BRADY FLANIGANStaff Writer

August was the time for Tullahoma to change the tires on city administration–new mayor elected, new aldermen appointed. Now it’s October, and the wheels of bureaucracy are spinning. They’re going somewhere, but where are they headed? At last week’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting it was straight into trash cans and the tarmac. 

The city Public Works Department rolled in with three requests: permission to purchase a 2025 MV607 SBA International Dump Truck, permission to accept an anonymous $6,000 donation to repair bike paths and sidewalks, and permission to approve the milling, paving, and striping of city streets allocated in the 2024-2025 budget. 

First, the dump truck. Two decades of patches and limping along, and the old 2000 model warhorse earned its retirement. A hefty $132,453.76 for a 2025 behemoth, but the board didn’t hesitate. It was time to stop squeezing life out of a 24 year old machine. Approved 7-0, no fuss.

Next up: the $6,000 donation to the Public Works Department by an anonymous citizen, given as a little wink to Tullahoma government to fix some of its uglier city sidewalks or bike paths, such as Russell Nelms bike path. “We should be able to get a motion for people to give us money,” Mayor Sebourn said amidst the board’s laughter. A motion and a second came faster than the time it took to read the item. A few more bucks in hand. 

The skirmish was over, and now for the heavy artillery. Time to approve the milling, paving, and striping of city roads in the 2024-2025 budget–no more than $650,000 to spend. Director of Public Works, Butch Taylor, presented the board with a packet of where repairs were most needed–West Lincoln from Jackson St. all the way down to Cedar Lane and random subdivisions all over town. The money was already in the budget for the ‘24-’25 fiscal year. It was just a matter of getting that final rubber stamp. Nobody on the board seemed bothered with a few less potholes and gullies in the road. Another 7-0 go-ahead. The Tullahoma Public Works Department got what they needed. Three requests and three approvals. A new dump truck will be on the way. There’s a few more mysterious bucks for bike paths, and the final approval to start smoothing out the roads, and perhaps the bureaucracy too.