Greene County Democrat

Tag: The Eutaw City Council

  • Eutaw Mayor Corey Cockrell announces a set of community meetings for residents to raise issues and hear plans for new year

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular meeting on the fourth Tuesday, December 23, 2025, to deal with routine business matters. The mayor and all council members, with the exception of Jonathan Woodruff, District 2, were present.
    Mayor Corey Cockrell in his Mayor’s comments announced that he would be scheduling meetings in all districts for residents to come and voice their concerns about city issues and problems. In the meetings, Mayor Cockrell said that in addition to addressing community concerns, that he would be talking about problems of littering and late payment of water bills as well as the city’s plans for 2026 and the following years.
    The first meeting will be held at the Branch Heights Community Center on January 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM. On January 21, 2026, there will be a meeting at the Eutaw Activity Center at the same time for the same purpose. A third meeting will be held on January 28, 2026, at the Eutaw City Hall for those who missed prior meetings and want to attend.
    Commission Chair Garria Spencer was present at the meeting and explained that he was there to support the work of the Greene County Ambulance Service. “The GEMS – Greene County Ambulance Service is very needed in a rural county like ours, with many aging and isolated people, who may have a medical emergency at any time. The County Commission advanced the GEMS – $88,000 to cover back bills and expenses, at its last meeting. We advanced this money to keep the ambulance service in operation, with the understanding that other entities inn the county would help the Commission to bear this expense,” said Spencer.
    Commissioner Spencer reported that the Town of Union had authorized $15,000 and that Sheriff Joe Benison had agreed to contribute $10,000 from Bingo proceeds. Spencer urged other county entities and municipalities to come forward and support the ambulance service. He said that agencies could call Ms. Vickie Colson, Chair of the Greene County Ambulance Service for more information.
    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
    •Approved holding a Work Session on the third Tuesday, January 20, 2026; and may hold future work sessions on the third Tuesdays at 5:00 PM.
    • Tabled action on extending a lease with Ferrellgas for a facility in the city, to seek more information.
    • Approved renewal of a contract with Pitney Bowles for a postage meter.
    • Approved registration, travel, and per diem for the Mayor, Council members and clerks to attend Alabama League of Municipalities convention, April n28- May 1, 2026, in Montgomery.
    • Approved the payment of bills.

  • Eutaw City Council approves budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026

    The Eutaw City Council met on November 25, 2025, for its regular fourth Tuesday meeting. The mayor and five council members were present.
    The Council adopted its budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025, and ending. September 30, 20256. The budget was prepared by James Lewis, the new fiscal advisor, who replaced Ralph Liverman, who moved out of state to live with his children. Lewis works for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service in financial literacy and has an MBA with experience in managing several local businesses.
    Lewis who participated in a Eutaw City Council work session earlier in the month, on November 18th, said his goal was to reflect increasing revenues and cut expenses to have a budget with a greater surplus, that could be utilized for needed infrastructure improvements to the city’s streets, roadways, bridges, community facilities , utilities and other city assets.
    Lewis said he based the budget on current and actual revenues, expenses are tied to actual personnel employed, all salaries are the current approved amount with some adjustment for merit raises newly provided. There is no across the board or cost based salary increases at this time.
    The budget shows for the General Fund, total revenues of $3,078,216 with expenditures of $2,121,119 with a surplus of $957,097. For the Water Fund, total revenues are $815,000, less expenditures of $749,394, yielding $65,606. For the sewer fund, total receipts are projected at $348,294 and expenses at $293,254, with a surplus of $65,040.
    All the personnel, benefits, equipment and supplies for each city department and functional area are explained in detail in the budget. As time moves forward, one can review and evaluate if expenses are in compliance with budgeted amounts and make necessary adjustments. Copies of the full budget that was approved are available for review by residents .
    The Council tabled a decision on purchasing a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe for Administrative use until more budgetary review.
    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Approved Resolution No. 2025-28 for participation in the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, later in the year.
    • Approved sponsorship at the silver level ($300) for the 50th Anniversary Dinner for the Federation of Greene County Employees Federal Credit Union on December 11, 2025.
    • Approved a $100 advertisement in the Greene County Progress edition.
    • Approved Software Management Agreement with BBI, Inc.
    •Approved payment of bills for the month.
    Mayor Corey Cockrell reported on discussions with ServPro on repairing the roofs on the Carver School Gymnasium and the National Guard Armory. He also said that the city employees were going to trench all ditches on city property over the next two weeks. He mentioned preparations for a city sponsored Thanksgiving dinner.
    In public comments, Jacky Hamilton complimented the city staff on correcting a fire hydrant leak at the corner of Pickens and Prairie streets. Debbie Duncan questioned when the city held a public hearing on the budget to get citizen input to the budgetary process.

  • Eutaw City Council holds regular meeting on October 14, 2025, dealing with routine matters

    The Eutaw City Council held its regular meeting on October 14, which is likely to be the second to last meeting presided over by Mayor Latasha Johnson as her four-year term comes to a close at the end of the month.
    The meeting was fairly routine in approving required city business matters but not tackling new initiatives, policies or programs. The Council tabled a budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025, since most of the expenditures will be made in the initial months of the next mayor’s administration. Even though the budget was listed as a draft budget for the 25-26 Fiscal Year, the council members did not want to encumber the plans of the new Administration with a budget that it would have to change.
    At the end of the meeting, it was announced that the inauguration of the new Mayor, Corey Cockrell, and the five council members, would be held on Monday November 3rd, at 10:00 A.M., on the grounds of the Old Greene County Courthouse, in downtown Eutaw, Alabama.
    The Council also heard a report from Travis Boyd of the Servpro Corporation about alterations and repairs to the gym portion of the Robert H. Young Community Center, the former Carver School. The report includes removing toxic substances, such as lead paint and asbestos from the facility. The Servpro representatives gave their report to the council members to review. In the public meeting, the company representatives never spoke to the specifics of their financial proposal for the rehabilitation of the building.
    Richard Harbin of Harbin and Stough CPA firm, made a preliminary report on their audit report for Fiscal Year 2024-25, which ended September 30, 2025. Harbin said, “ Mayor Johnson has done a good job of recording the financial records of the city. She is leaving the city in good financial shape. She has helped the city to get several grants including a large one of over $3.6 million from ADEM, for water and sewer improvements for the cities of Eutaw and Boligee that jointly share in the system,” said Harbin. He said it would take some additional time to complete the audit due to accounting for the State of Alabama Retirement System which covers city employees, audit testing of accounts and payments and writing an opinion.
    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Approved a Resolution to create a bank account to hold funds from currency seized from lawbreakers.
    • Approved City Attorney Zane Willingham, writing a letter to Mayor Johnson concerning her disposition of city property without council approval.
    • Approved City Attorney Zane Willingham to send Trevaris Truman a certified letter for the return of $4,975 in funds for a clean-up contract he never started.
    • Approver registration, travel and per diem for Councilwoman-elect, Carrie Logan, to attend an orientation training for newly elected officials in Dothan, Alabama on November 12 and 13.
    • Received a report from City Clerk Sha’kelvia Spencer, on using Mills Tax Service for providing bookkeeping and payroll services for the city.
    • Approved donation of $250 to Greene County Children’s Policy Council for Halloween Festival.
    • Approved getting a Public Official Bond of $100,000 for Mayor-elect Corey Cockrell and other city officials.
    • Approved renewal of Notary Bond for City Clerk and Water clerk; and purchase of two overnight deposit from Merchants and Farmer’s Bank for deposit of city and water funds.
    • Approved reimbursement of Police Officer Tyler Johnson for $45.06 for motor oil for patrol car.
    • Removed item from the agenda to designate the 4th Saturday in August, to honor John and Carol Zippert, for work on the Black Belt Folk Roots Festival for fifty years.
    • Approved the appointment of Pamela Hamilton to the Greene County Ambulance Board.
    • Supported a Work Session to review the rental agreement for city buildings, and other facilities, including increasing the fees for clean-up costs.
    • Approved payment of Monthly bills.

  • Eutaw City Council funds debris
    clean-up from storm

    The Eutaw City Council met on December 9 and December 13, 2022, to discuss dealing with housing for families displaced by the EF-1 tornado that hit Sagewood Apartments and other parts of Eutaw on Tuesday night, December 6, 2022.
    The Council also considered debris clean-up in the areas where the tornado hit, including Ezekiel Baptist Church, Sagewood, Mesopotamia Avenue around the Robert Brown Middle School and the neighborhoods behind Kirkwood. Twenty homes were damaged by wind and falling trees in the area north of Mesopotamia Avenue, behind Kirkwood.
    Mayor Latasha Johnson and the Eutaw City Council discussed debris removal with several local contractors at the December 9 Special Council meeting. The mayor arranged to meet with the contractors and city street department staff, the next day, to work out an affordable plan for debris removal and disposal.
    At the December 15th regular meeting a major issue for discussion was the use of city vehicles and the policy that city police could drive their cars home, even if they live outside of Greene County, to be able to respond to emergency situations in a timely manner.
    Chief Tommy Johnson said he supported allowing the city vehicles to be driven home by officers, instead of leaving them parked at City Hall, because this was a more efficient and effective way of combatting crime and responding to emergencies. The Chief said he had developed an inspection checklist to review the cars each week to make sure they were in operating order.
    Council members LaJeffrey Carpenter and Valerie Watkins wanted this item on the agenda to be sure the City Council understood the budgetary and insurance cost implications of the vehicle policies.
    Ms. Watkins said she met with the chief and was satisfied with his explanation of the vehicle policy. The Council voted to reaffirm the policy concerning use of the police cars and other city vehicles.
    The Council referred an invoice with Babbs Engineering Consultants, former City Engineer, to City Attorney Zane Willingham to resolve. The Council approved a pricelist for pumps, motors, and other replacement parts and repair costs, for the water and sewer systems from Shephard Services, LLC of Tuscaloosa. The price list would give the city assurance in advance of costs to repair and replace major pieces of equipment in the coming year.
    Ralph Liverman, city financial adviser, gave a financial report on the city revenues and expenses for the months of October and November and said the expenses were in line with budgetary projections and that revenues received were slightly larger than expected. The Council approved opening new bank accounts for the ADEM grants provided to the city for the water and sewage system upgrade and consolidation with Boligee.
    Mayor Johnson reported to the City Council that she had re-appointed Teresa Beeker to the Greene County Industrial Development Authority and Jackie Allen to the Eutaw Housing Authority Board. She also appointed Sharon Trammel to the Greene County Emergency Medical Services Board, which supervises the ambulance services.
    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved purchase of a 2015 silver Chevrolet Tahoe truck for the Police Department
    • Approved travel and per diem for Corey Martin to attend a plumber training program.
    • Approved City Judge Joshua Swords membership in the Alabama Municipal Judges Association; and City Attorney Zane Willingham for the Alabama Municipal Attorney Association.
    • Approved $19,200 contract with P. M. Roofing to complete roofing on the cafeteria of the Robert H. Young Community Center.
    • Approved Holiday schedule for employees.
    • Approved payment of bills and claims.

  • Eutaw City Council considers financial matters

    The Eutaw City Council held its regular meeting on September 27, 2022 and considered a number of financial issues. The Council members received several financial reports, as informational materials.

    The City is approaching the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year on September 30, 2022 and had reports through the end of August. The Council set a date of October 4th for a work session on the budget for next fiscal year. This session was postponed to a later date.

    City Fiscal Advisor, Ralph Liverman, is working on a budget for the fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2022, and plans to review its contents and decisions on which infrastructure projects the city can undertake, based on available funds.
    The Council approved the 2023 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday for February 24-26, 2023, where people will be able to buy supplies, like batteries, radios, and other items without paying sales tax on that weekend next year.

    The Council approved an agreement with Regions Commercial Credit division for credit cards for staff and council members. Mayor Latasha Johnson will control this account and can place money on the cards of City employees traveling to training meetings and to purchase supplies needed by the city. Some Council members voiced concerns about the problems associated with unauthorized use of credit cards. Mayor Johnson said she would closely supervise the use of these cards but that this system would give flexibility and emergency help to staff and Council members involved in city business.

    The Council approved a request from Corey Martin, City Water Operator to secure bids in advance for mechanical services, such as pump repairs, motor rebuilding and other parts and services need by the water and sewer system. “Having a list of suppliers and service providers, at an agreed upon price in advance, would allow our city to better manage resources for repairs when they are needed, instead of facing these decisions on an emergency basis,” said Martin.

    Mayor Latasha Johnson reported that the City of Eutaw and the Town of Boligee had both signed the agreement to consolidate their water and sewer systems. The Cassady Engineering firm of Northport, Alabama is working on comprehensive plans for the improvement of the water and sewer systems of Eutaw and Boligee for submission to ADEM for funding under the American Recovery Act, Infrastructure Act, and the Inflation Recovery Act. The preliminary plans and cost estimates are due by the end of October and will spell out a multi-million-dollar plan for phasing in the full repair and improvement of the Eutaw/Boligee water and sewer systems.

    The Greene County Water and Sewer Authority has been approved for improvements to its water and sewer system. The funds will provide for a new water well on the northern end of the county and improvements to the sewage lagoon near Greenetrack.

    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved travel and per diem for Corey Martin to attend training in utility management and technology in late October.
    • Approve use of the R. H. Young Community Center for the funeral and repast for the Austin family on October 1, 2022, for a charge of $50 per hour.
    •Tabled consideration of an agreement for operation and maintenance of traffic control signals and lighting in the city; and a Memorandum of Agreement with City and Greene County EMA.
    • Payment of bills and claims.

  • Eutaw City Council adopts $4.8 million budget for fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2021

    The Eutaw City Council met on October 12 and again on October 19, 2021, with the main purpose of approving a budget for city operations for the fiscal year October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. At the October 12 meeting the budget was tabled but at the October 19 meeting it was approved by a 4 to 1 vote.

    Several council members said they did not completely understand the entire budget and the concept that the budget could be amended and changed as new financial issues came up. Mayor Johnson said, “This budget is not written in stone, it can be changed as new things occur. We have a surplus in all o our main accounts, so funds are available to cover unexpected or new expenses.”

    Mayor Johnson almost begged some council members to approve the budget, “I have been on the council under the last two mayors and we did not have a budget, so we never knew if we could afford to make a decision that involved spending money. The people of Eutaw deserve to know how much money is coming in to the city and what we are spending it on. The council and the people need to know that we have a budget, with a spending plan and that we are following our plan. If something changes or needs to be adjusted then we can always amend the budget.”

    The Mayor also assured the council, that with new accounting software that is now in place, bills and expenses will be charged to the appropriate budget and category within the budget, so the council will be able to measure expenses against the budget as they are paid.

    The budget is compiled from seven major funds the city has: General Fund, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, 4 Cent Gas Fund, 7Cent Gas Fund, Capital Improvements Fund and Special Street Fund. The revenues coming into each fund are based on experience during the past year and expenses are projected based on actual personnel and costs that are in place for the coming year. The budget projects total revenues of $4,807,716, with expenses of $4,526,200, leaving a surplus of $281,516, with a surplus in each of the seven funds.

    The Democrat plans a more detailed review and analysis of the city’s budget in future issues. “I am pleased to see that the City government of Eutaw has a budget, after many years of operating without a budget. This will give the Mayor, Council and the public a better handle on the finances,” said Danny Cooper, Chair of the Greene County Industrial Development Authority and a frequent observer at council meetings.

    In other actions, The Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved a resolution for a $25,000 contingency fund for the $500,000 grant to repair the roof at the Robert H. Young Community Center, formerly Carver School.

    • Declared an old swing set at Clarence Thomas Park as surplus.

    • Agreed to close City Hall at Noon on October 21st to prepare for National Night Out at 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the City Park.

    • Approved Sever Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday for February 25-27, 2022.

    • Approved the Mayor’s appointments to the City Industrial Board – Faye Tyree; Eutaw Planning Board – Joe L. Powell and Noha Alnaham; and the reappointment of Isaac N. Atkins to the Eutaw Housing Authority Board.

    • Approved Girl Scout Troop for use of City Park on October 22 and 23, for a Trunk or Treat event.

    * Approved rental agreement for Clifford McPeek for music classes and drum repair at R. H. Young Community Center.

    • Approved payment of bills.

  • Eutaw City Council continues to improve water system management; extends mask requirements for another 30 days

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular meeting on May 25, 2021. Mayor Latasha Johnson, all Council members and the City Clerk and Assistant Clerk were present. After approval of the past minutes, the Council approved extending its mask mandate for 30 more days until the Council last meeting, on the fourth Tuesday in June. This mask mandate is an additional protection for people who have not been vaccinated yet for the coronavirus. The CDC has recommended that people who have been vaccinated do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings and only need to wear a mask indoors when there are large crowds, like at a sports stadium. Persons who have not been vaccinated are urge to continue wearing masks in all settings until they are vaccinated. The Council approved a spending limit for the mayor to sign checks up to $5,000 between meetings for emergency purposes. The Council also authorized a credit card for her to use to make necessary purchases. The $5.000 emergency spending limit applies to both checks and credit card purchases, added together for use to handle emergency needs between meetings. The Council heard a report from Corey Martin, Certified Water Operator that he was continuing to make improvements in the city water system. 90 accounts of persons owing more than $500 were disconnected for non- payment. Martin says about half of these persons started paying and had water services restored. In April there were 661 accounts owing $223,602 and by the May 25 meeting there were only 233 accounts owing $97,088. Over one hundred accounts were closed due to vacancies (people moving away), final bills and inactive accounts. In the six-month period from October 1 through May 25, the City Water Department took in $772,853 from current and past due water customers. This compares with total revenue from water of $585,592 for the entire past fiscal year. Mayor Johnson announced that Corey Martin had passed the state examination to be a certified sewer operator to add to his water credentials.The Council heard a report from Ralph Liverman, financial consultant that would rename prior bank accounts for new purposes and open new accounts as needed for city business. He recommended that all payments for water, sewer and garbage be deposited in a Utility Collection Account. Then the water funds be placed in a Water Account, sewer funds in a sewer account and garbage funds in the General Funds Account. Liverman also suggested a new Water Tank Maintenance account for accumulating funds for water tank repairs and repainting since the City discontinued its contract with the Suez Construction Company for tank maintenance. Councilwomen Valerie Watkins moved to table these banking account changes until a working session at which the requested changes could be thoroughly explained so all the council members would understand the changes. This motion to table was approved. In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved window tinting, stripping, radios and radar equipment for new police cars purchased by the city for the Police Department.

    • Approved placing the names of the Mayor and Police Chief on record for a Safety Deposit Box for the City in Merchants and Farmers Bank, to hold certain valuable items for the city in the course of official business.

    • Approved transfer of funds from the Eutaw Airport Grant Account to the Eutaw Airport Authority, so they can be used in the enhancement and re-opening of the airport for commercial use.

    • Approved use of the Robert H. Young Civic Center (old Carver School) for a Walgreen’s and 100 Black Women of Tuscaloosa sponsored COVID-19 vaccination drive on June 7 and 17, 2021. • Approved the use of Merchants and Farmers Bank for check drafting. •

    Approved participation in a summer training conference for the Chief of Police. The Council had a discussion about payment of bills and then approved payment of all bills recommended for payment by the Mayor and City Clerks. The mayor said that she had scheduled a meeting with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to discuss and negotiate the funds owed for back taxes, interest and penalties to satisfy a lien placed against the City by IRS. “ I am determined to pay off this IRS lien and I will use the Special Branch Heights Road Fund monies, generated from bingo, since we have repaired the roads in Branch Heights with other funds and we need to pay off this lien,” said Mayor Johnson.

  • Eutaw City Council approves Water Operations and Policy Manual; First Responders Parade for June 17

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular meeting on May 11, following a detailed work session on May 7 and adopted a City Utility Operations Policy and Procedure Manual. Corey Martin, City of Eutaw Certified Water Operator presented the Council with the fifty-page manual spelling out in detail the policies and operations of the water, sewer and garbage collection systems for the City of Eutaw. Martin explained that the manual was a living document explaining how the city utility departments would operate, deal with the public and report to state and Federal regulatory authorities. Martin asked the City Council to approve May 17 as the “cut off date” to begin shutting off water to customers that have not paid on outstanding water bills. At its December meeting, the Eutaw City Council approved a five-month period for people to settle outstanding unpaid water bills. The Mayor and Water Department were allowed to negotiate with customers to reduce past balances down by as much as 80%, to 20% of past due balance, provided that the customer worked out a payment arrangement on the reduced past-due balance and kept new monthly payments current. Martin said the City agreed to these payment agreements in good faith and as a way to clear up past indebtedness and get the system’s billing up to date. Some people came in and signed agreements to pay outstanding water bills, which included charges for sewer and garbage collection. Other customers did not. Some customers who signed agreements and got their past due balances reduced did not pay on their agreements. Martin asked the City to approve May 17 as the date to begin cutting off water to those who did not make agreements to pay back balances or did not honor their agreements. “We have sent people notification letters of their overdue balances and told them that a cut off day is coming if they do not pay. We will start on May 17, to shut off water to those with the highest outstanding balances,” said Martin. The City Council approved the utility shut off payment deadline of May 17, 2021. Eutaw Chief of Police, Tommy Johnson asked the City Council to endorse and support a First Responders Parade in Eutaw on Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 1:00 PM. Chief Johnson has invited first responders from neighboring communities including: Livingston, York, Greensboro, Moundville, Aliceville, Pickensville, Demopolis, Linden, Tuscaloosa and others to join Eutaw and Greene County first responders on that day as a tribute to their work during the pandemic and year-round. Johnson said, “ I want to show the residents that we are not just interested in putting people in jail but to contribute to the community and celebrate our neighboring first responders.” In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Approved on-line payments for City Clerk, Municipal Court and Police Department; in addition to the Water Department which previously had been approved for and is receiving on-line payments.

    • Approved the 2021 CCR – Water Department Report for submission to ADEM.

    • Approved cancellation of contract with SUEZ/Utility Service for servicing and painting the city’s water wells and water towers. This contract for over $5,000 a month will be replaced by a monthly contribution to a reserve fund for well service and maintenance expenses.

    • Approved a resolution re-naming bank accounts for the repayment of the USDA Rural Development Loan for the water system.

    • Approved a resolution to name new City Clerk, ShaKelvia Spencer to all city bank accounts and the removal of former Clerk, Kathy Bir, from those accounts.

    • Approval of a resolution naming Chief Tommy Johnson as a signatory on the DARE’s bank account.

    • Approved a plan by the T. S. Police League to employ young people for the summer to assist the city; and allow the T. S. Police League to use the Carver School gymnasium to screen and train youth for the summer program.

    • Received a report from Mayor Latasha Johnson on her work with the County Commission and Industrial Development Authority for a feasibility study for a new hotel to be built, near the Love’s Truckstop at Exit 40 on the Interstate. The GCIDA is contracting for the study, which will cost approximately $10,000, with the expense to be split by the three involved entities. The feasibility study is needed to attract investors and a hospitality company to build a new facility in Greene County.

    • Received a report from City Engineer Babbs on the GIS mapping project for underground utilities and his work to review and revise the ordinance for building codes and building permits, which will be submitted to the Council for future approval. •Agreed to pay bills as submitted by the Mayor.

  • Eutaw City Council appoints zoning board, discusses ways to enforce ‘mask mandate’ for greater safety of Eutaw residents

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular meeting on January 12, 2021 at City Hall since there was no heat in the Carver gymnasium, where the Council had been meeting to assure greater social distance between the Council and city residents attending the meetings. The Council members were separated by plastic partitions and about twenty people were allowed to sit six feet apart in the Council chamber.
    Mayor Latasha Johnson distributed a list of standing committees and boards to the Council and asked them to help in naming people to these boards and committees. Johnson indicated that the terms of current members had ended and in some cases there were vacancies because the past appointees had died, moved away or were unable to serve for health reasons.
    Johnson said it was critical to name the Zoning Board since several businesses had requested re-zoning or zoning variances over the past six months and these requests had not been acted upon because the Zoning Board had not been able to meet. The Council named the following persons to the Zoning Board: John Zippert, Shirley Ann Edwards, Shermaine Stewart, Cynthia Cooper and Corey Cockrell and urged them to meet soon to act on the outstanding issues.
    The Council also discussed safety for City Hall in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilwoman Tracey Hunter raised the question of how well the City is enforcing the ‘mask mandate’ for local retail businesses.
    “Some are enforcing the mask requirement and some are not,” she said. She recommended that the police visit the businesses in town and urge them to make sure people are wearing masks in businesses.
    Mayor Johnson said,” We have a mask mandate and fines for not wearing masks in public and maintaining safe social distance. So, we will ask our police department to visit with businesses and ask them to enforce mask wearing to help protect all of our citizens.”
    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Approved a liquor license for Sleepy’s Bar and Grill in West End.
    • Heard a report from Mayor Johnson that an audit of the city’s finances for fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020, are still in progress by Rick Harmon, CPA of Tuscaloosa.
    • Heard a report from Ralph Liverman, financial consultant, who is preparing a budget for the City’s current fiscal year. He said that he had a preliminary budget with six separate funds: General Fund, 3 Cent Gas Tax, 7 Cent Gas Tax, Streets, Water and Sewer and Capital Improvements, that he was working to refine. Liverman indicated that the City’s finances were in better shape than he expected. He said the City had three major debts, for purchase of Carver School, an IRS lien for past unpaid employee taxes and a loan for the City’s matching finds for expanding the sewer line to serve the Love’s Truckstop, which need to be repaired.
    • Heard a report from City Engineer Babb on revising the building permit regulations. He said these updated regulations will be available by March.
    • Heard a report from the Mayor that the City is inventorying all water meters to make sure they are all working properly and can interact with the city’s billing computer software to insure accurate billing. The Mayor also announced a Council work session on January 19, to meet with Kathie Horne on her agreement to serve the City in correcting and improving the water system.
    • Heard a report from the Mayor on her efforts to work with the County Commission and Industrial Development Authority on steps to improve the Exit 40 area on Highway 20/59 including better lighting and attracting other retail business and motels to the intersection. The three entities have pledged to work together on this and other common issues.
    • Discussed leasing of offices and space at the Carver School. The CRFD bingo operation and Liberty Tax, a business, have requested space in the school, which now serves as a community center. The Council needs to set a common policy on the leasing of space in the center to help with maintenance and improvement of the space.
    In the Council and public comments section of the meeting. Several Council members requested more information on the budget and the committees and boards that they need to appoint. The Mayor said the coming work session on January 19 would help provide more information to Council members.

  • Eutaw City Council meeting continues to discuss Water Department

    As of May 20, 2020, at 9:00 AM
    Alabama had 12,701 confirmed cases of

    coronavirus with
    508 deaths
    Greene County had 86
    confirmed cases
    with 4 deaths

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular meeting on May 12, 2020. The meeting with full attendance met at the Carver School gymnasium to allow for property social distancing of Council members and the audience.
    Most of the City Council meeting was devoted to a continuing discussion of the need to correct problems of water meters, computers and software to read the meters, conformity in water billing and making sure that the water was generating sufficient revenues to support the City budget.
    The City Council reaffirmed its decision by a 4 to 1 vote to remove Mayor Steele as Superintendent of the Water System, however, there was dissension relative to taking the next steps to correct the problems in the Water Department.
    Council members, led by Sheila Smith and LaTosha Johnson, want to declare an emergency in the Water Department and contract with a company, headed by Kathy Horne, to come in and correct the management and billing problems. Horne’s firm and the Alabama Rural Water Association presented a report to the City Council in February recommending changes to improve the city’s water system.Mayor Steele insists that although he is no longer Superintendent of the Water Department, as Mayor he still has day-to-day supervision of the water system. He says that he is reluctant to bring in consultants to correct problems that he says have already been resolved.
    The Mayor says that the current corrected water bills that have been sent to residents will generate an additional $30,000 in revenues for the city. He also says 90 of the new digital water meters have been reinstalled properly or replaced.
    City attorney, Zane Willingham, backed the Mayor and said if the Council wants to bring in consultants, they must advertise and bid out these services under the laws governing municipalities like the City of Eutaw. The City Council voted to bid out a contract for management of the water system, however, at press time the Democrat has received no legal notice to print soliciting bids for management of the water system.
    The Council also discussed the need to build more storm shelters to protect the residents of the city from storms and tornados. Councilman Joe Powell brought some cost estimates for shelters. There was a discussion of building shelters in different sections of the City with grants from FEMA. The Council voted to table the discussion of shelters until electronic bingo resumes operations, after the coronavirus, to provide matching funds for the construction of shelters.
    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
    • approved a resolution honoring first responders and frontline health care workers, scheduled for May 14, 2020;
    • approved a resolution supporting the renovation of Elmwood Manor;
    • approved a “Back to School – Sales Tax Holiday”, scheduled for July 14-19, 2020;
    • agreed to pave M & M Drive as soon as funds are available;
    • discussed pending insurance claims;
    • requested a list of all purchases made by the City, since the beginning of 2020, to determine if supplies are adequate;
    • discussed street washouts in the City and how to contract, with FEMA funding for their repair.