HOLLY POND, Ala. – The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center’s Governmental Affairs Committee will host the first in a series of three community forums featuring Cullman’s local legislative delegation tonight at the Guy Hunt Library in Holly Pond. The meeting, from 6-7 p.m., will include Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman and Rep. Randall Shedd, R-Fairview. There will also be a meeting for east Cullman municipalities Aug. 31 at the Baileyton Senior Center where each municipality within the region – Holly Pond, Fairview, Hanceville, Baileyton, Vinemont and Berlin – will have 15 minutes for its council to meet privately with Gudger (Holly Pond will meet from 7:30-7:45 a.m.) and present him a written proposal detailing what it wants to do within the next five years- things with which it wants or expects Gudger’s help.
Because of these upcoming meetings, the Holly Pond Town Council on Monday night spent a good deal of time talking about what it would like to present. The council said it was encouraged to attend the Aug. 31 meeting and bring as many people possible. Gudger will talk about the recent gas tax increase and how the funds will be used, then a representative from each municipality will get a few moments to detail what their municipality has planned and what they need help with. After this will be a Q&A session, where each person who has a question or statement will have up to one minute to talk (The short amount of time is because organizers hope at least 150 people will attend).
Another item of heavy discussion regarded a Town employee receiving unauthorized pay. While the Holly Pond 12U baseball team was at the Dizzy Dean World Series in Mississippi this summer, an employee traveled to the series to watch the team play. After returning, the employee submitted an expense report to Town Clerk Linda Pope for the 12 hours he spent there, ultimately receiving almost $200.
Councilwoman Gladys Wisener pointed out the employee had not been authorized by the council to attend the game as a representative of Holly Pond, nor did the council authorize reimbursement for the trip. Mayor Bill Oliver said he did not authorize either of these actions, and Pope said unlike with regular payroll checks, the employee stood in front of her and didn’t move until she had paid him.
After several minutes of heated discussion, during which Wisener maintained the employee’s trip should’ve been on his own time and expenses and Oliver repeatedly stated he had no idea this had occurred (though he said he would’ve authorized the employee to visit if he’d asked beforehand), the council agreed it would be best for the employee to reimburse the Town for the unauthorized pay.
Councilwoman Lou Thomas also raised concerns about the legitimacy of other payments, so Oliver said he and Pope would look through previous pay stubs to make sure they all have the mayor’s signature.
Other items of business
- New school zone signs should be either on the delivery trucks or ready to be loaded by now.
- Due to a recent large grant from Gov. Kay Ivey (roughly $419,000) to Brooks’ Place, the council will hold off on making its $500 donation to Brooks’ Place until a later date.
- The council declared a mound of salvage as surplus to be removed later.
- Report from Councilwoman Michelle Bell that while the 12U team decided to withdraw from the World Series after a series of weather cancellations, the boys were still overjoyed at having gone; the council also suggested inviting the team to a meeting to share its experiences.
- There was a 4-1 vote in favor of approving next year’s budget.
- The council corrected the minutes from its last meeting regarding the adjustment of pay raises: changed “no promotion” to “no bonus.”
- Approved dates for Christmas Cards in the Park and Luminaries: cards will be up by Dec. 7 and luminaries will be placed by Dec. 14; lights around the park will also go up the week after Thanksgiving.
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