By Rupert Howell

A meeting of Sardis aldermen called Tuesday afternoon could add as much as $15,000 to the city’s coffers as the company owning equipment in the former Steelematic Building has asked for a lease extension through the month of February.

Alderman-at-large Roy Scallorn explained that Martinrea International of Toronto is actual owner of the equipment and that it has yet to be moved by that company or a potential buyer and it could be up to three months before removal was complete.

The city had previously settled with a $50,000 up front payment for settlement of Steelematic’s lease agreement with a $47,500 escrow payment due in December when the company estimated it would have equipment out of the building.

Aldermen agreed to the additional three month extension of the lease subject to payment in December of the escrow payment.

Steelematic shut down the operation earlier this year while in arrears with the city for lease payments.

The city’s agreement had requirements that allowed the city to make claim against assets and negotiations through the city attorney Thomas Shuler and should allow the city to receive funds adequate to pay bonds plus some.

The closing and non-payment of the lease came about when the city was also facing losing income from the Town of Como’s withdrawal from the city’s 911 dispatching service, another source of revenue.

Sardis has since voted to join county-wide or centralized dispatching which should decrease costs to the city.

The original payment, escrow payment and additional lease payment should cover the bond payments on the Steelematic building.

Scallorn presided in the absence of Mayor Rusty Dye. Aldermen Clarence Jones, Lula Palmer and Jojo Still attended the special meeting.