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<br />?~ <br />I.. '_... <br /> <br />TUESDAY <br /> <br />JUNE 4, 1974 <br /> <br />.- <br /> <br />Several Councilmen expressed their views and views as reported to them by citizens, as did <br /> <br />private citizens in attendance at the meeting, and there was a discussion of the feasibility <br /> <br />of twice weekly collections during the summer months only. Council did not reach a decision <br /> <br />on this aspect of City policy. <br /> <br />Mayor West again brought up the subject of the method of operation which had been forced <br /> <br />upon the locality, by the Federal and State governments, with respect to the City's Welfare <br />t., <br />Agency, and during the discussion Mr. William Travis, who is a member of the Council-appointed <br /> <br />Welfare Board, was reported by Mayor West as having decided to follow the lead of three other <br /> <br />members of the Welfare Board who had recently stated their intention to resign as of June 30. <br /> <br />Mr. Travis was present and recounted efforts made by the Welfare Board, after careful investigation, <br /> <br />which lead to the taking of people off the Welfare rolls after the Board had verified their <br /> <br />ability to hold a job and since jobs were available for the asking, but that State officials <br /> <br />had warned the Board members that unless it reinstated those people it had removed from the <br /> <br />Welfare rolls the Board members would be personally liable due to Federal Court decisions. <br /> <br />Mr. Travis expressed the view that, faced with such a dictatorial and unrealistic policy there <br /> <br />is nothing effective for a citizen Welfare Board to do. At the conclusion of the discussion the <br /> <br />City ~funager was asked to work with the Superintendent of the Welfare Department towards reducing <br /> <br />the proposed Welfare budget to a figure in the range of $900,000.00 for the upcoming fiscal <br /> <br />year. <br /> <br />There followed a general discussion on the status of litigation now going on between the City <br /> <br />and Appalachian Power Company, concerning the terms and conditions of the City's purchase of <br /> <br />electric energy for resale and the significance and importance of this on-going litigation was <br /> <br />apparent in a review of the budget figures as reflected by the greatly decreased amount of <br /> <br />money left over from the operation of the Electric Department for contribution to the General <br /> <br />Fund of the City, as evidenced by the City's having absorbed the rate increase during the past <br /> <br />year, without raising the rates to City customers, except for increased bills as a result of the <br />