By ELIZABETH SUMMERS The Reporter
Fran Milwee was selected as the newest member of the Boaz City Council during a meeting Monday night.
Milwee, an attorney and former member of the Boaz City School Board, was chosen to fill a vacancy left when Josh Greer resigned from the council in December after he and his family moved out of Boaz.
“I appreciate the opportunity to help our city out however I can,” Milwee said following the meeting.
“I hope to encourage others to do the same going forward.”
A date for Milwee to be sworn in has yet to be set.
Boaz City Councilman David Ellis voted against Millwee’s appointment, saying he was against the process used to choose her.
“When Matt Brannon was chosen, we each wrote names on a ballot and passed them over to the city clerk who counted them,” Ellis said. “That wasn’t done this time.
“I don’t have an issue with Fran (Milwee). I have an issue with the process.”
Brannon filled a vacancy late last year created with Councilman Jeff Sims resigned his seat to become the personnel director for the city.
Milwee becomes the third female city council member in Boaz history, joining Margaret Craig who served in the 1980s under then-Mayor Billy Dyar, and Jean Head, who served in the 1990s under then-Mayor Charles Smith.
In other business during Monday’s meeting, councilmen also:
• Approved solicitation of bids for upgrades and repairs to the heating and air conditioning system at the Boaz Public Library.
Library officials say the HVAC control system has never worked properly and no one has been formally trained to maintain the system, leading to leaks and poor performance.
• Adopted a resolution approving two change orders to the city-wide paving program in the amount of $150,992 and $19,300. The changes added milling and paving to additional streets within the city limits. The work is being done by Whitaker Contracting Corp.
• Adopted a resolution approving the purchase of three OptiPlex Micro, a Dell Latitude 3549, and three Dell 27-inch monitors for the library at a cost of $4,498.
• Authorized the purchase of a Kubota BX Series, a loader valve kit and a front loader with guard in the amount of $17,800 from Powerquip for the Boaz Street Department.
• The next city council meeting will be Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Boaz Senior Center.
