Bell named Comer police chief

Bell replaced Brent Zellner, who resigned to run as a Democrat for sheriff of Madison County. In November, Zellner will face the winner of the Aug. 21 runoff between incumbent Kip Thomas and former sheriff Clayton Lowe in the Republican Primary.

The new chief informed the council Monday that the right turn lane on Hwy. 98 into Comer Elementary School has been completed. He plans to use his office to actively patrol the highway for several weeks while drivers get used to the new configuration.

A special speed limit of 25 mph will be enforced from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. each morning and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. each afternoon. The city will also take part in the state-wide “Stop means Stop” program from Aug. 20 to 24. City police will patrol bus routes to make sure drivers stop for the buses.

Bell reported that his department took 72 calls in July. They wrote seven incident reports, made one DUI arrest and issued 37 citations and 51 written warnings. The department spent 65 hours doing community policing.

The council decided that additional lights on Clairmont Avenue are not needed, but a homeowner can install additional lights at his expense. An audit of the city’s lights is under way to make sure all lights are operational, and being properly billed. Recent audits in other county towns have found some overcharges. The council also decided to wait on approval of a new downtown city park until engineers can design proper protections for a drainage ditch in the area.

Work is progressing on the city’s water treatment pond. A second aerator has been installed and anchors for the required baffle are being put in place. The city’s wells are all operating properly.

Bids were accepted for cleaning of the travel museum and repairs to the learning center.