By Steven Stilt
The Wamac City Council voted Monday evening against a request from the City of Centralia to contribute funding to assist with the Centralia Police Department’s telecommunications operations.
Wamac Mayor Jackie “Butch” Mathus reported that Centralia had requested funds from Wamac and Central City, and that Central City had declined to contribute at this time due to their budget situation.
Mathus stated that he felt it was not right for Wamac to provide funding currently since Central City is not, and recommended that the council vote against the request at this time.
Following the meeting, Mathus said he could not specify how much funding Centralia had asked for. However, he expressed optimism that Centralia, Central City, and Wamac might be able to reach an agreement at some point in the future.
In other business, the council approved a motion for the City of Wamac to absorb a rate increase for City of Centralia water rates, rather than passing the 10 cents per 1,000 gallon increase to customers in Wamac.
Also on Monday, Mathus thanked those who helped make the local Fourth of July Parade possible, and reported that there were more than 40 entries in the parade.
