THE
TUESDAY SPORTS, 12
LOCAL, 10 See photos from the annual polar plunge
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Benjamin Russell goes 3-1 at Bulldawg Duals
January 22, 2019 Vol. 127, No. 15 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
Raises, rezoning City council to consider employee raise and rezoning guest house By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
Photos by Cliff Williams / The Outlook Top: Parade entrants travel good Broad Street during the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration parade on Monday morning. Above: Participants march across the railroad tracks. For more photos from the parade and the program at Stephens Elementary School, see Page 3.
Today’s
Weather
50 46 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
485.42 Reported on 01/21/19 @ 2 p.m.
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Officials give update on tornado relief
Ivey sees progress in Wetumpka 1,000 volunteers in city helping recovery from tornado; curfew lifted, schools reopen
By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
With the radiant sun shining on shredded homes, churches and businesses, Wetumpka continued to bind its wounds Monday in the aftermath of Saturday’s tornado, helped to its feet by a swarm of more than 1,000 volunteers and a visit from Gov. Kay Ivey. “This is a day we can give thanks to God Almighty for no loss of life,” Ivey said after her tour of the mangled area on the west bank of the Coosa River. See IVEY • Page 10
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The Alexander City City Council is expected to vote on a proposal to increase the salaries of certain fire, maintenance, public works and electrical department employees anywhere from 3 to 12 percent and also consider rezoning the former Russell Guest House during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. After a study of comparable salaries in other cities and a reexamination of pay grades, the city is proposing salary increases up to a combined total of $72,900. Those increases and positions include: • Firefighter/EMT positions by 3.5 percent. • Firefighter/advanced EMT jobs by 3.5 percent. • Firefighter/paramedic positions 3.5 percent. • Auto shop mechanics by 3 percent. • GIS coordinator by 3 percent. • Street department foreman by 6 percent. • Electric department lead tree trimmer by 9 percent. • Reassigning one right-of-way technician II to foreman based on job content and increasing pay by 6 percent. • Reassigning one library assistant II to library assistant III based on job content and increasing pay by 12 percent. The city council is also scheduled to hold public hearings on rezoning several parcels of property, including the former Russell Guest House, which was included in the city’s recent approval of purchasing 56 acres for use as a new municipal complex. The guest house is currently in an industrial zone and the city wants to rezone it for business use. The city plans to lodge visiting economic development prospects there. In other scheduled action at the meeting, the council will: • Hold a public hearing to revoke the
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Gov. Kay Ivey, center, surveyed the tornado damage in Wetumpka on Monday.
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Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis held a press conference with local officials Sunday morning at Wetumpka City Hall. They gave updates on the damage around downtown but opened with a statement of gratitude for the response from people around the county and around the state. “First of all, I’d like to thank all the mayors in the river region that have reached out to us to offer their assistance and sending their workers and first responders in here to assist us,” Willis said. “It’s been awesome the support that See RELIEF • Page 10
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