Library Aide Brenda Johnson has replaced Town Clerk Patricia Ponder as Colony town librarian, and the library’s hours have changed. The library is pictured on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. (W.C. Mann for The Tribune)
COLONY – On Tuesday evening, the Colony Town Council voted to proceed with a project to give the town a storm shelter, while putting the brakes on plans to remove absentee Councilman Julian Fields.
The council accepted a sub-grantee agreement for the state’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program which will help fund the construction of a community storm shelter for the town. Under the grant’s matching terms, Colony will have to provide $27,000 of the proposed $108,000 cost of the shelter. The council is now preparing to seek bids with the assistance of Cullman County Economic Development for construction of the shelter near the town hall and library/educational complex.
Proposed removal of Councilman Fields
The second item on the council’s agenda was the removal of Councilman Julian Fields, who has not attended a council function in more than three months. According to the Code of Alabama section 11-40-25:
“Any elected municipal official who misses all regular and special called council or commission meetings for 90 consecutive days, beginning on the date of any absence, shall be removed from office by operation of law.”
Under the law, the council would be able to reinstate a removed member at a later time if a majority of members vote to accept the removed member’s reason for absence, or they may proceed with replacement.
In the absence of Mayor Donnis Leeth, who was out of town, Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Johnson recommended that the measure be tabled until a later meeting, and the other council members concurred.
Tom Bevill Library changes
Early Tuesday afternoon, the following notice appeared on the Town of Colony Facebook page:
“We say goodbye to Patricia Ponder as librarian at Tom Bevill Library. New hours in effect today.”
Nothing was mentioned during the council meeting, but when asked about the change after the council meeting, Curtis Johnson said that former Colony Administrative Assistant Brenda Johnson, who was reassigned two weeks ago as a library aide, will take over as town librarian. He also reported that, as of now, the library’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday.
The Colony Town Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month in Colony Town Hall. The public is invited.
Copyright 2018 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
