HIGHFILL — After two failed attempts to obtain a quorum for its regular meeting on Jan. 10 and 11, the Highfill Council finally held its official meeting on the evening of Jan. 13, with three of its five aldermen present.

A budget for 2012 was adopted on its third and final reading - a business item making the January meeting necessary so that employees could be paid and city services provided and to meet the state-requiredFeb. 1 deadline for municipalities to have adopted an annual budget.

The new budget anticipates 2012 receipts at $1,716,554 and expenditures at $1,674,862, leaving a buffer of just under $42,000.

Included in the 2012 budget was a raise for street and maintenance supervisor Vernon Reams to make his annual salary $37,000. A raise for parttime police officers, from $11.11 per hour to $12.50 per hour, was also included in the budget to make the part-time posts more competitive with other municipalities.

Two other ordinances were read a second time, putting them up for a third and final reading in February. The two proposed ordinances are to establish wards within the city and to set the number of aldermen from each ward so that the city can comply with state law for cities of the second class.

A new proposed ordinance establishing a festival committee for the city of Highfill was read a first time and placed on its second reading for next month.

A re-plat request from the children’s shelter was approved.

A resolution changing the city’s organizational chart and moving the positions of fire marshal, building inspector and code enforcement officer under the planning department and more directly under the mayor was approved. The change came at the request of Highfill Fire Chief Gene Holland, following the resignation of Kevin Higgins from the above positions on Jan. 6.

News, Pages 6 on 01/25/2012