Selma has a new fire chief.
The Selma City Council named Walter Dailey chief at their March 24 meeting. Dailey has served as interim chief for about a year.
“To make this official is an honor,” Dailey said. “I plan to keep steering the ship forward. We still have a lot of stuff to do.”
Later in the meeting, Dailey reported that the Selma Fire Department has updated its radio system, and a new system for refilling the oxygen tanks worn by firefighters will be installed by next week.
“We’ve been behind,” Dailey said. “We’re getting ahead of the game. Now we exceed standards.”
He said that he has hired six new firefighters, and his crew is attending job fairs to recruit more. Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III said earlier this week that Dailey has helped reduce overtime by almost 30%.
This is the second time Dailey has served as chief. He served as chief for less than a week in May 2022 before resigning as then Mayor James Perkins Jr. and the city council argued over who should fill the post.
Meanwhile, Selma Police Chief Kenta Fulford asked the council to allocate $47,000 to replace tasers that are no longer under warranty, and $18,000 a year to place cameras in the city’s police cruisers. He also asked the council to lease 10 new cruisers to replace units that will be off lease in a year.
Dallas County’s animal control officer, David Johnston, will take over as director of Selma’s animal shelter as well, according to an agreement between the Dallas County Commission and the Selma City Council. Selma formerly operated the animal shelter. Under the new agreement, Johnston will serve both the city and the county, reporting to Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn and Moss. The agreement states Johnston has been running the Selma-Dallas County Animal Shelter since Jan. 1.
A representative of Scott Communications asked the council to pay $8,500 a year to broadcast council meetings live on radio station 94.7 FM. The deal would also include an hour on the day after the council meeting for the city council to discuss the meeting and take calls.
The council broadcast their meetings on the radio years ago. The meetings are now available on Facebook on the city’s site and from a private videographer at Selma Alabama on the Record.
State Sen. Robert Stewart told the city council that he has landed a $50,000 grant for repairing Bloch Park. He said he obtained the grant for the park last year. Stewart asked that some of the funds be spent to restore the park’s playground.
Stewart said he and Rep. Prince Chestnut have obtained a $50,000 grant to help restore the Smitherman Building.
“We want to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” Stewart said. “That’s what we want at the end of the day.”
The city council approved a resolution naming July 29 Jo Ann Bland Day.
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