City Council - Regular Meeting

We have one public hearing tonight before we move into our regular council agenda. So, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Councillor Newman?

Here.

Councillor Jackson? Here. Councillor Chambers? Here. Councillor Merritt? Here. Councillor Whaley?

Here.

Councillor Stritchett? Here. Councillor Langley?

Here.

All right, our one item on the agenda for public hearing tonight is a resolution to authorize the mayor to have overgrown grass and weeds at 782 Redman Lane and on Bass Pro Boulevard abated and charged any incurred expenses for the abatement process pursuant to Chapter 46, City of Prattville Code of Ordinances. Is there anyone here who would like to wish or wish to speak in favor of this item? Not seeing any, is there anyone here who wishes to speak in opposition? All right, not seeing any of this public hearing is closed. At this time, you're invited to stand for our Pledge of Allegiance and our invocation, which I will give tonight. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Bow your heads and pray with me. Father God, we just come before you tonight just asking forgiveness where we fail you. God, praying that we have taken the opportunity to provide thanks where you've given us blessings. God, as we come together to look at the business of the city, Father, we pray that god you help us to have healthy discussions and you help us to make decisions that are based on wisdom god that each and everything that we take under advisement tonight that we that we make a decision on god we pray that lord we've already consulted with you for wisdom in that yeah we pray that the things that we do here would be honorable honorable to you and we pray that we can and just do the best that we can do for those that we represent. Lord, as we think about this upcoming Memorial Day, God, we pray that, Lord, you would be with the families who have lost loved ones. And, God, we thank you for the sacrifices they've made and the freedoms that we live under because of that. We ask that you be with us now as we enter this meeting, and all these things are in the name of Christ. Amen. All right, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Councilor Newman? Here. Councilor Jackson? Here. Councilor Chambers? Here. Councilor Merritt? Here. Councilor Whaley? Here. Councilor Stritchett? Here. Councilor Lange? Here.

All right, having a quorum present, I call this meeting to order. Character trait of the month is creativity, which is approaching a need, a task, or an idea from a new perspective. First item we have tonight is the approval of our minutes. These are from the public hearing and city council meetings that were dated May 5th, 2026. We received those ahead of time. Hopefully you've had an opportunity to review those. And at this time, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the minutes.

So moved.

We have moved by Councilor Mayer. Do we have a second? Second. Second by Councilor Newman. All in favor of approving the minutes, please signify by raising your right hand. And the minutes have been approved unanimously.

Council President, if I might, at the request of Councilman Wade Newman, I'd like to ask one of our military representatives to come up and present a very important topic here.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and good evening to members of the City Council. My name is Brandon Miller. I'm the Director of Outreach at the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and also a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. On behalf of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and Commissioner Jeff Newton, we're grateful to the City of Prattville for your continued partnership and commitment to Alabama's veterans and their families. Across the river region, Prattville has established itself as a leader in creating a place where veterans are valued, supported, and connected long after military service. That commitment is one of the reasons we are especially proud as the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs to stand alongside Prattville as part of the You Are Bigger Than This Moment campaign. What is now a yard sign campaign originally started in partnership between our agency and the Alabama State Legislature, Back in 2014 when billboards were established along I-65 across the state, in fact, one of those billboards still is up right next to Marbury High School, if you're familiar with that part of 65. Whether it's the yard signs or whether it's the billboards, the mission behind this campaign remains simple but powerful, and that's to remind veterans that no matter how difficult a moment may feel, They are not alone and there is always hope ahead. And while many organizations across the state have joined this effort, Prattville is the first city to formally partner with the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs to bring this campaign directly to a community setting. This partnership began with a casual conversation with Councillor Newman at the recent Alabama League of Municipalities Conference and quickly took off. However, this is not the first time our agency has partnered with Prattville and work together in support of veterans. Just last year, we worked together to host a veterans well-being town hall at the Doster Center, and currently, Prattville students are prominently featured in our public service announcement, which is airing on local television stations across the state. So with this new campaign, as residents begin seeing these you are bigger than this moment signs displayed in parks and public spaces throughout the city, the simple message is directed to any veteran who may be struggling with grief.

Thank you, sir.

depression or overwhelming circumstances. Now, for any veteran who is in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line is prominently included to ensure that veterans can quickly access that help in moments of crisis. Now, to be clear, this campaign is not about pretending that difficult challenges have easy answers, but it is to remind veterans that those hard moments do not define who they are. and that their impact on their loved ones and their community is much more significant and meaningful than any hardship they may face. Equally as important, this campaign is about building connection before a crisis ever occurs, and it's about reducing stigma, encouraging conversations, and creating communities where veterans feel supported every single day. So tonight, on behalf of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and Alabama's 400,000 veterans, I want to say thank you to Mayor Gillespie, thank you to Councilor Newman, and thank you all for your leadership in this wonderful community and for setting an example for communities across the state. If you would like to learn more about the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and our 64 veteran service offices, including one that's about two-tenths of a mile down the street, or our five-state veterans homes, our GI-dependent scholarship program, or our state veterans cemetery, you can visit va.alabama.gov. And I've also left some informational material at the front desk of City Hall as well. Once again, I just want to thank you all for having me here tonight, for this partnership, and also for everything that you do for the heroes among us here in Prattville. So thank you again. God bless.

Thank you, sir.

Absolutely. OK. And thank you for coming out. And Councilman Newman, thank you as well. We have some signs that will be going out. And they are one sided, so we'll be putting several up. We wanted to wait for the sea of signs to go away with the upcoming election for today. And so again, thank you for this and we'll add it to our collection and be putting those out in the next few days or so. So thank you, Council President.

Yes, sir. Thank you. All right. At this time, we'll welcome any comments from persons present regarding tonight's agenda. Is there anyone who would like to speak on an item that is on the agenda tonight? All right. Not seeing any. Mr. Mayor, do you have a report?

I do, I do, and again, I hope everyone has had the opportunity to get out and vote in today's primary elections. Local elections have a direct impact on everybody's everyday life, and every vote truly matters. Your vote plays an important role in shaping the future of our city and our community, and I know several of us have already been out, and I know there's several that think the polls close in about 50 minutes or so, and I know it's, It's gonna be a lot of interest in what goes on with the upcoming elections, and it is truly, truly important. This week, May 17th through the 23rd, we proudly celebrate our Public Works Professional during Public Works Week. Our Public Works Department helps form the foundation of our community through the efficiency of planning, management, maintenance, and operation of virtual water, sewer, and stormwater systems. Sometimes a lot of those go, you know, some of the behind the scenes work that goes on that no one truly appreciates until it's not there. And I'm very, very proud of the accomplishments we have done over the last 15 years or so. We all ought to be proud of that. But in addition, the department enhances our community through landscape beautifications along sidewalks and roadways and by managing and maintaining the city's fiscal assets. We're grateful for their commitment and hard work, which help make certain our city remains safe, welcoming, and prepared for future growth for all who call Prattville home. And you know, sometimes it's those little things whether it's the flowers or the sidewalks or the way the grass is cut that brings so much community pride. And through that community pride, it also makes a safer community as well. On another note, I'd also like to recognize the dedicated individuals who respond with skill, compassion, and professionalism in some of life's most critical, critical moments. This week marks Emergency Medical Services EMS week. The members of EMS teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Join me in celebrating their unwavering commitment and their vital role in playing that they play in our community. So I want to say with a very strong thank you to our EMS professionals. Several weeks ago, several months ago, I had to use some of those professional services. And I've always said this for many, many years now. With our blue team and our red team, love them to death, but I really hope that no one is ever having to use their services, because that usually means someone's having a bad day. But it's so grateful to know that we have that professionalism, Council President, as you very well know, that training, that professionalism, to know that they're there for us when we are most needed, when we most need them all together. But the Preble Fire Department is hosting a watercraft operator class at the public safety training facility this week. I don't know who all is planning on buying a boat this year. But I hope you attend this class before you go buy a boat. I never own a boat or a pool. But I do plan on trying to gain this public safety training watercraft operator class as soon as I possibly can. We're proud to welcome 11 firefighters from across the region, including Coleman, Homewood, Lillian and Pillman, as well as two firefighters traveling from Canada to participate in this specialized training. We're honored to have them in Prattville and hope they enjoy our facilities and our community during their stay. And I hope some shape, form, or fashion they might be able to find their way downtown. It's exactly what we've been able to accomplish here. downtown with the Lyric and Spielway Park. And I've had so many accolades for the recent weeks on how great Praval is looking. So thank you to all. But it's a big thank you goes out to also our Home Depot in Praval for a standard donation of 200 smoke alarms. This contribution will help our public safety departments continue their efforts to prevent the loss of life and property through fire safety education and preventive initiatives. Counselors, as you are aware, our planning department, our planning development department has been in a rebuilding stage and where we have appointed Warren Adams, interim director. I would also like to introduce a new face to some, but not to all, Ms. Pam Abbott. She is in our crowd over here tonight. She has decided to join our team, our family as well. She will assist the planning department office manager Sally Owens with permits and front desk operations. She will be a very big asset to us all, and I just see this department growing and being so much more than what it has been in the past. But Pam's addition will help ensure continuity and daily operations while maintaining the high level of customer service and responsiveness our residents, contractors, and developers expect and deserve. Councilors are likely to give an update on some projects, Court Street parking and sidewalk. All concrete work is expected to be completed within the next two to three weeks, with Mother Nature working with us, and I think she will be. But the final asphalt, including the resurfacing along Court Street, will, with Council approval, will follow. McQueen Smith Road and J Street turn lanes. There will be a pre-construction meeting this Wednesday. I think a lot of those have been so, so important to us and a lot of that is along the timing with, you know, school being out and the traffic being down just a little bit. But construction is expected to begin in early June and be completed before school starts back in August. Laney Drive Extension, I've had quite a few ask about that. There will be a pre-construction meeting this Thursday where details on the project with the start date will be determined. Our Mill Pond Park area, Murphy Excavation, our contractor there plans to begin work later this week or the beginning of next week on the upcoming park in that area. Pratt Park, the walking path will be Redone before the 4th of July. And there's a lot of work there. There's some asphalt there now. A lot of that will be turned into concrete. But there's some other little additions. We have some benches out there. So a lot of great improvements. And I think these so beneficial to some because as I was out walking, running this morning with with dog. not only through in front of Dolfstra Center and Pratt Park and some other areas. I'm very proud of what I guess Prattville has become, a little bit of a destination for so many reasons, but one of them has been for outside exercise, so very proud of that. North Highland Park, engineers have sent back updated plans for review before getting prices from the contractors, so more information to come on that one. I also would like to invite everyone to join us at the Lyric this Friday at 7 p.m. as we honor our military and their families with a Memorial Day concert performed by the Preble Pops. And as you may have heard, in partnership with the American Legion Post 122 and the VFW Post 1349, The annual Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony will be held Monday, May 25th at 11 a.m. in front of our Attaway County Courthouse. I hope to see everyone there. And I will have to say that over the many, many years, especially when it comes to Memorial Day, Our fire department comes out with their fire truck and has a very large flag, American flag out front. And we seem to have a very good turnout for that. And I guess the only way I can really put it is I'm very proud of our patriotism and how we receive our military and the sacrifices that not only the personnel but their family members as well have sacrificed for our freedoms. But also be reminded that city office will be closed on Monday, May 25th, in observation of Memorial Day. Please review the adjusted sanitation schedule on the city webpage. That is so, so important to us all. But please, as graduation takes place this Thursday at Stanley Jackson Stadium, I'd like to take a moment to recognize this important milestone for so, so many. And I guess speaking to our graduates, please remember how you arrived at this point in your lives. Remember your roots. Remember your folks. Remember the teachers you like. Remember the teachers who challenged you, but probably means you probably didn't like them, but they did challenge you and they helped you thrive. Remember the friends who stood beside you during good days and difficult days alike. Remember the lessons learned both inside and outside of the classrooms. Remember that success is measured not only by what you accomplish, but also by how you treat others along the way. I'd also like to remind everybody, success is not final and failure is not fatal. But as you leave this chapter and begin another, carry with you the values of hard work, kindness, faith, perseverance, and community. No matter where life takes you, we'll always be proud to call you one of our own. Congratulations, class of 2026, and may God bless each and every one of you in the journeys ahead of you. You know, some of us have gone through a lot of this and we found our way back home. But I think some of the successes we have had here in Prattville, I don't really believe that we have as many leaving Prattville as we have had in the past. But I do believe that we have more coming back to this community that we all know and love. But counselors, this is the end of my report.

Thank you. Are there any counselors that have questions for the mayor?

Yes, sir. Did I hear you say you were running with the dog?

Yes. And if you ever see me running again, please run as well. So yes. Dog had me running this morning and right in front of the Dahlstra Center before 7 o'clock. And there was a good line out there. And I'm very proud of that because one of the traditions that my wife and I have is we go out and vote together. And I can't say that we always vote the same way. Sometimes we cancel our votes out, but we do have that tradition. And it was good to see that we had, before 7 o'clock, we had a good number of folks out there ready to vote and pull the lever or mark the... the ballot as well so but yes sir well maybe Robert you think there's some cameras outside of Doster that maybe we can see footage of him running I want to see that well a little bit before a little bit after it says I went through I was actually a little we're a little more step by step because I didn't want to hurt anybody including myself

And see if we can tie in the theme to Chariots of Fire.

Oh, I don't know about that, but I know Kelly Carter is listening, and there's plenty of cameras. And since we've gone down this rabbit trail, the city of Prattville has several cameras out and about. Some at Newton Park, some at Spillway Park. You name the place. We have several tag readers as well, and... I hate to say that we need those cameras, but we do. We have had some issues at Newton Park semi-recently. And some of our hours will be changing very, very soon. And we have been closing Newton Park, our pickleball courts, at 10 o'clock. Because of some of the issues there, we will be closing them at 9 o'clock. And we're working with Parks and Recs, our Parks and Recs Committee, Chairman and others, our police department, to have additional patrols out there. And I do want everyone to have a great, enjoyable venture with our different parks. But we need to remember that we need to be respectful to all.

Since you went that way You know and I just want to give kudos again to Chief Thompson and you know his staff course parks are right because We had an issue and I think it involves some of our kids that may have been up at the pickleball court and of course we're discussing it and and I reached out to him and said, hey, you may need to run those cameras. And he quickly jumped on it. And even with the other situation with the bathrooms, that involved some youngins. And I think we need to really strongly encourage parents you know because that's a discussion as we're sitting on the phones with the parents and the students at school discussing some of these issues because what happens in the community spills over into the schools and uh and you know and i think that's something that we need to try to strongly enforce or encourage the parents you know because as we were talking with some of the students about some of the issues at the pickleball court and here they are 12 13 14 years old just roaming and gathering in places and as we know summer's upon us Friday's the last day of school and we need to strongly encourage parents to know where their kids are because as we had those conversations and I called chief you know our kids i don't know i don't know what the answer is you know they said we don't have anywhere to go is what we often hear but there's so many parents that are not involved and not knowing and i guess the way all of us are of the age our parents pretty much knew where we all were but to hear some of them how they gather i guess you know so but kudos to chief and them for using technology to find some of those kids and i guess unfortunately we're going to have to do what we need to do to protect our parks. But we need to strongly encourage parents to get involved and know where your kids are and monitor.

I totally agree with you on that and you know it really starts at the house whether it's in our parks or in our schools and we have a lot of decisions to make as a community and what direction we're going to go in with I guess with both and probably in the next budget cycle we'll be having more discussions with the committees as we move forward with our next budget but you might see some new positions in there it might be park ranger slash custodian or something along that line. I don't know exactly which department it might be in, parks and recs or police department, but we need to make certain that we're all feeling safe and that's been part of Prattville's success is that People, when they come to Prattville, they feel safe. But thank you, Councilman Jackson. I thought you brought it up, Marcus.

Yeah, that's a huge concern.

I think most of us here are old enough to remember Channel 12. Every night you have that little PSA. It says 10 o'clock, and you know where your children are. Well, unfortunately, in Prattville, we're getting to the point where the sun came up. Do you know where your children are? So it's awful. Our Parks and Recreation Department and all of our departments work very hard to have nice things. You know, I hear all the time about how wonderful 17 Springs is in Millbrook. And it is. It's fabulous. But have we spent $180 million to have our parks looking that nice? No, we did it at a fraction of the cost. And the rate we're going right now, we're going to eventually catch up with them. I'd like to see it come a day where Kelly doesn't have to put in her budget vandalism. We can focus more on baseball, chalk, bases, whatever. Not vandalism. I know, Marcus, you see a lot of youngsters who, I don't know how to put it, but I guess run with a certain group that look for trouble all the time. Teenagers have been doing stupid stuff since we were teenagers and way, way, way before that. None of us were angels. We respected people's property. our city's property, you know, this is a wonderful community and hopefully we can keep it nice clean and You know the job our Parks and Recreation Department should not go without warrant notice that it's just disturbing you know they work almost seven days a week sometimes 20 hours 15 hours a day they don't have time to go around making sure someone destroyed something so like you said we're gonna have meetings we have discussions try to work out a solution you know it's never gonna be perfect it's never gonna go away but hopefully we can make things better through all of our departments in our department heads but all i can do from here is call on our citizens so if you're at home watching talk to your children to your neighbors they'll see something say something that's bigger we we use that a lot around here let's keep nice things let's keep our city clean let's let's um let's work with our youth the best we can so hopefully things will get better for all of us and uh i appreciate you bringing it to everyone's attention

Yeah. And I'm sorry, go ahead. We say piggyback off of some of that. I mean, you know, we've all have grown up and things have changed a lot because I know back in the day with me, I knew that if I acted up, a neighbor or two or 10 down would be letting my parents know about it. And sometimes they would grab me by the ear, straighten me up then, and then I get straightened up whenever I got home. A lot of that has changed and we do need to, we need our parents to step back up so, so much. And the youth, the sports are so important, as I mentioned in the last council meeting, What I've seen, the improvements of my grandson through our Parks and Rec with baseball, just as one example, and swimming has been brought up recently, and it's just all those sports really, really impact the community in such a positive way if we allow it to. So we need to have a strong community, and that is gonna be through our various departments, whether it's our public works with our beautification, our public safety with police and fire, or our parks and recs as well. And at the end of the day, though, we need a strong, what should I say, finance and HR department as well, because everybody likes to get paid. But I appreciate everybody's comments.

And I guess you're talking about different departments. And I think it may be wise for us to potentially invest in some type of support for parents, grandparents. And I guess a couple of those young boys, I talked to them the other day. And actually, it was unfortunate. And it hurt me to watch. the police escort them out of my room. I was not aware of that. Yeah, that was very unfortunate because they were with me and the police escorted them, put them in handcuffs, two little junior high boys, but prior to them getting there, and of course they're talking about it and they saw nothing wrong with it, but listening to their backgrounds, I think one of them's being raised by the grandmother. One parent is deceased. One parent is incarcerated. You got a child that's really kind of lost. He's being raised by a grandmother, just had a terrible home life over the last few years. And I think there needs to be some investment in some type of support. There's not engaged in athletics, not an athletic kid, but I just think we may need to look and be intentional in investing in some type of, I don't know, mental health, some type of support for grandparents. The other young man, he didn't see any issue with it, but once I heard his story, I think grandmother's raising him. You know, and they're just following. And everyone said, well, I was following him. I was following him. And the thing was, they got caught. This thing here. They videoed it. They videoed it and was laughing. Like, yeah, I videoed it. Double-edged sword. Huh? Double-edged sword. Double-edged sword. They videoed themselves just being knuckleheads and tearing up the bathroom. Oh, I threw some toilet tissue. Yeah, I did this. They just confessed it. until they saw those guys come in my room and get them you know then reality stuck but it's just the support we need to be intentional i think as a city you know because they need support they're not athletic kids but how can we support grandparents parents these kids like that they kind of tend to fall through the cracks You know, so what do we need to do to support them? I mean, I think that's something. Those are the kids that we're missing. I don't know what the answer is, but, yeah, that's how they got caught. They videoed it, and they thought it was a game until those guys walked in and we walked out with them. and they got escorted off the premises. Unfortunately, little junior high kids.

Yeah. You made some good points there. And then where does tough love come in as well? And you said that, I mean, it's a very fine line between, uh, snakes and angels in, in there. And, uh, um, a lot of this does start at the home front.

Yeah.

And, but, uh, I think we've all heard the, the phrase before, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

okay thank you um so uh well well said everybody but um i wanted to go back to uh uh what you were mentioning about public works week and the landscaping and the beautification that we have and uh and i like the fact um when you're strolling around town the music is usually tied in with the seasons whether it's mardi gras or just it's it's really really good and it's a it's a it's a great feeling to walk around town and uh can't thank public works enough for that andy uh wanted to piggyback a little bit on the ems week um can't think enough for everybody and i just wanted to share a little thanks uh to the uh our prabble medical center hospital right up the road uh i uh had my mom She's in the hospital there right now, and I'll make this short, but for about three weeks, maybe a little longer, she'd been a little off, and she's 91, she lived a great life, and things were just, Normally being engaged in conversations, she's kind of sitting there, breathing's a little weak. Kind of thought that maybe she could have had a slight stroke. So called the doc, went there and had some tests done, UTI clear, blood work good. She's breathing. Breathing is not her oxygen intake, and she hasn't been eating much, so went to a kidney specialist. She had a regular appointment today, or yesterday, excuse me, and he noticed that... she's not the same thing where your mother's usually, is there anything wrong? And I tried to share the story and I said, I was told I had to make an appointment to, to call, to, to have a CT done, TT scan done. And he says, I'll tell you right now, what you need to do is go to the ER. And so drove her to the ER, went back there and they did test, did the CT scan, check mom all up and down. Uh, thank God, no slight stroke. She's fine. Very weak oxygen levels. They put her on oxygen. Uh, But they couldn't figure out. So I wanted to give a quick shout out to a nurse by the name of Spencer. He had kept a good eye on us and said, when was the last time that mom had a chest x-ray? And I said, it had to be years. Well, lo and behold, he found pneumonia. And all of a sudden, it just all... So... Bad news, but good news. And the staff was great. There was a lady named Nurse Kim that was working with her last night. And this morning, Jennifer called me up. And Dr. Abdullah said that, hey, there's some fluid built up in her lungs. So they did a little drainage on that. Physical therapy came in and already started. Working with her she walked up and down the hall. I guess she didn't like that too much So by the time I went saw her at lunchtime. She was sleeping but Tell you what, it was just a really good feeling. And to know that we have that here in Prattville, where we don't have to worry about being in Montgomery. So just a shout out to the medical staff and the team out there at the Prattville Medical Center. So I just want to tie that in with EMS week. And thank you all in the back.

Chief. Well, we have a... and again prayers for your mother and everything i know we've been in communications but not only do we have a great hearing problem but in the whole country as well because i saw where a someone who's on a mission trip got ebola and so we're so fortunate that we don't have to worry about so many other devastating illnesses across the world that they have and and we're fortunate we don't have them here so again into my report mr president thank you sir at this time we'll move into reports from council special committees counselor newman uh yes we have uh the sanitation committee met at second time this year may 6th started at 207 at the uh public works training facility at cougar's pond

All the sanitation committee members were present, the finance team, sanitation director, city clerk, and we were met for the purpose of Jackson Thornton presenting the sanitation rate study information back to us. We ended the meeting at three o'clock.

Thank you, Councilor Jackson. No, sir. Councilor Merritt. No, sir. Councilor Stritchick. No. Councilor Langley. No, sir. and uh for me wastewater stormwater committee met same day 5 6 of 26 at 3 p.m in the same location where we discussed the wastewater rate study information as it was presented by jackson thornton all right at this time we will hear report on the status of our city's finances from miss carly sims

Mayor and counselors, you have a printed copy of the April 2026 financial reports if you want to follow along. The first page is the April 2026 unaudited general fund revenue by group. The general fund revenue we have received fiscal year to date is $38,182,294.21. This represents a 4.09% increase over the same period in the prior year. Page two is the tax breakdown comparison. On the tax side, we were up 8.99% when compared to the previous April. The next three pages show the general fund expenses broken down by department. With 58.33% of the fiscal year complete, we have spent 60.61% of our budget expenditures in the general fund. The wastewater fund generated a net income from operations of $134,924.84 for April. Operating expenses are under budget at 48.24%, with overall expenses coming in at 53.12%. The sanitation fund reported net income of $192,255.39 for the month. Operating expenses are under budget at 47.52%, with overall expenses being under budget at 47.37%. The Judicial Special Revenue Fund generated a net income of $72,948.12 for April. Expenses are below budget at 37.26%. The total of all bank balances citywide at the end of April was $50,051,774.98. The last page is the total of outstanding accounts payable and debt balances citywide at the end of April, which was $65,253,144.92, while the city's non-enterprise debt was $35,477,394.92. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions for Carly? None?

All right, tonight we have an opportunity to create a consent agenda. There are 10 items that we might consider on this agenda, and they are, number one, a resolution to authorize the mayor to have overgrown grass and weeds at 782 Redmond Lane and Bass Pro Boulevard abated and charge any incurred expenses for the abatement process pursuant to Chapter 46, City of Prattville Code of Ordinances. Item number two is a resolution to authorize the city attorney to affix the cost for the removal of garbage and rubbish at 127 8th Street. Number three is a resolution to authorize the city attorney to affix the cost for the removal of garbage and rubbish at 321 Martin Luther King Drive. Item number four is a resolution to authorize the city attorney to affix the cost for the removal of garbage and rubbish at 613 Allenville Road. Item number five is a resolution to set a public hearing to grant a restaurant retail liquor license to PWW Prattville LLC doing business as Hooters of Prattville. Item number six, it's a resolution to set a public hearing to declare an abundance of overgrown grass and weeds at 480 Mount Airy Drive, 1175 Josephine Avenue, 214 Woodvale Road, 348 Doster Road, 138 Lina Drive, and 609 Allenville Road to be unsafe and a public nuisance and order its abatement pursuant to Chapter 46, City of Prattville Code of Ordinances. Item number seven is a resolution to declare the garbage and rubbish at 480 Mount Airy Drive a public nuisance and authorize the mayor to abate and charge any incurred expenses pursuant to Chapter 46, the City of Prattville Code of Ordinances. Item number eight is a resolution to surplus personal property from the City of Prattville. Number nine is a resolution to declare the garbage and rubbish at 1175 Josephine Avenue a public nuisance and authorize the mayor to abate and charge any incurred expenses pursuant to Chapter 46, City of Prattville Code of Ordinances. And last but not least, item number 10 is a resolution to authorize the mayor to submit an application To the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, or ADM, for Clean Water State Revolving Fund, project number CS010254-19 for Fay Branch Outfall Improvements. All right, so do I hear a motion to create a consent agenda?

So moved.

Moved by Councilor Newman. Do we have a second? Second. Second by Councilor Langley. All in favor of creating a consent agenda, please signify by raising your right hand. and the consent agenda is before us. Do I hear motion to adopt the consent agenda? So moved. Moved by Councilor Jackson. Do we have a second? Second. Second by Councilor Langley. Is there any discussion on the consent agenda? Not hearing any. All in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by raising your right hand. And this consent agenda has been adopted unanimously. All right, we will now move into our regular agenda. Item number one is an ordinance to extend the temporary moratorium on many warehouses and self-storage facilities. This was introduced on 5-5-2026. This ordinance is now properly before us. Is there any discussion on this ordinance? All right, not hearing any. All in favor of this ordinance, please signify by raising your right hand. and this ordinance is adopted unanimously. Item number two is an ordinance to authorize the mayor to enter into a lease agreement with the American Legion post number 122 for property located at 498 Doster Road. This ordinance was also introduced and held at the 5526 business meeting and is now properly before us. Is there any discussion on this item? All right, not hearing any, all in favor of this ordinance, please signify by raising your right hand. And this ordinance has been adopted unanimously. Item number three is also an ordinance to amend the city of Prattville code of ordinances, chapter 62 traffic and vehicles, article three vehicle operation division two speed restrictions. Um, this ordinance was also introduced and held on five, five, 20, 26, and is now properly before us. Is there any discussion on this ordinance? not hearing any all in favor of this ordinance please signify by raising your right hand and this ordinance as as well as adopted unanimously All right, item number four is a resolution to authorize the purchase of one 2027 or newer E1 rescue pumper through the Sourcewell Purchasing Cooperative. Contract number 082025-RVG from Sunbelt Fire Incorporated for the fire department at a cost not to exceed $987,262. Councilor Newman, will you read this in for us?

absolutely whereas the fire department has identified a need to purchase one 2027 or newer e1 rescue pumper on a typhoon chassis and whereas said fire truck is available through the source well purchasing cooperative contract number 082025-rvg from sunbelt fire incorporated at a cost not to exceed 987 262 dollars and whereas there is an estimated lead time between 16 and 18 months for delivery of said fire truck, thus requiring authorization of purchase in physical year 2026, and whereas said purchase will be funded in the fire department, capital outlay line item in the physical year 2028 budget. Now therefore be it resolved that the City of Council be it resolved that the city council of the city of prattville hereby authorizes the purchase of said fire truck through sunbelt fire incorporated at a cost not to exceed 987 262 dollars so moved all right we have a motion is there a second second by councillor jackson is there any discussion

I would like to upfront say that I work for Sunbelt Fire Incorporated. I am not in the fire truck division. I am in the equipment division, but therefore I do intend to abstain so that there is no appearance of anything wrong going on. All right, if there is no other discussion, all in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. All opposed, like sign, and any abstain. All right, this resolution is adopted. Item number five is a resolution to authorize city staff to make application to the Alabama Department of Transportation, or ALDOT, for the FY2027 Transportation Alternative Set-Aside Program for sidewalk improvements along Smith Avenue, Honeysuckle Drive, Hargis Drive, Lawrence Street, George Drive, and School Drive, and Upper Kingston Road at a projected cost of $1,450,000. $1,490,000 with a projected cost to the city to be around $200,490. Counselor Langley, will you introduce this resolution?

Yes, sir. Whereas the city of Prattville is interested in applying under ALDOT's FY2027 Transportation Alternative Set-Aside Program for sidewalk improvements along Smith Avenue, Honeysuckle Drive, Hargis Street, Lawrence Street, George Drive, School Drive, and Upper Kingston Road. and whereas city staff have the expertise to prepare said application for the city. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the city council of the city of Prattville that an application be submitted to ALDOT and the city council commits to all matching funds. Be it further resolved that the mayor is hereby authorized to execute any and all documents necessary to carry out the intent of this resolution. So moved, Mr. President.

Thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second? Seconded by Councilor Jackson. Is there any discussion? All right, not hearing any. All in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. And this resolution is adopted unanimously. I'm number six is a resolution to authorize the release of funds for the purchase of one Cornell thunder bypass pump from Jim house and associates LLC for wastewater at a cost not to exceed $50,000. Counselor Stritchett, will you introduce this resolution please?

Whereas wastewater has identified a need to purchase one Cornell thunder diesel emergency bypass pump. Whereas said pump is available from Jim House and Associates LLC at a cost not to exceed $50,000, whereas section 41-16-51B7 code of Alabama 1975 as amended allows for purchases of equipment used in the normal and routine operation of a municipal sanitary sewer system to be let without competitive bidding. And whereas this is a budget expense in the wastewater enterprise fund now therefore be resolved by the city council city problem that funds in the amount not to exceed $50,000 are hereby authorized and approved to be paid to Jim house and associates LLC for said pump and said funds are hereby approved and appropriate fiscal 2026 budget line item wastewater capital outlay. So move.

All right, we have a motion. Is there a second second second by councilor Merrick? Is there any discussion? Not hearing any, all in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. Any opposed or abstain? All right, motion is adopted. Item number seven. is a resolution to authorize the mayor to enter into a preliminary engineering and construction engineering and inspection agreement with the state of Alabama, acting by and through the Alabama Department of Transportation, ALDOT, project number STPMN-0126, CPMS reference number 100080314 and 10080311 for the resurfacing on McQueen Smith Road from Cobbs Ford Road to State Route 14 or Fairview Avenue at a total cost not to exceed $1,339,280. Net cost to the city not to exceed $267,856. Councilor Langley, will you introduce this resolution, please?

Yes, sir. Whereas a need has been identified for the resurfacing of McQueen-Smith Road from Cobbs Ford Road to State Road 14, Fairview Avenue, and whereas the city and state desire to enter into a preliminary engineering and construction engineering and inspection agreement for ALDOT project number STPMN-0126, CPMS reference number 100080314, and 100080311 for said project at a total cost not to exceed $1,339,280, the net cost to the city not to exceed $267,856, and whereas said project will be funded in the FY2027 capital projects. Now therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Prattville that the Mayor is hereby authorized to enter into said agreement with Aldot for preliminary engineering and construction, engineering and inspection services for said project and funds in an amount not to exceed $1,339,280 net cost to the city not to exceed $267,856 will be appropriated in FY 2027 capital projects. Be it further resolved that said agreement be executed in the name of the city by the mayor for and on its behalf and that it be attested by the city clerk and the official seal of the city be affixed thereto. Be it further resolved that upon completion of the execution of said agreement by all parties, that a copy of such agreement be kept on file by the city clerk. So moved, Mr. President.

Thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Second by Councilor Newman. Is there any discussion on this item? Not hearing any, all in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. And this resolution is adopted. Item number eight is a resolution to authorize the mayor to enter into a lease agreement with Alabama Power to lease property along the eastern boundary of 163 West 4th Street, Prattville Fire Station number two, at a total cost not to exceed $10. Councillor Newman, will you introduce this resolution, please?

Yes, sir. Whereas an existing lease agreement between the City of Prattville and Alabama Power expires on 31 May 2026 for property located on the eastern boundary of city property located at 163 West 4th Street, or specifically described as a parcel of land located in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter, southwest one quarter of southeast one quarter of Section 8, Township 17 North, Range 18 East, Autauga County, Alabama, parcel number 19-03-08-4011-001.001, being more particularly depicted on exhibit A, and whereas the city desires to renew sedley's agreement with alabama power for the property to be used and occupied solely as a parking area for fire station number two located at 163 west fourth street and whereas sedley shall commence on 1 june 2026 and shall expire 31 may 2031 And whereas said lease agreement provides for the option to renew the lease at the end of the term of one additional five-year term, and whereas the amount for said lease shall be $10. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City of Council, City of Prattville, that the funds in the amount not to exceed $10 for said lease are hereby authorized and approved to be paid to Alabama Power, and said funds are approved and appropriated from the fiscal year 2026 budget line item, fire slash miscellaneous contract services. Be it further resolved that the mayor is hereby authorized to execute any and all documents necessary to carry out the intent of this resolution. So moved.

We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Second by Councilor Langley. Is there any discussion on this item?

Yes, sir. As an employee of Alabama Power, I plan to abstain. No perception of misconduct.

Thank you. Is there any other discussion? All right, not hearing any, all in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. Any opposed, like sign. And any abstention. Thank you. And this resolution is adopted. Item number nine is a resolution to authorize the release of funds for milling, resurfacing, and striping of Court Street from Tickner Avenue to 4th Street to Alexander Seal Coating and Striping Incorporated for engineering at a cost not to exceed $65,660. Councillor Langley, will you introduce this resolution, please?

Yes, sir. Whereas engineering has identified a need for milling, resurfacing, and striping of Court Street from Tickner Avenue to 4th Street, and whereas Alexander Seal Coating and Striping Incorporated has the expertise to complete said project at a cost not to exceed $65,660. and whereas pursuant to 39-2-1 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, said project is a public works project, and whereas 39-2-2 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, allows contracts for public works projects under $100,000 to be let without bidding, and whereas this is a budgeted expense in the gas tax fund, Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Prattville that funds in an amount not to exceed $65,660 are hereby authorized and approved to be paid to Alexander Seal Coating and Striping Incorporated for said project and said funds are hereby approved and appropriated from the FY2026 budget line item gas tax fund slash local paving. So moved, Mr. President.

Thank you, we do have a motion, is there a second? Second. Second by Councilor Jackson. Is there any discussion on this resolution? Not hearing any, all in favor of this resolution, please signify by raising your right hand. And this resolution has been adopted unanimously. All right, this concludes our regular agenda. The council will at this time welcome any comments from persons present. We'll have anyone who wishes to speak line up in the middle aisle. You'll be called to print your name and address and have up to five minutes to address the council. All right. Not seeing anyone, we'll now move into closing comments. Mr. Mayor?

Yes, sir, just a few. And I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has put their name in the political hat for this primary during this election cycle. And we're here in the United States. We might not have... the perfect election cycle but it is the best in the world so i definitely want to say thank you again to everyone who's willing to put forth their name their family and just so many other things because that is really what makes america great is because of our election process so thank you to all all right counselor newman

I just wanted to say for everybody to have a safe holiday, Memorial Day weekend while traveling. If you're doing any traveling, make sure you take time to look out for the other guy and be careful on the roads if you're traveling. Also, I wanted to take this opportunity with the Memorial Day and the fact that we had the VA here speaking on suicide issues around our veterans. We have a large veteran community in the city, and I can tell you personally, just in the last week, two people that I know on social media that were military veterans, acquaintances of them have committed suicide just this week, too. So it happens. It's a real thing. So I just wanted to... Remind everybody that we have a lot going on in the military right now We have a lot of people that have done a lot of the military and we have a lot of military in this community so I really appreciate to be a coming down and Partnering with us and I appreciate mayor giving them the opportunity and mr. President for giving them the floor Thank You councillor Jackson I just pray that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day, but make sure we

Keep those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedoms in your thoughts as we enjoy our time with our families. All right, Councillor Mayer.

Well said, both of you. Again, being a son of a veteran, and thank for our military that have served, our friends and family. Claudette, thank you for your service. And Lloyd, thank you in the back for everything you do, especially over at the Legion. This is, again, kind of like when we talk about Veterans Day. I mean, we're celebrating, but it's not all about the barbecues, the hamburgers, and the hot dogs. It's it's the ones that we lost that make this a wonderful country that we live in. And we, and it happens, but try not to, you know, try to remember. I mean, it's not taken for granted. We are very blessed in what we have, and it definitely shows in our community right here. So as Wade said, if you're traveling, be safe, and God bless you, and God bless our country. Thank you, Council Strzicek. Council Langley.

I think remembering the reason for the season is what you're saying, Tommy, and that is so true. And also, today is one of my very favorite days. Voting day is always one of my favorite days of the year because we have the, gosh, the pleasure of, the honor to to vote and we're so fortunate for that and that goes along with exactly what we're talking about tonight with our military and all of the sacrifices that that they have made so I hope that we didn't we don't seem to have had a good turnout today and I hope that as a community we can we can change that and we can increase that and we can bring awareness that we need to vote. We're so blessed and so honored to live not only here in Prattville but in America and we need to honor those who have come before us and given us this right to vote. So thank you guys for being here and thank you guys and I'll see you Monday for the wreath laying ceremony.

All right. And I had hoped to get you out of here in time to go vote, but I hope you went before because the polls closed about three minutes ago. So we didn't make it. But our next regularly scheduled council meeting is Tuesday, June the 2nd, 2026 at 6 p.m. here in the council chambers. Do I hear a motion to adjourn? Move by Councillor Jackson. Is there a second? Second. Second by Councillor Merrick. All in favor say yes. Yes. All right. And we are adjourned.

Are you thinking about it?