Council defers request for city audit

A request by a Shelbyville City Council member for a state audit of the city's books was deferred until next month for more discussion.

Councilman Lee Roy Cunningham had put the item on the agenda, but council member Jo Ann Holland wanted to discuss the motion in more detail at next month's study session,

She added that the city just had an audit completed from Winnett and Associates at a cost of $18,000, and the state receives a copy of it.

Council member Kay Rose said she didn't see any reason for a state audit and that it would "just be an added expense we don't need," but Cunningham replied that the council had already approved other expenditures.

However, according to both mayor Wallace Cartwright and city manager Ed Craig, the only way a state audit would be conducted is if there were serious evidence of fraud.

"The only thing they would audit is specific allegations of wrongdoing," Craig said of the state auditing process. "Without some sort of smoking gun ... even if you requested it, they'd say they can't do it."

All council members voted to defer the motion except for Cunningham.

In other business, the council approved a resolution to execute a new Interlocal Cooperation Agreement relative to participation in the Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management Insurance Pool.

A motion was approved to apply for the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program and the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.

The grant would enable the Shelbyville police department to hire four additional officers with federal stimulus money.

There is no local match requirement for the grant except that Shelbyville would be required to retain the officers for at least one year after the initial three-year period in which the salaries are fully federally funded.

A motion was also approved to authorize membership in the National League of Cities as well as participation in its drug card program.

Other items passed by the council were:

• A rezoning request by Stephen Feldhaus was approved on third and final reading to change 500 Highland Court from R-3 (medium density residential) to C-2 (highway service district, commercial).
• Joseph, Linda and Shane Roberts had their rezoning request approved on third and final reading for a parcel located off Morton Street to be rezoned R-3 from R-2 (low density residential).
• An ordinance was passed on third and final reading to amend Ordinance #863 to insert language requested by the state of Tennessee.
• Passed on second reading was a rezoning request from Anna Clanton to change 1813 Madison St. from R-1 (low density residential) to C-2.
• Another rezoning request approved on second reading was for property owned by Ginger Mashe at 810 Belmont Ave. to be changed from R-1 to C-2.
• An ordinance to adopt a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year and to set a tax rate was passed on first reading. No budget numbers have been presented to the council yet.
• Also passed on first reading was an ordinance to approve final amendments to the 2008-09 budget.
• Another ordinance passed on first reading amends a section of the city code to comply with state law regarding removal or demolition of property.
• A bid of $24,800 was accepted from Hawkins Equipment of Wartrace for a skid loader for the parks department. Council members Cunningham and Al Stephenson voted no on the bid.
• Advanced Cutting Systems of Live Oak, Fla., won the bid for sign making equipment for the city's public works department at a cost of $7,854.
• Renewal of a contract with Clarke Mosquito Control of Roselle, Ill., was approved, with the cost of insecticide at $141.75 per gallon.
• Towing services for the city were renewed with Haskins Auto Salvage of Bell Buckle. The company renewed for a year without an increase in the original bid pricing.