Thorsby’s water tank could receive a fresh coat of paint soon.

The town’s council voted Monday to allow Engineer Calvin Cassidy to begin soliciting bids for repainting the tank, which can be seen from Highway 31 in the northern end of town.

Cassidy said worked with another municipality recently that took bids on a similar tank, and the bids were in the $180,000-$200,000 range.

Mayor Jean Nelson said the town has some money for the project available in its facilities improvement fund but that more than $100,000 of the needed funds would need to be borrowed.

Cassidy said Thorsby’s tank was built about 20 years ago and has not been painted since.

The council also agreed to contract with a company to produce a fireworks show for the town’s annual July Fourth celebration.

In other business, the council:

•Approved a policy about residents requesting adjustments to their water bills because of leaks. Before the policy was passed, the council approved two recent water adjustment requests. The town has charged residents at the lower commercial rate in the past when a high water bill was caused by a leak.

•Heard from Public Works Director Terry Jackson about how lightning during recent storms took out three water lines in town, causing some customers to lose water service. Even after the lines were repaired, some customers were seeing discolored water. Jackson said all the related problems should be close to being solved.

•Approved to hire a part-time police officer, as recommended by Police Chief Rodney Barnett.

•Heard from Barnett that signs would be erected soon notifying drivers that large trucks are not allowed on Alabama Avenue, in part because of safety concerns associated with school traffic on the road. Barnett said that after the signs are up, TPD officers would patrol the road and issuing warnings and citations.