Area Calendar Inside!
2017 All-Area Baseball Team
Meet Jewel, Elmore County’s Pet of the Week
Eclectic Observer Page 5
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The
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 21, 2017
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 28, No. 25
COP ALLEGED TICKETING INCENTIVES, Chiefs bemoan critical underfunding By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The town’s entire first responder system spoke out at last night’s town council meeting about what was described as critical underfunding of Eclectic’s police and fire departments, as a town cop, the fire chief and the police
chief addressed the mayor and council. The council responded largely by saying it was unaware of the state of affairs the departments were operating under and their complaints were heard and would be considered. But the verbal fireworks came after the council was called back into order after an
executive session. Two-year Eclectic police officer Fred Griffin spoke for roughly 20 minutes and aired a litany of grievances, poring over the pages of a notebook, flipping from one to the next and, speaking calmly and collectedly, detailed the alleged incentivizing of officers to write as many tickets as possible for the sake of the town’s revenue generation. His critique opened on the pay raises for public employees. Last year he said some police did not receive raises due to a merit system he said
was premised on ticket writing. As Griffin spoke Police Chief Robert Head, normally present to deliver a report of his department’s activities, stood in the back of the council chambers. Eclectic Fire Chief Josh Dorminey was also at the back of the council chambers. Each would soon speak after Griffin. Mayor Gary Davenport and all council members were in attendance and sat quietly while Griffin spoke. Griffin opened: “From my opinion it feels like the current employees are kind of getting
Alabama Power responds to reports ranking it the lowest utility provider
slapped in the face with new employees coming in and three months later they’re getting pay raises.” He compared town expenses, projects and the hire of a new public works manager with the alleged insufficient spending on the police department and its personnel. At one point he said, “I was told sitting in Mayor Davenport’s office that part of the reason that the officers, the general patrol officers, did not get a pay raise was because our ticket performance See COUNCIL • Page 3
Eclectic’s Brown comes up big for Junior National Team STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Cliff Williams / The Observer
Alabama Power Co., which owns Martin and 13 other dams on the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers, rated poorly on its performance in saving energy and cutting operating costs in a report by the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy released recently. By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A local power company provider ranked at the bottom of an energy efficiency report card grading regions of the U.S. on their performance in saving energy and cutting operating costs through programs and customer incentives. Overall the entire southeast ranked last in the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy’s first 2017 Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecard. “Our first-ever scorecard of U.S. utilities, released (June 13), reveals striking regional differences and identifies the best — and worst — performers on energy efficiency,” an ACEEE report states. In the findings, Alabama Power consistently received among the lowest rankings in its three categories and 16 subcategories and overall it placed last among the bottom 10 performers for energy efficiency. The report states its focus was on the 51 largest utilities providers
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per volume of retail sales. Covering 31 states, the companies were said to account for over 50 percent of all energy sales in 2015. However, publicly published data to the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration for 2014 retail sales were used because 2015 numbers were not yet finalized, the report states, though all other information was information was derived from 2015. It lists Alabama Power as making over $5 billion in revenue, selling upwards of 56,000 gigawatt hours worth of electricity to roughly 1.5 million customers in 2014. Its introduction begins by proclaiming the benefits of efficiency to not only the customer and the environment but also to the company. “By reducing energy consumption, utilities can delay or avoid the need to build new infrastructure like power plants and distribution assets. Utilities can also reduce the need for higher-cost electricity
from other sources such as natural gas. Reducing energy consumption can decrease harmful air pollutants associated with fossil fuel generation, and utilities can lower wholesale prices for electricity. These benefits reduce costs for all utility customers. Energy efficiency can also boost economic growth and create jobs,” the report states. The focus of its research was specified as end-user efficiency, i.e. the customer and how the company affects those rates. The three categories were energy efficiency program performance, program diversity and emerging areas and energy efficiency-related regulatory issues and were were graded on 25-, 15- and 10-point scales. Category one included five subcategories: net energy savings, program spending, peak demand reductions, lifetime savings and achievement of energy savings goals. AP was ranked last in all but two categories. See AL POWER • Page 3
LINVILLE MEMORIAL
F U N E R A L
H O M E
Cremations and Monuments
84632 Tallassee Hwy. [ Eclectic, AL
334.639.4730 FRIDAY: HIGH 86 LOW 73
www.linvillememorial.com
Elmore County alum and University of Alabama softball sensation Elissa Brown scored one run and knocked in another in the final game as USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team swept the field at the JWNT Friendlies, ending the tournament with an 8-0 five-inning win over the Lady Gators. The Gators would put two base runners on early in the game after back-to-back singles with two outs. With runners on the corner, Julia Cottrill of Stillwater, Oklakoma picked off a stolen base attempt to keep the Gators off the board. The U.S. scored a run in the bottom of the first inning after Brown
Brown reached on a bobbled ball at first base. Using her speed to her advantage, Brown made a heads-up base running decision to swipe second base to put a runner in scoring position. A walk to Hannah Adams of Hoschton, Georgia put two runners on before a single from Jessica Harper of Stevenson Ranch, California plated Brown to give the Junior Nationals a 1-0 lead. See BROWN • Page 3
Times running out to sign up for youth football STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Parents have one final chance to sign their youngster up to play in the Eclectic Youth Football and Cheerleading League this fall. The last opportunity to register takes place this Saturday, June 24, from 9 a.m. until noon at the old gymnasium at Elmore County High School. Parents should bring $95 to cover the cost of their child’s uniform and $40 to cover registration. For those interested, EYFCL will also hold a free football camp on July 15 at the Harden Street EYFCL practice field. The camp will feature Tracy Buchanan, defensive coordinator at Faulkner University and a former ECHS coach. If you need more information, please contact Jake Youland at 334-415-4345 or Jeremy Maynard at 334-415-0409.