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During the Demopolis City Council meeting on July 7, the Council voted to begin inserting reminders in residents’ water bills on being “a good neighbor to help keep our city clean, safe, and beautiful.”

The inserts will list violations of ordinances such as trash in yards, overgrown property, or junked vehicles. The inserts will be included in water bills twice a year and will cost around $500.

During the work session, Demopolis resident Georgia Todd approached the Council to request that the city maintain the ditch and fence near the DMS football field across from her home on South Strawberry. Todd said she wants the city to fix the area because she wants “this part of the city to look as nice as other parts of the city.”

Mayor Woody Collins said that responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the area falls to the Demopolis City School system, but he directed Todd’s concerns to Public Works director Ashford Jackson.

Also during the work session, Collins appointed Council members Bill Meador and David McCants to look into the requirements for renting the Civic Center and update them. A church congregation asked to rent the building on Sundays for a year, however the Council was not keen on keeping other groups out of the Civic Center on the weekends.

Other items approved/discussed by Council:

• Approved a tax abatement for Foster Farms
• Demopolis Fire Chief Jeb Bailey submitted protocols for dispatching fire/rescue vehicles. The Council approved the protocols and will submit them to E911 operators.