At its Dec. 16 meeting the Tupelo City Council approved multiple procurement and personnel items.

Procurements and contracts: Council approved an air curtain burner reverse‑auction award to Ingram Equipment for $205,758.80. The council also approved a term bid for tree cutting, removal and stump grinding, with staff recommending the low bidder (identified in the procurement discussion as Rooks Tree and Stump Service). On a separate procurement, staff reported that four firms responded to RFP 2025‑036 for a pavement condition survey and HPMS data collection; a scoring panel recommended Pathway Services, which staff reported scored 91.4% on the evaluation, and the council authorized staff to proceed with negotiations/contracting.

Joint task force obligation: Staff and the police chief explained that one Tupelo officer is assigned full time to the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force and receives overtime payments from the Marshals. The council approved obligating $12,000 in fiscal year 2026 toward that officer’s overtime reimbursement to the Marshals service.

Employee handbook amendment: The council approved changes to the employee handbook affecting overtime and compensatory leave. Per staff explanation, policy 404 (overtime and compensatory leave) will cap compensatory accruals for regular employees at 24 hours and for emergency‑services employees at 48 hours (reduced from 240 and 480 hours previously allowed). Staff said the change will result in employees receiving overtime pay at time‑and‑a‑half when they work overtime; on‑call employees who are not called in will receive compensatory time for standby periods. Council members asked that employees be informed before the change takes effect; staff said department heads have been included in the process and that the policy has been in development for at least two months.

Other routine items approved at the meeting included the annual bad‑debt write‑off for July 20, 2024 to December 2024 and the solicitation for a new term municipal depository account. A change order for the Jackson Street UG Electrical project was tabled for further consideration.

The council then moved into executive session to discuss a proposed real property purchase; a vote on that purchase was expected after the closed session.