Story By Donald Campbell

As part of the latest effort to bring new economic growth and development to Rainsville, the Rainsville City Council approved a motion to empower the mayor to sign a contract with an economic development firm.

During the workshop session before the main meeting time, the council heard from officials with the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority, who said they had been researching and vetting several firms that handle commercial development matters. After careful consideration, they felt that the Birmingham-based agency of Nextsite would best meet the needs of cities throughout the county, along with the county as a whole.

According to the firm’s website, they have played a role in the development of nearly 33 million square feet of commercial projects, totaling more than $7.4 billion in economic investment in places across the country. A significant portion of the development they’ve been involved with has been retail and dining, but they have also had a hand in bringing hotel space and medical facilities to the communities they’ve worked with. The website shows how they gather information about the market they’re working with, identifying opportunities for additional development, and represent the community in question during meetings with potential investors.

Once in the main meeting, the council approved empowering the mayor to sign a contract with Nextsite with no opposition to the proposal.

Just before the council adjourned, a motion was made to enter into executive session to discuss pending or threatening litigation. They returned between 10 and 15 minutes later, entering back into general session with no action to be taken from the discussion.

The Rainsville City Council also:

•Approved minutes from its previous meeting.

•Approved a one-time pay raise for city employees.

•Passed a motion to put a pair of streetlights on Garrett Street, one at its intersection with Wilson Avenue and one at the intersection with Plainview Road. Both lights would require new poles to be added for them to be mounted on.

•Passed a motion to upgrade the computer system for the municipal court, as well as the city’s time clock equipment.

•Agreed to the purchase of a 2017 Ford F-450 truck for the sanitation department from Alabama state surplus at a cost of $36,500.

•Agreed to the rezoning of a portion of the Jimmy Wells Used Cars lot following a public hearing on the matter. City officials said there was a portion of the lot that was a different zoning classification from the rest of the property, and this would make the entire site uniform. Nobody spoke in favor of or in opposition to the rezoning during the hearing.

•Approved declaring an old metal building behind the public works facility as surplus.

•Approved paying for the band Confederate Railroad to play at next year’s Freedom Fest.

•Passed a motion to pay the city’s bills.