HALEYVILLE - An ordinance passed by the Haleyville City Council during their Nov. 19, meeting concretely affirms who a portion of Haleyville’s sales tax will benefit.
Ordinance 2018-02 confirms and ratifies that 50 percent of the final one percent of sales tax collected by the City of Haleyville will go to the Healthcare Authority of Haleyville and Winston County, Alabama for use for the continued operation of Lakeland Community Hospital. The council originally passed this in Ordinance 2017-12.
The ordinance notes that the Healthcare Authority proposes to issue a Limited Obligation Bond, Series 2018-B, in the approximate amount of $3 million to provide funds to support and operate the hospital and “entities engaged from time to time by the Healthcare Authority in the operation, support and maintenance” of the hospital.
The Bond will be payable solely out of the Healthcare Authority’s portion of the sales tax, according to the ordinance. The Healthcare Authority proposes to pledge, as security for the payment of the principal and interest on the Bond, as much of the net proceeds derived by the Healthcare Authority as possible, with the goal of having the Bond retired on or before March 31, 2028.
The ordinance further states that the city will continue to levy and collect the sales tax and remit the Healthcare Authority portion to the Healthcare Authority until the final retirement of the Bond.
In other business, the council approved appointing Megan Lovett to assistant city clerk/revenue clerk, with a pay adjustment.
“We have been using RDS (Revenue Discovery Services). Their contract expires in May. We want to bring Megan in and let her do business licenses and occupational tax. The fees we paid last year to RDS were over $85,000. We can hire a new person as the accounts payable clerk and move Megan into business license and occupation tax collection. We have already talked to two places and will talk with one more regarding the software needed to do something like this,” Mayor Ken Sunseri said.
Sunseri noted that this move would be conditional, and will not go into effect until Jan. 1.
“If we see any changes between now and then, we can reverse this,” Sunseri told the council.
The council passed a resolution authorizing the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments to administer Community Development Block Grant Project No. LR-CM-CP-18-016 for the city. This grant was awarded to the city for a water and sewer line rehabilitation and paving project along 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th avenues. NACOLG will provide the service at a fee not to exceed $50,000, the resolution states.
The council approved purchasing a field and brush mower for the parks and recreation department for $2,399.99.
“There are several areas we can’t get to with a commercial mower. They feel like this equipment will put them in a position to cut everything,” Sunseri said.
The council added an item to the agenda, appointing Dr. Ramesh Reddy to a four-year term on the Healthcare Authority.
Council members Blue Russell and Royce Benefield offered condolences on behalf of the mayor and council to the families of the late Wayne Berry and Dr. Ben Moore.
Bennett offered congratulations to Van Tidwell for being selected grand master in the Masonic Lodge. It was noted that only one other man from Haleyville, Judge Billy Ford, had ever achieved this accomplishment.
The next meeting of the Haleyville City Council will be Monday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the courtroom of Haleyville City Hall.
See complete story in the Northwest Alabamian.
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