The Harrison City Council met on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
The city council unanimously approved the Planning Commission's zoning request. The change to C-3 will allow a new golf cart business to be opened adjacent to the golf course.
The Alcohol Licensing Ordinance 1532 was presented for its first reading. Councilman Mitch Magness asked that the word “audit” be added to the ABC Board of Directors' responsibilities when paperwork needs to be accessed. Magness said the other two descriptive words (inspect and examine) only allowed someone to inspect the paperwork on site, but the word “audit” allows for copies of the paperwork to be removed from the site and studied later. The board voted in favor of the additional word.
The next agenda item was a proposal, which was presented during committee meetings on Oct. 10. Dan Lancaster spoke about the letter.
Various questions, some of which could have been found on the city’s website, were raised about the code of ethics and the removal of council members. The city’s attorney, Nancy Cartwright, answered the questions. She said only a Circuit Judge could remove a council member who had been voted or appointed into office if necessary for nonfeasance of office.
Councilmember Jeremy Ragland asked the council if they were trying to get rid of him. “I’m just trying to hang on until January,” the audience laughed. Then he added, “I don’t think a council member having a different opinion from yourself is grounds for dismissal. I think that is a good thing.”
There was also a question about items coming to the council that department heads could handle.
Mayor Jerry Jackson addressed the issue to the audience. “If you have a problem with something in the city, you should first contact the mayor’s office. (Or use TextMyGov) Most of the time, Christeen can direct your question or issue to the appropriate department head. If your situation isn’t resolved, you should contact your ward’s councilperson and let them know. But most of the time, it can easily be handled by the executive board, which oversees all the day-to-day operations of the city.”
Councilman Mitch Magness reminded Lancaster that council members can not discuss issues with other council members outside of council meetings. “Our council meets monthly to conduct the business of the city we oversee. You’ll get a much faster response if you go through the correct department head.”
The meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
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