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VIDALIA, La. — The Vidalia Board of Aldermen has a lengthy agenda posted for its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13, that starts at 6 p.m. at Vidalia Town Hall.

The meeting agenda includes setting a special meeting date for a discussion of procedures for the operation of the Vidalia Dog Pound, which since July 1 has come under the management of the Vidalia Police Department. The pound was voluntarily operated by utility department employee Deedee Roberts for more than eight years.

Before Roberts took the helm, the dog pound was a kill shelter run by the town police and was in deplorable condition. However, Chief Joey Merrill has said the pound plans include collaboration with other area shelters to keep dogs long-term and that he would “not be killing dogs” that aren’t vicious unless they are humanely euthanized due to illness.  Questions remain about how the pound will continue to operate and what budget it would have which Merrill has said would be up to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

New ordinance amendments are also on the agenda to be introduced on Tuesday. These include a discussion of upcoming adjustments to the utility rate ordinance; amending ordinance No. 692 to fix the compensation of the municipal clerk and the compensation of the Board of Aldermen; and amending ordinance No. 569 — which deals with noise control — to include the use of generators.

The town also has on its agenda the adoption of the millage rate for 2024. Each year, the town has the option to “roll forward” the millage and raise local taxes or leave the millage the same. No plans to roll forward this tax year have been previously discussed.

The Aldermen also plan to discuss several equipment purchases and changeovers during Tuesday’s meeting, including the execution of a lease-purchase agreement with Cadence Equipment Finance, awarding a bid for a new bucket truck for the utility department, awarding a bid for a new excavator, entering an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Ferriday allowing Ferriday to borrow two knuckle boom trucks on weekends and entering an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Ridgecrest to transfer a surplus mosquito sprayer to Ridgecrest.

Other matters on the agenda for the Town of Vidalia Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13, include:

• Board discussion and vote to approve the mayor’s appointments to commissions.
• Board discussion and preliminary vote of approval to allow the Delta Agriculture Research and Sustainability District to utilize offices in the Vidalia Convention Center.
• Board discussion and vote on approval for Vidalia Police Department hires including Gretchen McMillion, full-time dispatcher, Dartavious Bethley, full-time patrol officer, and Paul Allred, full-time patrol officer.
• Board discussion and vote of approval on a resolution requesting authority to advertise for competitive bids for a contract for the Vidalia slough pump station.
• Board discussion and vote of approval on a resolution to approve the bid of Meyer Utility Structures LLC for the procurement of steel transmission line poles and caissons.
• Board discussion and vote of approval of sign applications or Miss Lou Carts at 1814 Carter Street and Raceway at 4025 U.S. 84.
• Presentation of the town’s financial statement for June 2024.
• Mayor’s updates and reports.