The Aragon City Council gathers again for their September session, with several items on the agenda carried over from past conversations and a decision on the 2021 fiscal year budget.

The council is set to gather at 6 p.m. for the work session, and 7 p.m. for the regular session at city hall, located at 2814 Rome Highway.

Among the items up for discussion and decision is the appointment of Gary Shindelbower to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Shindelbower had previously sought a council seat after moving to the city a few years prior.

The council also will be seeking to reinstate a policy of requiring a review of all new hires being considered by the Aragon Police Department, bringing back a panel that will be responsible for deciding on potential new officers before they are allowed to serve. This will go along with the probationary period required for all city employees once they are hired in as well.

Council members previously voted to approve the surplus of two pieces of equipment, the chipper and leaf vacuum that was previously purchased on Govdeals.com, a surplus website used by governments and departments from the local to the federal level to rid themselves of surplus items. The council agreed to allow the surplus equipment to be sold as long as the funds are used to purchase other equipment that will help public works do their job more efficiently with the staff numbers on hand.

Aragon will also seek to get their portion of the first round of federal funds from the CARES Act, which entitles the city to a small portion of the 30% made available to local governments out of more than $2 million overall. The city has to approve a resolution seeking the funds before they can apply to receive the money, which is divided up based on population.

The Polk County Commission, the Cedartown City Commission and the Rockmart City Council have all given their approval for CARES Act resolutions in past weeks and months.

Once applied for, the cities have to submit how they used the funds. Many have used the federal dollars to help cover the cost of buying personal protective equipment, overtime for employees required to be on the job during shutdowns and because of coworkers being quarantined due to COVID-19, and to pay for gear that helps protect the public and employees such as hand sanitizer stands, glass partitions at counter spaces and more.

Along with Aragon seeking federal dollars, they’ll also be approving a budget for the year. The FY 2021 budget usually completed in June was finally wrapped up for the September meeting.

The Mayor and Council will have a chance to provide comments before adjourning for the night.

Thursday’s session also marks the first meeting with Council Member Daniel Johnson ready to cast votes and conduct city business after he was sworn in earlier in the month following his lone qualification for the open seat.

Johnson is a former police officer and served as the head of the Public Works department for several years before he resigned during the administration of former Mayor Garry Baldwin.

Here’s the full agenda: