Council sets uniform pay rate for police lieutenants

The Roanoke City Council voted Monday to create a level playing field when it comes to how it pays its higher-ranking police officers.

The council voted to implement a uniform pay rate for the police force’s lieutenants, a measure that was deemed necessary after previ­ous administrations had established different pay for different personnel with the same rank.

The city council has been work­ing on codifying the city’s payscale and making it uniform within each of the departments, but that work is ongoing and has not yet been fully implemented.

Monday’s vote addressed what was seen as a specific issue that needed immediate rectification while the large-scale process of pay-scale uniformity continues.

Garbage collection

The city has put out a request for bids for a new contract for its resi­dential and business garbage collec­tion services. The final day for the city to receive bids will be February 26, and the council will award the winning bid at its meeting sched­uled for March 1.

Garbage collection in Roanoke has been under scrutiny for months due to irregular pick up dates and a lack of overall customer service by the existing garbage service provid­er.

Bush hog purchased

The council voted Monday to purchase a new bush hog for the city at a cost of $14,077. The city received two bids for the equipment sale, and Meadows Farm Equipment in Wedowee came in with the win­ning bid.