With Mayor Willie Burns breaking a tie vote, the Washington City Council has agreed to make city employee health insurance available to serving city councilmen at taxpayer expense.

In Monday night's regular meeting, Councilman Nathaniel Cullars finally succeeded in pushing through the proposal that he had been trying to get for months, allowing city councilmen to be covered, at taxpayer expense, under the city's health insurance for full-time employees.

Councilmen Pamela Eaton, Ed Pope Jr., and Ames Barnett voted against the proposal. Rev. G.L. Avery, although he said he did not intend to get the insurance, voted for it, as did Maceo Mahoney. With the council tied 3-3, Mayor Burns voted for Cullars' motion, passing it.

The city leaders also voted to accept the draft Service Delivery Strategy by which the county and city governments determine which entity pays for which service, and which keeps taxpayers from paying for services twice. Leaders from Washington, Wilkes County, Rayle, and Tignall have met for several months to develop of the comprehensive strategy document.

The strategy was to have been complete by June 2009 to be submitted with the county's comprehensive plan, but the deadline was extended. The revised plan clarifies several issues that have become contentious between city and county, including aspects of the Payroll Development Authority, Tourism, Kettle Creek Battlefield, the senior center, Downtown Development Authority, and veterans' services. It also renegotiated how the city is paid for Washington Fire Department's response to fires in the county.

In other action, the council approved two resolutions, one concerning MEAG combined cycle payments and one amending the MEAG generation trust agreement.

The council also approved requests from the Washington-Wilkes Arts Foundation to use part of The Square for the Fall ArtFest November 7-8, and from Wilkes Ministers United for a Veterans' Day observance November 11.

At the request of Main Street Director David Jenkins, the council also approved a resolution to apply for a gateway beautification grant.

At the opening of the meeting, Tourism Director Ashley Barnett said that the annual Mule Day event was a big success, and thanked city workers for their hard work in preparing Callaway Plantation for the event.