Buckley council members breezed through a relatively short meeting May 10, approving the city’s search for a new city administrator and agreeing to allow the family of a recently-passed Buckley woodsman and business owner to plant a tree in his honor at the city park.

City Administrator David Schmidt also informed the council that some residents may be getting their utility bills late: “For some reason … I don’t know if it’s the mail or what, but people are not getting their utility bills like they’ve been normally getting them,” he said.

Buckley mailed out all the bills out April 27, according to the city website, and residents can call city hall at 36-829-1921 to ask about the balance of their bill or to pay it.

Also on Tuesday, the council…

• Unanimously approved a motion to buy a curb / crosswalk paint sprayer for the city at the cost of $9,247. The previous one is “well past its useful life,” Schmidt said.

• Unanimously approved a motion granting permission to the family of Gordon Wozeniak and Frank Mathiason to donate and plant a 16-to-20 foot sequoia tree in the Buckley City Park in memory of Gordon Wozeniak. The proposed location is on city park property at the intersection of Highway 410 and Main Street.

Wozeniak owned and operated White River Logging and Wozeniak Trucking and was a significant employer in the area until his death in June 2021. The applicants will be taking on all costs to plant the trees, according to city staff.

• Unanimously approved an agreement for services with the Prothman Company to conduct a recruitment search to replace interim city administrator Dave Schmidt, who himself came back to temporarily fill the position after previous city administrator Paul Weed resigned last year. The goal is to present the semifinalists for the position to the council in early August, Schmidt said, and hopefully get someone on board by October.