Finding new vehicles and equipment to purchase for the last two to three years has been difficult for everyone, including the City of Alexander City.
City officials have been searching for a new bucket truck for the city’s light and power department as part of its fleet program. But none for purchase could be found, so city finance director Romy Stamps recommended a 60 month lease to the council at its Monday meeting.
“It has been very difficult to find things,” Stamps explained. “This is a lease with an option to purchase at the end.”
Council president Buffy Colvin announced to the council that with one month left in the fiscal year, the city had collected $150,000 more in business licenses for fiscal year 2022 than in 2021. Mayor Woody Baird said there were several job opportunities in the city including police officers, wastewater treatment plant operators and grass cutters.
Revenue officer Scotty Price said the city needs to address possible legal cannabis operations coming to the area. Price said at a recent conference the state is highly regulating the industry and if the city were to try to take advantage of having a facility, it first needed an ordinance on the books to address the issue.
Price said he had already been contacted by a business in Ohio who was interested. Councilman Scott Hardy said a local attorney and business owner had inquired about the matter with him.
In other action, the Alexander City City Council:
• Approved minutes of the Sept. 12 meeting.
• Declared a narrow strip of property totaling 1.9 acres as surplus and no longer needed.
• Set two public hearings for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 3. One is for the rezoning of three parcels from B-2 to R-2 and the other is to hear public comments on the possible sale of the Bud Porch Center.
• Authorized a contract with the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department to house city inmates at the county jail at a rate of $50 per day per inmate.
• Approved Main Street’s BBQ and Brews event for Oct. 8 in downtown.
The next meeting of the Alexander City City Council is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.
Cliff Williams is a staff writer for Tallapoosa Publishers.
