CULLMAN – On Monday evening, the Cullman City Council took time from resolutions and ordinances to recognize two long-time local officials. Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Andy Page, accompanied by Assistant Police Chief Craig Montgomery and Fire Chief Brian Bradberry, led the Council in recognizing Cullman County EMA Director Phyllis Little for her recent reception of the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers’ Pat Neuhauser Spirit of Emergency Management Award.
Chief Montgomery said, “Phyllis not only is a friend of mine, she is an integral part of this community. She pours her life blood into EMA. She is down there countless hours that you folks don’t know about. And it’s not just emergencies; for instance, Rock the South: if it was not for her, I’m not sure we could have pulled it off. So, she is a super cog in this community.”
Chief Bradberry added, “Everywhere I go in the state, every chief I meet, they’re always envious of our relationship with EMA. And her leadership has been outstanding. She’s been a huge part of pre-planning big events in our city. Again, always been a friend to us. If we have a big incident going on, we want to see her there.”
Page presented Little a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Council.
Mayor Woody Jacobs led the Council in recognizing outgoing County Museum Director Elaine Fuller on her retirement after 31 years of service to the city and county, saying:
“Elaine’s been instrumental in many things in the city: Strawberry Festival, Oktoberfest; not just the museum. She’s involved in Olympics–that’s just some of the major ones. And she loves Cullman; that’s what really matters.”
“Throughout her career with the museum, she has overseen the collections, educational programs, recreational events of the museum with professionalism; and her leadership has contributed substantially to the success and growth of the museum.”
New Museum Director named
While he was recognizing Fuller on her retirement, Mayor Jacobs also took a moment to introduce current museum staffer Drew Green as the new Director.
Council President Garlan Gudger took a moment on his own to recognize Wastewater Treatment Plant Director Jeff Adams for his handling of recent issues at the plant.
City financial report
Council President Pro Tem and General Government Committee Chair Jenny Folsom brought the financial report for the first three quarters of FY2018, indicating that $27,242,617 in revenues represented a 9.54 percent increase over the same time last year. During the same time, expenses increased by only 1.08 percent. She also noted a slight rise in the county’s unemployment rate to 4.2 percent, but still the second lowest in the state.
When the floor was opened to comments from anyone not on the agenda, recent Council meeting regulars from Heritage Village returned to commend City Clerk Wesley Moore and others for coming to the subdivision to see the situation for themselves, but also to complain about a recent city order to remove sheds from the city’s utility easement between house rows. Moore assured the residents that the city was preparing to take action on the drainage issues they found during their inspections, and Gudger assured them that the Council is listening and trying to find ways to help.
The Council approved four special event requests:
- from Lynsey Todd of Monograms Plus for a special event permit to hold the Sidewalk/Street Sale on September 7th-8th, 2018 on First Avenue NE in the Cullman Warehouse District.
- from Lynsey Todd of Monograms Plus for a special event permit to hold the annual Christmas Open House on November 9th-11th, 2018 on First Avenue NE in the Cullman Warehouse District.
- from Michael Sapp of the Cullman Downtown Merchants Association, Inc. for a special event permit to hold the annual Celebrate Cullman Downtown Festival on August 10th, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The event will take place on 1st Ave. SE from Hwy 278 to 5th St. SE, on 4th St. SE and 5th St. SE, and on 1st Ave. SW from Hwy 278 to 3rd St. SW.
- from Sue Turner of the Cullman Life Chain for a special event permit to hold the 15th Annual Life Chain on the sidewalks around the Cullman County Courthouse on October 20th, 2018 from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. This is a silent prayer, pro-life event.
The Council passed one ordinance:
- to vacate and surplus city-owned property located at 1638 Brantley Avenue NW, which is no longer needed for public or municipal purposes, to the City of Cullman Industrial Development Board.
The Council passed three resolutions:
- to award the bid for roof replacement at Cullman Fire Station No. 2 to the lowest responsible bidder, Willoughby Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $120,900.00.
- to amend position control detail for the City of Cullman, Alabama.
- to convey the parcels necessary for the right-of-ways for the replacement and construction of Eva Road Bridge.
