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.