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The LaFayette City Council met for the final time in May on Wednesday. It had two resolutions on the agenda and both were approved by all council members present for the special meeting.

The first was the approval of a change in the city’s Level Funding Budget. The change in the budget was up to $30,000 in order to purchase a skid steer.

“I’ve been approached by [Street, Sanitation, and Cemetery Superintendent] George Green, [Wastewater Collection Superintendent] Richard Chapman as well as [Water Superintendent] Ann Gleaton, who have all used the piece equipment that we have rented,” LaFayette Mayor Barry Moody said.

Moody said that the city had located two different skid steers that the city had rented before. The price before negotiations would be around $25,000. There is a newer model that the city has also found as a viable option to purchase, but its price would be closer to $30,000.

The extra $5,000 in the budget would allow city clerk Louis Davidson to have more room to negotiate prices for the different skid steers that the city has thought about purchasing and to buy the newer model if it is in the best interest of the city.

“It’s a good piece of equipment, and it’s something that all departments can use,” Green said at  the previous council meeting. “It would favor us if we had something like that because I think that we will continue to tear down houses. It is kind of impossible to tear down a house without this piece of equipment.”

The other resolution was the approval of a reduction in electricity bills for the month of May for every LaFayette citizen.

“In order to alleviate some of the financial burden caused by the current pandemic, the city of LaFayette is granting a one-time 20% deduction on electrical uses charges recorded for the month of May reflected to the utility bills beginning on June 1, 2020,” Moody said. “This reduction has been made available by the city’s electricity provider  [Tallapoosa River Electric Cooperative] and is being passed on to utility customers.  These funds are being offered to customers who have suffered a decrease in wages caused by COVID-19.”

Before closing the meeting, Moody thanked the council as they have worked to try and ease the burden that COVID-19 has placed on the citizens of LaFayette.

“We have made every effort to work with every citizen that has gone through any hardship through this pandemic,” Moody said.