By Rupert Howell

The Sardis board of mayor and aldermen continue to look for areas to cut expenditures during their second budget workshop Monday afternoon at press time.

Board members last met Thursday, August 9 and learned approximately $100,000 would need to be trimmed below the previous year’s budget following Como’s decision to use Panola County for dispatching services and Steelmatic’s non-payment of rent used to pay bonds against the building housing that facility.

City Clerk Mary McDowell had recommended several areas to trim, but that still left an additional $58,000 to cut.

In June that board authorized Attorney Tommy Shuler to correspond with Como officials concerning their payment in arrears for the dispatching service amounting to approximately $22,000. The city budgeted $3,308 in monthly revenue for providing the dispatching service for the current budget year.

The Sardis aldermen Thursday authorized Shuler to collect from Steelmatic the balance of payment in arrears as well as authority to negotiate a settlement for the remainder of the rental contract.

Aldermen also discussed cutting their monthly payments to Panola Partnership, $150 per month, as well as Panola County’s Drug Task Force in the amount $200 per month.

Aldermen recalled the former Task Force Director stating that a payment would be made to the City of Sardis as the city’s portion of seized funds and/or confiscations. Since an election and administrative change, those funds have not been mentioned.

Other action taken during Thursday’s meeting before recessing until Monday, included authorizing a grant application for city radio equipment.