Typically, when someone asks to be placed on the agenda at a City Council meeting, they want to discuss something controversial or complain. That definitely was not the case Monday night when Garrett Wilcox of the Vidalia Lions Club stepped up to the microphone to speak to the Vidalia City Council.

“On behalf of the Lions Club, I just want to thank the Council for all their help in getting the property presentable for the Arts and Crafts festival during this years Onion Festival,” Wilcox said. “As most of you know, that property is owned by the city, but we use it for our biggest fundraiser. This morning, we donated money to the library, and we wouldn’t have been able to do that without raising money and we couldn’t have done that had the city not stepped up and helped clean that property after the storm. So, I just want to thank you all for all you did and to let you know that I and every member of the Vidalia Lions Club appreciates the work that was done.”

In other news from this month’s council meeting, Mayor Doug Roper appointed Councilperson Jennifer Evans to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. She succeeds the late Mayor Pro Tem John Raymond Turner who passed away on April 1 of this year.

City Manager Josh Beck also provided an update on the applications for those interested in serving as the Vidalia Chief of Police. Beck said that approximately 40 applications were received and those were narrowed down to top candidates and then reduced in further for personal interviews. Less than half a dozen potential candidates were interviewed by Beck and the Council on Wednesday and Thursday morning, Beck said that no decision had been made yet as to who would be named. Beck said by text that the Council wants time to pray and digest the interviews so that due diligence is done, and an announcement will probably be made next week.