Catch up on local events with Betty Hayes, B4.
Fuller: Good things come to those who wait, Page A4
DADEVILLLE PREPARES FOR HOMECOMING MATCHUP WITH MUNFORD WITH JENNINGS OUT, PAGE B1.
THE RECORD
Serving the Dadeville & Lake Martin area since 1897
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 118, NO. 40
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
New Dadeville budget includes raises By Cliff Williams Record Staff Writer
The Dadeville City Council included a five percent raise for city workers when it approved a $2.6 million budget for 20152016 Tuesday evening. “This budget includes a five percent raise for all city employees,” Council Member Randy Foster explained. “It has been six years since the last raise for city employees.” The budget’s $2.6 million in revenue is the same revenue from the previous budget.
Voters reject hike in Still Waters fire district service fee
In the finance committee meeting, members Mickey Tarpley and Randy Foster along with Mayor Joe Smith and City Clerk Mike Gardner explained that with the reopening of Piggly Wiggly they hope revenue will remain the same or better. “If we are able to find some additional revenues, we will need to set those aside to cover projects like the courthouse square project,” Gardner said. The project will need matching funds from the city in the neighborhood of $80,000. In addition to the raise for city employees
the budget gives some relief to some city employees. “This budget includes some monies for part time help in the cemetery, parks and recreation and the fire department,” Foster said. “The cemetery and parks and recreation would mainly be spring and summer help and the fire department would be year around.” It was not easy to get the employees’ raises and the part-time help. “It took some manipulating to get the numbers to work out,” Foster said. Discussions in the finance committee
went back and forth between a three and five percent raise with the five percent raise including no purchases of vehicles for the city. The budget passed and the copy provided to The Record has no new vehicles in the budget. Foster was especially proud of the budget. “I have been on the council for 11 years,” Foster said. “This is the first time we have approved the budget before Oct. 1 in that time. In the past, we have always been a week or two after the first in passing the budget.”
HOMECOMING HOOPLA State closes
local drivers license offices
Move fails by an 11 vote margin after emotional campaign
New licenses will mean a drive, but Probate will still do renewals
By Cliff Williams Record Staff Writer
By David Granger
Voters said no to an increase in the fire service fee in Tuesday’s special election in the Stillwaters Volunteer Fire and Rescue District by a vote of 214 to 203. Turnout was good for the special election. “We had over 40 percent of the approximately 960 voters turn out which is real good I think,” Tallapoosa County Probate Judge Leon Archer said. “A general election normally sees about 40 percent turnout.” Stan Gillies is pleased to see the matter defeated. “There are a lot of people beyond the gates of Stillwaters that cannot afford this increase,” Gillies said. According to the Tallapoosa County Probate Judge’s office, any registered voter living in the district could vote on the matter. Voters could be both renters and property owners they just have to be registered voters. The issue of increasing the fee has been debated in the department for the last few years. Posts on the department’s Facebook page say the matter has been brought up at the last two annual meetings of the department and that costs of running the See FIRE, Page A5
Driver license offices in Alexander City and Dadeville are among 31 Alabama Law Enforcement Agency satellite offices in the state that will immediately transfer all driver license examiners to ALEA district offices, effectivePARKS ALSO ly closing those HIT HARD satellite offices, Five state parks according to an will be closed and announcement Wednesday after- others, including noon by ALEA. Wind Creek State The closure of Park, will see the offices means fee increases for that persons takvisitors. ing written or FOR MORE SEE on-road driver PAGE A7 INSIDE. license examinations must now travel to an office outside the county to do so. The closest offices offering the examinations are in Opelika and Wetumpka. While disappointed in the closure of the driver license offices, Tallapoosa County Probate Judge Leon Archer stressed that licenses can still be See CLOSURES, Page A7
Cliff Williams / The Record
Dadeville High School students enjoyed character day Wednesday as homecoming activities took over the school. Right, homecoming queen nominees Faith Baker, Nia Ford and Kristen Tolbert pose for a photograph. The queen will be crowned Friday night at 6:45 p.m. before the game with Munford.
17 arrested for underage drinking at house party
Today’s
Weather
77 58 High
Record Staff Writer
Low
County OKs $14.5 million budget pulling from reserves By Mitch Sneed Outlook Editor
By Mitch Sneed
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
487.55 Reported on 9/30/15 @ 1 p.m.
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Record Editor
A total of 17 people were arrested Friday evening for underage consumption of alcohol after Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department responded to a house party on Moon Branch Drive in the Union community. Tallapoosa County See PARTY, Page A3
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Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
County Administrator Blake Beck explains the fine points of the new budget.
The Tallapoosa County Commissioners unanimously approved a $14.5 million budget Wednesday morning that relies on about $900,000 to meet spending demands. Included in the budget is a mild increase for a new community corrections program that is expected to not only fund itself, but possibly add additional revenue over time. There are no cost of living pay increases for county employees included,
but $55,000 in merit increases were budgeted. “Over the last seven or eight years, local, city, county and state budgets have had some very serious funding cuts,” Beck said. “Those cuts have had a very serious impact on many of those employees in those areas. We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to that in the county. We’ve been able to provide the same services that we always have and we’ve maintained the same benefits as far as insurance that we have over that time. See COUNTY, Page A3
Starting Friday:
The Visit – PG-13 Hotel Transylavania 2 – PG The Perfect Guy – PG-13