Big Changes in RBS City

By Misty Green

The Red Boiling Springs City Council met on Thursday, August 8, 2024, and voted to approve several changes such as officially naming a new police chief, an addition to the Historical District Map, and pay raises in the police department that will place them near the top of the list in law enforcement agency wages in Macon County.

The first item on the agenda, after the roll call was taken, where the following council members announced they were present: Vice Mayor Linda Carver, Helen Gregory, Donna Grisham, George McCrary, and Michael Rich, was to have Red Boiling Springs City Attorney Branden Bellar conduct the swearing-in ceremony of Tricia Grinestaff as the newest city council member.

The 2024 TAUD Recommendation as a discussion was next on the agenda, “It’s in your packets, but in 2021, we were put under an order,” City Attorney Branden Bellar began, “And if you have any questions after looking at that, then Chad (Owens, Water Department) or I can explain it.”

“Remember that court order we had before, when we all got served,” Red Boiling Springs Mayor Kenneth Hollis stated, “We’re just trying to stay ahead of it,” while reminding the new council member, Tricia Grinestaff to make sure to complete her online training to hold the seat.

The 2024/25 Fiscal Year’s Budget was approved. “I got a letter from the comptroller’s office and we received a compliment for having our budget in on time,” Councilman George McCrary stated, then shared that the 2022/2023 audit has not yet been completed and is a year behind. Mayor Hollis commented that John Poole (CPA) should be notified to do it.

In the Planning Commission section of the agenda, George McCrary announced, “We have an ordinance to add an area of land to the Historical District Map that was left off for some reason, and it’s the house and the acreage that is next to the Donoho Hotel.”

“You mean between Joe Hill and the Donoho,” Mayor Hollis asked.

“Yes, the red brick house… the Old Hagan House,” McCrary replied, and the motion was passed on the first reading.

Discussion then ensued about a man named Randy who had requested an area at the little park beside the Church of Christ to be renamed the Historic Buffalo Trail Road and build an expansion bridge connecting the park to the park. Crystal Justice explained that he had come to one of their meetings and told them how this area used to be known for the Historic Buffalo having a trail through this area, near the covered bridge.

They spoke about concrete to construct the bridge and walk pad, mentioning a sign could be designed sharing about the Buffalo and could be stationed along the trail.

“Is it actually, where buffalos roamed,” one council member asked, or is it where Native Americans…”

“I talked to several people here in town, and I asked opinions of it,” Mayor Kenneth Hollis said, “And they do not want that name… And the more I think about it, I don’t want that name either because it ain’t got nothing to do with no buffalo… I’m sure there were buffalos here… And Indians here… There was everybody here back at one time… If they want something that goes back to the original settlers, or something like that, I’ll go with that, but buffaloes.”

“I have talked to several people today and they said the same thing,” Councilman Michael Rich shared.

“They do not want it, and if ya’ll do it and ya’ll vote it in, then that’s fine,” Mayor Hollis said, “But, I just don’t agree with it… But the walking bridge thing, I’ll agree to that.”

“Original settlers, or something to do with the mineral waters, then I will agree to that, because there were a lot of people who started Red Boiling back years ago.”

“Let it go back to the planning commission,” George McCrary said.

“I think that’s the best,” Hollis agreed, “What do ya’ll think?”

“I agree,” Vice Mayor Linda Carver stated. “Okay,” McCrary reiterated. 

“Alright, Evan (White), where are you at,” Hollis signaled verbally among the crowded room, explaining he wanted to discuss the two bathroom bids that came in way over the figures everyone had hoped for.

“Evan, have you got a plan for the bathrooms,” Mr. McCrary asked, “porta-potties,” someone joked, and laughter erupted in the crowd.

“So, we opened bids and R.T. Builders was the lowest bidder at $229,000. Clark Construction Company $236,939. We feel like this is a little on the high side and my recommendation is to reject all of the bids and re-bid them with less,” Evan White said. Three toilets on each side are what was first bid and discussion ensued followed by a motion made by George McCrary and seconded by Vice Mayor Linda Carver to be re-bid on the women’s side with one sink and two toilets, with one toilet being ADA compliant, and on the men’s side, one ADA toilet and urinal and one sink. 

“Police Department,” Mayor Hollis stated, “Monthly activity report.”

Interim Chief Jeffery Maynard walked forward to the podium and shared that, “During the month of July the department received 91 calls for service, 38 traffic stops, eight citations, 46 warnings, 12 arrests, and 20 warrants, including closing out a major felony case where he tried to break into city hall.”

“Maynard,” Hollis began, “I think I have talked to some of you all about him that he should be promoted to the chief… He has done a really good job and if ya’ll are fine with it, then I think we should hire him as chief.”

Several, “Motions” and “Seconds” were heard, and the promotion was unanimously approved.

“Well, let’s start in right now and set the pay scale,” Mayor Hollis directed, “Then we will make some changes here in a minute… The chief is at $25.25, and then we will do some changes here in a minute, but I will need a motion and a second to do that.” 

“Motion”…”Second” and it was approved unanimously.

“Accept Brian Trask’s resignation,” Hollis said, “He is going to the county.” It was unanimously approved.

“Me and Maynard have talked and what we have come up with… Marty is going to come in October, and we are holding off… He is going to be our Assistant Chief, and we can’t make him Assistant Chief until he has gone full-time… What we discussed and we think it’s going to work, is right now, how much have you spent so far this month, do you know?”

Maynard replied, “Last month we looked at it and we were three weeks in the month and I think we were at $12,000 and we should have spent like $22,000.”

“Okay,” Hollis continued, “What we are talking about doing is we are going to take and raise the price on part-time officers, who are at $22 per hour right now, and I want to raise it to $24 per hour and the reason for that is, if we raise it to $24, then we are going to get people to come in here and work, and if we raise it, we can save $5 to $6 per hour working part-time, plus the cars aren’t going home, save on fuel and wear-and-tear on the vehicles, the benefits we are not paying them… We will get both of them (Chief Maynard & Asst. Chief Marty) in here full-time and the rest of the staff can be part-time and work part-time around the clock and save money and have a lot better coverage… We think we can add one along in the daytime on the weekends for safety, that is sort of our plan, but I want to raise it to you. And while we do that we need to raise the chief on up there to $27 per hour, it’s at $25.25 now.” The motions of raising the part-time pay to $24 per hour and the Chief’s pay to $27 per hour were both unanimously approved.

“Like he said, three weeks in,” Mayor Hollis continued. “It (P.D. Budget) was projected to be at $22,000 and now it is at $12,000, so we are saving around $10,000 a month just doing that,” Chief Maynard agreed. 

“So, you will have two full-time and the rest part-time, and a bunch are wanting to do it,” Mayor Hollis added,  “They are coming in because we are raising the price on it… They (interested applicants) are either with the Lafayette Police Department or with the County but they are wanting to work because we told them we raised the price.”

In the Water Department ~ Temporary Moratorium on sales of new water taps

“Me and Chad (Owens) talked and we are still having trouble trying to keep our tanks (water) full… You’re not able to keep them full at all are you,” Mayor Hollis asked.

“No,” Chad Owens replied, “Last Saturday… I think my demand in July was 750,000 a day and I am making around 800,000 a day, so I have 50,000 gallons trying to fill up in a day and it takes ten days just to fill it back up.”

“I talked to Evan White the other day, the engineer,” Mayor Hollis added, “And he said in eight months, we would be having a temporary plant up here making water, while they was building and putting our new plant together… So, he said in eight months we would be making water and we could turn out and produce water to push it through that plant… So, we need more than 50,000 per day to pull us through… So, me and Chad has come up and are wanting to stop selling any new water taps for at least eight months… This is our recommendation because if something goes down then we are not going to have enough water… The temporary plant will produce about 430-440,000 gallons per day and that’s wide-open, and we have got another plant new that we bought, it’s a used plant, but you know, it can go in there and if we have got a spring passed, then we can pump what we need to pump.”

“The source of water the city has is limited,” Chad Owens said, “It’s at 80-90% capacity, one breakdown for twelve hours in the water plant, then I’m going to be out of water… It takes me a week and a half to make up for that twelve hours of loss… The source and we distribute so much… You’ve got BabyNov pulling 70-80,000 gallons of water per day, we are selling Jackson County 150,000 gallons per day, all the chicken houses, so I mean it’s a lot and the plants can only do so much… We have got to somehow come up with another source or try to purchase water…”

“I talked to Lafayette,” Mayor Hollis said, “And they are supposed to be putting… In another… They are working on it and going to go on to the river more because I talked to one of the council members the other day and he said hopefully, eventually, they would be able to sell us water… We’re sort of in a mess right now, but all these other towns are too… Jackson County don’t have no other way of getting water except from us… We go all the way to Salt Lick Creek and to the fairgrounds at Jackson County at the bridge… They have no other source and I’m just trying to stop the bleeding right now while we get this other plant in here so we can actually go and make more water.”

“So, that was eight months,” Vice Mayor Linda Carver asked.

“He told me, eight months the other plant would be making water,” Mayor Hollis replied.

“Maybe,” Owens added, “We just got a letter yesterday, and the state is going to make us do a PILOT program, and we have a meeting on the 1st… They are wanting us to do a bunch of testing on trees, and this is just all unraveled this week, and we have got a video conference on the 1st to try and get that dismissed.”

“We’ve got to furnish the customers we have got right now,” Mayor Hollis said, “I understand that we have new customers coming, but if we ain’t got no water to sell them, then we ain’t got no water to sell them… And I know in other towns, one of them that Dale Brown is working for has 3or400 on the books and so, they have quit selling taps now for about a year.”

“Can we make enough water in eight months to take care of what’s here,” Michael Rich asked.

“Yes,” Hollis replied, “We are just trying to hold on to what we have got and we have got to get this plant upgraded to make more water.”

“If we can’t supply any more water taps, then we might as well just wait,” Vice Mayor Carver stated, and the motion was unanimously approved, for an eight-month temporary moratorium on sales of new water taps.

Moving down in the agenda to the Sanitation department, it was said that there was nothing to discuss and that the Streets Department had no complaints. 

In the Parks Department, “George,” Mayor Hollis said. “Dealing with bathrooms,” Mr. McCrary replied, and laughter erupted in the crowd.

“Whitley Cemetery,” Mayor Hollis said, “Are ya’ll ready,” he asked.

“I guess,” Vice Mayor Carver replied.

“Discuss the indigent plots for burial,” Mayor Hollis said, “Wayne Anderson called and said that they had a plot there for these and I said, I have never been told that, and if I have, then I have forgotten it… He says it is down next to the woods and I looked and there are two buried down there down there next to the woods in the lower plot on the hill end… Been a pretty good while, but I have just now noticed them.”

“Is there any markers or anything,” George McCrary asked.

“Yes, there are graves there,” Mayor Hollis replied, “I seen them… I looked at them.”

“Can you find anything on the map,” Linda Carver said, “Any kind of map.”

“There is nothing,” Hollis replied, “He just said this happened a long time ago and they were going to bury them there… I had a call from someone over in Clay County and I told him that we were not going to take anybody out of Clay County… I said if we was going to it, then it would be only somebody… Now Lafayette, Lafayette has their city cemetery off of Jones Street and the county has one across from the helicopter, and they take dead people there, that’s a county cemetery… They (two in Whitley Cemetery) have been there for a little bit, I’d say five, six, ten years or something… They are down the next to the woods in the drain… If you want to set aside something like that, then it needs to be for Red Boiling Springs citizens only… Because if you start opening it up, then people would be coming in here from everywhere.”

“If we open this up, the people are going to go to Wayne and say, I can’t buy a plot,” Vice Mayor Linda Carver stated.

“That’s it,” Mayor Hollis replied.

“I ain’t got any money to buy a plot,” Carver added, “So, at that point, we will have one this week and two next week and we can’t do that… There’s a lot of people here, the Hispanics, I mean, I don’t mean to be cruel but…”

“There will always be people who come up and say they ain’t got no money,” Mayor Hollis redirected, “And what’s your opinion there?”

“Unless you want to set an indigent fund and let the taxpayers pay for it,” City Attorney Bellar commented.

“It’s Whitley Cemetery, not a non-profit cemetery,” was heard.

“It’s ours,” Mayor Hollis said, “So do ya’ll just want to keep it like it is and everybody has to buy graves… For now,”

“For now,” George McCrary agreed.

“I told him (Wayne) we would get something voted on, so I’m just going to tell him that everybody has got to buy plots,” Mayor Hollis said. 

“If someone needed it would be one thing, but if every family came in,” Vice Mayor Carver stated, “And, who’s to say that they are indigent,” she continued.

“You would have to do some kind of investigations,” Mayor Hollis stated, “And we are not going to do that.” The motion to leave it like it is and that all must-buy plots was unanimously approved.

It was reported that Duck Days is planned for September 7th at the Thomas House. 

Firefighter Michael Duffer was approved for his one-year raise and $0.50 was added to bring his pay to $20.50.

“He done told me he was quitting, but then I told him he was going to get a raise,” Mayor Hollis shared. 

The Macon Tourism Occupancy Tax was not approved.

The next city election for Red Boiling Springs is set for April 26th, 2025 and papers to run for the election must be filed in December.

Crystal Justice was approved to apply for a Tourism Grant.

“We need a motion to hire Joe Hill as a sanitation truck driver, and set his pay at $17 per hour,” Mayor Hollis said before the meeting adjourned, and the motion was approved.