Elmer City appoints new council member

Elmer City appointed a new council member in addition to other business they took care of during their Oct. 13 council meeting. 

Long named new council member

Flora Long expressed her interest in Council Member Position #4 during the meeting, saying that she is "just trying to do my civic duty." She has lived in the community for 40 years, she said, adding that her parents grew up in Elmer City.

Long is also the sister of Councilmember Bill Dunlap. 

The council approved her appointment. She will be sworn in next month, joining Dunlap, Clara Carson, Michael Humiston, and Terje Berg on the council.

She is filling the position formerly held by Don Bonertz, who left the position last spring.

The unexpired term ends at the end of 2023, when the position will go up for election to a four-year term.

Long will take the oath of office and be sworn in to the council during their next meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 10. 

Winter is coming

Public Works Director Jimmer Tillman noted that the city is getting a new truck that will be fitted with a new plow.

That will come in handy as a snowy winter is anticipated, with City Clerk Kelly Ross noting that caterpillars have been more black in color, a sign of a harsher winter, a foretelling sign she said comes from the Farmers' Almanac.

The old truck and plow will be declared surplus by the city, which may come in handy for someone this winter, Tillman noted. 

Mission

statement

The city has an official mission statement now, which could come in handy for grant applications, Ross said. 

"The Town of Elmer City is committed to building a community where everyone can live, work, and play in a small-town atmosphere that offers a friendly, peaceful, and clean environment – backed by strong responsible community leaders with an eye to the future," the statement reads. "This commitment is based on the respect of our past, the safeguarding of our heritage and traditions, and through creative innovative leadership in managing future growth while

enhancing our community." 

Documents

getting

shredded 

A number of documents Elmer City doesn't need anymore are going to be shredded, with the city renting a 65-gallon shredder for the occasion.

Ross said she will have to document what is being shredded, with boxes and boxes the city doesn't need to keep, dating back years, on the path to destruction. 

Pronouns in job descriptions

The city also updated job descriptions for city employees, changing some language from either "he" or "she" to "they" or "them."

"I can be a pronoun now," Tillman said. 

Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Michael Humiston said that he was fine with the changes as long as they were intelligible.

The plural nature of the words "they," and "them" can create confusion when referring to a singular person.

Humiston, who is an attorney, noted he has seen instances in which the changing of pronouns in a document led to it making no sense at all.

Ross has been tasked with updating city documents, and the job descriptions had previously included a mix match of pronouns depending on who had held the roles when the descriptions had last been updated.

Sausage and laws

Humiston noted a quote during the meeting, often attributed to Otto von Bismarck, which varies in how it is worded but paraphrased reads "those who like sausages and laws shouldn't watch how either of them are made."

The internet deliberates on the attribution of the quote and its actual verbiage, however, the sentiment of the quote remains the same.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The council also approved a resolution recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Their proclamation notes that the month is being recognized because increasing awareness of breast cancer encourages individuals to have a plan to detect the disease in early stages. 

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer, about 100 times more common in women than men, and about one in eight women will be diagnosed with the disease.

"It is vital that those affected by breast cancer have access to quality, affordable care, and that research of all forms of breast cancer continues to be vigorously supported," the proclamation reads. 

The five-year survival rate for a breast cancer patient is getting better, now at 89.7 percent, according to the proclamation. 

Members of the council noted the prominence of the disease and that they have known people who have been afflicted by it.