By REID TUCKER
The Paxton Town Council honored one of its own at the first meeting of 2014, unanimously passing a resolution in the memory of the late former councilman Frank McIntosh.
McIntosh’s family members were in attendance at the Jan. 21 meeting, where they received a framed copy of the resolution passed in his honor.
In addition to serving on the Town Council for several years, McIntosh, who died last November, was a life-long pillar of the Paxton community as a farmer and, since, 1977, as an ordained minister who preached at several area churches over the course of his career.
The Council was unanimous in its enthusiastic approval for the passage of the resolution, and board chairman Bobby Kemp briefly addressed the family with words of commendation for his old friend’s life.
“Frank was really a special friend to all of us,” Kemp said. “I knew him all my life and worked with him and for him for a long time. I just appreciated Frank so much. He was always a blessing to me when I’d go to church and hear him preach.”
Next up on the agenda, the Council unanimously approved a one-year land lease agreement with business owner John Aherne to rent the property just off U.S. 331 near the corner of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office substation. Aherne, who late last year proposed setting up his mobile barbecue vending trailer at the location, will pay a nominal fee of $1 per month as per the lease agreement. The lease is renewable for up to three years but it is also eligible for an extension past that date, with renewals to be decided prior to the Council’s first meeting of the each year.
The Council also voted 5-0 in favor of appointing the committee required to submit a state grant for a sewer system upgrade. If secured, the sought-for grant would reduce the cost to the city by 75 percent. The Council convened a public hearing on the subject of the sewer upgrade on Jan. 23
Finally, City Attorney Clay Adkinson updated the Council on the prospective ordinance discussed a few months ago that would enable the board to set future water and sewer rates by resolution, rather than having to amend the existing ordinance as is currently required by the town charter. Adkinson will present the finalized ordinance to the Council for its approval at an upcoming meeting.
