By John William Gallagher
On Monday night, the City of Clay voted unanimously to name Ronnie Dixon as City Manager. To name him City Manager, the city first had to consolidate its City Clerk and Treasurer positions
. Then, under Alabama State Law, they are able to transfer the duties of City Clerk over to a City Manager. Thus, the position of City Manager was created.
“I’m very excited about the position,” Dixon said.
Photo from the City of Clay website
The City Manager is responsible for all municipal activities and administrative duties of the city, along with many other managerial roles. One function includes preparing and submitting the annual budget. Dixon will act as Zoning Officer in the City and represents the city with other governmental agencies and officials.
Dixon is also a Constable and is executive director of the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce. Dixon was also a small business owner for 32 years.
“I had been looking at retiring,” he said. “But this came up and I accepted.”
The position of City Manager does not conflict with his other positions. Any conflicts which have arisen have been discussed and worked out with Mayor Charles Webster.
In other news, the council voted to endorse the Northern Beltline. The city believes it is in the best interest of the city to complete the Beltline, which city officials say will bring much needed business to the city.
The Northern Beltline is a planned road around the northern portions of Jefferson County. It was first conceived in the 1960’s and added to the Birmingham metropolitan area’s long range transportation plan in 1981. However, construction has yet to begin on the purposed route.
“It’s better to plan for the Northern Beltline,” said Webster. “We are one of the last cities to endorse the Beltline.”
Regardless of building the Beltline, the city is looking to draw in new businesses. There are currently 19 vacant commercial lots in the city.
“That’s quite a lot of business we could bring to the community,” Councilman Mark Halstead said.
The next council meeting will be held Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The city of Clay is also currently looking for people to serve on the following committees: Parks and Recreation Board, the Finance Committee, and the Public Safety Committee
