Status of fire chief’s Charger still murky

By Bonnie L. Jackson
News Editor
The Dodge Charger is still an issue of contention for the governing body in Hazlehurst as they sought to resolve the issue in their monthly board meeting on July 5.
In a rather testy exchange, the mayor, the Board of Alderman and the city attorney discussed, yet again, the status of the Dodge Charger purchased by the city for the fire chief.
Initially, the disagreement was over whether not the Mayor Henry Banks was given the authority to purchase a truck or a vehicle for the fire chief.
That point lost steam when it was determined that the minutes contained the word vehicle and not specifically truck.  
According to Olen Bryant, City Attorney,  there was a breach in the purchasing procedure. The state requires that two bids are secured before purchasing government vehicles. Apparently, this did not happen.
From the moment the car arrived in Hazlehurst,  the debate has been fast and furious about the car and whether or not it is an appropriate vehicle for the fire chief.
The board has to resolve the issue before the city can pay for the vehicle. The plan is to transfer the car to the police force and purchase  another vehicle/truck for the fire department.