COMMUNITY COLUMNISTS INSIDE!
WEDNESDAY
THE SPORTS Coosa Central honors school legend, Page 8.
$2 of every $100 Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 spent here funds September 28, 2016 Vol. 124, No. 195 www.alexcityoutlook.com local schools
Uncounted ballots don’t impact races Unofficial count held to clear any uncertainty election results
By MITCH SNEED Editor
In an effort to clear any questions about the results of the Aug. 23 municipal election in Alexander City, the city council along with City Attorney Larkin Radney did an “unofficial count “of qualifying absentee ballots that should have been reflected in the final vote totals. Tuesday’s unofficial count showed the results would have been the same, and the
runoff races would still feature the same pairings that they do currently. Radney was quick to point out that there was no way short of a suit filed in circuit court to change the totals that had been previously certified. The count was to clear up any concern about the results, he said. “The time has passed for the council to recanvass. The results can’t be thrown out,” Radney said. “The time to recertify the results has also passed. They can’t
be recounted. But I think in the spirit of fairness and transparency, the citizens should know. Totally unofficial, not going to change anything, but I think that is what’s right.” The only race where the votes could have made a difference was in District 1. Steve Crowe narrowly made the runoff, edging Beverly White by a 186 to 173 count. So conceivably, 16 votes could have made a difference. See BALLOTS • Page 7
County GOP set to open new office
New Site council hears of water issues Low pressure a problem for Goldville area water customers
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
The Tallapoosa County Republican Party will officially open its county headquarters for the November general election on Saturday, Oct. 1. “We’re hoping to have Rep. Mark Tuggle and Bill Harris, our Republican candidate for district attorney, on hand,” said Denise Bates, chairperson of the Tallapoosa County GOP. “The location will be open through the general election and we’re always looking for volunteers.” The office will be located next to Pinecrest Brokers in the old Chamber See GOP • Page 5
Today’s
Weather
85 59 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
486.72 Reported on 9/27/16 @ 7 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
6
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
8
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
City Attorney Larkin Radney, left, explains Alabama law regarding the legality of absentee ballots at a special called meeting of the Alexander City City Council Tuesday night.
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Benjamimn Russell senior Haley Browning applies spray glitter to part of the senior float Monday evening as students prepare for Friday’s homecoming parade.
BRHS, Horseshoe Bend celebrate Homecoming Week By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Two area schools – Benjamin Russell High School and Horseshoe Bend High School – are celebrating homecoming this week. Benjamin Russell’s festivities culminate with a Class 6A, Region 3 contest versus the
Chilton County Tigers (2-4 overall and 0-3 in the region). Benjamin Russell enters the contest at 2-3 overall and 2-1 in region play. Horseshoe Bend entertains the undefeated LaFayette Bulldogs for homecoming Friday night. The Bulldogs are 5-0 and 3-0 in Class 2A Region 5. Horseshoe Bend is 3-2 overall
The New Site Town Council approved a budget Monday night, but learned that some very large expenses may be ahead. The council did approve a new operating budget ahead of the Oct. 1 state-mandated deadline. The city’s FY2017 general fund budget features $307,780 in expenditures, with the water department budget being $385,280. But the council learned of some major water problems the town’s system is facing. The town supplies water to Goldville, but due to new construction, growing demands and a design flaw with the community’s existing water tank, the pressure has dropped to extremely low See NEW SITE • Page 5
See HOMECOMING • Page 5
Outlook to partner with U.S. Postal service for home delivery
T
he only constant is change. That’s a phrase we hear often. In our personal lives, work, the community, things continue to change and evolve over time. The newspaper industry is not immune and has to change much of what we do to position ourselves to remain as the community’s best source of news and information well into the future. That’s a role we take seriously and fulfill with a measure of pride. One aspect of our newspaper’s daily operations that has been challenging for us and required some strong introspection is our distribution and logistics. Over the years we have used
a dedicated force of local
STEVE BAKER Publisher
men and women to deliver the newspaper to your home. They have performed admirably and exhibited strong dedication. Unfortunately, like any business we have analyzed our system and costs and determined that a modification would be needed to help ensure long-term viability and profitability of the newspaper. We analyzed our options carefully and determined that
a partnership with the United States Postal Service was our best option moving forward. We have made the decision to move our distribution of subscriber copies in our designated market area into USPS mail delivery system as of Oct. 1. We thank our prior delivery personnel for their continued dedication over the years and have looked at ways to continue relationships with the newspaper albeit different from their prior responsibilities. Again, thank you all. Looking ahead, I am anxious about this partnership and what this will allow us to accomplish. I do recognize
that for many this change will lead to a different time of delivery and my hope is that it is nothing more than a temporary, minor inconvenience. Regardless, I apologize for any inconvenience you may incur. Our newsstand newspapers will continue to be distributed at the usual time. Moving into fall, it’s a busy time here as we are in our peak holiday season. I hope this finds you well and if there’s any question you may have of me, feel free to stop by or give me a call at 256234-4281. Steve Baker is president and publisher of Tallapoosa Publisher Inc.
Dadeville Insurance Come see us for all your Insurance needs.
Free Consultations
•Progressive •Auto-Owners Insurance •The National Security Group •National General •And More
217 Madison Street, Alexander City, AL
114 West Cusseta Street • Dadeville, AL
256-329-1313 “We are a Debt Relief Agency. We help people file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 under the Bankruptcy Code. Alabama State Bar requires the following in every attorney advertisement, “ No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”
256-825-4612