CROWLEY - The Crowley City Council met for one of the shorter meetings in recent months Tuesday night. This may be due to the fact that when things are getting better there isn’t much to disagree on.

As Crowley Mayor Greg Jones and the council went through each committee’s report, it became apparent that the council has been spending more money on repairs, expansions and improvements than they were just a few months ago.

Apparently, the tax renewal that Crowley’s voters decided to uphold last May is paying big dividends in city-wide improvements.

For example:

- The council agreed to the first payment to Guinn Construction for $59,471.90 for the Avenue H Bridge Replacement project. The repairs to the bridge had long been a source of tension between different areas of the city and without the money supplied by the tax renewal this may not have been possible.

- They also agreed to a second partial payment estimate in the amount of $2,800 for the release of retainage for the Pine St. Bridge Piling Repairs construction project.

- During the Utility Committee’s report, the council passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Jones to enter into a Utility Relocation Agreement with the Department of Transportation and Development regarding the relocation of the city’s sanitary sewerage force main to Oddfellows Rd. near the Parkerson Ave. Intersection.

Along with the two new police cars and the service road project along I-10 (that has yet to get started) suggests that the city is moving forward again.

“I’m hoping that soon we can eventually get back some of the workers that we were forced to let go due to the budget cuts we had to make last year,” said Alderman Elliot Dore.

The council also agreed to contribute $1,000 to the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office’s ‘CHOICES’ program. The program is an effort to educate and bring awareness to both students and adults the dangers of impaired and distracted driving.

The Sheriff’s Department made a similar video last year which was quite powerful. Maxine Trahan, who spearheaded last year’s production has a bigger budget to work with this year and is hoping that it helps to spread the Department’s message throughout the parish.

The council also passed a motion to authorize an application for FEMA funding for repairs to the levee at the city’s wastewater facility for $500,000. The levee was damaged during the flood which occurred this past January.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for April 9 at 6 p.m. Committee meetings are set for April 4 at 4 p.m.