By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
LEEDS – On Tuesday, September 6, the Leeds City Council met at City Hall, where concerns about the Main Street program and the sealing of a doorway at the Main Street’s meeting room were revisited.
Just after the council approved the minutes of the last meeting, Councilman Eric Turner spoke up about the barricaded doorway at the meeting room for the Leeds Main Street program.
In the previous meeting, a person speaking during public comments pointed out that the doorway had been blocked off and later completely sealed, prohibiting access to a nearby bathroom. Turner asked Miller why that had happened, to which Miller replied that it was for security.
The room where the people behind the program meet is leased from the Water Works Board. The Board released a statement saying they had no knowledge that the doorway would be sealed and that the mayor stated that the board had put the wall up.
A press release from the city was later sent out, and it was stated that the door was sealed for security reasons to keep employee data and other records from being accessed. It also said that the Water Works Board was notified of the door being sealed.
“I wanted to go on record that no one on the council knew anything about that wall being built or appropriated any funds or engineering or construction,” Turner said.
He then mentioned access to the bathroom being blocked and asked Miller if the wall would remain or what any plans would be. Miller again addressed the press release by the Water Works Board and said that their statement that he insisted that the board blocked the doorway was incorrect, as well as their assertion that they were not notified.
Miller stated that plans were in place for construction before it was known that the board would lease the room. He added that they were notified more than once.
“And again, before the actual construction took place, the Water Board superintendent, Bill Morris, was reminded again that this was about to take place, and there was no objection noted at the time,” Miller said.
Turner reiterated his concern that none on the council were supposedly notified and that he still didn’t understand why the wall was there. Miller restated that it was for security reasons to keep unauthorized personnel from accessing secure records.
“You still didn’t answer my question,” Turner told him. “Why did we build the wall without talking to the council? We didn’t appropriate any money for engineering or for the wall. I still don’t understand why it was built. These people are our citizens.”
He asked if the appropriations in eight months of expenses would be found in the resolution to ratify the city expenses to be considered. Miller said that he didn’t know if it would be. Turner said it would be difficult to tell and would suggest later tabling the resolution, which it was.
Miller told him that it was not required to tell the council about “that type” of construction. “Amazing,” Turner said.
“Yeah,” Miller replied. “It’s amazing that we weren’t notified that they were going to lease the building and that people would be roaming around there.”
Attention then turned to a resolution to consider an agreement with the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) to create a new comprehensive plan that was tabled from the last meeting. A representative from the group made a presentation at the previous meeting, but Turner suggested tabling it due to concerns that Main Street was already addressing some plans from the RPCGB.
Some discussion on the nature of having a comprehensive plan took place when Councilman Kenneth Washington said that he supported both Main Street and the comprehensive plan, stressing that they can work together.
Miller agreed that they could and that there was intention early on that they would both be implemented for the city. At the previous meeting, he addressed concerns about funds being secured for Main Street, leading some in the public to fear that the program would be dropped.
“Why someone came up with the idea that Main Street was going to be excluded is beyond me,” he said.
Turner then took issue with the timing of calling for a vote on the comprehensive plan to be approved soon after the presentation was given, while funds for the Main Street program took longer.
Miller replied that adopting a comprehensive plan was routine for the city. As with the last meeting, he explained that funds were taking longer because it has to go through a process with the Jefferson County Personnel Board as required by state law.
Miller later said that Main Street has to show the board that it can pay the director’s salary and that the money cannot be provided until the board is satisfied.
City Attorney Johnny Brunson said he has been working with the director, Amber Vines, to refine the application Main Street sent to the board. Washington later asked him if they were in the “right direction” of getting approved, to which Brunson said he believed so.
Further discussion continued for some time before Turner motioned that the resolution be tabled. All except for Councilman Johnny Dutton voted “yes” to do so. Afterward, the council passed several more items before public comments.
Vines was among those in public comments.
“There is a world where the Regional Planning Commission, Main Street, RDA, the chamber, all entities work together for the betterment of our city,” Vines said. “And I can confirm, speaking for Main Street, that we will work with all entities for the betterment of our city.”
She reported that the resource team for Main Street would meet on September 20-22. A public vision meeting is set for September 20 at the middle school lunchroom, with the public invited to provide input. A presentation for findings and recommendations will be given on September 22 at the Leeds Arts Council.
In other business, the council:
- Appointed Todd Howard to the Leeds Library Board after a 5-1 vote,
- Declared a property on Pine Avenue to be a public nuisance,
- Held a public hearing on a property on Moton being considered as an unsafe building but agreed to give 30 days for the owner to produce an architectural plan to bring it up to code,
- Authorized a utility easement for Alabama Power to install a transmission line to a portion of customers in the eastern part of the city.
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.