OPINION: EDUCATION SHOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOTBALL
TUESDAY
THE
CHAMBER PULSE
AREA CHAMPIONS
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Get details on all the latest! Pages 6 - 7.
February 16, 2016
Vol. 124, No. 33
Central-Coosa captures area title. See Sports, page 12.
www.alexcityoutlook.com
City holds line on salaries for future council, mayor ing, no motion or second was made. The lack of action means that there will be no change from the current salaries. Guidelines require that the city set salaries for the positions six months before voters go to the polls and before candidates begin to qualify.
By MITCH SNEED Editor
There will be no pay increases for the next group of council members or the mayor of Alexander City. When the time came for a motion to be made to set new salaries at Monday night’s city council meet-
Members of the Alexander City City Council make $10,500 annually while the mayor is paid a salary of $45,000 and an additional $15,000 for supervising the city’s utilities for an overall compensation of $60,000. According to a 2014 Auburn See COUNCIL • Page 11
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Police vehicles and crime scene tape secure the scene of a store where shots were fired early Sunday morning.
Police probe shooting at downtown store
City Manager: Position gives city added layer of protection
No one wants to press charges after three shots allegedly fired into vehicle By MITCH SNEED Editor
Police are searching for answers after a suspect apparently shot into an occupied vehicle outside a downtown convenience store early Sunday morning. Just after 2 a.m. Sunday morning, Alexander City Police Department officers at a neighboring business heard shots and responded to the Happy Mart, the Petro station at the corner of North Central and Broad Street in downtown Alexander City. A clerk at the store who didn’t give his name said that an altercation between a person inside a vehicle and one outside broke out. After a short, loud verbal exchange, a suspect pulled a small handgun and fired into the vehicle, the clerk said. Officers on the scene said that there were no reported injuries and that no one was in custody as of 4:20 a.m., but said they were still talking to witnesses. Crime scene tape remained up for more than two hours as police collected evidence. Glass from an apparent shattered window of a vehicle was still on the ground near the gas pumps of the store. Lt. James Easterwood said Monday that when officers arrived both individuals were still on the scene, but neither would offer much information. “The individual in the car didn’t want to file charges,” Lt. Easterwood said. “There have been no charges at this time. We are looking at the possibility of discharging a weapon in the city limits charges in the case if nothing else changes.” The store does have surveillance cameras and one is noticeable outside the front door. It was See SHOOTING • Page 3
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Editor’s note: This is the first in a five part series on the city-manager form of government. A petition is now active asking for the people to be allowed to vote on a possible change in Alexander City. The petition can be signed each day at the offices of The Outlook. Tomorrow, we will look at the financial impact of a possible INSIDE change. Chamber’s Jacob
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Henley Brown and her father Wesley pick up trash along the banks of the Tallapoosa River at Fox Creek Saturday at a grassroots cleanup effort.
FOR FOX CREEK More than 50 volunteers show up for cleanup
Meacham answers city manager questions. PAGE 6.
Why do we need a city manager and what would they do anyway? That’s a question that has been repeated by many residents as a possible change to a city manager-council form of government has begun in Alexander City. Consider this tenet from the International City/County Management Association’s code of ethics: A city manager will: See MANAGER • Page 11
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
A group of people who love life on the Tallapoosa River, came together to clean up the area around Fox Creek Saturday. “It just goes to show what a few people and the power of social media can do,” Nick Askew said. “It went excellent. We had over 50 people show up.” Askew grew up coming to the river in the Fox Creek area and started the
effort after he and his wife rode down there in January and were upset at the condition of the area. “I was disgusted at how much trash was there,” Askew said. That grassroots effort is what Lake Martin Resource Association’s John Thompson has been hoping for. “I have been trying to get more of the community involved,” Thompson said. “I have been hoping for some grass roots efforts to help keep the See CLEANUP • Page 3
BRHS fishing team weighs in on first tourney
Severe weather awareness means it’s time to plan By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
On a day that saw 32 of its southern counties placed under a tornado watch and several severe thunderstorms set off warning alarms in the southwest portion of the state, Alabama began its observance of Severe Weather Awareness Week on Monday. “During this special week, Alabamians are encouraged to learn and/or review the proper safety precautions necessary for protecting their lives during severe weather,” the National Weather Service said in a statement. “Advance planning and increased awareness will help See WEATHER • Page 3
It might have been only one, but it was a significant fish. That fish, weighing in just over a pound, was the first for the new Benjamin Russell Fishing team and was caught by Kennedy Benton at the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association tournament on Lake Martin Saturday. “I am excited that we have a fishing team now,” Benton said moments See FISHING • Page 3
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Benjamin Russell’s Kennedy Benton drains the water off her bag of fish as her teammate Will Cush looks on folllowing Saturday’s tournament.
Annual Kiwanis
Pancake Breakfast Tickets available at door
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Lake Levels
482.80 Reported on 02/15/16 @ 5 p.m.
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