Dec. 28, 2009
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Sprouse pleased with first meeting of new
Council By Scott Wright CEDAR BLUFF — The Cedar Bluff Town Council met Tuesday, Dec. 22, and Probate Judge Melvyn Salter was on hand to swear in newly elected members Mark Hicks, Jack Bond, and Evan Smith.New Mayor Ethel Sprouse told The Post she was pleased with the results of the new Council's first meeting. “We structured how the meetings would go, and that was all very, very positive,” Sprouse said. “We had a few items on the agenda which we needed to pass.” During the meeting, Dee Daniel was appointed town clerk. The Council members also reappointed Police Chief Steve Walden, Fire Chief J.P. Curry and town attorney Bill Hawkins. Council member Leatha Harp was also appointed as mayor pro tem. Meetings will still be held on the second Monday in the Town Hall, but the time has been changed to 6 p.m. The Council voted to eliminate a part-time position on the police force that had been held by Jimmy Wallace, a candidate for mayor who was involved in a lawsuit over absentee ballots that prolonged the seating of the mayor and several Council members for over a year. Sprouse told The Post the move was made as a money-saving measure and had nothing to do with the fact that Wallace had been a candidate against her. Wallace had also been the town's building inspector and zoning enforcement officer for several years, but resigned when Sprouse took office earlier this month. Sprouse said zoning enforcement and building permits will now be handled internally out of town hall. “We are going to contract with people who are licensed in the field to do our inspections from now on,” Sprouse said. “We have already contracted for a few inspections that are going to be done.” Sprouse said she and the new Town Council members have many plans for advancing the town. “I think the most positive thing I have seen since the election is that Cedar Bluff has a Town Council that is working together,” Sprouse said. “They are dedicated to finding creative answers to some of the problems that Cedar Bluff has.” Sprouse said among the most pressing problems on the immediate agenda is much-needed improvements in the town's infrastructure. “That includes streets and roads, ditching and drainage, the sewer infrastructure,” Sprouse said. “There are many things we can do in the area of seeking grants to help fund those improvements.” Sprouse said the police and fire departments are also in need of new equipment and will be getting a close look. Sprouse said she also wants to work to improve the beauty of the town. “We want to make Cedar Bluff an attractive place, to attract people,” she said. “Whether it's people who are coming here to live or businesses that we want to attract to come here. We already have ideas that we have tossed around.”
Sprouse said she appointed several committees, to be headed by various
members of the Council based on their expertise.
“Leatha
has been going to the East Alabama Planning Commission meetings for at least
eight years, so she is going to head up a committee between the mayor and
the Council so she can guide us in the direction of grants,” Sprouse said. Sprouse said she has
asked Mark Hicks, a deputy with the sheriff’s department, to oversee the
police department. Bond will oversee the fire department. “Lenora has a lot of
knowledge about the historical site of Cedar Bluff and we have plans for an
exhibit in the Sprouse also the town
in on solid financial footing and commended former Mayor Martha Baker for
her work in that area during her term in office. |