Bell Buckle employees given raise, bonus

Christmas came early for the employees of the town of Bell Buckle Tuesday night. The board of mayor and alderman voted unanimously to give an across-the-board 2 percent bonus, as well as a 5 percent salary increases.

"I have looked at the budget," said Mayor Dennis Webb. "I believe our wages are going to come in cheaper than budgeted."

Webb said the cost to the city for the bonuses would be about $3,000 and the cost of the raises would be about $7,500. Alderman Frank Reagor expressed some concern over setting a precedent with the amount of the bonuses.

"I know that we used to give a 1 percent and a few years ago it went to 2 percent," he said. "We said then the 2 percent wasn't automatic. Is it a reward for good employees?'

Webb said he factored in several things to determine the 2 percent base for the Christmas bonuses, including the fact that many of the employees had not had salary reviews since early 2007. He stated for the record that the 2 percent was not an automatic base for determining bonuses.

The board also agreed that employee reviews take place within the fiscal year, and Alderwoman Jenny Hunt asked that salary raises be based on performance reviews and not simply issued across the board. Webb agreed.

"We have some people who do a good job and some people who do a great job," said the mayor. "We want to make that distinction."

Pilot program

Hunt, who also heads the Parks and Rec committee, said Bell Buckle has been chosen as a pilot program by the state's Urban Forestry department dedicated to monitoring and improving canopy cover -- the amount of ground covered by trees.

"We're the guinea pigs, so to speak," said Hunt. "State Forester Bruce (Webster) met with the Tree Board to discuss what they're doing and see what our local reaction might be. Their goal is that each municipality strive for a 40 percent canopy cover through ordinances and development situations and identify plantable spaces and work toward increasing canopy."

The department presented Hunt with an aerial map showing the increase in canopy the town has seen since an aerial study made in 1997. Bell Buckle had a 19 percent canopy cover then, said Hunt, and now has about 36 percent.

"We are really honored to be chosen the inaugural town for the study," she said. "We were just shocked. We've been a Tree City USA since 2000, but we didn't think we did that much improvement."

Leaks lessen

Ronnie Lokey, director of the water and sewer department, had good news for the board, announcing a 10 percent water loss for the month.

"We had no leaks," he told the board.

Last month, Bell Buckle reported 29 percent water loss, and the month before, 33 percent. The town was also able to lower its purchase of water from the Bedford County Utility District from 2,204 million gallons in October to 761,000 gallons in November.

Webb said he has asked BCUD for an extension on the offer of an exclusive water provider contract because he still had questions about Wartrace's water situation. BCUD has been supplementing the water supply to Bell Buckle, which has, in the past, gotten most of its water from Wartrace. BCUD has offered Bell Buckle a much lower rate if it will commit to a five-year contract to use BCUD as the primary supplier.

Lokey told the board he met with area schools and businesses about the amount of FOG (fats, oils and grease) they are putting into the sewer system. The FOGs can negatively affect the treatment plant and efforts are being made by the town to reduce the FOG input.

Other business

* Hunt said Bell Buckle will be hosting a wheelchair basketball tournament next November at Webb School.

"There will be college and semi-pro teams," she said. "It's a fundraiser for the rec department to build a new basketball court."

She said there are two kinds of Bell Buckle T-shirts now on sale as a fundraiser. One style says, "What happens in Bell Buckle, stays in Bell Buckle."

The other style is similar, only the "stays in Bell Buckle" has been scratched out, and the T-shirt reads, "What happens in Bell Buckle beats you home."

* Lokey who also serves as the fire chief for the town's volunteer fire department, reminded the board that the VFD chili cook-off is in February, and afghans are now on sale to support the department.

* Webb said the new part-time police officer, Tommy Wiley, is fitting in well in the town and has already given 15 warnings and one citation.

"He seems to be doing a very good job; he keeps very good records," said Webb. "He cares about the city, he cares about the citizens, he cares about safety."

Wiley is working about 15 hours a week.

* The next planning commission was rescheduled for Jan. 15. Because it is regularly scheduled for the first Thursday of the month, the date would have fallen on New Year's Day.