Haskins and Staats receive Key to the City
Suzette Lowe
Reporter
The Ripley City Council was opened in an unusual way, with a story read by Mayor Carolyn Raider. The moral of that story lead into a presentation.
The mayor shared the speech by college baseball coach, John Scolinos, in which he asked a room full of baseball coaches if every home plate measured the same 17 inches. He went on to stress that even if a player has trouble with the size of the plate, the standard never changes, the expectation never is lowered.
Mayor Rader then presented the key to the city Amy Haskins and Wendy Staats from the Jackson County Health Department.
Refinancing sewer bonds will save city thousands of dollars
Suzette Lowe
Reporter
Many agenda items at the Dec. 1 Ripley City Council meeting required the input and expertise of city treasurer, Tom Armstead.
Council members Carolyn Waybright, Rick Buckley, Danny Martin, and Recorder David Casto, with John McGinley unable to attend, approved Armstead’s proposal to refinance the sewer bonds through the United States Department of Agriculture. The option will allow the 18 years left on the loan to be lowered to 13 years, with an interest rate decrease of one percent. Armstead estimates that the city will save $136,000 throughout the loan’s term.