City Council - Regular Meeting

No, I just did that one.

We split it up. And the only reason I did that one is because I live right here. I was like, it's by my house. It wasn't real, you know. Sure. Yeah, she was the only one.

give me that script and it starts talking about the credit union and applying here, it's because we want more people talking about that.

And she was all over the place.

And I picked that one, Lee Scott, because it was close to my house. There was one in Lafayette.

I am not driving to Lafayette.

Have your attention please it's now 5.30 and I will call our May 19, 2026 work session meeting to order. We have a couple of items that we will discuss tonight, beginning with on this. With the approval of real property exchange and lease agreement with the east Alabama healthcare authority. This is on our agenda for first reading, and we will also be asked to suspend the rules so that we can get started on our new fire station. You want to come forward, Mr. Chief Board, and explain what's going on.

Yes, good afternoon. How is everyone? Good, good. All right. This property exchange is we were getting ready to replace a building built in. I think it's 1961, 65 year old fire station obviously doesn't meet the safety requirements and all the other things and everything in its day didn't even replace. So as we got ready to build and start with the new facility, the hospital expressed some interest in the property that we have because of its proximity to their campus and started negotiating a land swap that will eventually turn into us taking over the property next to the Masonic Lodge. It's been a long process, but I think we're finally there now to where we can move forward with it. And the suspension of the rules to do it now would be just to get it done real quick to where we can start the bid process and gathering pricing and stuff with the station bill. Questions?

I mean, where is the proposed, is that the land that you're going to build on?

Yes, ma'am. Directly across the street. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Directly across the street. Yeah.

They are now.

And true be told, it'll save us some money because we can stay in the building we're in now while we're building the other one. And that's a substantial cost to be rehousing and all that. So there's a lot of benefit to it for us.

One dollar. Thank you so very much. Yes, sir. An update from our mayor or anyone from his administration. Yes, Mr. President.

Microphone. Please. Got it. Just a couple of things that that with your permission, I will present during the mayor's time. We have 15 Kilgore scholars that I think will be with us tonight. If I don't butcher their names too bad, we'll get them all up and recognize them. Robin will have a gift for them. Then following that, we're going to have 31 percussionists. This is a really interesting story in that these seventh and eighth graders went to Orlando and in competition and that may have been their their first time to be in competition, but they blew them all away won all the medals and they got first place and everything and so it's going to we've asked them to come so that we could recognize them and give them a gift Rosanna's son is a member of this group and so He's right there waving. And so it's going to be my pleasure to read their names and for us to recognize them.

Thank you. Looking forward to it. And we have one other at least one other item. If we we've had a discussion about. Resolution number eight on the consent agenda. which is something that we must really pay close attention to. And I want to ask Mr. Treese if he will kind of enlighten us on that particular issue.

Yes, sir. Mr. President, thank you very much. So this is a part of the engineering ongoing construction of the connection between Cunningham and HIPAC and ultimately that to Thomason as well. There'll be a roundabout right there. and the property owner, we've been in negotiations between me and engineering and others for quite some time. This ordinance, what we needed to do because we would like for this project to go forward, we needed to go ahead just in case negotiations were to break down because they have stopped, installed, and started again over the course of several months. Um, we basically needed to put condemnation on the table so that we could start that process because it takes so long. Um, as it turns out, um, I met with, uh, the lady who owns the little bitty piece of property that we need for the roundabout, um, and her attorney, and she signed all the documents. So this resolution authorizes the city to proceed in several different avenues all at once, just in case we wound up where we are. And it's, it's a great thing that we did wind up, um, where she has agreed, um, to basically accept our proposal to get her property and make sure that she still has access to her driveway and, and everything is good and all that. So, um, that's what this resolution is about. And hopefully, uh, not terribly long after this knock on wood, we can get it bid and move forward. Y'all may be familiar with that particular intersection. There was basically a pond where the road's going to go. Well, the beavers built the pond. It wasn't man-made, so that's where we are.

Okay.

Any questions? So, Mr. President, we're going to leave the resolution on there?

Yeah.

Okay, good.

We just this is just an opportunity for us not to remove it if we have questions. So we want to get get all of our questions and concerns answered on our work session so they can remain on the consent agenda. And maybe Mr. Parker could come and tell us something about the roundabout.

Good evening, I'd be happy to. We have a current construction project that's ongoing now that's going to connect Thomason Drive, which dead ends at Gateway Drive at a traffic signal. We have a process now we're almost completed with extending that road from the traffic signal on Gateway Drive and connecting to Cunningham Drive. That's a standalone project we had before, and it can still be standalone as it is. That project is a month or so away from completion and opening. That'd be a big deal for everything for traffic connectivity and things like that. The next phase that Mr. Treece was talking about was connecting Cunningham Drive to High Pack Drive, which connects onto Airport Road. A roundabout is planned at that location. We had a developer that is developing some properties south of this future roadway and he donated property for the roadway right of way and also some undevelopable property to the north of the roadway right of way. Part of our negotiation with Ms. Britton was to donate this property with an ordinance at a later time. That's what the agreement says after the road is constructed as a trade for the quarter of an acre that is needed for the roundabout at Cunningham Drive. So we've been talking with her a lot and she's concerned with the construction cutting off her access and utilities and reassured her that legally we cannot ever take away her access or her utilities during this construction progress. So the engineering department with this construction of the next phase of the project will be working with a contractor to allow her access and keep her utilities in check as we're building through this through. So it was a long procedure. She's again concerned about development around her, but we nobody can do anything about that because it's coming. And so we did all we could to ensure that the buffer was provided from her property to the development. And ultimately, it's a win win from her because she's getting some property that was donated to us eventually that will give her this buffer from the future development and roadway that's coming. This project, again, we're ready to bid it shortly once this is completed. It is also tied to a larger project we've been working on to connect Airport Road all the way to Pepper Parkway, which will tie into Veterans Parkway. So at that time, you will kind of have an inner loop in the city from Veterans Parkway to Pepperville Parkway, and then you can continue on through all the way to Veterans Drive. So it'll kind of be an interloop where you don't have to go to Frederick Road to cut through and different things like that. So we see this, been working on this for five or six years as a major transportation improvement for the city. And this is just a step in that procedure as we go through. I actually take go all the way to Oat Bowery. It will. Veterans does go all the way to Oat Bowery. So you potentially you go from Oat Bowery on this road all the way to to the hospital if you choose to Gateway Drive and cut out a lot of traffic on Pepper Parkway, Gateway Drive which is major major thoroughfares in the city and they're highly congested. This gives the city an alternative transportation feature to alleviate some of the traffic that we're seeing on these roads and also some of the traffic that's accumulating at Tiger Town and at Frederick Road and Gateway Drive. So it'll kind of be a little kind of inter bypass to alleviate some of that traffic that's coming through the major corridors. So we've been working on that for quite a while and things are stepping along to get things done.

Special thank you to Robbie, who has gotten to know this lady very well on numerous CONVERSATIONS AND VISITS THAT WERE EXTENDED TIMES. THERE'S NO SHORT CONVERSATION. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE. OBVIOUSLY SCOTT.

CONSIDERATIONS. I KIND OF FEEL FOR HER BECAUSE SHE DOES LIVE IN AN ISOLATED AREA AND THINGS ARE BEING DEVELOPED AROUND HERE. SO WE TOOK ALL CONSIDERATIONS IN MIND TO WHAT WE CAN DO. practical and legally within our bounds to to give her what she needs. And this is essential for the roundabout and for the connectivity of the transportation features.

Any questions? OK, thank you. Thank you very much. To council member, do you have any other concerns about any item that's on our consent agenda, a regular agenda that someone here may be able to enlighten you on? If not, Ms. Jones, is there any other business that's before us in the work session? If not, we're in our work session at this time and begin our regular meeting at 6 o'clock. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

It is now six o'clock p.m. and I will call out May 19, 2026 Opelika City Council meeting to order. Call the roll, Mr. Jones.

Here. Here. Here. Mr. Beans. Mr. Rauch. Here.

Here. And tonight, our invocation, we're pleased to have Miss Ann Nicholson from Open Heavens Ministry and our pledge will be led by Avery Massey from Opelika High School. Let us all stand, please.

Let us pray. My gracious Lord Jesus, you're welcome in this place. Come Holy Spirit and guide us according to your will and purposes. Over this council, we pray for divine wisdom and clarity. And most particularly, may they find where each concern aligns with you. May they govern impartially from a position of humility and for the greater good and benefit of all. As King Solomon suggested, wise counsel is good. And Lord, we agree, he said, without counsel, purposes are disappointed. But in the multitude of counselors, they are established. And Lord Jesus, when it's all said and done, may the members of this council be remembered as your servants of integrity who found the prudent path to the best outcome for Opelika. Guide them well, Lord Jesus, in your precious and holy name we pray.

Now we have the adoption of the agenda. Council member, are there any items that need to be added to remove from a change from the order of the presented agenda? Having none, is there a motion to approve the agenda as presented?

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Any discussion? Having none, call the roll, Mr. Jones.

Holmes. Aye. Ms. Whatley. Aye. Mr. Raut. Aye. Mr. Allen. Aye. Although not approved.

And again, council members, you received a copy of the minutes from our last regular meeting on May 5th, 2026. Are there any corrections that additions are deletions? If not, our entertain a motion and a second to accept the minutes as presented. So moved. Second.

Second.

Thank you so very much. Mayor comments and recognition. Mr. Mayor.

Thank you, Mr. President. You all have received a copy of the monthly permit report for April of 2026, another outstanding month of $25 million worth of permits. Of that, 16.5 million in 75 new single-family homes. myself or Mr. Motley or call Mr. Motley. I might invite Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Williams up to the front with me, please. I think I saw y'all come in. Some of the great things that we get to do in these council meetings is to recognize our outstanding students and the accomplishments that they have. So the first thing that we're going to do tonight is recognized the 15 Kilgore Scholarship winners at Opelika High School. You're not familiar with the Kilgore Scholarship. Would you like to do this? Would you like to tell them about the Kilgore Scholarship?

Sure.

Would you like me to tell them?

You go for it.

All right. Well, the Kilgore Scholarship was established many years ago with a donation that has kept on giving. And in order to qualify for a Kilgore scholarship, you've got to be, in this case, in the top 15 in the class. And so we're looking at and going to introduce you to the best of the best at Opelika High School. So as I call your name out, if you would come up, we have a gift for you. Then we'd like to have a picture made. And of course, if you would like to speak, we could do it now or you can do it afterwards.

How did I get up here?

Okay, so if you'll come join me please. Heidi Bell. Jake Caldwell. Jason Constance. Birch Harris. Antoine AJ Harris. Leonardo Hernandez. Natalie King. Eleanor McCoy. De Onero-Montarubio, Caitlin Morgan, Mary Osborne, Miles Tatum. Miles came twice. He was at the last council meeting, so we appreciate you coming back, Miles. Bailey Ward, Lily Williams, and Anna Wood.

Our graduating class this year is just over 350 students. And so these students are the top 15 of a very large class. And that just goes to show all their hard work that they've put in. And like he said, you're looking at the best of the best.

That's it.

No, we got one other thing, but not the high school. If I may ask Mr. McGlynn to join me, please. One of the privileges of being the mayor is to get to recognize people when they do special things, as we just recognized these Kilgore scholarships recipients who by the way have already graduated so they're not hanging around. We'll let them finish. So Mr. McGlynn is the band director for the symphonic band percussion among other things that you do. This particular group of thirty two seventh and eighth graders went to Orlando and competed. They won the top award in this country for the first in this ensemble. at the whole place, right? Correct. Tell us about it.

Well, first of all, I want to thank all the administrators, Ms. Williams, too, and Dr. Davis for all the support that they have. And all our band directors are part of this, too, in Opelika City Schools. We're very fortunate to get their support. But this year was a special year because they, not only did they win first place in percussion ensemble in the Orlando Fest competition, they also were the grand champion, which is the highest score out of any group that's performing. And I guess to make it even more special is they had the highest score for the entire Orlando Fest season, which is about 10,000 students that they've, I guess, officially gone against. So very exciting. Very proud of them.

I would like to invite them up here. Colton Baker, Skylar Degucci, Samuel George, Benjamin Aiden Hurd, Rachel Hewling, Christian Madzar, Bryson McGlynn, Freeman Perez-Vuentes, Samuel Pesto, Takari Slayton, Charlie Branch, Poppy Carpenter, William Cottrell, Maddie Hickson, Sam McGinnis, Carter Cannon, Valeria Castaneda-Valdez, Cameron Easley, Wells Farr, Alex Finch, Ellen Finneken, Asher Franklin, Hudson Hardy, William Hess, Eben Massey, Jackson McGee, Miles Meadows, Joel Davidson, Greazel Lindo, Chase McFetridge, Iden White, Ladies and gentlemen, these are the ones that you'll be looking at four years from now, the best of the best that we have at the Opelika Middle School right now that will become the best of the best at Opelika High School. Congratulations to each of you.

Like you like each other.

Sure, absolutely. Come on I've been short all my life.

Mamas and daddies, and rightfully so. If you ain't got some, she wants to give you some.

I'm so proud of myself.

I'm so proud of you. Congratulations.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

That's really cool. Bitch, you sign out. I said, let me guess.

Thank you, Robin.

At this time, Mr. President, would you invite the character council to come join you?

Members of the character council.

And while you're doing that, I'm going to invite Councilman Todd Rauch down. Those of you that are regular attenders know that on each month, we recognize a community of character person. And this month, Councilman Routt will make that presentation. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. One of the biggest honors that we have as city council members here in Opelika is working with Envision Opelika and the Opelika Character Council. And it's a program that they started last term and asking council members to nominate someone from their ward who was significant and who represented the character trait of that month. And this month, the character trait of the month is patience. I've always had immense blessing of being able to pick those residents that are within my ward that perfectly represent what the character trait of the month is. And looking out several months ago, knowing that I was going to have patience as for the month of May, I knew that there was no other man who was more deserving than my good friend, Seth Carter. So Seth, I'm going to read this. I'm going to try not to get emotional because we've been friends for a long time and he means a lot to me. Today, I have the honor of representing the Opelika Character Award for the character or trait of patience to someone who has deeply impacted not only my life, but the lives of many people in our community, Mr. Seth Carter. I met Seth first back in 2018 during my State House campaign while I was volunteering at the Miracle Field. Do you remember that? Seth and I were teammates during one of those games, and from the very beginning, I was inspired by him. What stood out to me Not just his determination, but his attitude, his positivity, his joy, and the way he approached life with such grace and strength. Seth lives with cerebral palsy, and over the years, I have watched him face challenges that most of us could never fully understand. Over the years, the effect of cerebral palsy have become more difficult. Seth has continued to show a level of patience that is truly extraordinary. In all my years, I can honestly say I've never met anyone who demonstrates patience the way that Seth Carter does. In the Bible, many people think of Job when they talk about patience. Job endured suffering, uncertainty, hardship, and pain, yet he never allowed those struggles to define his spirit. Through it all, he remained faithful, resilient, and steadfast. In many ways, Seth reminds me of that same kind of strength. While life has not always been easy for him, he continues to meet each day with courage, with humility, and an uplifting spirit that encourages everyone around him. Even during difficult moments, Seth remains kind, appreciative, and upbeat. And that kind of character cannot be taught. It is lived. I also want to recognize his incredible family, his mother, Jennifer, and his sister, Alysanne, and his grandmother who are here. who surrounds Seth with constant love, care, and support. Their devotion to him is a beautiful example of family and compassion and action. Seth is more deserving of this recognition than anyone I know. He's an inspiration to our community, especially to other families and individuals facing disabilities and hardships. His life reminds us that while we may not always control the challenges placed before us, we can control how we respond to them. And Seth responds with patience, perseverance, grace, and faith. And it is my honor to represent Mr. Seth Carter with the Opelika Character Award for Patience. Thank you so much.

I'm not going to put you on the spot. I mean, you don't have to talk very much.

We're just joking around.

So Seth, let me just add to what Councilman Rauch said. It is with great pleasure that we acknowledge you for your outstanding character within the city of Opelika. Your goodwill towards mankind and our city has not gone unnoticed. We hope that others will see your good works and model your actions. Please be encouraged to continue making a difference in the city of Opelika and throughout the world. Signed, this 18th, 19th day of May, 2026. Thank you, sir.

Agenda-related public comments, Mr. Jones.

OK, now's the time if you'd like to speak to the mayor about anything that is on tonight's agenda. Please come to the podium to my left. Please state your name and your address if you speak. It's three minutes or less. Sign in the sign-in sheet with your name, telephone address, email. Thanks. I'm not sure that it was on the agenda, but I did sign the list, so I'll call it.

From Harry Atchison, 11701 Lake Condie Road. And some a year or so ago, a stop sign was put on Lake Condie Road.

Mr. Atchison, we have a time to speak about anything else. Oh, okay. If you'll wait until that time. That would be great. Thank you, bud. I appreciate it.

Does any council member wish to remove any item from the consent agenda and address it as part of a regular agenda? Having none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented?

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Any discussion? Having none, call the roll, Mr. Jones. So moved.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Mr. Allen. ORDINANCE, MR.

THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. TONIGHT'S ORDINANCE IS FOR FIRST READING. IT IS TO APPROVE REAL PROPERTY EXCHANGE AND LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE EAST ALABAMA HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY. AGAIN, FOR FIRST READING.

I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL TO INTRODUCE THIS ORDINANCE FOR FIRST READING.

MY PLEASURE.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND AS WE DISCUSSED IN THE WORK SESSION, IT'S IMPORTANT that we get this business consummated. So I'm gonna ask, if we will, someone to make, a council member to make a motion to suspend the rule on ordinance number one.

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Any discussion? I got Mr. Rauch and Ms. Holmes. Okay. Is that okay, everybody?

Good. Any discussion? Having none, call the roll, Mr. Jones. So moved. Aye.

Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye.

Unanimous consent is given to suspend the rules.

OK. Now I'll entertain a motion to approve ordinance number one. So moved. Is that second?

Second.

Any discussion? Having none, call the roll, Mr. Jones. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye.

to my left. Again, state your name and your address. Please give your three minutes or less. Thanks.

Harry Atchison, 701 Lake Condie Road. First time I came up to talk about Lake Condie Road was a very long time ago, and I didn't speak up quick enough. And Doc Dorsey and some other folks really got on me pretty hard. And I felt that high before I got out of there. So I didn't want to make a mess this time, lose my spot. But some year, I don't know, a year ago maybe, I put a stop sign up at Dixon and Lake Conde Road. And I was told that that was a small but very first step to take care of a very long problem. And then now the stop sign is not there. Three days after that stop sign was put in, I looked at it one morning, and there was a tractor trailer rig about 30 or 40 feet in the eastbound lane locked up with solid skid marks all the way to the stop sign and skid marks of a trailer back behind it. Three days after the stop sign was put up. Now, I realized that you could say it was new, didn't realize the stop sign was there. But it was a perfect example. It was a perfect case study in what's wrong on Lake Condie Road. 35 miles an hour is wrong. Taking that stop sign back out is wrong. And having a very low priority for tractor trailer rigs and heavy duty dump trucks to be on Lake Condie Road is a very low priority. I know it is because I live there. I've lived there for 49 years. One Saturday morning, there was a lot of trucks were coming. And it's not just log trucks. It's everybody else but this particular store's log truck. About once an hour there was a log truck coming through on Lake Condie Road one Saturday morning. And then either one coming and one going. Now I know what they were doing. It was raining. They had logged all week. And they were bringing stuff to the mill on Saturday morning. But they were all coming down Lake Condie Road. And it was at least by the hour, if not a little bit more. you would be gracious to say that they were going 35 miles an hour, which is not what the original speed limit was on that road to start with. It was 25. I called the police department. One little footnote. Now this is, I'm about to get out of time. I'm sorry.

Hi, Tessa Talickson, 1022 Renfro. It's really fitting that today is Patients' Day because you've all shown me a lot of patience with all the emails and phone calls that you've answered. And I really do appreciate that. I don't want to skip out on saying that I do appreciate everyone who took time every time I've asked questions and to try to get them answered. I was looking up the stuff about the moratorium. on the city website, and it says that city leaders stress the moratorium is a temporary targeted tool designed to protect the health, safety and quality of life of Opelika residents while supporting orderly and sustainable growth. I think that's awesome. I have no complaints about that, and I really would love to have the city consider adding a data center moratorium to it because i think that all of those questions that we have about too much growth too much growth in general and slowing it down and being wise and having smart growth would even more so apply to a data center because the the ramifications for the health impacts on our community from a data center so far outstripped almost unlimited housing developments. I mean, they consume more power and more water and do more polluting than if we just let all the builders just do their thing all the time. So I would love to propose that we put parameters in place while we have time before the city's made any agreements so that we can do it in a smart way to protect us, to protect our water, to protect our air quality, to especially protect the people who live right around wherever that may be because they're the most directly impacted. I have spoken to some folks out in the county who are really concerned, and they feel already that their voice wasn't heard about the.

Oh, what is it?

Yeah, the quarry. Sorry. Thank you. They felt like their voice wasn't heard about the quarry. I don't know. I don't think the city of Opelika had anything to do with the quarry necessarily, but they already feel worried about their quality of life out there. So thank you very much for your consideration and your patience with me.

Good afternoon. I got tiptoed talking this thing. My name's Maddie Clark. I live at 706 Orchard Avenue. That's in Opelika. As you know, I come regularly about the houses. I see that they boarded up a house, but are we going to board up the house and just let it stay in the community? Is that all we're going to do? I see a sign on the doors, and the houses are boarded up over there on Orchard Avenue and Martin Luther King, but are we going to do anything about it? Secondly, there's still not anything by that lake on First Avenue that somebody's already drowned in at one time. All I'm asking is put some reflectors or something over there. That wouldn't cost the city that much. Now, if this is not pertaining to the city council, will somebody tell me where I need to go for this? Because I keep coming for the same thing. So if this is not the job of the city council to see about none of this, if somebody would tell me where to go, then I wouldn't keep coming up here barring y'all about it. But until somebody tell me the right people to go to, I just have to keep coming up there and telling y'all about the houses and about that lake. And I do wish somebody would contact me or do something since I am a citizen here. Thank you very much.

Dustin Howard, 1022 Renfrew Avenue. So kind of what Tessa mentioned about the people in those rural communities, I just wanted to And I give you the statement structural policies influence population health policy. So a few of you might not be familiar with the structural determinants of health. So I have a couple of definitions for you. They are one the written and unwritten rules that create, maintain or eliminate durable and hierarchical patterns of advantage among socially constructed groups in the conditions that affect health. And two, the manifestation of power relations in the people and groups with more power based on current social structures work implicitly and explicitly to maintain their advantage by reinforcing or modifying these rules. So I grew up in Beulah, Alabama. Not really a real place. It's a community. But I grew up off of Highway 29. Most of you are familiar with that. I grew up in a small trailer off of Highway 29. from a divorced family in a community that was riddled by drugs, petty crimes, things of that nature. My family was no exception. My brother got into drugs. My family, again, was divorced. I went to Beulah High School. Over 50% of the students there get free or reduced price lunches. Most of them go home and don't have any food because there's only $2 generals in Beulah, so not the healthiest food options in general. So very poor community. You kind of get the idea. And the Opelika Industrial Park, of course, is close to where I grew up. It's just off of Andrews Road. And if an AI data center was to come to Opelika, I'm sure that would be a target location for that. And so that location being targeted is not unlike what data centers are doing across the country. They're targeting rural areas. 67% of the incoming data centers in 2026 are targeting rural areas such as the community I grew up in. And in urban areas, they still target very disadvantaged communities. And so I just want to point out and I want to get you guys to think about the little people from those disadvantaged communities because they are not merely casualties of economic success. They are people. OK, and I am an example of that. Currently, I am a captain in the United States Air Force. I am a physician. I graduated from Edward by a college of osteopathic medicine where I achieved my medical degree and I grew up in Beulah. So if you drive around Beulah or Casita and you look at the people that live there and those wonderful people that live there, you might see a little Dustin roaming around playing in the red clay because that was me 30 years ago doing that. And I turned into what I am now. So please think of those people and put policies in place so that you can affect these structural determinants of health, because that's what those are all about. You put in policies in place to protect your people. And that's what I encourage you guys to do. Thank you.

I'm Sue Ellen Talix and I live at 910 David Street. I too appreciate your patience in answering my questions and emails. And I would like to know if there's a comprehensive smart growth plan for the City of Opelika, not just residential but commercial also. I don't think we are, but maybe are we hoping for unlimited growth and economic expansion? And how do we address the needs for our limited resources, water, land and power for industry weighed against the needs of the public. Do we commission independent studies? What do we do? How do we get the information we need to make informed decisions to protect the rights and quality of life for all of us, like as citizens? I know that's the goal in our mission statement is to do that. And so my personal opinion is that each of you has a heart for the city of Opelika. I see that all the time. But I know there's a balance in act between obtaining the revenue we need to run the city of Opelika, but protecting all the people. I don't think we always have to choose between economic opportunity and protecting our land, our health and our future along these lines. I don't know that we all recognize the widespread public concern about data centers. According to Mayor Smith, OPLICA has been approached about them, but public opposition in the U.S. stands at, depending on what you look at, between 40 and 80 percent against data centers. And so it's reasonable to guess that a ballot initiative here would be soundly rejected. I'm sure that if you request public feedback about it, that'll be confirmed. And since the city has no official proposal, agreement, or city action at this time, I would ask the city also to consider a moratorium on them so that more and better information can be gathered. I'm not sure again how the city goes about gathering that information. Is it the job of the economic development team, the planning commission? Do you hire non-biased outside specialists? Do you consider the mountains of evidence from the communities that are already dealing with the detrimental effects of these centers? Would you like more public feedback and discussion? And how do we have those meaningful conversations if the NDAs have been or will be signed? That's how they get these things through in almost every situation. At best, it's not a good look for the city and doesn't seem to be transparent if there's NDAs. And press releases and shiny promises don't hold up in court. The water is polluted and our costs have increased 30 to 50 percent. And nothing really matters if your child gets cancer. Now, I am hoping that the city of Opelika will act now proactively to legally protect all of Opelika before somebody swoops in here looking for zoning loopholes. I mean, they're pros at this. It is literally happening in every single city. What safeguards are we going to put in place to ensure that we don't become just another name on the long list of places that have been permanently altered for the worse by data centers? I don't think that any of you would allow even a single black resident to knowingly be harmed, not a single one, but a person in general. But I think there's an awful lot of corporations out here that would. And so thank you for your concern. And I'll email you the closing. That was my concern, too.

Thank you, Mr. Jones. Character trait of the month, patience. The quality of being patient, such as the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset. And at this time, I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Second.