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Mayor McCullough highlights poverty reduction, MLK parade role and local programs at council meeting
Summary
Mayor Jonathan McCullough emphasized poverty reduction as his administration’s main focus, cited a drop in the poverty rate from 53% to 37.2%, announced he will serve as grand marshal of the Jan. 19 MLK Day Parade, and the council promoted a tree-recycling program and announced upcoming memorial services.
At the organizational meeting, Mayor Jonathan McCullough used his opening comments to frame the city’s primary challenge and upcoming community activities.
McCullough described poverty as the city’s biggest issue and said the poverty rate has fallen from 53% when his administration took office to 37.2% today, while adding that the pace of improvement has stalled and further action is required. He urged council and staff to continue building infrastructure that helps lift residents and to ensure that progress does not leave people behind.
City Manager Ben invited the council to participate in the Bullock County NAACP’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade on Jan. 19 at 11:00 a.m., naming Mayor McCullough as the parade’s grand marshal. The city also announced a tree recycling initiative led by the city and the tree board: residents may drop off previously live trees at a west-side parking lot to be turned into mulch and receive a free bare-root seedling.
During public comment, resident William Freeman asked about unclear timelines for road work on Cypress Lane; staff committed to connect Freeman with a staff member named Stan to provide specific schedule information. The council also offered condolences for the recent deaths of Henry Clay and Shannon (Sharon) Pilgrim Freeman and noted a celebration of life service for Freeman on Jan. 17 at 11:00 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
