Minutes 12/09/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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'"": "'" TUESDAY DECEMBER 9, 1980 ~,,- Mayor William D. Hobson, Mrs. Dorothy Blitz, Mr. Joseph Pritchett, Mrs. Marge Quinlan, Director of the City's Senior Citizens Center, Mr. Randy Powell, Coordinator for the Weatherization Program, and Mr. William B. Muse) pointed out that this program not only makes for better living conditions for eligible elderly-and-Iow-income citizens but also reduces these citizens' fuel bills as well as conserves energy and, further, that the program requires no direct cash outlay from the City. In addition, the point was made that no less than 90% of qualifying applicants, should the program be allowed to continue, would meet the City's guidelines for eligibility. These points were concurred in by Mayor Greene. Vice-Mayor Cole, in giving a brief history of the local Weatherization Program, along with other members of Council, refuted the inference made by Mrs. Blitz and other sources that the Council is insensitive to the needs of those who need help, either in the form of weatherization of homes or in other forms of public assistance and, further, maintained that the intent of the Older Americans Act, under which the Weatherization Program falls, is to provide assistance to the elderly but not to those other citizens who might qualify under the State Department of Welfare's expanded (i.e., beyond those established by Council) guidelines, of which Council only recently was apprised. Mr. Powell, in response to a report that, locally, applications for weatherization assistance have been solicited, denied that such solicitation has occured and, too, stated that the State guidelines for such assistance are unchanged from those in effect at the beginning of the program. Mr. Powell, further, suggested that Councilman West, because of his storm-window manufacturing business, might have a conflict of interest by his previously-stated position on the Weatherization Program. City Attorney Worthy ruled that no such conflict of interest exists. Meanwhile, Council took no action on the request made by Mrs. Manson and by Mrs. Travis. In presenting the following engineering services proposal submitted by Wiley & Wilson, Consulting Engineers, which proposal Council accepted subject to a determination by the City Administration of the Henry County Public Service Authority's cost-share as well as the