DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY|dewayne@mcnews.online
MOUNT IDA – Reith Stanley presented a proposal to the Mount Ida City Council that would allow him to serve as a night watchman for the city.
Stanley was given time at the most recent city council meeting to speak about the possibility of him becoming the city’s night watchman. He pointed out that the city collects a sales tax that was originally passed to fund a city marshal. When the city did away with the city marshal position they pay the money to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement coverage in Mount Ida.
Stanley argued that the city wasn’t getting their money’s worth from the Sheriff’s Office. He cited noise complaints and fast vehicle complaints as evidence. The city currently pays around $30,000 per year to the sheriff’s office. Stanley offered to serve as a city night watchman for the same amount.
He proposed that he would begin his patrol around sundown each day. He would check to make sure businesses were secure and would patrol the streets throughout the night. He stated that he would not make any arrests and would only detain individuals until the sheriff’s office could get there to make any arrests or write a ticket.
Stanley offered to provide his own uniform, equipment and vehicle. He stated that if given the position he didn’t want the city council to tell him what to do and that he would take care of his duties. He added that if the city decided to take him up on his offer he would only serve until they could find someone else to do the job.
Mayor Jo Childress stated that the reason the city doesn’t have a city marshal is they can’t afford to staff one for the amount of money collected through the tax. She pointed out that the position requires more than salary with the city responsible for workmen’s comp, retirement and social security among other things.
Several of the Alder persons present felt it necessary to wait until after the upcoming election to see what changes within the sheriff’s office might benefit the city of Mount Ida.
The City Council persons voted to table the offer until after the election.
