Atlanta to fill council vacancy

By Randy Grider
randy@casscounty.com

The Atlanta City Council is looking for a citizen living in District 3, who is interested in filling the council member position held the late James Roy “J.R.” O’Kelley until the November general election. O’Kelley, 67, passed away on May 31 after serving the council since 2005.
The council is required to appoint someone to fill the position within 30 days of a council member’s vacancy.
Atlanta City Manager David Cockrell said interested parties can send correspondence to City Hall to the attention of the mayor’s office outlining their desire to serve, as well as any applicable qualifications or credentials. Citizens can also contact the mayor or any current councilman to let their interest be known.
The council plans to appoint someone to the fill the vacancy at the scheduled June 20 meeting. “If someone is interested would like to know the basics like how long they have lived in the city, any affiliations with clubs, experience, education and those kinds of things,” Cockrell said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a change order of $21,000 for additional internal primer/coating to complete repairs at the Grandview elevated water storage tank.
• Passed a resolution approving the city manager to begin the process of runway and taxiway improvements at the Hall Miller Airport utilizing 90/10 matching funds from the Texas Department of Transportation. The two-prong project will begin with engineering phase in the next fiscal year and the actual improvements most likely being the following fiscal year.
• Approved $3,595 for 41 new badges for the Atlanta Police Department. Each full-time law enforcement official will receive two badges (redesigned with the input of the officers) -- one of his or her wallet and one wear on the uniform.
• Authorized the city to apply for a Global Fleet fuel card for the city.
• Authorized Hathcock Construction to perform demolition of a house at 503 N. West Street at a cost of $3,150, with the city to place a special assignment lien on the property for the cost of the work.