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VIDALIA, La. — The Vidalia Mayor and Board of Aldermen have several high-dollar community projects on its agenda this week, including putting utility rebate checks into the hands of Vidalia residents.

In a special meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, the Town of Vidalia Mayor and Board of Aldermen plan to discuss utility system upgrades, hydroelectric royalty rebates for the town’s utility customers, Phase I of the Polk Park expansion project and the Vidalia Dog Pound operating procedures.

In recent years, the Aldermen voted on rebating between $2 million and $3 million back to the town’s residents for their electricity, which for some comes in the form of a check unless they owe money on their bill. In that case, the rebate is deducted from their bill.

The amount residents receive depends on their utility usage.

The hydro royalty rebate generated by the Sydney A. Murray Jr. Hydroelectric Station is a perk the town has received since the plant went online in 1990, as the town owns interest in the hydroelectric station. Governing officials have the option to refund up to 50% of the customers’ utility bills every year, making the town have the “cheapest utilities anywhere,” said Mayor Buz Craft in a meeting last month.

“I don’t care where you go, you can’t get it any cheaper than that. … Not only that, but we have better service. I’d put our people against anybody,” he said.

Another discussion topic Tuesday, the Vidalia Dog Pound, has been a public concern among Miss-Lou residents since the Vidalia Police Department took charge of the pound on July 1.

Rumors spread among residents that VPD would be operating a kill shelter, which Vidalia Police Chief Joey Merrill has said is not true.

While the pound does not house animals long-term, Merrill said most of the dogs that are picked up by the Animal Control Officer in town limits have owners and are reunited with their owners or transported to a no-kill shelter. The exceptions, Merrill said, are dogs that are vicious or have medical concerns that require them to be humanely put down.

Vidalia officials previously discussed setting the special meeting to “devote time into getting animal control and dog pound procedures right,” Craft said.

The discussion will not only be about dogs but also cats and all animals within the town limits.

The board will also discuss the bids for Phase I of the William T. Polk Park expansion, located next to the Vidalia Municipal Complex. The town has set aside $1.6 million of its hydroelectric royalty revenue for this project which would include new playgrounds, updated pavilions, a fitness court, a splash pad along with several other amenities in the future.

Other matters to be discussed at the special meeting on Tuesday include board discussion and approval of two resolutions authorizing the Town of Vidalia to submit capital outlay requests for utility system upgrades and for the Vidalia port facility for 2025-2026.