Alexander Council appoints five; Leaves one vacancy

Members of the Alexander City Council appointed one individual to complete the unexpired term of city treasurer and four others were appointed to the new city planning commission. One applicant was not approved leaving a vacant seat on the planning commission.

At a special meeting, held Monday, April 6, seven of the eight-member council voted to fill the five vacancies. Present at the meeting were Ward-1 aldermen Louis E. Hobbs and Jeffery S. Watson; Ward-2 Alderwoman Stephanie Beck and Alderman Andy Mullins; Ward-3 Alderwoman Andrea Bearden and Alderman Dan Church; and Ward-4 Alderman Lonny Chapman. Ward-4 Alderwoman Melissa Ratliff could not attend the meeting due to a sick child.

The aldermen and Mayor Paul Mitchell went into executive session to discuss the various candidates. Nearly 30-minutes later they returned to regular session. A workshop meeting was held Monday, March 23 to interview the candidates.

Former Alderman Kenneth Miller was the only candidate for city treasurer. Kaye Richeson had submitted a resume but later declined due to family business.

Miller was appointed by a seven to one vote. Because Ratliff was absent she is counted as a "No" vote. Miller was sworn-in immediately after the vote by Mayor Paul Mitchell followed by a round of applause from those in attendence. The remainder of the four-year term expires December 31, 2016. The election for the next term will be held at the November, 2016 General Election.

Motions to appoint each of the applicants to the planning commission was made by council members, each one taking turns nominating an applicant. A term of one, two, or three years was included in the motion. When each term expires someone will be appointed to a full three-year term.

Robert "Bob" McKeon was appointed to a three-year term, Deanna Reeves and current Alderwoman Andrea Bearden were each appointed to two-year terms, and John W. Reeves, Sr. was appointed to a one-year term. Each applicant received seven "Yes" votes and one "No" vote due to the absence of Alderwoman Melissa Ratliff.

A motion was made to appoint former Alderman Michael Huck to a one-year term. He received only one "Yes" vote from Alderman Dan Church. This leaves Alexander with one vacancy on the planning commission.

Anyone who desires to serve on the City of Alexander Planning Commission is asked to send a resume to city hall in care of Mayor Paul Mitchell. The resume should include contact information, those qualifications the individual feels they have that will serve them well as a member of the planning commission and their vision for the future of Alexander.

The article concerning the interview workshop may be found below.

In other business;

While giving his monthly report Alexander Police Chief John Fenton recognized officers Williams and Gladness for actions they took recently which resulted in the quick arrest of a burglary suspect. Fenton said they responded to a residential burglary call last month at Knollwood Mobile Home Park.

"In the process they obtained some information and ended up in less than an hour made an arrest of a suspect and recovered property," Fenton said.

The next regular meeting of the Alexander City Council will be held Monday, April 20, 6 pm in the courtroom in city hall. Regular meetings are held the third Monday of the month. The public is invited to attend.