By Marla Jones

Managing Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala.-- The Fort Payne City Council held their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 20.

The Council made a $100,000 budget adjustment to the Fort Payne Fire Department for salaries. 

“This will bring our fire department closer to state standards” stated Lynn Brewer.

Councilmember John Smith commented that the City was spending more than that on training new employees when others leave for higher pay. 

The Council also made a $15,000 budget adjustment to hire two new employees for the Cemetery.  

The Cemetery has 5,800 graves.  There are approximately 2,000 remaining gravesites.  When the City added acreage to the cemetery, they did not add any additional personnel.  

Councilmember John Smith thanked the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department for sending inmates to help the City with mowing and weed eating until they were able to hire additional employees.  

The Council passed Resolution 2021-22, which declared a Sanitation Department truck as surplus. 

The Council passed Resolutions 2021-23, 2021-24, and 2021-24 which approved Watson & Neeley to file validation proceedings for the City’s obligation to Roy H. Drinkard (Harbor Freight).  

City Attorney Rocky Watson advised that this was necessary paperwork to continue the process of Harbor Freight locating to the City of Fort Payne.  This also included a tax-sharing agreement between the City and Roy H. Drinkard (Harbor Freight). 

The Council went into Executive Session. A motion was made by Councilmember Lynn Brewer, seconded by Councilmember Phillip Smith, with all in favor to authorize Watson & Neeley to proceed with all actions necessary to enable the City to pursue the option of taking over the Terrapin Hills Sewer System.

 The next meeting of the Fort Payne City Council will be held on August 3, beginning at 12:30 pm in the Council Chambers.