September 29, 2021
Lee Evancho
Work Session
Councilman Henderson began the work session by noting that Councilman Spurlin was out due to illness and Councilman Waits was traveling for work. A quorum was established to continue with the meeting.
The biggest issue to address was the budget. Councilwoman Hubbard was the first to speak. She addressed concerns about the community appropriations. She also wanted clarification about the Coosa Valley increase to $5,000. There were also two entries for the Arc of Calhoun County. One was for $10,700 and another was for $10,000. It was established that one was for the Arc of Calhoun County and one was for the Arc of Alabama. Because there can only be one line item, the Arc of Alabama was dropped and the $10,000 entry for Arc of Calhoun County remained.
Another budget item discussed was the appropriation to healthcare workers to receive a 2.5% raise. The total of all the raises would equal approximately $34,000.
There were also questions asked about if the Festival of Lights were under PARD or a separate line item. The answer was that it is under PARD’s budget, but it was separated to show what portion was devoted exclusively to the lights.
Clarification was reached about the number of administrative positions still in the budget and specially if an HR portion was included. The Mayor explained that all are removed except for four and that the HR position was not included.
Councilwoman Hubbard requested that money be allocated as an amendment later to cover the costs of the recycling equipment and supplies. She went on the note that it is a relatively small budget, and now that the County has donated property to the city, there is a dedicated recycling center. There is currently a push to encourage recycling in the school with a $1,00 prize being awarded at Oxfordfest. In addition, the city of Anniston has asked the director of Keep Oxford Beautiful to come speak about what he is doing and how they might implement something similar.
Councilwoman Hubbard wanted to also understand the marketing budget and why it was broken out to include workforce development and economic development. The total budget is $60,000. City spokeswoman, Lorie Denton explained that right now she is working increase the recognition the city gets, the events get, the businesses in the city get, the schools get, and the potential employees for Oxford. She is working across city lines to build a pipeline to support the city by strengthening the entire county. She also explained how she is working with her counterparts in Jacksonville and Anniston to work together with an idea of cooperation. She doesn’t want Oxford to have to rely on outside support to succeed. She wants the city to be able to promote itself.
Another budgetary issue that came up was the need to repair and replace one of the the AC units at the Oxford Public Library. The cost to repair the unit is $3,500. The cost to purchase a new unit is $20,000. The cost to install the unit is approximately $50,000. The request was made to approve funds for repairing and ordering a new unit. The timeframe for delivery is 10-12 weeks.
City Council Meeting
- Call to Order
- Welcome/Invocation – Greg Turner, Oxford First Baptist Church
- Pledge of Allegiance –
- Approval of Minutes of September 14, 2021 – Unanimously Approved
- Old Business – None
- New Business
- Motion to approve up to $24,000 for AC repairs and ordering of new equipment for the library – Unanimously Approved
- Consent Agenda – Unanimously Approved
- Resolution No. 2021 – 109 – Resolution approving the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. *approved with noted changes
- Resolution No. 2021 – 110 – Resolution appointing a member to the Keep Oxford Beautiful Board.
- Resolution No. 2021- 111 – Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with Randy Henson for bushhogging and hay baling of 19.54 acres at 0 Apple Valley Lane
- Resolution No. 2021- 112 – Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission for a Fixed Route and ADA Paratransit services.
- Resolution No. 2021- 113 – Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission for a comprehensive mapping program.
- Resolution No. 2021- 114 – Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with the Alabama Community College Conference for baseball tournaments at Choccolocco Park in May of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
- Council Comments/Reports
- Councilman Henderson congratulated Amy Henderson on her appointment to lead the Alabama Virtual Library. He also wanted to congratulate Danny Shears for his appointment to the Calhoun County Commission seat vacated by Tim Hodges.
- Councilwoman Hubbard also wanted to congratulate Danny Shears for his appointment and looks forward to the partnership between Oxford and the Commission. She noted that Oxfordfest was this Saturday and encouraged everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities.
- Mayor’s Comments
- The Mayor wanted to thank the County Commission for donating the Turner Road property to the city of Oxford.
- Set a Public Hearing for October 12, 2021 to consider a zoning request from Steven Landers to rezone property located at 0 Peaceful Valley Road (23.15 acres) from Agricultural District (AG) to Residential District (R-1) – Unanimously Approved
- Visitors
- Danny Shears wanted to formally thank the Mayor and City Council for writing letters of recommendation to the Governor’s office concerning his Commission appointment. He truly believes it contributed to their decision. He has always served Oxford and looks forward to continuing that in this new role.
- Motion to adjourn (next regular Council Meeting, October 12, 2021) – Unanimously Approved
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