Alexander council moves January, February meeting dates; decides who will sign checks

In a quick "Emergency Meeting" the Alexander City Council voted to change the dates of the next two "Regular" council meetings. Regular meetings are normally held the third Monday of the month. The dates were changed because the regular dates for January and February are Federal and State holidays; Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day respectively.

The next two meetings will be held January 26 and February 23. The time and location remains the same; 6 pm at City Hall. As always, the public is invited to attend.

At the "Emergency" meeting held Tuesday evening January 6, council members also decided who will be signing checks for the city. Approved for this task were Mayor Paul Mitchell, aldermen Andrea Bearden and Jeffery Watson and, in an emergency, newly hired bookkeeper JoAn Churchill.

Churchill was hired by Mitchell after the resignation of former bookkeeper Ruby Whittaker. Whittaker submitted her resignation in late 2014 and made it effective upon the hiring of a new bookkeeper. Former Mayor Michelle Hobbs failed to find a replacement.

Churchill held the position in 2011 and 2012. She was appointed bookkeeper at $9 per hour working a 40 hour week; averaging $1,560 per month.

She was elected treasurer in the November 2012 election. The outgoing council in December declared the treasurer's position part-time and set a monthly salary of $500. Seven of the eight aldermen on that council either lost re-election or didn't run. Nothing was done about the bookkeeper position.

In a 4 to 3 vote the new council (in February, 2013) approved hiring PayChex to handle payroll accounting and the printing of payroll checks. But, at the time, there was no decision as to who will perform the other accounting duties.

On Monday, March 18, 2013 she resigned. In her resignation to Mayor Michelle Hobbs she stated, "Because of the situation in the City of Alexander, the extreme ‘brokenness’ of the governing body, because there is no ordinance describing my duties and finally no apparent common ground to pass such an instrument, I hereby tender my resignation effective 2:00 PM, 3/18/2013."

Hobbs was appointed mayor in December 2012 at the same meeting the outgoing council declared the treasurer's position part-time. In mid-November Mitchell resigned after losing a recall election, prompting the appointment of Hobbs.

Attending the Emergency Meeting were former Mayor Michelle Hobbs, members of her family and former Alderman Juanita Wilson.

Last two aldermen sworn-in

Before Tuesday the last two aldermen elected to the Alexander City Council in November were sworn-in by Mayor Paul Mitchell. Melissa Ratliff took the oath on Saturday, January 3 and Dan Church was sworn-in on Monday, January 5. All eight of the council members attended the Tuesday meeting.