OPINON: TIME TO STOP BLAME IN CITY GOVERNMENT, PAGE 4.
Weekend The Outlook
GROW OUR LOCAL ECONOMY!
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
July 23-24, 2016 • Vol. 124 • No. 148 • www.alexcityoutlook.com
SUN FESTIVAL BEGINS TODAY. SEE SCHEDULE, PAGE 5.
Machen fired again
Left, Alexander City finance director Sandra Machen was terminated for a second time in two years by Mayor Shaw citing irregularities in financial department documents.
Alexander City mayor cites finance director’s inability to produce ‘reliable financial numbers’ among reasons for dismissal By MITCH SNEED Editor
The Outlook has learned that Alexander City Finance Director Sandra Machen has been relieved of her duties for the second time
in two years by Mayor Charles Shaw. According to sources at city hall, the termination came a day after a meeting where more irregularities with the way funds from the city’s LakeWinds Golf
Course have been documented and entered in the finance department were questioned. Alexander City City Councilman Bob Howard confirmed the move. See TERMINATED • Page 10
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
County’s jobless rate up despite more people working
ALEXANDER CITY GOVERNMENT
Probe finds issues that need more scrutiny
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Tallapoosa County’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June increased a half percentage point from May, but remained a half percentage point below what it was in June of last year, according to statistics released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor. The county’s HOT JOBS IN June unemployrate was ALABAMA ment measured at 6.0 percent, up from 5.5 perSee page 10. May’s cent, but slightly lower than last June’s 6.5 percent. Despite the increase in the rate, the numbers show slightly more people employed in Tallapoosa County than in May. “The unemployment numbers for the state show a slight growth in jobs and that is also reflected in the numbers shared locally,” said Ed Collari, president and chief executive officer of the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. “The 6 percent June unemployment rate for Tallapoosa County is consistent with adjusted numbers for May and an improvement over the 6.5 percent unemployment rate our county experienced in 2015. See UNEMPLOYMENT • Page 10
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Andrew Salinas of Sonny’s Hot Dogs dresses a hot dog for Alexander City Police Officer Tomathon Tuck Friday at the police department. Salinas partnered with the Law Office of A.G. Wilson and East Dale Realty to bring a lunch meal to area first responders.
THANKS WITH FRANKS Wilson family treats first responders to lunch
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
With recent events across the country involving the deaths of law enforcement, one Alexander City family decided to show their appreciation for first responders by buying lunch Friday. The Law Office of A.G. Wilson, East Dale Realty’s Bonny Wilson and their daughter Adrienne Vinson bought lunch at See COMMUNITY • Page 11
Imagine a document filed with a state official that includes findings of sloppy work, poor accounting practices that vary from department to department, apparent theft that has required a criminal investigation, mismanagement, questionable accounting practices and a lack of communication that makes it hard for officials to do their jobs. That is just part of what a volunteer contracted by the office of Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler found in Alexander City’s governmental operations as she looked into complaints lodged by Councilman Tony Goss and then expanded the probe as “one allegation and irregularity seemed to lead to another and another.” Linda Hilyer recently See AUDIT • Page 11
Today’s
Robinson’s largest fountain going to Toronto dog park By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Employees with Robinson Iron load a trailer bound for Toronto with the largest fountain they have ever created. The load measures nearly 15-feet-wide.
Robinson Iron is going to the dogs with its latest fountain project at Berczy Park in Toronto. “This is for a dog park,” Austin Robinson said. “This is an area where a lot of Torontonians walk their dogs.” Not only is Robinson Iron going to the dogs for this project, it will be their heaviest fountain project to date. “It is the biggest one we have ever done,” Robinson said. “We have done taller, but this is the heaviest and widest. The largest piece weighs 15,000 pounds
and the entire thing is about 26,000 pounds. We did the one in downtown Montgomery. This one weighs about three times as much.” The large bowl is 16 feet four and half inches wide and made to look like a dog collar with faces of pugs and nearly 1500 stainless steel spikes created by Robinson Iron’s sister company, Satterfield. The fountain has three tiers. The project includes 27 life-size dogs and one cat. All of the dogs will be painted life-like by a Toronto artist and look at the fountain topped with See FOUNTAIN • Page 10
Weather
95 73 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
489.37 Reported on 7/22/16 @ 8 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
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54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
Bill’s Electric ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS
P.O. Box 673 1814 Airpor t Blvd • Alexander Cit y, AL
(256) 234-4555 “PROVIIDING QUAALITYY ELEECTRRICALL CONSSTRUUCTIIONN SINCE 196 61”
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