By Beth Alston

AMERICUS — The Americus City Council voted unanimously to raise the tax millage from 10.32 to 10.92 at its Thursday regular monthly meeting.
Diadra Powell, the city’s financial director, said this is a 5.18 percent increase and puts the city in a better financial position for the rest of 2018, and going into 2019. The increase will absorb the recent increase in salaries for city employees which were recommended by a firm that was hired by the city to conduct a study of salaries and how they compare with other like-size municipalities in the region.
Other items voted on at Thursday’s meeting included the following:
• Approved an alcohol license application for King’s Deli at 1041 E. Forsyth St., for on-premises beer consumption.
• Approved the 2018 LMIG Project List and South Jackson Street SPLOST funding for street paving at a total cost of $496,040. Public Works director, Larry Riner, is to get bids on the project. Included in the LMIG list are Belinda Circle, Winchester Street, and International Boulevard, and in South Jackson from West College to West Church for the SPLOST project.
• Reappointed Bill Harris Jr. to serve on the Downtown Development Authority.
• Reappointed George Hooks to serve on the Downtown Development Authority.
• Reappointed Charles Crisp to serve on the Downtown Development Authority.
On the consent agenda, council also approved the following items.
• Purchase of a 2019 Ford F150 pickup truck for the Natural Gas Department for $25,709.
• A bid from NEOS in the amount of $15,489.89 for server replacement.
• Authorization to add two vehicles forfeited by the court to govdeals.com for sale: a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage, and a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado.
Mayor Barry Blount swore in three people for service on city entities: Terrell Coley on the Land Bank Authority, Jim Peace on the Planning and Zoning Commission, and Maurice Barron on the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The Council member of the month, Darrell Sabbs, invited by Council member Juanita Wilson, was recognized with a proclamation.
Two people were on the agenda to address the mayor and council.
Clifford Morgan, a resident of Winn Street, said his street is deteriorating and needs paving. His council member, Wilson, assured Morgan that his section of the street is on the list for repaving.
• Cori Shaddinger of Phenix City, Ala., addressed the mayor and council on his various rental properties around the city and his plans to improve the properties to cut down on crime. These include Weeks Trailer Park on Davenport Street, as well as apartments and/or duplexes on Oglethorpe Avenue, Crawley Street and Bessie Mays Circle.
At the end of the meeting, the mayor asked for a motion to go into a closed session to discuss “personnel.”