By Nathan Prewett
SPRINGVILLE – The Springville City Council on Monday tabled a discussion on the appointment of the vacant District 5 seat. During the meeting, the council also voted to sell a piece of property to a pediatric office to set up on Springville Station Boulevard.
Springville Mayor William Isley said that three people applied for the position.. He named a recommended candidate, Ricky Butler, but later refrained from naming the other candidates.
“All three candidates are excellent choices for the position of city councilor,” Isley said. “When I make this recommendation to this council, I’m doing so having prayed really long and really, really hard on the proper thing to do.”
Councilman Herbert Toles asked if the council can enter executive session to talk about the other two candidates that had not been named. Isley said that the session could be called to discuss the character of Butler but advised that they don’t do so for all three. He suggested that the council go ahead and vote on his recommendation.
A discussion was held on the possibility of going into executive session, but the council later decided to table the appointment for another meeting.
According to the city attorney James Hill, the statute for filling the vacancy is a period of 60 days before it goes to the governor. The position was first vacated in June. The council will have until Aug. 4 to fill the vacancy.
Also at the meeting, the council voted on entering a contract to sell an acre of property to a pediatrician who is seeking to set an office up in Springville, which was brought up at the last meeting in June. The discussion was tabled for another meeting.
Mayor Isley said that, despite initial reservations, it would be in the best interest of the city to sell the property after meeting with the city’s attorney, St. Clair County Economic Development Council Director Don Smith and after hearing a recommendation from the Commercial Development Authority. He said that at one time he thought that the property may be better earmarked for retail use.
One issue he brought up was that the office would be located “without tremendous visibility” across from the interstate. It is located on Springville Station Boulevard, behind the strip mall.
The issue was met with some concern from Councilor David Jones, who said that the city may be “running out of good commercial property for retail,” citing lots that have been sold over the years but remain unused. He expressed concern that too much land at Springville Station Boulevard for retail outlets is being sold.
After the discussion, the resolution was met with four in favor of entering the contract. Opposing the resolution was Jones. Wayne Tucker abstained from the vote. The property will be sold for more than $300,000.
In other business, the council voted in favor of an agreement to buy maps from Chester Harris from the Planning and Zoning Board. The maps will be provided to St. Clair County to go into a mapping system that can be viewed online by the public.
Maps will be updated as they are zoned and rezoned. The council voted unanimously to purchase the maps for $3,000.
During his public comments, Isley said that he has received a complaint about fireworks being used at the recent Fourth of July celebrations in which people were reported to be setting off close to homes.
A state ordinance requires that citizens use fireworks at least 600 feet away from any inhabited dwelling. He said that Springville police will be notified to be on the lookout for anyone who violates the ordinance.
The council discussed entering an annual agreement with Middle Alabama on Aging, also known as M4A, to implement its Senior Nutrition Program for the Springville Senior Center. An agreement every year is required before the program can be done.
The council was close to approving before the city attorney recommended that he analyze the agreement before it’s made. The council then voted to wait until the agreement is reviewed by the city attorney before authorizing the mayor to sign.
The next city council meeting will be held on July 17 at 6 p.m.