Greene County Democrat

Tag: Sarah Leavelle

  • Map of the City of Eutaw voting districts for municipal elections


    The City of Eutaw released the official list of candidates who qualified for the August 26, 2025, municipal elections for Mayor and five City Council positions. The qualifying period, which ran from June 10 to 24, is now closed.
    There are three candidates for Mayor. Incumbent Mayor Latasha Johnson is challenged by Corey Cockrell, a current County Commissioner for District 3 and Tyrone Atkins.
    In each of the five City Council districts the current incumbents qualified, except for District 3, where incumbent Tracey Hunter is unopposed in the election. In District 1, incumbent Valerie Brewer- Watkins is challenged by Ke’Undra Quintz Cox. In District 2, Jonathan Woodruff, Jr., the incumbent, is opposed by Charles Naylor, Jr., and Quentin Maurice Walton. In District 4, incumbent Larrie Coleman is challenged by Sarah Duncan Brewer and Lorenzo French. In District 5, incumbent Suzette Powell, is challenged by Carrie Logan, Director of the Eutaw Area Chamber of Commerce.
    If no candidate wins a majority of the votes for Mayor or in their district for City Council member, there will be a Run-off Election scheduled for September 23, 2025, for the top two vote-getters in each race.
    The election is open to all registered voters who have lived in the city or their respective district for 30 days or more prior to the election. The polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM on election day and for the run-off election, if necessary.
    The last day to register to vote in this election is August 15, 2025, for those who recently moved into the city limits, or never registered to vote or are trying to reclaim their voting rights. The newly elected Mayor and Council will take office in November 2025.

    Council Meetings on June 10 and 24

    The Eutaw City Council held its two regular monthly meetings on June 10 and 24, at the City Hall. Councilman Woodruff was absent for the June 10 meeting. All council members were in attendance for the June 24th meeting.
    In the June 10th meeting the Council approved purchase of materials to repair potholes in streets and other roadway repairs. The Mayor said she had a long list of streets to be repaired, and the city staff would work on these when the materials and time were available.
    The Council tabled requests from the Mayor to purchase a tractor and a bush hog and a truck mounted sewer jet to clean out sewer pumping stations.
    The Council approved travel for the Chief of Police to attend the annual conference of police chiefs in August ; travel for officer Jaleel Powell to attend a training in August; payment for poll workers in the upcoming municipal elections and approved payment of bills.
    At the June 24th meeting, the Eutaw City Council approved a new employee health plan from Colonial Life Insurance Company which includes dental and vision coverage not available in the current plan.
    The Council approved a Memorandum of Agreement with United Way of Alabama to install a ‘story walk’ in the city’s Memorial Park on Mesopotamia Street. The walk will tell stories to children when the walk through and will be an addition to the playground and tennis courts in the park.
    The Council also approved for Attorney Zane Willingham to write a letter to the Mayor concerning employee overtime. The Council approved payment of bills.
    The Council received a report from the Water Department listing $158,000 in delinquent bills to the city from 2017 to June 2025. Sarah Leavelle, Water Clerk, explained that these balances include water, sewer, garbage and connection fees owed. The Water Department has negotiated a payment plan for these overdue accounts.
    Leavelle explained, “Sometimes people honor their agreements and sometimes they don’t. We do have the right to cut off water services if people do not pay their bills and past due balances. We try to work with people to get their bills paid.” The Council took this information under consideration in terms of their planning and budgetary decision making.
    Council member Valerie Watkins raised several concerns. One was about large trucks parked by the place where the old swimming pool was located. Mayor Johnson asked her to get the names of the truck owners and license plates of violators to help in getting this problem resolved. Watkins said she was reporting the problem but could not be responsible for the requested information. Chief of Police Johnson said the police would monitor the situation and advise the truck owners of the laws.
    Watkins said the city staff should check and identify streetlights that are not working and make sure they are replaced. She also said residents were complaining about a ditch that runs between Roebuck and Edwards Streets. The Mayor responded that this ditch is owned by the residents and not the city and therefore cleaning the ditch was their responsibility.
    In the public comments section of the meetings, Faye Tyree complained that the bathrooms in the City Hall need to be repaired for use by the employees and the public. Alfonzo Morton complained about flooding from the rains and asked the city to help in cleaning the ditch behind his house.

  • Eutaw City Council takes up some cost saving measures to avoid budgetary shortfall

    At its Working Session on April 8 and its regular meeting on April 9, 2024, the Eutaw City Council took some steps to reduce expenditures and increase income to avoid a budget shortfall toward the end of its fiscal year, coming in the last few months of the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024.

    The Council was in part reacting to a mid-year financial report from Fiscal Adviser, Ralph Liverman, which showed deficits in the water and sewer department and a lack of income from rental of the Robert H. Young Community Center and other city properties. The report also indicated that the city had received no revenues from electronic bingo, distributed by the Sheriff, since May 2023. In past years, bingo funds were used to cover departmental deficits and capital improvements, like road and bridge repairs.

    The Council adopted a resolution setting rates for the short-term use of the Robert H. Young Community Center (formerly Carver School). The general rental rate for the gymnasium space is set for $300 for use from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Non-profit entities can be exempted from rental rates, by the Eutaw City Council, if the activity is for a public purpose. The charge for funerals is $100.

    If the renter is charging admission or using the facility for fundraising an additional fee of $250 will be charged. Non-profit agencies can apply for exemption of this requirement. If alcohol is being served at a rental event, all individuals admitted must be 21 years of age and appropriate security is contracted.

    There is also a refundable $150 charge as a cleaning deposit, if the renter does not leave the property in satisfactory condition, the deposit will be forfeited, otherwise it will be refunded to the renter. No cleaning deposit will be charged for funerals.

    The Eutaw City Council approved a new work schedule for all city employees, with the exception of police officers, for a half day of work on Thursdays and Fridays (8:00 AM to Noon). This will cutback employees to a four-day week and allow the retention of all existing employees, without having to layoff anyone, while also saving some funds.

    The Council also approved a policy to limit overtime by city employees to the exact time of additional work required for emergencies. Some employees were receiving an automatic three hours for being called for overtime work. This practice will be changed to actual time worked and limited to emergencies. Some water and sewer employees were asked to do overtime work, when problems developed for residents, who has back-flow valves installed on their water meters. Mayor Johnson said she was seeking reimbursement for those overtime hours from the general contractor who handled installation of the back-flow valves.

    The Council received a report at the Work Session, from Sarah Leavelle, from the Water and Sewer Department, concerning a rate analysis, last year, from the University of North Carolina, that recommended a gradual increase in water and sewer rates. The proposal recommends an increase in the rates by 15% the first year, increasing by 5% a year over the next four years. The base rate for water, for residential customers, would increase from the current minimum of $14.41 for two thousand (2,000) gallons to $16.57 for the first year, by the end of five years, the base rate would increase to $20.14. The rate per thousand additional gallons would increase, over five years, from $5.39 to $6.88 per 1,000 gallons.

    Sewer rates would increase by a corresponding amount and help to close the deficit in these departments between revenues and expenses. The City Council will need to pass an ordinance to implement the water and sewer rate increases. The matter was referred to Zane Willingham, City Attorney, to prepare an ordinance.

    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved a partnership with the City and the University of Alabama’s
    Life Research Institute dealing with improving cardiovascular heath for residents.
    • Changed the signatures on the Police DARES bank account.
    • Approved payment of bills.
    • Heard a report from Courtney Ransom of vandalism at the horse arena in City Park, which was granted to her horse organization for horse shows and rides. She asked for more police presence to check the park.
    • Councilman Woodruff complimented City Police investigator for his presentation to the Grand Jury.
    • Police Chief Johnson reported that the Eutaw Police Department will hold its 4th Annual First Responders Day and Parade on May 14, 2024.
    • Sarah Leavelle reported that the City Water Department had $107,156.70 in collections for the month of March 2024, including 335 on-line payments of $27,126.13; and 1,544 active customers.