By Crystal McGough, copy editor
The Clay City Council was presented with an audit of the city’s finances for the 2018-19 fiscal year Tuesday night at its regular meeting. David Cork, of Cork, Hill & Company LLC, CPA, presented the report.
“Everything is as it should be,” Cork said. “I think it’s pretty remarkable you guys completed the construction of the new library at $1.2 million, and bought $112,000 in four vehicles and didn’t borrow any money to do it. You paid it out of your pocket, and that’s a great tribute to this council and what you’ve done.
“Along those lines, I looked back just to see how long it’s been since you’ve had revenues exceed expenditures, and it’s since (2013), which I think is five years or so (that) every year your revenues have exceeded your expenditures…That’s really good for a city this size.”
Cork added that the city of Clay paid off $295,000 in debt last year, in addition to constructing the library. This year, the city’s revenue exceeded its expenditures by $480,000, he said.
“You did well,” Cork said. “Good job, Mayor and council!”
Councilor Dennis Locke announced that the winners of the $500 school grants for the month of May were the principals of Clay Elementary, Clay-Chalkville Middle School and Clay-Chalkville High School.
“As we do traditionally, we award (the May grants) to the principals,” Locke said. “We have a new principal at the elementary school. Dr. Gallant has retired, so the new principal’s name is Mr. Jacqnaii Finkley. So he’s the principal for the elementary school; the middle school will be Mr. Jason Wilson, who is the principal there; and the high school, of course, is Mr. Michael Lee. Congratulations to the principals for their $500 grants.”
Center Point Fire Chief Gene Coleman made the council and attendees aware that one of the lieutenants at Center Point Fire Station 4 is to be presented with a Firefighter of the Year award from the American Legion on Friday, June 14.
“Lt. Chris Brewis is at Fire Station 4 in Clay, on two of our shifts,” Coleman said. “He’s been nominated and will be presented with the Staff Sgt. Michael W. Hosey Post 205 and the Department of Alabama American Legion Firefighter of the Year Award this Friday in Montgomery. We submitted him for his actions in working with our youth programs in fire and exploring. He’s been very instrumental in keeping these young men; this year we’ve had four that have joined the ranks of paid firefighters somewhere in the metro area. We’re very proud of his work and these young men that are with us. They are our future. And ladies, we do have a few girls with us, too.”
Center Point Fire Department Logistics Director Chris Horne reminded the council that the Annual Charity Golf Tournament, which will be in memory of firefighter/paramedic Rickey L. Davis, will be held at the Grayson Valley Country Club on July 29, 2019. The cost is $125 per golfer or $500 per team.
Additionally, Fire Station 4, which has been undergoing renovations for the last six months, will host the next Clay City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The pre-council meeting will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the regular council meeting at 6:30 p.m. After the meeting, there will be a tour of the newly improved fire station.
“Our guys have really worked hard to get that looking good,” Horne said. “We’re still on schedule for going to look at the (new) fire truck, which will be in July…we’re getting closer and closer to bringing that home.”