By Lee Weyhrich
The Pinson City Council last week approved funds for Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, Pinson City Fest and the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce.
The council is providing $20,000 to Birmingham-Southern College for the upkeep and development of the preserve, where a resident manager resides.
The council voted to fund the rides and movies at Pinson City Fest, which is April 6 at the field behind Solid Rock Church. Councilwoman Joy McCain said the $2,500 to $2,600 the city will donate for these items will allow visitors to enjoy the rides for free, taking some of the financial burden off families who want to enjoy a day out without having to spend a lot of money.
The council also renewed its contract with the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce, a $5,000 cost to the city. Clay City Manager Ronnie Dixon, also the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce executive director, assured Pinson residents that his role as city manager of Clay does not affect his loyalties to the chamber. He said his city manager job would be kept separate from the chamber in all matters.
“I don’t favor the city of Clay over the city of Pinson as far as the chamber goes,” he said.
Dixon said that although the chamber didn’t see growth in the number of paid sponsors, it didn’t lose any revenue in that area. He said the lack of loss was a testament to the area’s stability in a down economy.
“This year, we had $20,500 worth of sponsorships,” Dixon said. “Our level of contribution stayed the same
. We had some businesses leave and other new ones come in to replace them.”
The council also agreed to pay the chamber $10,000 for advertising and promotion of the city and the Butterbean Festival, as well as provide deputies and other emergency personnel for security and safety. The council generally spends $20,000 in total for the festival, but the payments are split.
Mayor Hoyt Sanders reported on Pinson’s fiscal mid-year review, saying the numbers looked good so far. He said the city has “far exceeded” its expectations in franchise fees, saying he projects the city will be $40,000 over its projected revenue for the year.