CITY OFFICIALS GET A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT FACILITIES

JACKSON -- City officials toured the police and fire stations and checked out the city's public library Tuesday as part of their annual tour of city facilities.

The tour will continue today at the public works, wastewater, electrical, sanitation, street and power, and water departments.

The visit to the sanitation department will give aldermen a chance to see how the city's new recycling center will be set up, Mayor Paul Sander said.

The city recently was awarded a state grant to help fund the new center, which should be operational by next spring.

Sander said the tours help elected officials keep in touch with the city's day-to-day operations.

"To go out and see the departments and maybe what they have going on at the job site is important," Sander said. "I also think it's important for the employees to see the elected officials out and taking an interest in what's going on in their city."

Sander, aldermen Larry Cunningham, Dave Ludwig and Kerry Hoffman and City Administrator Steve Wilson took the tour Tuesday.

At the library, city officials met with head librarian Sally Pierce. She said staff and patrons are settling into the new facility at the new city hall building.

Aldermen recently approved adding security cameras and a glass partition to help secure the library.

Pierce reported she is working on a grant application for state funds for public access computerization.

The funding would help convert shelf materials into a machine-readable format so patrons could access the materials directly by computer.

The city is also looking into adding security cameras in the police department's jail area, Wilson said, and the work will be included in the 1997 city budget.

City officials are also looking into computerizing the department's records, Wilson said.

City officials also visited the city cemetery and the city maintenance department. City crews maintain a fleet of 123 cars, trucks, heavy machines and mowers, Sander said.