Alexander budget meeting mostly a ‘Wish List’ recitation

Aside from two or three technical questions about the proposed 2017 budget at the beginning of the budget workshop, Alexander council members were provided an overview of the budget from Mayor Paul Mitchell. The orientation consisted of two major purchase items in the police and fire department budgets, a new position in the street department and a wish list of items not in the budget.

In the police budget Mitchell pointed out a line item of $80,000, which he said will be changed to $100,000, for three police cars and one four-wheel-drive pickup truck. Mitchell said that only covers the purchase of the vehicles. Additional money will be needed to pay for items such as lights and prisoner cages. Due to an undaunted court clerk, who has been collecting past-due fines owed to the city, the police department fund is in a much-improved financial condition than in past years, allowing the city to purchase the new vehicles without a loan.

Mitchell said the best of the used cars will be kept for use by part-time or volunteer officers. The others will be sold.

The fire department has budgeted $30,000 for a new vehicle for the fire chief. Mitchell said the chief needs a vehicle more suited for daily driving.

The salary for a street department supervisor is included in the street budget. Mitchell told council members he will be presenting them with an ordinance establishing the position, which has been budgeted at $29,640.

Items on his wish list, that are not in the budget, include a tractor with a boom-mower and front bucket for the street department. The current tractor has been out of commission for about a year and he says it’s too costly to repair. Mitchell told council members he’s in the process of finding a three-phase backup generator for city hall that runs on natural gas. The plan is to be able to keep the building operating when it’s being used as an emergency command center, or if it’s ever used as a heating/cooling center.

Looking beyond 2017 Mitchell said he wants to be able to convert and operate the former firehouse three, on Evergreen Drive, as an animal shelter; but that may require additional funding from a sales tax increase approved by the voters. He wants to have all the streets paved by the end of his first term and establish an annual festival in the park.

“I’m trying to reinvent the City of Alexander,” he said.

Mitchell then moved onto the Organization of Alexander City Council 2017, providing a brief history of this much discussed document. A 2016 version was never adopted because some former council members wanted to include requirements that have nothing to do with how the council operates when holding a meeting. The major sticking-point was allowing aldermen full and total access to city hall, ‘[T]he same as the mayor.”

This new version is a leaner one due to the adoption last year of an ordinance establishing when the council will hold its monthly meetings and other related matters. Because the meeting schedule was part of the organization document, not being able to get it approved cause problems with holding legal meetings. Other sections were also removed because they are no-longer needed.

Attending the workshop were council members Elizabeth Bland, Dan Church, Joy Gray, Joe Pollard, Melissa Ratliff, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson. Jeffery Watson was absent.

The 2017 budget and the Organization of Alexander City Council 2017 are on the agenda for Monday night’s council meeting. The next meeting of the Alexander city council is Monday, January 23. The meeting will be held at 6 PM in the courtroom at the City of Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.