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By Irene Hannagan
CLARKSTON -- Rubber checks will hopefully stop bouncing down Main Street to Town Hall in Clarkston. A resolution to assign a returned check fee to bounced water bill payments was the first of many topics for the Town Council meeting Thursday. Mayor Mervin Thompson arrived five minutes late to the public hearing that preceded the council meeting at 6:30. A man of height and stature, he's been in office for two years and knows how to take charge, except when it comes to bringing a hardship on his citizens. Council member Kelly May suggested an increase from $10 for the returned check fee to $25. Thompson and Councilman Tim Goodey expressed interest in keeping the returned check fee at the rate previously listed in the resolution. "I don't want to put a hardship on anyone," said the mayor. Council members Jaydene Godfrey, Brent Godfrey and May voted for a $15 returned check fee in the case of bounced water bill checks. "As adults we should know how much money is in our bank accounts," May said. The final vote made the returned check fee $15. This attitude of non-hardship was also with the mayor when he suggested meeting with customers the night before their water was to be turned off so as not to put a hardship on them. May thought the possibility of irate anger too risky and that the customer may just bounce a "check" right in the mayor's face as he's informing them their water will be turned off within 24 hours. Elections are coming to Clarkston in November and the room heated up when the final resolution of the meeting was brought to the table: Resolution 03-14, appointing the precinct election judges. One past judge, Kathy Ravsten, had asked to be a judge again this election, and new names were announced as appointees. When the initial announcement was made that all previous judges besides Ravsten were being replaced, she asked that her name be removed as well. "I don't want this to be a big thing," said the mayor. "I've been told it might be a good idea to rotate it around." Sari Jardine, a Clarkston resident and previous election judge, questioned the appointment of new judges. Thompson was the only council member to know the reason for appointing new judges, and Jardine wanted at least the council members to be informed as to why the he was seeking the change. "As far as I understand the entire council needs to decide [if] the previous judges need to go. If I did something wrong I would sure like to know what," Jardine said. Immediately following a closed session a motion was brought to the council by Jaydene Godfrey to appoint Ravsten, Jardine, and Karen Goodey as election judges, with June Bytheway and Kristi Hidalgo as alternates. The entire council, including the mayor, passed the motion. Three council positions are up for election this year, one two-year term and two four-year terms. Nominations were scheduled to be made this week at the party meetings in the Town Hall. The council also announced the consolidated list of capital improvements for the town in this order: a new fire station at roughly $200,000, upgraded water storage around $800,000, and road enhancement at $500,000. Before leaving the council meeting a fire station employee said, "If the money were coming to me, I know where it would go, but we elected you guys, you're serving the community like the rest of us, do what you want."
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