Greene County Democrat

Tag: Cynthia Cooper

  • Eutaw City Council approves supplemental request for water system and does not act on employee raises

    Eutaw Police Chief Tommy Johnson joined by Mayor and City Council awards March “Employee of the Month” to Officer Mandre Adams

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    This is a report of the meetings of the Eutaw City Council during the month of March. There were regular meetings on March 11 and 25 and a work session on March 24, 2025. The agenda for both regular meetings were similar, and some actions deferred or tabled at the first monthly meeting were completed at the second meeting. All three of the meetings were well attended with Mayor Latasha Johnson and all five council members present.
    At its March 25th meeting, the Eutaw City Council heard a progress report from Angela Henline, engineer with the Cassady Company in Northport. Henline reported that the four basic water improvement contracts had been completed for metering, monitoring and flush requirements. She reported that the Boligee Water Tank Rehabilitation was complete, which means Boligee will have a water reserve if problems occur in other parts of the system.
    She reported that the water backflow preventers had been installed for all system customers and that the 16-inch water main to connect Boligee to Brush Creek, as part of the Eutaw and Boligee water system was 80% complete. Improvements to the joint Eutaw-Boligee wastewater system are also underway starting with the pumping stations connecting Boligee and points in between with the lagoon in Eutaw.
    Engineer Henline asked the Eutaw City Council to approve submission of a supplemental request for $2.69 million dollars to replace the 16-inch water main from Lola Wallace Young Road to Brush Creek and install diesel generators for wells no. 4 and 5, in case of a power outage. She also requested a change order to use remaining funds in Wastewater contract B, to replace the Branch Heights Pumping Station. The Council approved requesting these supplemental funds and the change order.
    Henline said that ADEM would inform the City Council when other funds were available for the completion of other steps to improve the water and wastewater systems of Boligee and Eutaw.
    On items of Old Business, City Attorney, Zane Willingham explained that no action was needed on the right of way plans of Alabama Fiber Network, since the Eutaw City Council had passed an ordinance which included approval of these plans. The Council agreed to provide a streetlight near 415 Eatman Avenue at the request of Nicolas and Akira Spencer. The Mayor said that based on finances the city budget could not afford to respond to every request for additional street lighting. The Council voted to approve the request because a light on the street was damaged by last year’s storms and never replaced.
    Mayor Latasha Johnson said she had conducted an evaluation of each city employee as a requirement for providing them raises. She asked the Council to consider a raise between 50 cents and a dollar an hour. No one on the Council would make a motion for a raise for employees.
    In her report, later in the meeting, Mayor Johnson expressed disappointment that the council members would not consider a raise, since they raised the salaries of next incoming council from $300 to $800 a month. Councilwomen Tracey Hunter said that they were following the recommendation of City Financial Advisor, Ralph Liverman, who said not to raise salaries until later in the year when the fund balances were clearer.
    Mayor Johnson noted that Liverman also recommended against raising the next council’s salaries, but the council did it anyway. Councilman Wofford said that Liverman advised the Mayor to layoff city employees to meet budgetary goals and then consider raises. The Mayor said she would not lay employees off and found a way to modify the budget to keep existing employees employed. The disagreement over raises continues to divide the Mayor and Council.
    The Council approved the members of the City Zoning Board. Cynthia Cooper, John Zippert, Corey Cockrell and Shirley Edwards were re-appointed. Jacqueline Stewart, a former council member was added to the board. Four members of the Cemetery Committee were re-appointed including Sharon Trammel, Joseph Fricks, Linda Wheat, and Connie Tyree. They join Suzette Powell, who was recently appointed to a four-year term.
    Mayor Johnson named John Cashin to replace Reginald Cheatem for a two-year term on the Eutaw Airport Authority at the March 11 meeting. At the March 25th meeting, the Mayor reappointed John Darden, Danny Cooper and Jim Logan to the Airport Authority. They join Billy Mingles, Joe Powell and Collin McRae whose terms are not up for reappointment.
    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Agreed to temporally close the Robert H. Young Community Center to assess repairs that are needed to improve the building and eliminate health hazards,
    • Approved travel for various officials and employees to attend training conferences,
    • Approved Mayor Johnson to accept bids for the repair of restrooms in the City Hall and to make them handicapped accessible.
    • Remove the Chief of Police from the signatories on the DARES account.
    • Approved amendment to the resolution and policies about police cars being used by officers to drive to their home addresses.
    • Approved use of the R. H. Young Community Center Gymnasium for Sam Marsonek (Baseball Country) on Sunday afternoons in April and May, for no charge.
    • Approve payment of bills.

  • Eutaw City Council appoints board and committee members, reviews water system issues, E-911 and pays bills

    Shown L to R: Eutaw Police Officer Tyler Johnson, Asst, Chief Kendrick Howell, Chief Tommy Johnson, Mayor Pro Tem LaJeffery Carpenter, Officers Robert Geter and William Smith displaying their new uniform. Chief Johnson stated he has an open door policy. Look professional and act professional. We are here to help our citizens.

    At its regular meeting on January 26,2021, the Eutaw City Council
    dealt with several outstanding issues including naming people to city committees and boards, reviewing continuing problems with the water system, support for E-911, reviewing an agreement for joint work with the County Commission and Industrial Board, setting lease rates for space at the Carver School Community Center and paying bills.
    The Mayor and City Council appointed members of the following boards and committees:
    • Eutaw Zoning Board: John Zippert, Broderick Fulghum, Cynthia Cooper, Corey Cockrell, and Shirley Eubanks
    • Eutaw Housing Authority Board: James Powell, Jonathan Lewis, Jacqueline Allen, and Isaac N. Atkins
    • Eutaw Medical Clinic Board: Judy Jarvis, John Zippert and Joyce Cotton
    • Eutaw Historical Commission: Evelyn Davis, Gilda Jowers, Diane Liverman, Carol P. Zippert, Sharon Trammell, Johnnie Mae Knott, Sandra Walker, Judy Jarvis
    • Eutaw Cemetery Board: Nicolas Wilson, Joseph Fritz, Suzette Powell, Sharon Trammell, and Connie Tyree
    The Council took up the issue of setting a rental payment for use of rooms at the Carver School Community Center. The CRFD, a non-profit agency has had a space for a year and Liberty Tax, a business. is requesting a space. Councilwoman Tracey Hunter raised the concern that the monthly charge includes utilities. Mayor Johnson said it was a community center not a business, so the city was not likely to recover all costs for the facility, but needed to charge a fair rate for non-profits and others. Hunter then moved to table the issue until more research and information was available.
    The Engineers of the South (EOS), the consulting firm that is currently contracted to monitor the operations and quality of the Eutaw Water System was present and stated their interest in supporting efforts to improve the system. The spokesperson for EOS said that they would provide a proposal to increase time on monitoring the system, help in auditing and correcting faulty meters and replacing meters that could not be repaired. EOS is also answering an ADEM complaint about the water system, which was sent to the past Mayor but never answered.
    The City also has a proposal from Kathie Horne of Water Management Associates for improving and repairing problems with the water system. Her agreement is for three years and charges $6 per meter, per month. Mayor Johnson said the city has 1,400 water meters, which means that Horne’s contract is for $8,400 a month or more. Johnson said she wasn’t sure if the city could afford this contract and welcomed other proposals, like one from EOS. The Mayor said this would be discussed in more detail at a Council Work Session on Tuesday, February 2nd.
    The next agenda item was a pledge by the City since 2004, to provide $30,000 a year for the operation of the E-911 emergency assistance and dispatching services, which has never been paid. Johnny Isaac, Chair of the E-911 Board was present and said, “In 2004, I was the Sheriff and Reginald Spencer was Eutaw Chief of Police, we agreed to transfer dispatching services to E-911. This is saving the city between $200,000 and $300,000 a year. We hope you can support us with $30,000 that was pledged but never paid. The monies we get from the phone bill tax of $1.86 per customer is not sufficient to operate E-911”
    Mayor Johnson said the City should pay $30,000 a year to support E-911, from bingo funds. The Council agreed and supported this expense.
    The Council reviewed an agreement between the City, County Commission and Industrial Development Authority for development of the Interstate 59/20 Exit 40, especially the location of a motel and other projects to improve the county. The Council tabled this issue for further discussion at the upcoming work session.
    The Council received a listing of outstanding bills for the months of November, December and January, which they approved for payment.