[0:08] We're okay. Thank you. It's good to see
all of you this afternoon. We've got a
[0:12] lot of um a lot to celebrate tonight.
We're going to go through a very quick
[0:16] city council meeting though. I promise
it will be very, very fast. Um and then
[0:20] we're going to get to the heart of the
matter for the reason that all of you
[0:23] are here tonight, which is such an
important event. So, uh our meeting is
[0:27] called to order. And at this point, I'm
going to call on uh Chaplain Craig Naws
[0:32] to come to the podium, please, and offer
our opening prayer.
[0:41] » If you would, would you join me in
prayer?
[0:44] Father God, we uh we thank you and
praise you tonight. I'm reminded of the
[0:51] gospel hymn, To God be the glory. Great
things you have done, Lord. We don't
[0:56] deserve those things that you've done
for us, but we praise you and thank you
[1:01] for being God. Thank you for how you
have worked in this community and
[1:06] continuing to work and have been with
this city and community and especially
[1:12] with our officers um almost eight, nine
months ago. Thank you for how you're
[1:19] still with them and with their families
and how Lord that you continue to heal
[1:25] in every way. So Lord, we give you
praise and honor and glory tonight. So I
[1:31] pray Lord that as we go through this
time of meeting and then awards. I pray
[1:37] Lord that you will just minister to each
family here. Speak to our hearts. Draw
[1:42] us closer together. Thank you for the
love that we share together as a family
[1:46] and a community for many of us here.
We've been here a number of years and we
[1:52] were born and raised here in Tiffan and
we thank you for this community and we
[1:57] pray your blessings upon those who lead
and we thank you that uh you've given
[2:02] them a privilege and honor and
responsibility and I pray father that
[2:06] you'll guide and direct in the decisions
they make here in this room and in other
[2:12] parts of this this city. So Lord, we
give you the honor and glory and praise
[2:17] tonight for your presence here and we
pray your blessings on each person in
[2:22] Jesus name I pray. Amen.
>> Amen. Thank you Craig. Also the city of
[2:27] Tiffan has a youth council. I don't know
if many of you are aware of that but we
[2:30] have um students from uh the high school
Tiff County High School and Tiffary
[2:35] Academy who serve through the year uh
and fill the various roles of the
[2:39] council and get very involved in the
community activities. And I'd like to
[2:43] introduce our current youth mayor, Mr.
Christian Krabs. And Christian is come
[2:47] to gonna come to the podium and he's
going to lead us in our pledge this
[2:50] evening. So Christian or I should say
Mayor Craps
[2:57] to stand up, please.
[3:02] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[3:08] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[3:15] justice for all.
>> Thank you.
[3:17] » Thank you, Christian.
[3:22] » All right, gentlemen, you have the
agenda in front of you that's sent out
[3:24] in plenty of time by our city clerk, uh,
Jessica, for us to review. So I will
[3:28] take a motion concerning approval of the
agenda or if there are any changes
[3:32] » move to approve.
>> All right. Thank you. So we have a
[3:33] motion and a second. Any further
discussion? All those in favor please
[3:37] say I.
>> I. Any opposed? Also in your packet were
[3:40] minutes from our previous meeting. So
you've had a chance to review those. So
[3:44] I'll make a take a motion concerning the
approval of those minutes or if there
[3:47] were any changes.
>> Move to approve.
[3:49] » Thank you. Is there a second?
>> Second. So we have a motion seconded by
[3:52] Lester. Uh any other discussion? All
those in favor please say I.
[3:56] » I. Any oppose? That does carry. Um
Jessica, do we have any public comments
[4:00] tonight? Okay, perfect. All right, we
have a couple of new business items we
[4:04] need to go through very quickly. Um we
do have a recommendation for uh GEMA
[4:10] generator project and Adam presented
that information. Adam, if you want to
[4:13] come and give us a quick update and uh
then we'll move on to the next item.
[4:17] » And I'll be fast. I know we got a lot of
stuff going on. See you. Um so u back
[4:22] during some of the hurricanes several
years ago, we um put in for grants for
[4:27] um some generators. We've got those
quotes back and um the total quote was
[4:34] uh lowest bid was 129 or 1 1,296522.
[4:40] um grant funding piece was going to be
896,972
[4:45] which leaves us about $400,000 um for us
to to put in to get those in and
[4:51] understand it's been couple several
years so the cost of those went up since
[4:56] the grant was funded. We had three
biders we are recommending to go with
[5:01] Ready Power LLC who was the only one
that was um they were the lowest bidder
[5:05] but they were also the only one that met
all the criteria.
[5:08] » Okay. So, um just asking for approval
for those generators to go to those five
[5:13] locations within the city.
>> Okay. All right. Thank you. And that
[5:15] information is in our packet. So,
gentlemen, I'll open the floor for uh
[5:19] consideration for a motion concerning
the uh the generator project.
[5:23] » Motion for approval.
>> All right. Is there a second?
[5:26] » All right. Thank you, Michael. We have a
motion to second. Any further
[5:28] discussion? All those in favor, please
say I. I. Any opposed? All right. We
[5:34] also have a resolution designating
Liiesta del PBLO as a festival. Jessica,
[5:38] any updates on that or is that their
their annual application? Okay. So,
[5:43] » and in previous years, it'll be held
September in Fwood Park.
[5:46] » SE What was the date again?
>> September.
[5:50] » Okay. Thank you. In Fullwood Park. Okay.
And we've done this in the past,
[5:53] gentlemen. So, I'll take a motion
concerning designating that as a
[5:56] festival.
>> Move to approve.
[5:58] » All right. Second.
>> All right. Sorry. A motion and a second.
[6:00] All in favor? Any further discussion?
All in favor, please say I. I. Any
[6:05] opposed? All right. And our final uh
action for this evening is a resolution
[6:09] approving amendments to the tax
collection services agreement with Tiff
[6:13] County and the Tiff County Tax
Commissioner. So, I'll call in our city
[6:16] manager, Bobby Bennett. Any updates we
need to know about that?
[6:19] » Mayor, council, we've always paid the
county and and now they're instead of us
[6:23] paying the county, we're going to pay
Chad Alexander through a 1099.
[6:27] » Okay. So, it's a little bit of a
housekeeping. Okay. So, it doesn't
[6:30] change what we're doing. two hours being
paid out. Okay.
[6:33] » All right. Uh so I'll consider I'll
offer that for your consideration for a
[6:36] motion on that resolution.
>> Move to approve.
[6:38] » All right.
>> Second.
[6:39] » All right. I have a motion. Second. Any
further discussion?
[6:43] » All those in favor, please say I.
>> I. Any opposed? All right. Now on to the
[6:47] mayor.
>> Mayor item number three still needs to
[6:51] be voted on.
>> Be the main street.
[6:53] » I did skip right over that. Sorry about
that. I was scratching things off my
[6:57] agenda. So item number three is a
resolution designating multiple Main
[7:00] Street events as festivals. Um, you
know, Abby comes to us when we have a
[7:04] rock the block or we have a second
Saturday and that kind of thing. So she
[7:07] wanted to go ahead and bundle several of
those together so she wouldn't have to
[7:11] come for each specific event. So um, so
I'll offer that for you for a motion
[7:16] concerning that resolution for those
multiple Main Street events.
[7:19] » I move to approve.
>> All right. Thank you. Is there a second?
[7:22] » Second.
>> All right. Thank you. Is there any
[7:24] further discussion? All those in favor,
please say I. I
[7:27] » I
now we are finished with that agenda.
[7:32] I'm going to pass this down to you
because you will need this in just a
[7:35] moment, Chief.
[7:38] And now we have our special
presentation.
[7:42] And I just want to say how honored it is
I am to see all of you in this room.
[7:49] This is a really special night for this
community. We're gathered here tonight
[7:54] to honor true heroes among us. Men and
women whose courage, speed, and
[7:59] unwavering dedication turned a day of
unimaginable danger into a true story of
[8:05] survival and hope. On December the 5th,
2025, our community faced an appalling
[8:11] tragedy when Tiffan police officer
Michael Gaskins and Tiffan police
[8:15] officer Jerry Fulford were ambushed in
the line of duty. In that dark moment
[8:20] when chaos erupted, the absolute best of
Tiffan and our surrounding agencies
[8:25] stepped forward without hesitation.
Behind every life saved is a network of
[8:31] extraordinary individuals. Tonight, we
will recognize the law enforcement
[8:35] officers who rush directly into harm's
way to secure the scene. the first
[8:39] responders who delivered critical
medical care under intense pressure and
[8:44] the emergency personnel whose swift
coordination made al the ultimate
[8:48] difference because of their brave and
decisive actions. Officers Gaskins and
[8:53] Fulford are with us today and our entire
city owes them a debt of grat gratitude
[8:59] that we can never repay. to speak more
on the bravery of these officers and to
[9:04] help lead our recognition tonight. I'm
going to turn the floor over to our
[9:07] Tiffan Police Chief, Steve Hman. Steve,
[9:16] » uh, mayor, council, members,
uh, honored guests, and members of our
[9:21] public safety family, before we present
these awards, I wanted to briefly
[9:26] reflect on the events of December 5th.
That day began as an investigation into
[9:33] an arson involving an incendiary device
that had been placed beneath a residence
[9:39] in our community that was meant to harm
a mother and her kids in the home. The
[9:45] investigation led the officers to a
suspect living across the street. The
[9:50] officers attempted to make contact with
the suspect. They were met with
[9:55] immediate gunfire. Without warning, the
suspect opened fire with an AR-15,
[10:00] striking detectives Michael Gaskin and
Detective Jerry Foot multiple times and
[10:07] seriously wounding both of them. What
followed was a response that
[10:11] demonstrated the very best of public
safety. Officers, deputies, agents,
[10:17] troopers, firefighters, and paramedics
from multiple agencies came together
[10:22] during an active and dangerous
situation. While gunfire continued and
[10:27] the risk was very real to each one of
them, these individuals stepped forward
[10:32] without hesitation to rescue Mike and
Jerry, provided medical care, and
[10:38] protected them and others from harm. The
awards being presented tonight are not
[10:45] simply for doing a job. They recognize
extraordinary courage, selflessness,
[10:52] uh, service, teamwork, and are willing
to place the safety of others above
[10:59] their own.
Tonight we honor the men and women whose
[11:05] actions saved lives, whose courage
inspired all of us, and whose commitment
[11:12] to service reflects the very best of our
profession and our community. It is our
[11:19] it is our department's privilege to
recognize each of them this evening. And
[11:26] we'll what we'll do is we'll start off
with the uh Purple Heart Award. If y'all
[11:39] uh the Purple Heart Award is awarded to
an individual who suffers in the line of
[11:46] duty a wound inflicted intentionally by
an armed adversary resulting in severe
[11:54] puncture wounds, lacerations, fractures,
confu concussions or heart failure. At
[12:02] this time, we ask the recipants of the
Purple Heart to please come forward.
[12:08] Detective Mike Gaskins.
[12:28] Did you get picture?
[12:35] Detective Jerry Fulford.
[12:56] Uh, I've asked Michael and Jerry to stay
up here with me.
[13:08] U
[13:15] you know there
there's a lot of
[13:19] people to be thankful for and there's a
lot of
[13:24] things that happened beyond
what happened that day. Uh
[13:32] and
what the next thing that I want to do is
[13:36] I want to present uh
[13:42] what I call the quiet heroes award.
There's
[13:48] there are two quiet heroes among us.
From the first call, they ne they have
[13:53] never wavered. They have stood by Mike
and Jerry every step of the way. cared
[14:00] for their families, welcomed each visit,
answered every text and phone call, and
[14:06] carried the weight of being a devoted
caregiver through some difficult days.
[14:12] Their strength, love, and commitment
have not gone unnoticed. In their own
[14:17] way, they too answered the call. They
have been the steady support, the quiet
[14:24] strength, and the foundation their
family needed when it mattered the most.
[14:29] And I'd like to ask uh Cat and Ally to
come up.
[14:49] » [snorts]
>> step out here
[14:52] with them
[15:00] BECAUSE
>> [applause]
[15:08] [applause]
[15:13] [applause]
[15:18] [applause]
[15:25] » THANK YOU.
[15:33] It's just it's just really important to
have somebody to come home to after
[15:39] going through an ordeal like that. Each
one of the officers that was on the
[15:44] scene
uh and that responded to the scene, you
[15:50] know, we appreciate your family for
standing by you and being your support,
[15:55] too. So everybody in here deserves a
hand because everybody played a role in
[16:01] a very difficult uh situation.
[applause]
[16:10] [applause]
[16:14] Uh next we'll do the uh medal of honor.
And the Medal of Honor is presented to
[16:21] an extra for an extraordinary act in the
line of duty at an inate
[16:29] danger to loss or life of an individual
concerned and with full knowledge of the
[16:37] risk involved.
At this time, we ask the recipants of
[16:43] the Medal of Honor to please come
forward. And
[16:48] in this in all the situations where you
know the Medal of Honor is presented,
[16:54] the persons earned it. But we got to
thank these two, they stepped up at a
[17:00] time when gunfire was going on and they
had no weapons on them, but they saw the
[17:08] need and they stepped forward and that
that uh is appreciated. Uh, that'll be
[17:17] city manager Bobby Bennett.
[17:22] Or should I say Chief Bobby Bennett
then?
[17:30] And uh, uh, fireman uh, Tyler Atkins.
[17:41] Thank you.
[17:50] » Thank you all.
[applause]
[17:57] [applause]
[18:06] [crying]
>> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[18:10] Okay, next we'll do the medal of valor.
Medal of valor is awarded to individuals
[18:16] individual acts of herois heroism in a
life-threatening situation during combat
[18:23] with an armed adversary.
At this time, we'll ask the recipants of
[18:30] the Medal of Honor uh to please come
forward, and that'll be uh
[18:36] Agent Scott Tally.
[18:52] Okay. and uh
agent uh Matt Marchant.
[19:13] Uh, Agent Marco Jones,
[19:27] Major Chad Davis,
[19:41] Lieutenant Lee Gray,
[19:50] Deputy James Bradley,
[20:01] Deputy Justin Connley,
[20:18] Officer Lamar Boy.
[20:24] It's behind me.
[20:30] Lieutenant Chris Lucky,
[20:39] Sergeant Sydney Green,
[20:51] Officer Jerry James,
[21:13] Let's give and take. [applause]
[21:22] » [applause]
[21:27] [applause]
[21:32] » Thank you, gentlemen. Y'all made a
difference. Y'all made a big difference
[21:36] stepping up and acting quick and uh
acting together. Some of y'all probably
[21:43] never actually worked together, but that
day it all jailed and the outcome is
[21:50] right here before us and
it was amazing and it's wonderful. I
[21:55] appreciate it. Thank you. Okay.
[applause]
[22:03] [applause]
[22:20] police accommodation.
Uh this award is for a credible act in
[22:26] the line of duty which which meets some
but not all of the requirements for
[22:32] medals. However, in unusual
However, in unusual in nature, showed
[22:40] initiative and accomplishment.
Uh because when the officers
[22:48] uh that moved in to move out, Mike and
Jerry were doing that, there's some
[22:55] other officers that moved in to help the
people that were still pinned down. And
[23:02] at this time, we'll call your name and
you come forward. Uh, Deputy Taylor
[23:07] Green,
[23:14] uh, Agent Trent McKinnon.
[23:18] Okay.
Uh, agent Strippling Luke
[23:25] and officers Jacob Stubs.
Jacob. Okay.
[23:34] Thank you. [applause]
[23:43] [applause]
[23:50] Thank you. Appreciate.
[23:54] Okay.
[23:59] In closing,
uh, I'm reminded of Isaiah 68 where the
[24:06] Lord asked, "Who whom shall I send and
who who will go for us?" And Isaiah
[24:13] answered, "Here am I. Send me." The men
and women here today gave that very
[24:20] answer. When two officers was down and
others was trapped under automatic
[24:26] gunfire, they responded without
hesitation. Here am I. Send me. Today we
[24:33] honor those who answered the call and
thank them for their bravery, their
[24:39] selflessness, and their unwavering
commitment to protecting others. To
[24:45] everyone who showed up at the scene,
call, send a text, stop by to check on
[24:52] our officers, or simply said a prayer.
Thank you. Several of our officers and
[24:58] other first responders went through a
very difficult situation that day. And
[25:03] the support shown to all of them has
meant more than you know. the the calls,
[25:09] the texts, the visits, the prayers, and
the words of encouragement
[25:15] were greatly appreciated. Again, thank
you for checking on our officers, their
[25:21] families, and everyone who has affected
who was affected by what happened that
[25:26] day. The support means a lot to all of
us, and we appreciate y'all. Thank you.
[25:34] [applause]
[25:43] » [applause]
[25:49] » Also, uh after the meeting is through on
the second floor, we do have
[25:56] refreshments, some drinks, orders. Uh
Jessica, Andrea, Caroline,
[26:04] and Evelyn them got together and they've
done a real good job. I got out their
[26:10] way. That's why it was successful.
So, but I appreciate everybody for
[26:16] coming and I appreciate the support that
uh we've had during this. Uh Sheriff,
[26:24] did you have anything or
>> I just want to say it's an honor to be
[26:28] around
[26:31] heroes
[26:41] together.
[26:46] » Yes.
[26:55] » Thank
opportunity. [applause]
[27:12] If you'd like to start and uh and then
we'll move down the line.
[27:15] » Um I'd just like to say thank you to uh
to all of our uh
[27:22] public service officers um who were
there that day. um and who continue to
[27:27] be there every day um to protect our
community. Um just thank you from the
[27:32] bottom of my heart.
>> Lester,
[27:35] » uh definitely I want to thank each and
every one of you. Uh my father my father
[27:40] was a policeman and it's very emotional
because um I watch my father um leave in
[27:47] the mornings and sometimes wondering if
he was going to come home, if anything
[27:51] was going to happen to him. So I just
want to commend each and every one of
[27:56] to thank you for helping these two come
home to their wives and kids because I
[28:02] remember thinking a couple of times
episodes were happening and uh back in
[28:07] the day and I was wondering my father
was going to come home and again thank
[28:11] each and every one of you.
>> Thank you Josh.
[28:15] » I just want to thank all of you guys. I
mean I can't imagine what you went
[28:18] through that day and pray that you
showed I think Sheriff said it right.
[28:22] You guys are true heroes. We're very
thankful everyone here today. Thank you.
[28:28] » Amen. Let's go celebrate.
>> Yeah,
[28:30] » let's go celebrate. So, we are
adjourned. We'll see you over at the
[28:32] Mayan uh next door. Thank you.