WESSON — The town’s finances appear to be in good order for the2001-2002 fiscal year, according to the results of a recent auditreported during Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the board ofaldermen.

“We had a positive year in the general fund and that was due toincreased revenue in several areas,” said certified publicaccountant Charles Hart after issuing the town a “clean”opinion.

Hart complimented town officials on working hard to bring thewater and sewage budget under control this year.

“The most significant thing I noticed was the improvement inyour water and sewage funds,” he said.

In the past, approximately $30,000 has been taken out of thegeneral fund every year to cover the deficits in the water andsewage fund, which is supposed to be self-supporting according tostate law, Hart pointed out.

Due to an increase in water and sewage fees, the town’s waterdepartment was able to abide by that law for the 2001-2002year.

Along with that balanced fund, Hart also commented on theincrease in sales tax collections. He said the increases in thetown’s revenue allowed the budget a small cushion.

“Hopefully that will give you a little extra cash so you canbuild up some of your reserve accounts in case of emergencysituations,” said Hart.

Hart told board members he was very pleased with thebookkeeping, and even when there was a computer problem the recordswere correct.

“We found one little bump in the road,” said Hart.

He told aldermen that the June water and sewage funds were notposted in the general ledger “due to some sort of glitch” but aproficient claims docket indicated it was software problem.

In other matters, the board looked at updating the town’sordinance on loose animals within the town limits, followingreports of violent dogs chasing children and numerous stray animalsbeing a nuisance.

After much discussion, aldermen decided that owners of animalswould be issued a written warning for the first offense of anon-violent animals “at large” in town.

The second offense for a non-violent animal would be a citationand a $25 fine, while the third and subsequent offenses wouldresult in a citation and $50 fine.

Owners of violent animals will face stiffer consequences, suchas a fine of $25-$150, depending on the severity of an incidentreported to Wesson police officers.

Violent animals will be captured by part-time officer BatemanStilley, who is certified in that area. The animal will then betaken to the Brookhaven Pound and the animal’s owner will beresponsible for any resulting fees.

Also during last night’s meeting, the board was given an updateon the recent ordinance passed to rid the town of junk vehicles byrequire owners to properly document all vehicles or removethem.

“I’m pleased to report that we have made significant strides inthat area,” said Wesson Police Chief Lance Falvey.

Falvey said that out of the 21 residences not in compliance withthe law, only four did not comply once contacted. Those vehicleswill be towed if still in violation.

Another area Mayor Bill Tigner hopes to see the town improve inthe condition of property.

“I’m just sick of property owners who refuse to take care oftheir own property,” he said, mentioning constant complaints abouttrash and high weeds.

He plans to look at adopting an ordinance to correct some ofthose problems at the next meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m.,April 1, at town hall.

Also, the board of aldermen voted to provide a garbage containerfor the annual Keep Copiah County Beautiful clean-up day on April12. KCCB representative Bob McCreary thanked the board for theircontinued support.