By Sherri Blevins
The Rainsville City Council approved several items at its October 3, 2022, Council meeting. Two items included the $7,825.00 purchase of a hazmat trailer and the $10,000.00 purchase of equipment to stock the trailer. The Council wanted to ensure that the City would be more prepared in case of another hazmat chemical spill.
Before entering into the new business, the Council amended and approved the minutes from the special called meeting held last week. The City purchased a 2021 Tahoe for the Rainsville Police Department instead of a 2022 vehicle stated in the minutes. It also approved the minutes from the last regular meeting.
Three personnel changes were made. Tara Wilkerson submitted her resignation from City Hall to take a position at Farmer’s Telecommunications. Tara thanked the City for her opportunity to serve the City for the last four years, and the Mayor and Council thanked her for her professionalism and job performance. Mary Barrentine, Tom Bevill Center Director, also submitted her resignation due to health matters within her family. Councilman Rossen thanked Barrontine for her fifteen years of service to the City. The Council also hired one individual during the meeting. Ron King was hired as a Grade III Operator at the Waste Water Treatment Plant at $25.25 per hour.
Councilman Byrum asked the Council to consider amending its subdivision ordinance, stating that the current ordinance does not address the conditions in Rainsville but was more attuned to larger cities like Birmingham and Huntsville. He asked the Council to look closely at the ordinance and tailor it to Rainsville’s needs. They agreed to look at the regulations.
Councilman Rossen also presented an item for the Council’s consideration. He said he had been approached by a family experiencing the loss of their son who wanted to help others in the same situation work through their grief. The family requested that the City help them find a location to hold weekly grief counseling sessions. The Council gladly agreed to find a location for the service.
Other items passed by the Council include:
• $16,460.00 to TNT for road patching on Oak, Kilgore, Meadows, Williams, Third Ave., and Plainview Streets
• Empowered the Mayor to enter into a contract with Pyrotecnico for fireworks at the Freedom Fest and pay the $7,800.00 deposit
• Amended the City Pay Scale, including a $1.00 raise for City employees Sheila Townsend and Anthony Westbrook, among other changes
• Accepted Dogwood Lane into the City with a vote of 2 to 1 in favor
• $22,857.00 to Wastequip for four Roll-Offs
• $4,000.00 to Boozer & Son Construction to redo a driveway on Church Street
• Empowered the Mayor to sign a contract for $900.00 with the Virtual Academy Police Training Company for six hours of police department training
• Authorized the Mayor to contact the State of Alabama about installing a flashing sign at the DeKalb County Technology Center during school hours
On October 7, the City had a second special called meeting and executive session to discuss with the City Attorney Nikki Scott controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be prosecuted or imminently likely to be litigated if the Council pursues a proposed course of action. Scott offered her declaration of opinion before the Council entered into its session. Scott stated, “ For the purpose of stating that section 36, 25A Section 6 of the Code of Alabama applies to the planned discussion and I herby request this written declaration and opinion be placed in the minutes for the meeting, and I further advise the Council that if any deliberation begins among them regarding what actions to take relating to pending or threatened litigation based on the advice of Council, the executive session shall be concluded and the deliberations shall be conducted in the open portion of the meeting or the deliberations shall cease. This declaration and opinion shall not constitute a waiver of the attorney/client privilege.
After approximately fifty minutes, the Council concluded the executive session and took no action in the regular meeting.
The next Rainsville City Council meeting will be on October 17, 2022.