New Patrol Vehicles Set To Be Fitted For Road

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Vidalia City Council members unanimously approved to complete the equipping and decaling of 11 new Vidalia Police Department patrol vehicles during their last regular monthly meeting on Monday, November 13.

Last month, the Vidalia Police Department traveled to Walton County, Florida, to bring back 11 patrol vehicles – 6 Ford Explorers and 5 Chevrolet Caprices – that they received for free through the Walton County’s grant program. This program requires the Walton County Sheriff’s Office to surplus a certain amount of vehicles each year, which are often donated to other police authorities. Vidalia Police Chief James Jermon shared that he first learned of this program from expolice chief Brian Scott, who helped to set up the exchange.

This addition of patrol vehicles will allow every Vidalia Police Department officer to have their own patrol vehicle that they may take home after each shift – an amenity which Jermon said will be excellent for recruitment purposes.

These vehicles will be outfitted with striping, radios, and in-car cameras to make the vehicles streetready, so they may begin being used during patrol shifts. This equipment and installation will cost a total of $72,646, which will be funded through the Red Speed revenue – the funding raised through the speeding fines from the school zone cameras.

Other Action Items Purchases & Repairs

An emergency repair of blocked sewage lines in the alley off of Church Street (behind Vintage Barbers) will be completed for $95,152.04, which will come from Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds.

The Council approved to purchase 4 pumps and 1 slide rail adapter from Glennville Electric Motors for the city’s Water and Sewage Department. This purchase will cost $14,375, and will be paid through SPLOST funding.

Council members agreed to purchase several feet of pipe for proposed housing construction on West 9th Street. The City will provide the pipe to the construction, but the project’s contractor will pay the cost of installation. The total cost of this purchase is $5,535.20, which will be funded through SPLOST.

Matt Foskey will repair the onion fountain within Ronnie A. Dixon City Park for $5,320, which will come from SPLOST funds. This service also includes routine maintainance of cleaning and chemicals, which will be completed twice a month, unless weekly visits are necessary. This continued maintenance will cost $450, which will be paid through the Vidalia Convention and Visitors Bureau funding.

Several elements of the Vidalia Community Center’s HVAC system – such as 2 10-ton split heat pumps, 1 5-ton split heat pump, and 3 thermostats – will be replaced by Premier Heating and Air. This replacement will cost $33,901, which will be paid out of SPLOST funds.

A “Billy Goat Vac” QV 900HP will be purchased from Alston Saw Shop for $5,380, which will be paid through SPLOST.

Agreements & Bids

The Council agreed to execute an agreement between the Sweet Onion Golf Authority and Mike Young for the scope of services which he plans to provide throughout the process of the creation and functioning of the Warmouth Sands Golf Course.

The bid for the 2023 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) project to improve the sidewalk on 6th Street was awarded to McLendon Enterprises.

A portion of the fenc- ing around Ronnie A. Dixon City Park will be relocated to accommodate the construction of the adjacent Greater Vidalia Chamber Rural Center for Entrepreneurship. This relocation will not cost anything for the City.

Miscellaneous

A weekly salary of $3,000 with no benefits was established for Interim City Manager Bill Bedingfield.

Councilmembers unanimously agreed not to accept a bid received on the city’s Truman Street property.

Shanna Burkett was appointed to fulfill the vacant position on the Vidalia Housing Authority Board. Previously, this position was held by Ray Blount, whose term recently expired. This will be a 5-year term, which will expire in August 2028.

The annual City Christmas Tree Lighting event, which will be held at 6 p.m. at the Ronnie A. Dixon City Park, and the Vidalia Christmas Parade, which will begin at 11 a.m. on December 2, were both approved by the Council.

A one-time salary payback of one week’s pay will be given to the city employees as a bonus in December.

The Council agreed to recertify the city as a Georgia Municipal Association City of Ethics, which helps to ensure that the municipality is acting in a manner that the Association finds ethical.