By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore City Council members approved during their Monday, January 24, meeting the letting of bids for seven new police vehicles, renewed the city’s line of credit with a local bank and the granting of a beer and wine license for a local coffee shop.
Bids will now be let for five new patrol vehicles, an SUV for the chief and a heavy-duty pickup truck for APD’s drug enforcement unit. The pickup will be paid for through an ALEA Drug Task Force grant, while the other vehicles will be paid for out of the city’s General Fund.
“We want to keep our fleet up to date,” said Police Chief Chuck Brooks before the council gave its unanimous approval. “Right now, our oldest units are 2018s, and we need to keep one or two for spares.”
Next on the three-item agenda, council members voted in unison to renew the city’s line of credit with First National Bank & Trust. The LOC, which must be approved by the council each year, is for $1.7 million in potential borrowing power, at an interest rate of 3.45 percent. All five council members voted in favor of the measure.
The meeting’s final business item was the approval of a retail beer and retail table wine license for The Coffee House LLC. Owner-operator Kerra Mascaro was not at the meeting, nor was any other representative of the local coffee shop.
“This has been approved by the state, and it has to have our approval, too,” said Mayor Jim Staff prior to the unanimous vote in favor of the license. “Everything is as it should be, with no problems.”