As the cotton candy-colored skeletons of Casey's Rides were being set up in preparation for last weekend's Strawberry Festival, the Adairville City Council made final decisions regarding the big event.

At the May 13 meeting, council men and women discussed the parade route, deciding not to alter last year's tried-and-true course.

Since the Strawberry Festival is known for having visitors from far and wide, the council also moved to donate $250 to the dignitaries' reception.

As timely a topic as the festival was, the Adairville Council had other subjects to approach, including Police Chief Jimmy Phelps.

Members Donna Blake and the Rev. William Washington said that the council needs to look into hiring another police officer to assist Phelps, who is currently the town's only cop.

"He's not a machine," chimed in Councilman Teddy Smith. "He's human. One of these days, he's going to say, 'I'm tired. I'm not going to do this anymore.'"

Phelps agreed, "The citizens of Adairville deserve 24-hour police protection," adding that he alone cannot cover all shifts, from safeguarding the school zone in the mornings to checking on businesses as they lock up for the night.

In the end, Blake moved to adopt a resolution transferring all eligible employees of the police department from general to hazardous duty retirement coverage beginning Sept. 1 of this year.

When Blake called for a "roll call" vote, all members voted for the motion, which included asking Blake and Smith to work with Phelps to check into available police grants and to investigate what it would take, realistically, to fit the salary of a new police officer into the budget.

On that note, City Clerk Becky Tinch performed the first reading of the city's budget ordinance for the 2002-03 fiscal year.

"We are doing well for a city this size," she commented upon reviewing the budget summary, which notes that Adairville's fund balance carried forward is $1.07 million and that the total estimated revenues for the fiscal year are $1.05 million, meaning the resources available for appropriation equal $2.1 million.

Of that number, the budget summary reports that $1.26 million will go for expenditures, and that the fund balances at the end of the fiscal year should equal $860,011.

From that sum, the budget indicates that $664,243 would be in the general fund, $25,135 would stay in the economic development fund, and that $170,633 would end up in the water/sewer fund.

The second reading of the budget ordinance will be at the next council meeting on June 10.