With only four members of the Alexander City Council able to
attend the Monday, May 20 meeting council members were limited as to
what they could do. With Mayor Paul Mitchell counting as the fifth
member, giving the council a quorum, the only agenda items
accomplished were the approval of the minutes from the April meeting
and the first public reading of three ordinances.
Under normal
circumstances, after a first reading, the required second and third
readings are suspended making way for voting on the ordinance.
Unfortunately, suspending the second and third readings requires a
two-thirds vote of the council. In this case six members must vote
for suspension of the additional readings.
The ordinances that
had their first reading were the City of Alexander Subdivision Rules
and Regulations, which establishes criteria and a process for
developing land within the city. The second is a new set of zoning
regulations to replace the current regulations established in 1982.
The third authorizes the electronic transfer of funds.
While Mayor Paul
Mitchell was able to be counted as the fifth member needed to make a
quorum, he’s not allowed to vote on some issues. Besides not being
allowed to vote on items that require a two-thirds vote, a mayor also
can not vote on an appointment to the city council. In Alexander’s
case that requires a minimum of five votes. The expected appointment
of Lonny Chapman to the vacant Ward-4, Seat-1 position was suspended
until the June meeting. The position became vacant in February when
Council Member Melissa Ratliff resigned to work full time at city
hall.
Present at the
meeting were Joe Pollard (Ward-1), Joy Gray (Ward-2), Harold
Timmerman (Ward-3), and Dan Church
(Ward-3). Absent were Elizabeth
Bland (Ward-1), Juanita Wilson (Ward-2) and Jeffery Watson (Ward-4).
The
next meeting of the Alexander city council is June 17. The meeting is
at 6 PM and is held in the courtroom at city hall. The public is
invited to attend.
