Centre will soon be home to an annual county fair. During Tuesday night’s Centre City Council meeting, Daphane Rogers, on behalf of the Cherokee County FFA, presented a proposal for the 1st Annual Cherokee County Agricultural Fair to be held November 22^nd and 23^rd with proceeds going toward sending two students from each of the county schools to Washington, DC leadership conference. Rogers requested the use of city property behind the Gadsden State-Cherokee Campus, including the City Softball Complex. The council unanimously gave Rogers their approval, with Council Member Derrick Wheeler saying that he hopes the fair becomes an annual event and grows larger each year.

Also approved in the amount of $1,500, was the purchase of an ad that will appear in a magazine published by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. It is hoped that the ad will attract visitors from out of state and across the region to the city.

Additionally, the council voted to improve traffic flow at the Dixie Youth fields by connecting the parking lot to the adjacent side street. The project will include the installation of two drainage tiles and will total $5,932.

Recently retired Centre Policeman, David Kirk, was recognized for his time on the force. Mayor Wilkie presented Kirk with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the mayor and council.

Nancy Taylor, who has experience constructing tennis courts and has played tennis worldwide, was invited to share her thoughts on the city’s new courts. She said that after playing on three of the four courts, she can say that they are “absolutely beautiful” and of “top quality.” Taylor thanked the council for making it happen. She noted that the courts will attract visitors to the city, adding, “The more people who come down here, are going to want to reside here.”

It was during the Mayor Comments that the meeting took a rather heated turn. After presenting the council with a budget and determining that there wasn’t sufficient funds to supply the various city departments with all their requests, Council Members Wheeler and Marc Johnson questioned the budget.  They informed Wilkie that they should be given more input during the committee meetings in determining the budget and have more time to look over it before an official vote on the matter. After some back-and-forth and bringing up past grievances by various members, it was decided to hold a special called meeting on Thursday, September 26^th, at 3:00 p.m. to vote on the budget.

A Spark Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1^st, at 6:00 p.m., while the next regular Centre City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8^th, at 5:00 p.m.

CLICK to Listen to Tuesday’s meeting