Tie vote in Red Bay on police cars

By Staff
John Hicks FCT Staff Writer
At Monday night's Red Bay City Council, a motion to accept bids on two new police cars died when council members deadlocked 3-3 on the vote.
Before the vote, Red Bay Police Chief Pat Creel answered questions from the council about the state of the department's vehicles.
Creel pointed out that three of the city's six police cars were in need of major repairs, and two of the three had electrical problems.
"With those two cars, they may crank or they may not," Creel said. "But if you do get them started and you cut them off, it's going to be 30 minutes to an hour before they'll crank again."
Creel said that mechanics had been unable to determine the cause of the problem.
Council members then moved on to vote on the motion to accept the sole bid for two new vehicles for the police department.
Mayor Jeff Reid and council members Rayford Seahorn and Ricky Holland voted to accept the bid, which was $19,228.20 for each vehicle.
The cars under consideration were Chevrolet Impalas with factory-installed police packages.
Council members Bobby Nelson, Pat Hammock and Ann Wilkins voted not to accept the bid.
After the vote, Seahorn said he voted for buying the vehicles because he thought they were needed.
"If the chief didn't need them, I don't think he would've asked for them," Seahorn said.
Council member Ann Wilkins said she could only support the purchase of one new police car at the present time.
"I'm all for buying one," Wilkins said. "But I can't see buying two until we get the city hall built."
Holland said he voted for the new cars because of the condition of the department's fleet.
"We've got cars that have over 120,000 miles on them," Holland said. "Those cars are used hard. Those cars aren't police-package cars. They weren't made to be run the way they've been run."
Creel said he was surprised by the vote.
"I'm disappointed," Creel said. "I feel like it's a safety issue. We need vehicles we can depend on."
Reid said he was mystified by the tie vote.
"The council previously voted to buy two cars, but tonight, when it was time to accept the bids, they changed their mind," Reid said. "It's not like we don't have the money in the equipment fund to buy them."
In other business, Reid appointed Billy Crutchfield to the Housing Authority of Red Bay. Crutchfield is currently serving on the authority. His new term will expire October 23, 2011.
Nelson inquired about the city's payroll policy, noting that city employee Danny Maxwell had not received a payroll check for several months of sewer work he had done for the city.
Reid and city clerk Linda Holcomb responded that the check would be issued as soon as paperwork issues were resolved.
Seahorn addressed the issue of anonymous complaints from residents.
"Lately I've been getting several anonymous phone calls," Seahorn said. "I'd like people to know that I'm not going to deal with anonymous phone calls. If you want to talk to me in person, that's fine. If you've got a problem, I'll help you with it. We'll go through the proper channels and try to get it corrected."
Wilkins advised the council that street department workers had reported finding syringe needles in garbage bags. She asked that residents dispose of needles properly.
Holland noted that striping work had been finished on Golden Road, and that reflectors had also been installed there.
The next regular scheduled meeting of the Red Bay City Council will be Monday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Red Bay Senior Citizens Building.