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The city of West Point held a brief business meeting on Monday night, during which the council members voted on a mayor pro tempore and several other city official spots.  

Council member Sandra Thornton voted for Gloria R. Marshall as Mayor Pro-Tempore to serve a one-year term until a successor is elected and qualified. 

The council also unanimously voted for Luther Jones to serve as Municipal Court Judge and Benjamin F. Wilcox to serve as Municipal Court Recorder Tempore Assistant Judge.

As for municipal court and city representation, the council members voted for Mark Carlton as Municipal Court Prosecuting Attorney and Alex Dixon as Assistant Municipal Court Prosecuting Attorney.

Dixon will also serve as City Attorney for the council. Jacob Key was voted to serve as Public Defender for the city. 

Mayor Steve Tramell administered the oath of office to Dixon, the City Attorney and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.

After that, Tramell asked the council to approve a resolution that would set the 2025 Municipal Election Qualifying Fee for Councilmembers at $151.20. 

The council agreed that the qualifying fees would be fixed and published by Feb. 1 of the year the general municipal election is to be held. According to the meeting minutes, the qualifying fee is three percent of Councilmembers’ annual salary from the prior year. 

Next, the mayor asked for approval of an agreement on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Trail Project. 

Located on an old woodyard property owned by the Downtown West Point Development Authority, the project will be to develop a new trail that would loop 0.2 miles in West Point and connect to a trail across the state line in Alabama. 

The project would incorporate signage and develop better access to the water trail at the Chattahoochee River. The cost of the project would be $306,465. In addition, funding support is 65 percent, grant-in-aid is $200,000 and a minimum local match is $106,465. 

At the end of the meeting, Thornton with Minie Clue Murphy, who turned 100 years old on Jan. 6, a happy birthday. She also recognized the passing of A. R. Ransom, who served as a West Point Alderman from Jan. 16, 1984 to April 12, 1992.  

Thornton also invited the city workers and community to attend an MLK Breakfast event, hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and partnering with the Circle of Care. The breakfast event will be held on Jan. 20 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. 

A donation of a new coat or socks will be greatly appreciated but not needed, according to Thornton.