The Eutaw City Council met on October 11 and last night on October 25, 2011 to consider several issues including redistricting the city council districts, status of the airport and an ordinance requiring three signatures on city checks.

At the Oct. 11 meeting, the City Council heard a presentation from Jill Hannah of the West Alabama Regional Planning Commission in Tuscaloosa on five different plans to realign the five city council districts for election purposes,  in conformity with the 2010 Census of Population.

Every ten years, political subdivisions within the state must redistrict to equalize population based on new census data.

The 2010 Census showed the City of Eutaw with a total population of 2,934 of which 2,415 (82%) are African-American. With five council districts, the ideal population for each district is 587 people. The U. S. Justice Department which must review and approve the plan, under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, allows a 5% variance or up to 29 people difference from the ideal.

Based on the Census, there should be the possibility of 4.12 districts representing minorities. Currently there are three seats held by African Americans – Districts 1, 2 and 3; a swing district – District 4; and  district 5, which is majority white. All six plans maintain this distribution with slight differences in the population balance of District 4.

Council members disagreed over the plans. Council member Ralph Liverman asked that a new plan be designed making his district ( District 5) more compact. For the meeting on October 25, WARPC sent a sixth plan which met Liverman’s concerns. Council members Sheila Smith, Hattie Edwards and Joe L. Powell said that they preferred plan number 4.

The Council agreed to hold a public hearing on the redistricting plans at the beginning of their next regular meeting on November 8, 2011 at 6:00 PM to get public input and comments before voting on the plans. Mayor Raymond Steele said he would work to post all six plans on the walls in City Hall before the next meeting so the public could review them and prepare their comments for the public hearing. The City Council will vote to select the final plan after the public hearing.

The City Council in a 5 to 1 vote passed an ordinance requiring three signatures on each check which would insure that a council member signed each check before it is sent for payment. The Mayor, City Clerk, Ms. Peggy Stripling,  and  one Council member, Ralph Liverman, are currently designated to sign checks with two signatures required. The Mayor voted against the ordinance which will now be advertised in both newspapers and then become the official policy of the city.

The City Council discussed the status of the airport at the past two council meetings. Mayor Steele indicated that a small amount of work was needed before the airport could be reopened for daylight use, including some resurfacing and restriping of the runway. The lights for nighttime use would have to be rewired and refurbished before the airport could be used around the clock.

Debbie Duncan and Theresa Beeker, members of the Greene County Industrial Development Authority, assured the City Council that the industrial development group was supportive of seeing the airport reopened to help develop and promote the entire county to industries interested in coming to the area. The Mayor said he had spoken with Phillis Belcher, Executive Director of the GCIDA, and assured her that he would share the City’s airport layout and development plans so the groups could work together to improve the airport. The Council tabled selecting an airport advisory board until a future meeting when there was more clarity on the roles and responsibility of board members.

The City Council also approved travel to several meetings by police officers for training; and for the Mayor and Councilperson Sheila Smith to attend an ADECA meeting on grants.

Iris Sermon, E-911 Director explained the availability of new city maps, applications for home and community safe rooms, and storm alert radios for Eutaw and Greene County.

Councilwoman Smith asked that the City consider naming its shooting range for deceased Police Chief Tommy Summerville. Council-woman Hattie Edwards said she was researching companies that do resurfacing and repaving roads to make a recommendation for improving roads in Branch Heights at a future meeting.