The Paxton Town Council opened their regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 15 with the unanimous approval of the prior meeting’s minutes and a unanimous approval to pay bills owed.
Pam Thompson brought a well thought-out presentation to the Council on the Gladys Milton Library and the ability of the library to help save local residents money, provide entertainment and help with job searches.
“We can request any information, anything you need from any other library in Walton County and have it delivered here for your convenience,” said Thompson. “I believe that if we here, local residents, begin to utilize and publicize the fact that we have a local library, we might be able to grow in the future. During tough times, government often puts items like libraries on the chopping block when the people of the community need it the most. I’d like to implore our locals to use their library and let others know it is there. We need to support the library by using it, and by implementing a ‘Friends of the Library’ program like the other three libraries in Walton have. We can implement a volunteer program, extend the children’s program and even put together some programs for special classes for adults to get them in the the door so they can see what the library has to offer. Work on it, please, I’m begging you to help us get a group together to help keep our library. If we don’t speak up and out, that library may not be there for you in the future.”
Councilman Tommy Mathis told Thompson that although he understood she was only requesting volunteers at that time, she knew that budgets were tight in Paxton and she or someone like her would need to make a formal request in the future if any issues with the library needed help in funding from the Council, so it could be considered when budget time rolled around. The Council agreed that the library was a very important part of the community and they could make more use of or remember to remind others that the library was there for the residents.
Councilman Charles Cook made a motion to bring the city mileage rate up, after much discussion by the Council, to the same as that of the county at .51 cent per mile. Council members are the only employees that use mileage and then only if they have travel associated official business. The motion passed unanimously.
The Council then discussed getting some department repairs made on a fire hydrant that had a back flow preventer problem, but no formal motion was made or needed.
The Paxton Town Council meets on the third Tuesday on every month.