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The Tallassee Tribune DEDICATED TO THE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF THE GREATER TALLASSEE AREA
TALLASSEE, AL 36078
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February 20, 2019
TALLASSEETRIBUNE.COM
VOL. 119, NO. 8
City has reserves about MOU City wants control of sales tax for schools if it has to pay bond By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
The Tallassee City Council seemed Tuesday to reject a request from the city’s school board to remain in control of a half-cent sales tax while the city takes responsibility for paying a $14 mil-
lion bond for new construction. According to Mayor Johnny Hammock, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the Tallassee Board of Education would make the city responsible for the $14 million bond needed to construct a new school and other related facilities which
would be funded by half of a 1-cent sales tax increase passed last summer for the Elmore County side of the city. Hammock said the BOE wants the city to be responsible for the bond while the BOE remains in control of the halfcent sales tax revenue, a notion the council is against. “If we carry the note through the city, I believe that money needs to stay in the city’s control,” Hammock said.
“Also, (the MOU) doesn’t say how the bond will be paid. We need to make sure we can make this payment. A situation like this has happened before at a school in north Alabama. They got the bond through the city; once they had the money they didn’t pay that bond. We need to protect ourselves as a city and make sure that bond note gets paid.” Hammock said the sales tax generates See BOND • Page A2
Shopping center owner warns cars will be towed
City considers using airport land for soccer field
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
The owner of the Tallassee Shopping Center is warning those who try to sell cars on his parking lot that their vehicles will be towed. “Parking vehicles for sale in the shopping center is prohibited,” owner Leon Capouan said. “Cars that remain on the lot after Feb. 16 will be towed at the owner’s expense. There is no parking unless you are shopping in the center. For-sale vehicles will be considered trespassing. Non-shoppers’ vehicles are prohibited.” The area of most concern is the parking lot adjacent to Alabama Power Company on Gilmer Avenue. The City of Tallassee is limited in what it can do because it does not own the property but officials said they are looking into enforcing ordinances against selling cars on someone else’s property and fining offenders. “I can’t ticket them because it’s private property,” Mayor Johnny Hammock said. “I have called the people who own these cars because people who come to pay their power bill have to park farther away and walk to the office.” City attorney John Smith said ordinances should be in place to stop individuals from offering vehicles for sale in local parking lots. “First we need to look at the business license ordinance to see if there’s something there that can be enforced,” Smith said. “The property owner has to complain. If there are signs up See TOWED • Page A2
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
There are 140 children in Tallassee who participate in soccer despite the lack of a field dedicated to the sport but the city council is trying to change that. “They play in the outfield of the girls softball field,” Tallassee Mayor Johnny Hammock said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We really don’t have a soccer field. I had our engineer look at this land at the airport. I asked for a field, lights and bleachers. It came to $332,000.” However, a 50/50 matching grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund would cut the cost in half. Even at $165,000, councilmember Sarah Hill questioned the price tag. “It’s just grass, a soccer field, how is it this much?” she asked. The proposed soccer fields would be located on land that was part of the municipal airport, which closed Jan. 1. Hammock said the city would receive about $100,000 if it clear-cut timber on airport property and sold it. “I have also looked at farming the land out there,” Hammock said. The council said it would consider all options before making a decision. However, councilmember Darryl Wilson asked the council to declare the timber surplus at its next regular meeting on Feb. 26.
File / The Tribune
During a one-year period, TFD received 257 calls for service and responded to 163 calls that required some type of mitigation. As of Dec. 31, 2018, the department has 32 active firefighters on the roster.
‘BACKBONE’ OF TFD Tallassee firefighters stayed busy in 2018 By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
T
allassee Fire Department chief Travis Jones said 2018 was busy year with 163 of 257 calls for service requiring some type of mitigation. Of those calls, 27 percent were false alarms, 21 percent were motor vehicle accidents, 16 percent were for hazardous conditions, 7 percent were structure fires and 5 percent were brush fires. Jones said TFD members are the reason for the department’s success.
“Their ability to safely respond, deploy tactical objectives and mitigate risk has directly contributed to the department’s ability to save lives, property and the environment,” Jones said. “Without their professionalism, the city’s ISO (Insurance Service Office) fire protection rating would be expected to increase from three to 10, resulting in a significant increase in insurance premiums.” As of Dec. 31, 2018, the department had 32 active firefighters, Jones said. “We have consistently averaged 25 firefighters assigned over the past five years,” Jones See FIREFIGHTERS • Page A2
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