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The Atmore City Council Monday adopted a resolution agreeing to apply for financial assistance for the construction of a sanitation department facility and the purchase of a garbage truck.

The loan comes from United Bank’s Community Facilities Lending Program.

“It finances any type of community facility, whether it be a particular shop, or the courthouse, schools, hospitals, infrastructure needs like roads and bridges,” United Bank Loan Officer and City Councilman Chris Walker said during a workshop before the meeting. “It’s a fixed rate, and the rate never changes, and you can carry it out however long. You set the term, and that’s it.”

Walker said the funds came from the United States Department of Agriculture, and it allows cities or towns with a certain population number fixed-rate loans.

The preliminary opinion of the project cost for the new sanitation facility is $956,400. The new facility will be located on the other side of the recycling shed the city is currently using. The existing city shop will be utilized for storage.

Walker abstained from the vote.

In other business, the council:

• adopted resolution 2019-24, renewing a line of credit with First National Bank and Trust in the amount of $2,500,000 with a rate of 4.35 percent. This is a credit line the city has had for several years, Mayor Jim Staff sad.

• approved ordinance 2019-02, establishing a flood damage prevention ordinance adopting regulations designed to promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of Atmore. At present, the city has a flood plain ordinance. The amendment is an upgrade to the ordinance. This ordinance means there’s requirement in putting structures in the flood plain, City Engineer Greg Vaughn said. Vaughn said the city will have new flood plain maps in March 2020. The council suspended the rules, and approved the ordinance.

• approved ordinance 2019-04, an ordinance regulating manufactured homes and modular structures. The city’s current ordinance restricts homes more than 15 years old. Chris Black of the city building department, said they want to remove the restriction to adopt restriction criteria approved by the state. The city council suspended the rules, and approved the ordinance.

• approved the letting of bids for six police cars, purchase of police vehicles. Chief Chuck Brooks said in the workshop that his criminal investigators are traveling in trucks, and need an enclosed vehicle to carry sensitive equipment from area to area. Additionally, he said the mileage is accumulating and trucks are showing their age.

• approved a meeting on Jan. 13, 2020, at 3 p.m. for the Pride of Atmore to meet with the Atmore City Council and Tribal Council for an update on the goings on with the renovation and revitalization effort in downtown Atmore. The meeting will be held in the city hall auditorium.

• approved the closing of Louisville Avenue, from Main Street, at 4 p.m. this Sat., Dec. 14, prior to the annual Twilight Christmas Parade; and,

• approved the annual MLK Day Parade to be held Jan. 20, 2020.