The Laurel City Council voted Tuesday night to allow Ward 4 Councilman George Carmichael to serve a second term as council president and Ward 1 Councilwoman Willie Evans to remain vice president.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Felicia Breland nominated Carmichael for his second one-year term as president while Ward 6 Councilman Johnny Magee nominated Ward 2 Councilman Tony Wheat. Carmichael received four votes from Breland, Evans, Ward 5 Councilman Manuel Jones, and himself. Wheat received votes from Magee, Ward 2 Councilman Tony Thaxton, and himself.

Thaxton nominated Evans for her second one-year term as vice president. Magee again nominated Wheat. Evans received five votes from Breland, Jones, Carmichael, Thaxton, and herself. Wheat received votes from Magee and himself.

In the city clerk’s office, council members also greatly discussed approving a payraise for the vacant accountant position and a decrease of pay for the vacant deputy city clerk position. The vacant grant writer position was deleted and the vacant assistant accountant position has been filled. For more information on the discussion and decisions, see page A1 of the July 9 edition of the Leader-Call.

Some departments may also see an organizational restructuring during budget hearings that begin next week. City leaders stressed that no decisions have been made, but administrators did let council members know they are looking at options.

Discussions may include creating a Chief Financial Officer position for Laurel. One scenario places Mary Ann Hess in that position while hiring a new city clerk. Another option moves the public relations and community relations positions to a marketing umbrella.

Woody Sample updated city leaders on the status of two grants applied for by the city. Both are GOZone Community Block Development Grants. The first is for $1,104,300 and would go towards work at Water Plant No. 1. The second grant for $234,000 goes towards implementing a senior citizens’ facility in Laurel.

Sample said the Mississippi Development Authority requires environmental impacts before grant approval. He said the process is completed for the senior citizens’ facility and the process should begin in August.

However, the water plant process isn’t as far along.

“The building is old,” Sample told council members. That being said, Sample said the Department of Archives and History has notified the city that they are taking a look at plans before the department will sign off on the work.

Laurel Fire Department Battalion Chief Alfred Jordan and Chief David Chance also addressed the council. Jordan said citizens are still calling the department, asking about the painting project.

“We are currently painting hydrants,” he said. “Frankly they need to be painted.”

The bodies of the hydrants are silver. The crowns are painted different colors, depending on the waterflow. Responding to citizens’ concern, Jordan reminded council members that hydrants have already been tested earlier this year. Details from both issues can be found in earlier editions of the Leader-Call.

Jordan and Chance also discussed the problem of people stealing caps from hydrants which was also earlier reported in the Leader-Call. The missing caps are a safety issue, and the problem could be either scrap-metal related or even gang related.

“If you see anyone doing this please report it to the authorities,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the caps could easily be mixed in with other metals and sold. Chance, however, said other cities are seeing the same problem, and authorities in those cities say it may be gang related.

“These wangsters — want to be gangsters — this is another way to mark their territories,” Chance said. “What they don’t realize is they are putting peoples’ lives in danger.”

“It’s going to retard our progress in suppressing that fire,” Jordan said.

Other council action included:

• adopted a resolution authorizing Laurel to enter into a contract with USA Pools for the care of the pool at the Laurel Sportsplex — voted 7-0.

• accepted a donation from Dixie Youth Baseball for the construction of a pressbox — voted 7-0.

• accepted the lowest bid from Reeves Construction, Inc., for the pressbox at the Sportsplex — voted 7-0.

• appointed Susan Vincent to the Board of Commissioners of the Pine Belt Regional Solid Waste Management Authority — voted 7-0.

• changed the Aug. 5 Council meeting time from 5:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to avoid a conflict with the National Nigh Out Against Crime — voted 6-1, with Thaxton voting against. Thaxton voiced concern that the change will set a negative precedence for future conflicts.

• changed zoning on a parcel of land in Ward 5 from I-3 to R-3 to permit the construction of townhouses on eight acres of land belonging to Allen B. Nunnally — voted 7-0.

• adopted a change to increase the mileage reimbursement rate to 58.5 cents per mile in accordance with IRS regulations — voted 7-0.