Greene County Democrat

Tag: Councilman Jonathan Woodruff

  • City of Eutaw holds contentious meeting; approves non-exclusive broadband franchise for Alabama Fiber Network

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    The Eutaw City Council held its bi-monthly meeting on February 25, 2025. All five council members and the mayor were present. The past few meetings, since the first of the year, have involved tensions between the council members and Mayor Latasha Johnson. This meeting was no exception, and in my notes, I wrote ‘this is a very contentious meeting’.
    In the Fall of 2024, the Council removed Mayor Johnson, as a signatory on all city accounts, in recent meetings, the Mayor and the Council disagreed over an ordinance raising council members stipend from $300 to $800 a month, beginning the next fiscal year. They also disagreed over travel reimbursements for staff, the repair schedule for streets in the city, raises for city employees, the use of city vehicles, staff work hours and other matters.
    Mayor Johnson has asserted that her decisions, were within her purview as “day to day operations of the city” while the Council members assert that they have fiscal control over the budget and expenditures and can correct the Mayor’s actions dealing with city funds.
    These arguments began at the February 25 meeting over approval of the agenda before any other actions were taken. Councilman Jonathan Woodruff moved to remove two items from the agenda, because he said they had already been decided or should be considered in a working session. He moved to eliminate a discussion of employee evaluations and raises that was later decided to be shifted to a discussion in the next working session. The Mayor wanted some discussion and decisions on these matters, since the council members had voted themselves a raise without considering the employees.
    Woodruff also wanted to cut an agenda item dealing with partial reimbursement of Assistant Police Chief William Smith for travel expenses to attend an FBI training workshop in Rushton, Louisiana on January 12-17, 2025. Woodruff said the Council disapproved the reimbursement in the prior three meetings because it was not a mandatory trip and because it was made in a city vehicle before it was authorized and under the policies this is not permitted.
    Mayor Johnson said that she authorized the trip because it was beneficial to the city and put it on the agenda as soon as she could which was after the trip was underway. The Council agreed to reimburse Assistant Chief for $523.49, which was a third of his original request and a compromise realizing the trip had not been properly authorized but that the Mayor and not the Assistant Chief was the responsible party. Woodruff said the Mayor should have polled the Council by phone before authorizing the trip. He also said this was the last unauthorized trip that he would vote to reimburse, since the proper policies were not followed. The Mayor said she felt she did the best she could and felt the city would benefit from the police training that Smith received.
    Another issue of contention was raised by Councilwoman Tracey Hunter who wanted to remove Police Chief Tommie Johnson, as a signatory, from the DARE Program checking account. The Mayor argued that the Police Chief is the supervisor of this special account and that he should not be removed from the account since he was not present at the meeting. It was unclear if the Chief had spent funds incorrectly from the DARE Account. The matter was tabled until a meeting where the Chief could be present.
    The Council also passed Ordinance 2025-3, granting a non-exclusive franchise agreement to Alabama Fiber Network, to provide middle-mile broadband services in Eutaw. A copy of the full ordinance is printed in this week’s Democrat, as a Legal Notice on Page 7. In the ordinance, when fully operational, Alabama Fiber Network will pay a three per cent of revenues franchise fee to the city.
    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Tabled consideration of Zoning Board, Cemetery Committee and Airport Authority Board appointments.
    • Referred Ms. Verna Nickson’s request for replacing her mobile home in a district zoned for residential dwellings, because her mobile home was in place before the zoning went into effect, to the Zoning Board for a variance.
    • Received financial reports from Ralph Liverman, Financial Adviser.
    • Approved services agreement with AVEN Insights and Analytics for collection of sales taxes and business licenses.
    • Approved travel, per diem, registration and parking for Mayor, Clerks and Council members to attend the Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Convention in Huntsville on May 13-16, 2025.
    • Tabled request from Victoria Harris to rezone area, near Lock Seven, for a Bar and Grill, pending consultation with neighboring residents.
    •Approved payment of bills.

  • Eutaw City Council approves sale of surplus property

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular monthly meeting on January 14, 2025. All members were present. The Council agreed to sell some property that it had declared surplus at a prior meeting or at this meeting.

    The Council agreed to declare a tenth of an acre adjacent to the water tower on the National Guard property as surplus in order to sell it to Alabama Fiber Network for $3,500. They plan to use the land to build a middle mile interchange facility to bring broadband to Greene County for ISP last mile providers to connect to bring fiber to individual homes and businesses.

    Later in the meeting the Eutaw City Council voted to offer to sell the Robert H. Young Community Center (formerly Carver School) to the Greene County Commission for $300,000. The Center had been declared surplus because the city could not afford to maintain the facility. The Commission has thus far not responded to the offer.

    The City Council agreed to a payment plan to contribute $30,000 per fiscal year ($2,500 per month) to support the E-911, for dispatch of emergency services. The plan also includes back payment of $15,000 owed for the prior fiscal year. Councilman Jonathan Woodruff has been pushing for enactment of a payment plan for E-911. He also serves on the E-911 Board of Directors.

    The council had a discussion of budgetary compliance relative to personnel in the approved budget. Councilman Woodruff asked why Mayor Johnson had continued to employ staff not covered in the budget instead of laying them off as required by the budget. Mayor Johnson said the employment and termination of staff was “day-to-day operations” under her office. She said she amended the budget to allow her to retain rather than layoff needed staff by shifting funds allocated in the budget but staying within the overall budgeted amounts. Several councilmembers did not agree with the mayor, but they will continue to monitor the budget and expenses to stop any operating deficits.

    Councilman Woodruff informed Mayor Johnson that he had seen 3 city workers, in a city vehicle, on Christmas eve, in Demopolis, doing personal shopping. The Mayor said they went to Demopolis to pick up a Christmas tree for City Hall. Woodruff said the employees picked up the tree the day before and that they were using a city vehicle for personal business which is prohibited by state law. Woodruff said the employees were endangering the city’s insurance coverage and disobeying the law. Mayor Johnson said, “We are addressing this issue with employees to prevent it from happening again.” Woodruff said he was not pleased or satisfied with the mayor’s response to his questions.

    The Council discussed an ordinance (2025 -2) to raise the salaries of the mayor and the council, which will come into effect, after the next city elections (August 2025) and newly elected city officials are seated. The resolution for the ordinance was tabled because the monthly amounts of the salary increases were not properly calculated in the resolution.

    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Tabled consideration of a motion on the manhole behind Ms. Suzette Quinne’s home because full ownership information on the sewage system was not established.

    • Tabled request for a meeting of the Eutaw Planning Commission on the advice of Legal Counsel.

    • Approved Proclamation of Human Awareness and Prevention Month.

    • Approved United Purposes, as a non-profit, to use R. H. Young gym, free of charge, for a pre-valentine social for senior citizens on February 7, 2025.

    • Declined to approve travel for Assistant Police Chief, William Smith, for the FBI-LEEDA Conference in Ruston, Louisiana for January 12-17, 2025, since the
    Assistance Chief did not apply for travel expenses on a timely basis before the event.

    • Agreed to pay all bills.

    The meeting was adjourned after some remarks by the Mayor, Council members and the public.

  • Eutaw City Council meets July 9; declines to approve new expenses requested by Mayor

    Eutaw celebrated two milestones on June 29th, 2024: Wilma Wedgeworth’s 40 years as custodian and Assistant Chief Smith’s retirement from EPD. We appreciate their dedication and hard work. Eutaw Police Department

    In its first regular meeting for the month, on July 9th, the Eutaw City Council continued its efforts to control expenses by rejecting several requests for new expenses proposed by Mayor Latasha Johnson. Councilman Larrie Coleman was absent, all other members were present.

    Under Old Business, the Eutaw Council voted to disapprove travel, registration and per diem expenses for Angelia Bonner and Barbara Collins to attend the AL E-911 Gulf Coast Conference in Gulf Shores, Alabama from October 13-16, 2024. The Council did not feel the travel expense was justified based on the program agenda provided. The Mayor argued that the two employees needed to get the information and training because it relates to do their jobs effectively.

    The Council also rejected approval of three contracts for persons employed by the city. One contract was for Sara Leavelle to serve as Utility Clerk at the Water Department. Ms. Leavelle had announced that she was leaving her city job for higher pay in a neighboring municipality but changed her mind and wanted to stay with the City of Eutaw. The Mayor offered her a contract at a higher salary because she decided to stay. The Mayor also had prepared contracts for City Attorney, Zane Willingham and Joshua Swords, City Judge, for approval by the Council.

    Speaking for the Eutaw City Council, Councilwoman Tracie Hunter, said it was unfair to give an increase to one employee rather than evaluate all the employees for a raise at the start of the next fiscal year. Hunter said she felt all the city employees were doing a dedicated job, above and beyond the call of duty. Councilman Jonathan Woodruff said the contracts the Mayor proposed were for four years and would have bound the next elected Mayor and Council that may wish to employ others in these positions.

    The City Council did approve payment to Harbin and Stough PC for $31,000 for the FY2023 Audit report. They approved $300 for a full-page ad in the Black Belt Folk Roots Festival program booklet. The Council also agreed to support “Fun Day” for youth at the R. H. Young Community Center. No specific request was submitted so the staff were asked to find out what was needed and the cost of sponsorship. The Council also voted to pay outstanding bills.

    In the Public Comments section of the meeting, questions were asked about fixing the holes in the street at the City’s Lock 7 Park. The Mayor said she was still working on fixing the potholes and until that was done the park gates would be locked for safety reasons. Councilman Woodruff requested a time when the City Finance Committee could meet with Financial Adviser Ralph Liverman to work on the next fiscal year’s budget.

    In response to a question from this reporter, the Mayor said that the Council had approved a plan to increase water and sewer rates as of October 1, 2024. The Council still plans to hold a public hearing on the rates, but the new rates were passed in an ordinance in the last meeting. The Council voted to suspend the rules and pass the ordinance with one reading, rather than two readings, that we reported in a prior newspaper.

    This led to a question of when they were going to raise garbage rates which are billed on the same statement as water and sewer usage each month.

  • Ribbon cutting held for mural in Eutaw

    R TO L: Councilman Jonathan Woodruff, Mayor Latasha Johnson, artist Banks Compton and Carrie Logan, President of the Chamber of Commerce pose in front of mural.


    On June 12, 2024, the City of Eutaw held a ribbon cutting to inaugurate a new mural on the side of the building adjacent to city hall. The mural portrays a typical rural scene in Greene County, with a deer and a wild turkey in a forest.

    Mural painter, Banks Compton, originally from Demopolis, who has painted 40 murals in Alabama, many in nearby towns like Linden, Livingston, and Boligee. Compton received formal training in art at the Rhode Island School of Design. Compton says he is ready to paint more murals in Eutaw, if we can identify suitable wall spaces and a funding source to cover expenses.

    The Greene County Chamber of Commerce sponsored the “Welcome to Eutaw, Alabama” mural with a $5,000 grant from RC&D.

    Compton in his remarks said he specializes in painting murals, using special materials to cover cracks in the wall and special paints that do not fade easily. He predicted the mural would last 30 years without repainting and warned of using protective coatings that might lead to premature yellowing of the mural.

    Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson in her remarks welcomed the mural as a sign that, “Our administration, with God’s help, has kept the faith and is moving forward.”

    She cited a series of accomplishments in her three years as mayor, including:
    • $2.6 million grant from ADEM to repair and improve the Eutaw-Boligee Water System, with no matching funds required.
    • $3 million from ADEM to repair the Wastewater system, also with no matching fund requirement.
    • $ 1 million from ALDOT for the Streetscape project, to redo the sidewalks on the outside perimeter of the Thomas E. Gilmore Courthouse Square. Matching provided by the City of Eutaw, Greene County Commission and Greene County IDA.
    • $ 350,000 from Governor Ivey’s Rebuild Alabama Program to repave 1.34 miles of the Lower Gainesville Road from Highway 11 to the city limit, passing in from of three apartment complexes. This grant must be matched 10% plus engineering fees. The city has requested assistance from Sheriff
    Benison to provide the matching funds from fees he controls from electronic bingo.
    • $115,000 for 12 new sets of breathing equipment for the Eutaw Fire Department.
    • a RISE grant, in conjunction with Auburn University to provide sidewalks for pedestrians to walk downtown and to shopping areas on Highway 43.

    • An annual budget to measure all income and expenditures to the city has been developed and followed by the Mayor and Council.

    • Two ‘clean audits’ for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 have been provided by the CPA firm and will be used in the grant fundraising process.

    • The City of Eutaw in conjunction with the Greene County Commission is developing a ‘waterpark for children’ in the city.

    The program ended with a symbolic cutting of a red ribbon in front of the mural. Refreshments in the form of muffins, coffee and juice were served in the City Hall.

    You can purchase a small print copy of the Eutaw mural or other murals by Banks Compton by contacting his website at http://www.bankscompton.com.