department and Solid Waste Department share a supervisor, personnel, and resources, Finance Director Laura Hembree said the transfer is appropriate. With the purchase, the Solid Waste Department would not request additional carts in the coming fiscal year. Council voted unanimously on the first reading of the ordinance.
Council passed second and final reading of an ordinance to annex 439 North Duncan Bypass into the city. The property, which is owned by Kuntal Patel of KCP Properties and has the KC Mart convenience store and Mobil gas station on it, is located in what is referred to as a zoning doughnut hole. All properties surrounding it are in the city and zoned A-2 Highway Commercial. That property has not been a part of the city, and the zoning request asked for the same A-2 Highway Commercial designation as its neighbors. A public hearing was held prior to the meeting, and no comments were received. The Planning Commission voted to give its recommendation to pass second reading of the ordinance, and council did so unanimously.
Council also voted to appoint Warren “Scott” Parker to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The position fills an expired term and will run through December 31, 2024. Parker was the only applicant to the position after several months of advertising the opening. Parker stated that he is a relatively new transplant to Union and wants to give something back to the community. He said he has 25 years of experience in health care administration and has served on multiple nonprofit boards. The vote to appoint Parker was unanimous.
We’ll have more from the meeting in tomorrow’s newscast.