Much-needed work on sewer lines in West End is closer to a reality following Monday night’s Clanton City Council meeting.

The council approved a bid to do engineering work on the repairs. AME Engineering won the project with their bid of $59,400.

The council also made a change in how it accepts bids. Currently, a 3-percent preference can be given to companies inside Chilton County. The council changed that rule that only companies inside city limits can be given the preference.

The policy will work like this: Two companies, one from Clanton and one from outside the city, bid on a new truck. The Clanton dealership is slightly higher than the outside bidder, but the council still has the option to pick the local company as long as the difference isn’t more than 3 percent.

“You don’t have to give that 3 percent if you don’t want to,” said Mayor Billy Joe Driver.

The mayor said the city granted the privilege to county companies several years back when there were two competing concrete companies, one inside Clanton and one just outside the city limits.

In other business, the council took the following actions:

Opened a bid to repair the city’s swimming pool. Bates Pool Company submitted the only bid of $32,000. The council voted to not take any action Monday night and tabled the matter for further review.

Approved a measure to use eminent domain if necessary to acquire rights-of-way needed to repair a bridge on Mt. Pleasant Road or Eighth Street N.

Held a public hearing on a rezoning request. The change would have moved land on Holiday Drive from residential to commercial. The council denied the request after hearing people for and against the proposal, which followed the zoning board’s recommendation.

Approved a resolution to apply for a $25,000 nonmatching technology grant for the police department. The resolution was needed for grant paperwork to be filed. If the city is awarded the money, Police Chief Brian Stilwell said the funds would be used to help put digital video recorders in police cars, among other things.

Benny Chaney, president of the local NAACP chapter, spoke to the council, asking that the council do “their fair share” to employ more minorities and women, as well as award more city business to minorities.