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Counil approves new mowing contract, reappoints salary committee

The Gilmer City Council approved a new annual contract Tuesday (July 8) for mowing the Gilmer City Cemetery next to Coffeeville Road.

The new contractor will be Stan the Yard Man of Gilmer. His bid was $1,750 a month, with the cemetery to be mowed 24 times a year.

Current contractor J&S Lawn Service bid $1,650, but for only 20 mowings a year.

L&L Lawn Service of Nacogdoches bid $2,250 per month, for mowings every two weeks, and one a month in the winter.

In the only other action item, the council reappointed the city’s salary committee, as part of the city’s budget process.

Reappointed were Mayor Buck Cross, councilwoman Sara Dumas, and city manager Jeff Ellington.

The committee will review salaries of all city employees and make recommendations.

They will compare salaries with those in nearby cities of similar size. They will also consider qualifications and job descriptions.

“Everybody needs a raise because the cost of living has increased and the price of gasoline is scary,” City Manager Jeff Ellington.

Councilman William Hornsby said that some city employees had lost ground, because there was one five-year period in which they went without raises.

Ellington said he hoped the city could “make up some ground, and certainly not to lose any ground.”

Ellington also told the council that the City Charter has been reprinted, and will be mailed to all registered voters in the city.

He said it will show what items are part of the original charter from 1996, what amendments were added in 2000, and what amendments were adopted in 2007.

Ellington also reported that a new phone system has been installed at city hall, and that a project at the airport is near completion.

At the airport, an apron is being added for parking planes, and other areas are being reworked and sealed.

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