The Eutaw City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024, because members were planning to leave the next day to attend the Alabama League of Municipalities convention. Mayor Latasha Johnson and all members of the Council were present for the meeting.
At the request of Council member, Jonathan Woodruff, the Council voted to amend the resolution to not allow members of the Eutaw Police Department to drive city vehicles home, so it would be easier and faster to arrive at crime scenes if they are called. Woodruff said, “We recently voted to give the police officers a raise and we are discontinuing the perk of being able to drive police cars home, even to residences out of the county. We allowed this expenditure, in place of a raise, but now that we have given the raise, we are no long permitting the cars to be driven home.”
In the first of several tabling motions, the Council tabled a request from the Goodson Storm Shelter at 871 County Road 181, which is in the fire district of Eutaw, to be reimbursed for costs of electricity, water and gas.
This was discussed in the May 7th work session and moved to the agenda for approval. Council members wanted more information on whether they were legally responsible for these storm shelter expenses.
A representative of Living Waters, contractor for the city’s sewage system, was present at the meeting and asked the Council to approve the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Report to be sent to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). The report is a compilation of monthly reports. Several City Council members said that they had just received the report and had not had a chance to read it. The Council voted to table action on the report until its next meeting on May 28th, which will still enable the report to be filed on time.
The Council then took up four requests for use of the Robert H. Young Community Center, by IRS 501c3, non-profit organizations, who may use the facility, at no charge, if the meeting has a ‘public purpose’. The Council approved the Greene County Childrens’ Policy Council for a public meeting and the Southern Poverty Law Center for a June 15th festival on voting rights. The Council tabled the requests of the Order of Eastern Stars and Eutaw High School Class of 1979, to determine if their meetings had a public purpose.
The Council and the Mayor had a discussion of the prior decision to reduce the work time for employees to four days a week. Originally the Mayor tried to implement this with a half a day of work on Thursday and half day on Friday. Most of the employees thought it would be most effective to work a full day on Thursdays and take Friday off. The Council members want City Hall to be open on both Thursday and Friday for residents to transact business. Mayor Johnson said that as part of her day-to-day supervision responsibilities, she accepted the staff recommendations. Councilwomen Hunter asserted that the Council wants the City Hall open five days a week.
The Council said they would come back to resolve this in the next meeting.
Councilwomen Hunter also supported a motion for a hiring freeze, so no new staff are hired by the city. The Mayor said she was already abiding by a hiring freeze but felt this was again part of her “day-to-day supervising responsibilities”. This issue was not formally resolved with any actions. The Council also voted to pay outstanding bills.
The Council also received several reports from Ralph Liverman, Financial Advisor. One report was on the status of the $500,370 loan from Merchants and Farmers Bank for equipment and trucks. Liverman reported that as of April 30, 2024, 31 monthly payments of $11,169.08 had been made, leaving a balance of $185,014.81 to be paid by the end of 2025.
Liverman also provided a report on 22 city operating bank accounts in Merchants and Farmers Bank for the first seven months of the FY2023-24. The General Fund had a balance of $185,002 as of April 30, 2024. Based on the budget, funds are available in most accounts to honor all financial obligations of the city through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2024. However, Liverman points out that the Council must be vigilant and not overspend and consider an increase in water and sewer rates because this department is operating at a deficit, that will need to be covered by the General Fund at the end of the fiscal period.
Rick Harbin, CPA and the auditor of the city’s funds was present and informed the Council that he was 95% complete with the audit for Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2023. He said he hoped to have a complete report for approval by the Council at the meeting at the end of the month.
The city needs the audit to qualify for certain grant funds.