Sand Mountain Reporter

New equipment for Albertville city departments could start rolling in soon, but some unexpected bills may stall those plans.

The City Council plans to consider spending some of the $750,000 that came from the Albertville Board of Education in order to pay for the city’s capital outlay request.

The city had originally spent around $300,000 of that money to cover expenses from the last fiscal year and just this month the city was hit with a $192,000 workers compensation bill, which will dip even further into the remaining $450,000, according to City Clerk and Treasurer Phyllis Webb.

The council received a prioritized list of capital outlay items from the city department heads at its work session on March 8.

According to Council President Diane McClendon, this new list was trimmed down from the original list of capital outlay items and is estimated to cost less than $150,000.

Capital outlays can include large pieces of equipment or repair work needed to some city facilities.

When the council passed its fiscal year 2010 budget earlier in February they eliminated all of the capital outlay items and asked each department to resubmit a prioritized list.

Since each list submitted is considered by each department to be necessities, the mayor suggested they should prioritize items based on an immediate need.

“I would just say we have to look at each department and depending on the season coming up what is needed in each department. Right now, that’s going to be the priority,” Mayor Lindsey Lyons said.

For example the Parks and Recreation Department could see a new infield groomer, mower, and all-terrain vehicle sooner than another city department sees its equipment because baseball season is right around the corner.

“I guess I could say they are all equally important,” Lyons said. “Some are more expensive than others, but I think for the most part, all departments, with the exception of the backhoe for the street department, are minor compared to what we really need to have. These are just critical needs for each department,” Lyons said.

McClendon said, the council wants to hurry and approve the capital outlays because of the time it takes for the city to acquire equipment, which depends on if the equipment has to be bid out.

The next Albertville City Council is Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Albertville City Hall.

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Serving Albertville and the Sand Mountain region

Publisher: Ben Shurett

1603 Progress Drive
Albertville, Alabama 35950

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