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July 7, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 134 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
Auditor explains city’s financial issues revolve around the monthly reconciliations,” Harte said. “Everything revolves around keeping your records After over 20 months reconciled monthly and up to without an audit of 2014 financial statements, Alexander date. If you every let that get City leaders now have a better out of hand, it is hard to catch up.” picture of the city’s financial Harte explained the idea position from 2014 following using a personal bank account. a presentation of an audit by “It is like if you started to Carr, Riggs and Ingram’s Jason not record or reconcile your Harte. Harte presented his findings personal checkbook and then try to go back there and get to Mayor Jim Nabors, the city caught up,” Harte said. council and other department Nabors stated the city does heads in a council work session have an idea of where it is and they centered around at based on what the bank internal controls. says its balances are and “The findings mainly By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Jason Harte presents his findings from an audit to members of the Alexander City Council.
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
The Forever Hope Foster Care Association of Tallapoosa County celebrated the grand opening of its new facility on Thursday, June 27. Located at 641 13th Avenue South in Alexander City, the center is a place that provides assistance for foster children and their families in a variety of ways. The program officially began in September 2016 as the brainchild See FOSTER • Page 3
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Throw Away Day to be hosted next week By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Once again the Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership and the Tallapoosa County Commission are hosting a Throw Away Day Monday and Tuesday and it comes at a great time. “The event will follow the Fourth of July holiday, which is always a busy time in our area,” Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Top: The Bank Walkers’ David Sturdivant plays the drums at Thursday’s Strand Sessions. Middle, Steve Forehand and Roger Holiday perform with The Bank Walkers. Bottom left: Twoyear-olds Cooper Russell McCants, left, and Jack Meacham of Alexander City play in the lawn at Strand Park during the live music event. For more photos, see page 7 inside.
See THROW AWAY • Page 7
Today’s
Weather
86 72 Low
Lake Martin
490.52
Reported on 07/06/17 @ 1 p.m. 54708 90050
State inmate Terry Lee Stokes walked away from a job site in Dadeville Wednesday after and was taken back into custody eight hours later. Stokes According to a release from Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett, Stokes, 43, was assigned to the Alexander City Work Release Center when he walked away from a job site in Dadeville without permission. “A search of the area was conducted by the Department of Corrections personnel, Department of Corrections K-9 Unit and the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department,” Abbett said. Stokes was recaptured by a Tallapoosa County Deputy near a business on Highway 49 South near Dadeville without incident. Stokes was then transported to the Tallapoosa County Jail and then turned over to the Alabama Department of Corrections. Stokes has been charged with escape 1st degree. Stokes was serving time from a Pike County burglary where he plead guilty in August 2014. Stokes also has other burglary convictions according to court records.
Caving causes Midway Estates Road closure noted on the road, which McKelvey said raised some fears and concerns Midway Estates Road in that a vehicle driving Jacksons Gap was closed on down the road could hit that Wednesday, due to a portion section and cause portions of the road’s shoulder caving of the road itself to cave out, off and collapsing. sending the car plummeting. “Around 50 to 60 feet “I’m certain that all of this of shoulder caved off,” is due to the weather we’ve County Commissioner John had recently,” he said. McKelvey said. “It created a County engineers have drop of 25 feet.” been on site, examining The section of Midway the roadway and the Estates Road in question sits collapsed shoulder in order on top of a dam for a fish to determine what the best pond near the Lakewinds course of action to repair Golf Course. In addition the damage would be. Their to the collapsed shoulder, inspection also revealed fissure cracks have been See CLOSURE • Page 3 By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Lake Levels
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See AUDIT • Page 3
Escaped inmate captured just hours later
Forever Hope opens doors to county foster families
High
what it is currently doing to keep the 2017 records in order – something Alexander City Finance Director Sandy Stanbrough agrees. “Until it is caught up, we do not have a clean starting place,” Stanbrough said. “We don’t know where the beginning balance is so we cannot figure if the ending balance is reflecting the situation.” Harte explained that the predicament the city is currently in, can be seen in the water and sewer funds and the
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USPS Permit # 013-080
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
Starting Friday: Despicable Me 3 – PG-13 Transformers: The Last Knight– PG-13 Spider-Man: Homecoming 3D– PG-13
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
The culvert under the road on Midway Estates Road is washing out. The county has closed this portion of the road but no residences are cut off.
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