The City of Luverne will observe Halloween festivities next Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., Luverne Mayor Joe Rex Sport announced at Monday evening's city council meeting.

&#8220Anyone who wishes to participate should leave his front porch lights on,” he added.

In addition, the Town of Brantley will host Halloween activities from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, as well.

Also, the Luverne Rescue Squad will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters

at their new building, located at 142 West 6th Street, just past the Luverne Police Department, during the same trick-or-treat time.

In other business, Sport said that Officer Mason Adcock of the Luverne Police Department had turned in a verbal resignation that will be effective Oct. 28, and that Adcock was looking to be employed with the Crenshaw County Sheriff's Department. Also, LPD dispatcher Marie Dickey gave her resignation on Oct. 20. Her last day with the LPD will be Nov. 1.

&#8220We are looking for replacements for both of these employees right now,” Sport said.

He added that the city was &#8220short on covering dispatchers on all shifts” and that they were presently looking for both a full-time and a part-time dispatcher.

&#8220We have no one to cover if someone is out,” he said.

Also, LPD officers Ed Billings, Charlie Brundidge and Edward Williams recently went to Birmingham to attend a conference hosted by Attorney General Troy King.

The council voted to remove four vehicles from city property. One Chevy Lumina from the Luverne Police Dept. was declared surplus, while two other LPD vehicles were declared salvage. Also, a 1979 Ford van, which was formerly used as an ambulance, was declared surplus.

When it came to the downtown revitalization project, the mayor noted that things were &#8220moving along smoothly.”

However, he said that there were still problems with pigeons in the downtown area.

&#8220They can certainly become not just a problem but a health hazard,” he said.

Sport asked city attorney Mike Jones to look into the legalities and guidelines on what the city could do in handling the problem.

At E.L. Turner Park, Sport reported that work continued on the bleacher seats, the concession stands and the fields.

The mayor and council voted to give Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 25 and 26, as Christmas holidays for city employees. Household garbage will be picked up on Wed. and Thursday, Dec. 27 and 28, of that week. For New Year's Day, the city will only be closed Monday, Jan. 1.

Council member Charlie Johnson, toward the end of the meeting, expressed his concerns about the possibility of a union organization moving into the area, mainly at the S.M.A.R.T. Plant.

&#8220A lot of effort has been made to get industry here to this area,” Johnson said. &#8220A union would jeopardize thingsŠ.One of the primary reasons these industries came to this area is because it's union-free. If they were to come in, it could cripple our industryŠ.we won't have a hope of landing anything else.”

Johnson said that area employees needed to hear from &#8220someone other than the industries” about this matter.