Putting a municipal credit card back in the hands of department heads became a key issue at Monday night’s Dozier City Council meeting.

Mayor Karen Davis brought the issue up because she said that getting supplies for the town usually requires taking trips to Andalusia, Troy, Opp or Luverne.

One option for purchasing supplies out of town involves reimbursement, but Davis said she won’t do that.

“I won’t use my own money because I was told not to,” she said. “This would help keep from having to use gas or pay mileage to do these things.”

By carrying a town credit card, Davis said department heads could purchase the supplies without having to return to Dozier first.

Council members Ann Holland and Linda Hutto expressed concern about the possibility of frivolous spending, but Davis assured them that she would keep a close watch on the account.

“We had problems with this before when they did it,” Hutto said after the meeting. “It got out of hand then.”

The vote passed 3-2 with one abstention.

In other business:

Mears’ Trading Post and Watering Hole has withdrawn its request for an on-premise liquor license, and instead will only have an off-premise license.

“I do thank him for doing that,” Davis said. “He did listen to the concerns of the council and townspeople.”

At the next meeting, the council will discuss the problem of water loss through old meters or pipes.

One possibility is writing a grant to procure funding for new meters.

The council also tabled a motion to hire a part-time police officer while funding for the position is investigated.