City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, we're going to go ahead and get started. this evening in our work session. Um, anybody sign up? Jim, you see anything? No, sir.

Okay. Uh, our agenda items for this evening. Um, not anything on old business. New business, approve renewal of the line of credit for two years, maturing December the 20th of 2027. Um, that is a line that we have had going and we paid against it. And this is just uh redoing the balance. Then item two, ordinance 2025, an ordinance granting Central Alabama Electric Cooperative a non-exclusive franchise agreement. This is the first time on the agenda. Then item three, resolution 2025-12-1-1, a resolution authorizing the city of Wumpka to protect the city's interest by intervening as a defendant in the simplified seller use tax litigation. You may speak to that. So, the cities of Tuscaloosa and Mountain Brook have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Revenue. They filed at Montgomery County where they had to. And what they're challenging is revenues ability to tax online sales under the simplified seller tax [clears throat] statute. It's been in effect for a number of years now.

[snorts]

The reason they're challenging it is because the the tax that's collected under that statute is distributed to cities and counties statewide under like an 8% and then it's split out based on your population. And those cities tax sales at a higher rate than the 8%. So they feel like if it was taxed differently they could make more money. The problem is it's a collection issue. So if we do away with the simplified seller use tax and it's declared unconstitutional, then the department of revenue is going to collect taxes differently for these online retailers. The whole point of that statute was to make it easy to collect taxes. So it's one of those things where you make it easy to get something or you make it hard to get a little more something. Right? Tiffy and I looked at it and we might come out ahead if the simplified seller use tax statute was struck down, but it would only be by this narrow amount of money. And our attitude is is we're not really convinced that it would be in the best um it would be best for the city of Wunka for that to go away because we're already collecting revenue based on the simplified seller use tax statute and we've been collecting revenue under it and we budgeted under what we think we're going to collect under it and our attitude is a bird and hand is kind of better than two in the bush. We know what we're getting. We're happy with what we're getting. the little bit amount of money that we might make if we were to get more is not worth the risk of losing what we're getting. Um, and so I think we need to stay on the side of keep the simplified sellers use tax in place and join with 67 counties and a lot of the other cities in that lawsuit and at no cost to us. It's fully funded by the county's uh what's the county association? You remember the acronym, the Association of Counts,

right? They're funding the lawsuit to keep the statute in place. We're not having to pay anything and we're going to be represented by Council of Montgomery um to lead that case. I don't believe I'm going to have to do anything on it. So, it shouldn't be any sort of cost to us other than essentially monitoring it. But we're hoping that that statute stays in place so we can keep pushing online sales tax as it has been because we think we're going to come out ahead in that regard. Does that make it more muddy or more clear? That's clear. Okay, that's clear.

Any questions? Council have any questions on this? appreciate that. Then item four, permission to replace two Riverwalk bridges in Gold Star Park. This is the first time it's on the agenda. Uh these bridges are chap.

Sure. Um the two bridges that we have right now um on the well the two that are on the agenda right now one is um underneath the bibra bridge is part of the riverw walk and the other one is part of the riverwalk as well. It's right next to the boat ramp. Um they're both in really bad shape. Um, so we're just got quotes to replace them with uh we're going to go [clears throat] back with composite or trex like what we did on the the overlook deck. Is this the same company that built the uh the other deck they did a great job?

It's the same one. Yes. Well, there's actually two quotes, but the the lower quote of the two is the same company.

Any questions on this? I wonder how much it would cost. I know we we I've looked at it and we're using a lot of 6x6 posts and things like that on the one next to the boat ramp. That's a pretty long bridge, but I wondered if if we had a steel frame underneath that with braces in the middle if that would last a a very long time. And I know this will too. It'll probably outlast me, but I was wondering how much more would that cost, you know, and I know I don't know whether this company could do that or provide any information on it or not, but you know, how long has that bridge been there?

Well over 20 years. I knew it had been 20. I think it's been I think it's been like 25 27 years. Um there's an upper bridge even above there and it's in bad shape and I it's the worst. Lions Club paid for it when that bridge was put in. That's been about 27 28 years ago. So I just composite stuff is going to help us because what's on it now was not the composite material. It's just treated longer. So it was your yellow buddy friends, right?

Yellow. I don't know. I just didn't know in the long run would it would it be better for the city to spend a little bit of extra money now to do the steel frame and attach that to it with the the sides. You see where I'm construction part of it. I don't do construction, but on the construction part, getting in there to drive those steel peers in here, you span it, right? You'd span it with steel, right? Put a bulkhead on each end and span it. It it would be uh it'd be considerably more money.

I knew it' be more money, but in the long run, would it be better to spend the money now? I mean, if we done it 20 years ago, still probably would still have been good. You see where I'm looking at? I think I think the and this is the last steel bridge we put up was over crossing the crossing the creek going to the ball field and they had you had to put a button in. It was a little bit different than these two, but I want to say it was over $100,000 for that. Took them about five or six times or more of the cost. I don't think it'll last that much longer. You don't? Not five or six times. And that that was eight years ago. [cough and clears throat]

Okay. I just didn't know. Yeah. Chapman, you comfortable with what you got? Yes, sir. Okay. Okay. Item five, permission to replace engine in a senior center bus at a cost of $7,695.40. I can tell you up front, we really didn't want to do this, but we're shortanded now. We don't have a bus. Both of our buses are down and u the cycle doesn't come around, I think, until January February of 7

207 of 27 on the buses. So, we we need to get a bus up and going and then I think we'd have another bus that we could use for for a number of years. Um, is this also the one that the lift is down on? Yes, sir.

And we have to have the lift. So, but u if we can get this one up and going, I think we're going to be in much better shape. Okay, that seems to be everything that's on here. We'll call the u enter into our council meeting time. Invocation this evening be given by council person Brown. A pledge be given by council person justice. Let us pray. Our most gracious heavenly father, we just thank you for this day for the many blessings of life. Father, we thank you for the blessings that you have bestowed on each of us as well as those that you have bestowed on this city. Father, I ask you to continue to bless each employee and each department, Father, and bless this council and the mayor as as we continue to strive to to take our city forward. Father, we thank you for this season of the year where we enter into a time where we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, we just ask that we not get ourselves so involved in in the fun part of it, but also remember the reason for the season. Father, we thank you for this meeting tonight. Continue to bless us. These things we ask in your precious name. Amen.

Amen. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation [clears throat] under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Roll call. Council member Robbins. Council member Tucker here. Council member Justice here. Council member Gant here. Council member Brown here. Mayor Willis here. You received in your package a copy of the minutes from the council meeting held on November 17th of 2025. Are there any corrections to those minutes? If not, we'll entertain the motion for approval. Second. Okay. Motion and second. All in favor, it been all say I. I.

Anyone opposed? Okay, those minutes have been approved. [snorts] Under the new business this evening, item one, approve renewal of the line of credit for two years maturing December the 20th, 2027. Entain the motion. Mayor, I'd like to make that motion. Okay. Second. Second. Okay. Have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? All in favor? It'd be known to say I. I.

Anyone opposed? Okay, that two has been approved. Item two, ordinance 2025, an ordinance granting Central Alabama Electric Cooperative a non-exclusive franchise agreement. This is the first time. Go ahead. No.

All right, we'll carry that over. Item three, resolution 2025-12-1-1, a resolution authorizing the city of Waka to protect the city's interest in intervening as a defendant in the simplified sellers use tax [clears throat] litigation. We'll entertain the motion. So move. Second. Motion and second. Any discussion? All in favor? Let it be known by saying I. I. I.

Anyone opposed? That two has been granted. Then item four, permission to replace two Riverwalk bridges in Gold Star Park. First time on the agenda. So we'll carry that over. Then item five, permission to replace the engine in the senior center bus at a cost of $7,695.40. This is the first time on the agenda. Do you want to uh suspend the rules and move forward? You will you get the engine ordered? Yes, sir. Please.

Okay. All right. Have a request to suspend the rules to move forward with this. Do we have a motion? I like my colle and consider this. Take the motion. Do we have a second? Second. Motion and second. Any discussion? [snorts] Okay. Roll call. Council member Tucker. Yes. Council member Justice, yes. Council member Gant, yes. Council member Brown, yes. Mayor Willis, yes. Okay. Suspension of [clears throat] rules has been taken care of. will add it to the agenda items and ask for a motion to move forward.

Mary, I'd like to make that motion move forward. Okay, second. Have a motion in a second. Do roll call. Council member Tucker, yes. Council member Justice, yes. Council member Gant, yes. Council member Brown, yes. Mayor Willis. Okay, that has been granted permission to move forward and go ahead and get the uh everything ordered. Thank you. All right, we'll entertain a motion to adjourn. So move. [laughter]