Police Officer Tyler Johnson named ‘Officer of the Year” . L to R. are Councilwoman Tracey Hunter, Police Chief Tommy Johnson, Councilwoman Valerie Watkins, Officer Tyler Johnson, Mayor Latasha Johnson, Councilwoman Suzette Powell, and Councilman Jonathan Woodruff.

By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

In response to financial and budgetary pressures, the Eutaw City Council met on December 10, Dec. 17 and in a working session on December 12, to deal with several issues related to the projected deficit in the current Fiscal Year (2024-25) finances. Mayor Latasha Johnson and the Eutaw City Council differ on the best approaches to the financial problems.

Councilmembers led by Jonathan Woodruff and Tracey Hunter feel the city must curb expenses, layoff workers and sell properties that are not financially sustainable, to avoid deficits. The Mayor argues that she has faith the city will grow and provide new revenues to sustain the workforce, make necessary improvements and hold on to properties like the R. H. Young Community Center. Mayor Johnson also argues that the mayor oversees “day-to-day operations”, which includes hiring and firing of employees to accomplish the on-going tasks of city administration.

The Council voted unanimously at its December 17 meeting to declare the Robert H. Young Community Center as surplus property, so it can be sold. The City of Eutaw purchased the school from the Greene County Board of Education for $200,000 in the prior city administration of Raymond Steele. The Council’s intention was to develop the former Carver School as a community center, with spaces rented to community organizations and small businesses. While the school, especially the gymnasium has been used for meetings and funerals, the facility has not generated enough income to pay utility, maintenance and repair costs.

The Mayor stated the city needs a community center and the Greene County Commission may be interested in buying the facility or working together with the city in its development as a community center for all county residents. Councilman Woodruff says, “There is a lack of trust between the city and county because the county did not honor its commitment to put up $70,000 for the matching funds for the Street Scape
Project to remodel the sidewalks around the old Courthouse Square in downtown Eutaw.”

Woodruff continued, “We are willing to sell the property to the County at its current appraised value, but I do not think we can work together with them since we have financial problems and no funds for a community center.” Many community residents feel the best way to proceed would be a joint effort of the city and the county seeking public and private grant funds to develop a comprehensive community center out of the old Carver school.

The City of Eutaw was able to borrow funds from Merchants and Farmers Bank to cover the shortfalls in matching funds for the Street Scape and West End Avenue repaving projects. The City committed funds from its State of Alabama 4-cent and 7-cent roadway repair funds to repay the loan.

The Mayor presented a revised fiscal year 2024-25 fiscal budget, where she moved expenses around from some funding to repair the old E-911 building and a fund to purchase or repair police vehicles to be able to retain all current staff. The Council voted not to accept the Mayor’s budget revisions and approved the original budget which requires layoff or not replacing vacancies in the street, water, sewer and administrative departments.

The Mayor voted against this resolution and said the budget was a plan that could be revised based on needs. She asserted that she oversaw day-to-day operations and as long as her spending was within the budget requirements, she could keep staff needed to operate the city. Councilmembers Woodruff and Hunter said they would continue to monitor and evaluate the budget, expenses and the staffing of city departments. This remains as an area of disagreement between the mayor and the council.

The Mayor said that the city attorney was working on negotiating an agreement with Alabama Fiber Network to sell them a 50 by 50-foot space to place their “middle mile broadband equipment” to facilitate expansion of fiber Internet access in the city and county. The legal paperwork for this sale will be provided by the attorney, for approval by the council, at a future meeting.

A payment of budgeted support funding to E-911 was tabled until after the city receives its allocation of property taxes in January. E-911 provides dispatch services for city agencies like the police and ambulance services.

In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

• Approved travel for Police Chief Tommy Johnson to attend the AACOP Winter Conference in Montgomery on February 9-13, 2025.
• Approved $150 membership dues for City Attorney, Zane Willingham, for the Alabama Association of Municipal Attorneys.

• Tabled repairs to a manhole behind Ms. Suzzette Quinnie’s property until the ownership of the sewer line can be documented between the City and the Greene County Housing Authority.

• Heard a presentation from Lamar Martin, of the Secure Wellness Group on a Self-Insured Medical Reimbursement Plan for city employees. The Council voted to provide information for a payroll census, without personal information, so he could develop a plan for the City of Eutaw and
present it at a future meeting.

Mayor Johnson indicated that City Hall would be closed on December 24 and 25, 2024, December 31, 2024 at 12:00 Noon and January 1, 2025, for the holidays.