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By Charlotte Reames

Mayor Steve Tramell gave a proclamation for National Salvation Army Week during last week’s West Point City Council meeting. 

The mayor encouraged the citizens of the city to support the Salvation Army during the week of May 12-18. The Salvation Army has been serving the Troup County and West Point community since 1917. 

Next, the city council approved a Joint Funding Agreement for Aerial Imagery Services.

During the work session in April, City Manager Ed Moon discussed a joint funding agreement between Troup County and Eagleview for aerial imagery services. The agreement is for two 3-inch resolution capture projects starting in 2025 and 2030. Total cost of the project would be $257,040, payable over a six-year term in annual installments of $42,840. 

The cities in the county will participate in the funding for the imagery with the cost split by the number of parcels. According to the meeting notes, West Point included both Troup and Harris County for an annual share of $4,392 and a total obligation of $13,176.

Another agreement the city council approved was the Department of Army Design and Construction Assistance Agreement for Environmental Infrastructure Improvements Project. 

In the April work session, Moon gave the council members the Obligations of the Parties in the agreement for the Raw Water Intake, Pump Station, and Water Main Project. 

The total construction cost for the work is estimated to be $7,960,000, according to the meeting notes. They have estimated the work will be completed in February 2029. 

Design- Build (allocation rounded to nearest $1,000):  

Federal Cash: $5,970,000 (75%)  

Non-Federal Cash: $1,975,000 (24.8%) 

Non-Federal Relocations: $0 (0%) 

Non-Federal Lands/Easements: $0 (0%) 

Non-Federal In-Kind Contributions: $15,000 (0.2%) 

Total Construction Cost: $7,960,000 (100%) 

The city council also approved the House Bill 581 and House Bill 92 estimated rollback millage rate for 2025, which came into law in 2025. The millage rollback rate was created by HB 581 and revised by HB 92. 

Before these bills, the previous year’s millage rate for each authority and an estimated tax liability based on that rate were included in the property owner’s annual notice of assessment (NOA). 

According to the meeting notes, HB 581 created the estimated rollback rate to provide “local governments with more flexibility in accurately previewing that year’s millage rate to the property owner on their NOA.”

The other bill, HB 92, created a deadline by which the estimated roll-back rate must be provided. It also added a fallback provision for if a jurisdiction doesn’t certify the estimated roll-back rate. 

West Point’s estimated roll-back millage rate would be 7.800.

The council also held a public hearing for rezoning requests by the West Point Development Authority for 1700 East 10th Street and by Stephanie Taylor for 1804 & 1806 US Hwy 29.