Nathan Prewett
CLAY, Ala. — The Clay City Council has passed a policy monitoring how outside agencies spend their approved appropriations several months after Mayor Jane Anderton introduced it in April.
The policy has been modified since its introduction and establishes that agencies that are outside of city operations such as the Jefferson County Board of Education are to report their spending actions after being given funding.
Anderton has maintained that its purpose is to ensure what she has described as accountability from these agencies. It also provided a way to handle appropriations at once instead of one at a time, though Councilor Nathan Thompson criticized it as posing a potential issue with how they are reported to the council.
A copy of the resolution can be seen here.
The policy was unanimously approved. Thompson and Councilor Carla Youngblood were absent.
During council member reports Councilor Jody Harris shared the statistics from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. There were 52 calls last week, an estimated eight to 10 more than the past few weeks, he said.
Eight were burglar alarms but all were false due to malfunctioning alarm systems. He advised residents with these alarms systems to ensure that they are working properly. There were eight traffic stops and medical calls.
In her report Anderton announced that the city has received a limited right of entry from Alabama Power to begin clearing a trail of a downed tree in Wear Cemetery. This is set to be done early next week, she said.
She also announced that Second Saturday Cleanup will be held on Aug. 8 at 8 a.m. at Chalkville Elementary School. Volunteers are invited to attend the event.
“Those families [at the school] are part of our feeder pattern,” she said. “Chalkville Elementary is not in our city limits, therefore we are limited on what we can do for them concerning finances but we can certainly spend our blood, sweat and tears to help clean up their campus.”
In other business the council:
- Held the first reading for an ordinance prohibiting encampments on public property,
- Approved an alcohol license transfer at Chalkville Quick Stop,
- Sponsored a pickleball tournament benefiting the Boys and Girls Club with $250,
- Sponsored the Rickey Davis Memorial Golf Tournament by the Center Point Fire District with $400,
- Sponsored a teacher training event at Clay Chalkville High School on Aug. 10 with $8,500, and
- Declared a list of properties in Clay as public nuisances.
Meetings take place every second and fourth Tuesday at Clay City Hall located at 2441 Old Springville Road. Pre-council begins at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are recorded for the city’s YouTube channel.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
