For safety reasons, the Moody Police Department will no longer be able to assist folks who lock their keys in their car.“With hazards to officers presented by side airbags and the liability if a car is damaged, we’re just not going to be doing it anymore,” Chief Johnny Kile said at Monday’s regular council meeting.
The City Council unanimously approved the measure preventing officers from unlocking cars that have the keys locked inside.
Officers will ensure the driver of the car is in a safe location and assist them in contacting help or a locksmith, Kile said.
“We’re not just going to leave them standing there,” he said.
Kile added that officers would be able to assist in the case of an emergency such as a child being locked in the vehicle or an unresponsive person locked inside.
Councilman Robert Vickery asked Kile how officers would respond to a family pet being locked in the car, especially in summer.
Kile said it would be evaluated by a supervisor on a case-by-case basis.
In another matter, the council heard Larry Golden voice his concerns over a fence under construction in the Whites Chapel area.
The fence, owned by Keith Parsons, was a topic of discussion at the last council meeting. At that meeting, Mayor Joe Lee asked Public Works Superintendent and inspector Wayne Taylor, along with city attorney Bill Weathington, to look at the fence, an English hedgerow under construction, to determine if it meets with the city’s fencing ordinance.
Monday night Weathington reported that the fencing ordinance is currently undergoing a revision to better outline the intent of the ordinance.
If Parsons has not completed the fence by the time the new ordinance passes, Weathington said, then his fence would come under the jurisdiction of the new ordinance.
In other business, the council:
O approved posting job vacancies for two part-time firefighter positions.
O Approved $715 for the update to the NFPA code set subscription for the fire department.
O Approved $600 to purchase 100 chairs for Whites Chapel.
O Approved up to $7,500 to complete the renovation project at Whites chapel.
O Approved $1,600 for a factory rebuilt GM transmission for a work truck. It comes with a three-year or 100,000 mile warranty.
O Approved setting two public hearings for rezoning at the July 28 meeting.
O Approved a resolution to announce the city will use electronic voting machines provided by St. Clair County.
O Approved appointing city clerk patsy beard as the city’s election manager.
O Approved hiring part-time help for the election.
