The Selma City Council will review almost all purchases made by the city.
At their July 8 meeting, the council approved a resolution stating that all payments exceeding $1 must be brought to them for approval, beginning with the July 22 meeting. Recurring expenses like utilities, debt payments and payroll are exempt.
The mayor previously had to get city council approval for expenditures over $5,000. Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. has told the council that he finds that rule “redundant” and “a bottleneck” because the council has already approved the budget and the city treasurer, who works for the council, must approve expenditures.
Finance Committee Chairman Troy Harvill said July 8 that the city council needs more oversight because the city appears to be $50,000 over budget, and council hasn’t seen a financial report in two months.
The resolution calls for the finance department to reconcile accounts monthly. The finance department must also ensure that expenses for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, are recorded so they can be paid in the year they were approved. This was noted as a problem in the recent audit performed for the Alabama Department of Public Accounts.
Harvill said that the city’s interim finance director “is drowning” in work and needs help to bring the city’s books up to date.
City Council President Billy Young said because the city council hasn’t seen a financial report in more than 60 days, they can’t be sure “how many checks are out” or “know how much money is in the bank.”
Harvill agreed. “The mayor has asked us to continue this budget into next year,” Harvill said. “We need to get a handle on expenses.”
Councilman Sam Randolph said that the motion “is not about finance. You’re trying to shut down the mayor’s office coming up to election.”
Randolph and councilmen Michael Johnson and Atkin Jemison voted against the motion. Young, Harvill, Clay Carmichael, Christie Thomas and Jannie Thomas voted for the motion.
Earlier in the meeting, Carmichael and Jannie Thomas complained that bills they submitted to the mayor’s office for work performed in their wards haven’t been paid. Carmichael said that some trees have been delivered to replace trees lost in the January 2023 tornado, but the city hasn’t paid the invoice for the contractor to plant the trees.
“We’re losing trees” while they wait for the purchase order to be paid, Carmichael said. The cost of the trees will be reimbursed by the Alabama Forestry Commission, he said.
In other business, Selma police officers will receive new sidearms. The council approved a motion to allow the department to trade in 50 Glock pistols issued since 2022 for new Glock 45-47 Gen5 MOS with red dot sights. The city will also trade in some unclaimed and forfeited weapons to the vendor to make the $48,000 trade-in break even.
The council voted to rename the George P. Evans Reception Hall on Lawrence Street to the George and Jeannie Evans Center. Former Mayor George Evans died in 2023. Jeannie Evans is described in the motion adding her name to the center as “a devoted community servant and partner in service.” George and Jeannie Evans “exemplify a legacy of love, leadership, and service that has touched generations,” the resolution states.
The council voted to apply for a $100,000 grant for law enforcement and a $2 million grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for projects for storm-affected areas. The law enforcement grant would require the city to provide a $5,000 match, and the ADECA grant would require a $100,000 match.
Library Director Becky Nichols asked the city council to include the library’s utilities in the city budget, which would free up funds for the library to make several safety improvements, including a new cab for the elevator. Part of the library was built in 1976, and an addition opened in 1995. The 25,000-square-foot building is owned by the city.
The library spends about $100,000 on utilities, she said. The city council currently pays four months of utilities for the library.
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