Those Mantachie residents considering fiddling with their home's water meter might want to think twice, unless they feel like lightening their wallets.

The Mantachie Board of Aldermen recently voted to implement a new $100 fine for all water department customers who feel compelled to tamper with their water meters. The fine will be accompanied by additional charges depending on the amount of damage done to the tampered meter.

The matter was brought before the board by water department head Rod McFerrin, who explained that one of the town's customers had broken the padlock on his water meter with a chisel.

Although the resident was charged $50 as a tampering fee, Mantachie Mayor Jeff Butler said the town had not previously established a formal fine for tampering with water meters.

"We really need to have some sort of tampering fee for our water meters," the mayor told the board, adding that in addition to the fine, the fee should also include any damages done to the meter itself or the lock securing it.

Alderman Horton suggested an even stiffer fine, stating that tampered meters may have to be replaced, which would take considerable time on McFerrin's part.

"He's going to have to go back and spend time working on the meter," Horton said. "I think $100 might make them leave it alone. You have to make it enough to get their attention. If they mess with it, make it worth it."

The board agreed that the fine should be somewhat severe, and after Horton made a motion that the board charge a $100 tampering fee, plus the cost of any damage done to either the meter or its lock, it carried with a unanimous vote.

Outdated

Mantachie has run out of the cardstock used to print its sewer and water department bills, which is a bigger problem than it may seem.

According to Butler, the seller who has been supplying the town with the cardstock used to print and distribute the area's departmental bills is no longer selling that specific type of paper. Butler said he checked with several local vendors but was unable to find a replacement.

The problem comes from the age of the equipment being utilized by the town. The program used to track and print the bills is DOS-based, an outdated operating system used by PCs throughout the 1990s. Since newer programs no longer use this system, the town will be forced to upgrade its equipment in order to continue billing its customers.

According to the mayor, the new system being considered will cost the town approximately $2,500. Butler said this program is costly, but necessary.

"They don't make programs that are DOS-compatible anymore," said Alderman Mike Horton. "Even if we got new cards, it would only be a matter of time before we had to replace the program."

Town clerk Tanya Rayburn is scheduled to receive demonstrations of several replacement programs this month and will report her findings to the board during its next meeting.

Park problems

Mantachie resident Cathy Pollock expressed to aldermen her concerns over the recently-dissolved Mantachie park committee and funds it raised.

Pollock claimed to have given money to the park committee prior to its disbanding late last year and said she was perturbed by what the committee reportedly did with that money.

"They told me that my check had been cashed and that it had been donated to charities and stuff. My question is, can they have done that? It was the park's, really. Should that money have not gone into the park," she asked the board.

"It was the park committee's money," Mayor Butler answered, stating that the board allowed the dissolving group to do with the leftover money whatever they deemed worthy. He said the park account was solely handled by the committee itself.

Pollock expressed concern over where the money she assumed was being used in support of the town's park was being spent.

The Mantachie park committee voted to disband following the departure of former park director Russell Engle, who founded the group. During its time, the group raised money through various events and formed its own fund that was used to support repairs and changes to the park as well as sponsor events, such as the trick-or-treat event last Halloween. The original goal of the group was to make the park self-sufficient.

Board attorney Greg Keenum told Pollock that if he remained the town's attorney he would ensure that no special committees would be formed again and that all money raised for all Mantachie-owned properties would be handled by the town itself.

In an interview following the board meeting, former park committee member Stephanie Kitchens said that approximately $1,000 left over in the park committee's fund was used to support scholarship programs for Mantachie students and adopt 11 angels on the Itawamba County Angel Tree.

Kitchens said the committee had the board's blessing in whatever it chose to do with the remaining money.

"Rather than let the money sit in an account, we wanted to give it back to our kids," she said. "We didn't do anything illegal. We don't want people to think with ran off with the money."

Dog gone

In a 3-2 decision, the board voted to give Mantachie's remaining drug dog to the Itawamba County Sheriff's Department.

It was a decision that wasn't made easily as two aldermen -- Tim Jones and Matt Fennel -- voted against giving the dog away, claiming the people of the town had invested in both its training and upkeep.

Timmy "Red" Spradlin made the motion to declare the dog surplus, to be given to the county's sheriff's department. His motion was seconded and carried through votes from aldermen Mike Horton and Wayne Guin.

Police Chief Richard Erickson requested the dog be declared surplus and given over to the county's sheriff's department, which already utilizes two drug dogs. Erickson said county law enforcement was better equipped to handle the costly canine program and would allow the town use of a drug dog whenever it was requested.

Erickson said the request was based solely on cost.

"The budget for the canine is overwhelming for such a small department," he told the board.

Mayor Butler agreed the cost of keeping the dog, which required the usual feeding and vet bills that come with caring for an animal, along with bi-annual training for officer Wilton Cooper, the dog's handler, was high.

The dog was originally purchased through funds raised by former police chief Terry Jones. Both its purchase, the purchase of necessary equipment and the training of officer Cooper was funded by donations from Mantachie residents.

Although alderman Jones didn't argue about the cost of keeping the dog being high, he expressed his concerns over giving away something purchased through charity.

"The dog was purchased through donations from the people of Mantachie," he said, suggesting that giving the dog away was a betrayal of trust. He added that several arrests have been made with the dog's help and that the animal was a deterrent against violence against the town's officers.