Ansonville Mayor Joe Estridge delivered a message to citizens who attended last Tuesday’s meeting: spread the word to your neighbors to complete their income survey so the town can try for some grants.
The town will conduct an income survey in the near future in the hopes of finally gaining some grants that have eluded town officials for years. “We’ve been kicked out of grants for various reasons,” Estridge said. “One reason was we didn’t charge enough for water and sewer. The tax rate wasn’t high enough. Then they came back and said our average household income was too high. I think there was just a few people that filled that out and sent it back in, and I cannot believe that the average income of the town is what they say it was. There’s too many old folks here that are on a fixed income and don’t have that money coming in.”
Estridge hopes that if everyone participates, the survey will set the record straight about the average income in Ansonville, and open up the door for more funding. “What we need is word to get into the community,” he said. “I need everybody to fill this out and return it. We’re trying to get grant money for the town, and the way they’ve got our average income, there’s no way we’re making the kind of money these people say we make. That’s keeping us from getting money to help this community.”
The town will send the survey out with self-addressed envelopes, town clerk Dianna McLaughlin explained. The responses will be sent to a rented post office box and collected by a water service employee, who will give the responses to the USDA. “We see nothing,” McLaughlin said.
If the town is successful in getting the grants, the money will be used for the water and sewer system. “We’ve got some upgrades that we’re desperately in need of,” Estridge said.
The survey is a way residents can help the town, Estridge explained. “We really need the help to try to help the community more to try to do some things around here,” he said.
Credit/debit cards
The council heard from Andy Gulledge, who explained the pros and cons of letting customers pay with their plastic.
Gulledge explained that the main problem is fees, saying that they can range in cost, and that the town needs to decide whether to pay the fees itself or let the customer pay for the convenience of using a card.
The service could allow customers to pay from home, calling a provided number and paying a small fee to give their credit card information over the phone, Gulledge said.
In order to gauge the amount of fees introducing the service will incur, Gulledge told the council to get an estimate of how many customers will pay their bills by credit or debit card. He also told the council to decide a cutoff time for payments to be in by deadline.
McLaughlin said many customers ask now if they can pay by credit or debit card, who, when told no, have to go to an ATM and withdraw cash, paying a similar fee for that. The clerk said she will add it to the town’s water bills to gauge interest in the service.
Other business
The council said that the issue of annexing Premiere Fibers is still in the hands of attorney George Bowers.
Estridge said that the town hopes to annex it and the few houses near it into the town, as Ansonville invests in the sewer system they use but does not currently make tax money from them. The council wants to increase its tax base to improve its services, including having more police protection, Estridge said.
Utilities director Jason Mullis said that as of last Wednesday, the Red Hill community, including the church, parsonage, and several others, should have improved water pressure. Mullis said the town would open and close some valves, but had notified residents in the area.
Estridge said that the water pressure in that area has gotten worse with time, and that the improved water pressure has been long overdue.
The council also heard a citizen’s request to be given the exact date when the town reads his water meter so that he can compare notes and make sure his bill is correct, since his water bill has risen the past three months. The man was given tablets to check for a toilet leak in case that is inflating his bill, but told that he will be called when his meter is read.
Before adjourning, the council went into closed session to discuss personnel issues.
The next council meeting will be held on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.