The city of Rome’s revenue is up and expenses are down compared with the same period last year, Commissioner Jamie Doss said Monday, Sept. 24.

There’s also been an increase in business license fees, which are based on a company’s gross revenue and number of employees.

“It may not be a turnaround, but it signals some improvement,” he said.

Doss, who chairs the city’s finance committee, provided the briefing during the City Commission meeting.

Commissioner Buzz Wachsteter, chair of the public safety committee, also updated the board on the battle against signs popping up along the rights of way — especially on the weekends.

Wachsteter said code enforcement crews have been removing them under the state’s litter law, and now all city employees are being told they have the authority to pull them out and throw them away.

“If the department can contact a local person to come get it, they’ll try,” he said. “But most of these companies are not local. The police also are going to be more diligent about trying to catch these people putting them up.”

In Commissioner Sue Lee’s report on the Alcohol Control Commission she chairs, she noted that the group will hold a special called meeting at 2 p.m. on Oct 10. Representatives of the restaurant and package sales industries also have been invited, to discuss possible changes to city regulations.

Lee also said the panel unanimously approved the Downtown Development Authority’s plans for another block party, from 7-10 p.m. on Oct. 26.

In other actions Monday, the City Commission:

• Approved a right-of-way contract with the state that sets the stage for replacement of the substandard Crescent Avenue Bridge. City Manager John Bennett said the project will likely be put out for bid this winter and built in the spring.
• Awarded the Midtown Transit Station parking lot contract to low-bidder Phillip Burkhalter Builders of Rome for $158,694.80. The DDA engineered a property swap with First Presbyterian Church that will ultimately provide 35 paid public spaces on East First Street behind the Broad Street restaurants.
• Recognized Stone­bridge Golf Course general manager Joe Cieri, who is leaving for another business opportunity. Commissioner Bill Collins said Cieri’s two years at the helm netted the city-owned facility honors as the most improved Billy Casper course and one of Golf Digest’s top courses for $55 and under rounds.