by Teresa Eubanks, Journal Editor
At Thursday’s regular Altha Town Council meeting, the board got an update from CPA Ruth Attaway about their financial status, discussed their employee situation, made plans to run their own election and had some heated words when Mayor Wes Johnston tried to resume the practice of recording the meetings.
The council is still working out who does what and has part-time people on staff to fill in while longtime Public Works Director Wayne Gable remains on family medical leave. When another employee quit and the former town clerk was let go several months back, it created more expenses for the council.
“We are paying three employees that have worked for the city who don’t work here now,” said Councilman Lee Alday. “They’re drawing these salaries through unemployment or sick leave and somebody else is having to take up that slack. It’s a tremendous cost to us now.”
Attaway, who has been working to get the town back on track financially, replied, “I don’t know how long you can continue doing this.”
Attaway told the group, “The cash is obviously down. That’s probably not going to change for the short term. That’s because you have extra personnel on, you’re still paying your same salaries out and you’ve added people to take up the slack.” She said that they were recently billed $4,000 for the quarter for unemployment on two former employees.
She said she is waiting for the special session of the Florida Legislature to conclude so that she can get some answers on her funding requests for the town, which needs a new garbage truck and recently had over $14,000 in repairs done to the water system.
“I have been focusing on what is more valuable to the town right now, getting them to allow us to reauthorize those appropriations that would pay off the town’s debt entirely,” she said.
She explained that she went to the appropriations office in Tallahassee, where “I provided them with the exact dollar amount we owe and the specifics given to us by the Rural Water Association about the incredible needs we have.”
She warned the council that when they look at the profit and loss statement, “You’ll see that the general fund really shows a loss. There’s a small gain with garbage and water. You’re not going in the hole bad, but you’re not making any headway.”
She urged the council to think ahead. “When you look at future purchases, look at what they will cost you down the road,” she said. “Just because you can afford the purchase doesn’t mean you can afford the ongoing expense associated with it.”
Chairman Michael Pappas spoke up, pointing out, “We’re not going under tomorrow but we’re not on the best road possible right now. A lot of it revolves around the issue with Wayne and the money we’re paying.”
“We’re actually paying out somewhere in the vicinity of $40,000 a year in extra money where nobody’s working,” according to Alday. Next year we won’t have that.”
He acknowledged that the part-time employees were getting the job done, though, and said, “You can physically see the improvement in the town. It’s saving us money and getting things done.”
He added, “Wayne’s probably going to come back to work one day and everything will be fine.”
Pappas was quick to disagree, pointing out that even with Gable getting $60,000 a year in salary and benefits, “The grass wasn’t getting cut, trees weren’t being trimmed, maintenance wasn’t getting done, the rec center’s a wreck and we have to spend $14,000 to get the water system back up to par that wasn’t maintained or taken care of. I can’t go along with the fact that he’s been great for the town.”
RECORDING MEETINGS
A few weeks back, the council voted to stop recording their meetings. One of the strongest proponents of ending the practice is Councilwoman Martha Glory, who has said that people who want to know what they’re doing should attend their meetings in person. Councilman Lee Alday is also an avid opponent of recording the meetings.
Thursday night, the mayor told the council he had reconsidered their previous vote against recording.
“I’m not comfortable at all about us not recording these meetings,” he said. “The perception is that by not recording it, we’re trying to hide something,” he said.
He then, in his capacity as mayor, directed the town clerk to resume recording the minutes.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Alday responded.
Glory spoke up and pointed out why she didn’t want the meetings recorded. “A silly little thing we said made it into the newspaper and people around this little town were talking about how bad it made us look,” she said.
When the discussion continued, Alday said he would not talk about it without Councilman Shane Eagleston there because “he’s got the technical know-how.”
Alday and Glory then voted to table the issue, with Chairman Michael Pappas voting to continue discussion. Both Eagleston and Councilman Joe Ammason were absent.
CHAIRMAN
WON’T SEEK OFFICE
The seats held by Pappas and Ammason will be up for election soon. Pappas addressed the board, telling them, “I’ve already announced that I don’t want to run for council again,” he said. “Just to let you guys know, there are two big reasons.”
First, he said, “I don’t feel comfortable being part of a group that says ‘we’d rather not be recorded.’ The second thing is I don’t feel comfortable being part of a group that won’t stand up and say that they will put the Town of Altha before their family, friends and finances.”
RUNNING THEIR OWN ELECTION
Council members have decided to break away from the county elections office and conduct their own town election, saying that it’s a way to save some money. They’ve also decided that they won’t use absentee ballots. The town’s 335 voters will have to come to town hall to cast their ballot, which will later be counted by hand since they will not be using the county’s voting machines.
They will hold a week of early voting leading up to election day, which was not specified at the meeting. Qualifying week will be held Monday, June 15 at 12 p.m. through Friday, June 19 at 12 p.m. The qualifying fee for Altha Town Council candidates will be $2.
Town Clerk Carol Finuff now has to add elections supervisor to her long list of duties. At last week’s meeting, she told the council she needed a package of watermarked paper, two boxes (one for early voting and the second for election) and three locks for each. Councilman Alday said he would build the boxes.
Finuff said she understands that she will have to have at least three poll workers on duty.
There was some question about whether candidates would have to go online to file paperwork and financial reports. “I thought that’s what we were trying to get away from,” Alday said, adding, “The paperwork and the reports deter good people from running.”
In other business that night:
• Kristin Brown of Preble-Rish told the board that they will submit a grant request to the Department of Economic Opportunity to fund improvements in town. She said that a community advisory task force meeting determined that drainage issues were a top concern. The area targeted for repairs includes First through Fifth Street, Smith Street, Broad Street and Oak Street. Any leftover funding would be used to pave those streets. “We will submit grants on June 22. It will probably be mid-summer to September before we hear anything back,” she said.
•The council will have a budget hearing at the end of the month.
•The mayor gave an update on the community center, noting that they have seven new tables but need more. He suggested using rental fees to buy more tables. It was also pointed out that the building “is desperately in need of a new roof.”
Two council members were absent that night. Shane Eagleston had a prior obligation with the recreation program and Joe Ammason was ill and reportedly entered into hospice care. Council members later learned that he died over the weekend. Town Hall was closed for his funeral Tuesday.