For Moody children anticipating the annual evening of tricks and treats, the celebration is one day closer this year after the Moody City Council moved the city’s Halloween observance up one day to Oct. 30.

“Here in the city that particular day, we have a 5K run, we have Oktoberfest, we have a carnival in the park, and we just felt like it would fit in well with the city of Moody if we moved Halloween to Saturday night,” Mayor Joe Lee said.

The request came from garden home communities, which often hire part-time police officers to monitor trick-or-treating festivities.

By observing Halloween on Saturday, it also leaves Sunday evening open for local churches hosting trunk-or-treat events.

Wrecker service simplified

Instead of relying on a multi-company call list, the city of Moody will call S&S Towing and Wrecker Service whenever a vehicle is to be removed from a roadway.

After bids were opened, S&S Towing was determined to be the low bid and was awarded the contract. The company will take over as soon as the contract can be executed, which City Attorney Bill Weathington said could be as short as one day.

In the past, wrecker services were on a rotating call list, with whoever was on call that week being contacted to pick up any vehicles that needed to be removed from the road.

Purchasing policy revised

In an effort to maintain a tight budget and closely watch spending throughout the city departments, the city has implemented a new purchasing policy.

Departmentheads will be authorized to sign for purchases up to $100. Any purchases between $101 and $249 will need to be approved by the mayor, and any purchases $250 and over will require council approval.

Previously, anything over $250 required council approval.

In other actions:

* A holiday observance schedule for the city of Moody was approved.  

* Emergency repairs to the weather siren on Kerr Road for $441.98 was approved. Lee noted that the siren had been hit by lightning,

* A payment of $600 to Stone and Sons Electrical for repair and adjustment of red lights on Moody Parkway was approved. The batteries were replaced and timing reset.

* A payment of $532 to install two front fires for the Moody Rescue Truck was approved, as was a payment of $108.10 for a front-end alignment for the same vehicle.  

* The resignation of Alice Batson from the Moody Senior Center was approved. The council also moved to hire a temporary part-time employee to fill in until the position is permanently filled, and also approved advertising the position. A new contract for Batson to work solely at the Park and Recreation department was approved, and additional part-time employee Kevin Tetrualt was approved to work for the department, as well.

* An expenditure of $1,200 was approved for the Historical Advisory Board to purchase seven historical markers to be installed throughout Moody. The aluminum 12-by-12-inch plaques will be mounted to the buildings they honor, which will include the Moody Home, Acmar Methodist, Moody Methodist, Moody Baptist, Bethel Baptist, the Moody School and Moody Cemetery. Each plaque costs $110 and will cost an additional $350 to install. The expenditure was approved, contingent on the purchase being made on or after Feb. 1, 2011, when the city anticipates having more money available due to tax revenue.

* The formation of a Countywide 9/11 Memorial committee was approved.