ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The city council congratulated Mayor Charles Murphy on being elected president of the Alabama League of Municipalities. The League has more than 450 communities, representing more than 99 percent of the urban population in the …
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ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The city council congratulated Mayor Charles Murphy on being elected president of the Alabama League of Municipalities. The League has more than 450 communities, representing more than 99 percent of the urban population in the state.
Murphy is the second Robertsdale mayor to hold the position since the League was formed in 1935. Mayor Josh Sellars was elected president in the 1970s.
“It's quite an honor for him, but also for the city of Robertsdale,” said Council Member Joe Kitchens. "I doubt there is another town our size in the state to have two presidents."
The League concentrates on issues of interest to towns and cities in the state. This year, ALM tracked legislation involving waste water, insurance, and other items of interest.
The council also voted to allow the police department to purchase a new van.
According to Police Chief Brad Kendrick, the van will be used to transport prisoners to court sessions and for other chores. Because the city has missed the current state purchasing cycle, it will wait for the next cycle. Kendrick does not expect the department to receive the van until September.
All council members, except for Paul Hollingsworth were present.
City Engineer Greg Smith presented an update on the city's Municipal Water Pollution Prevention report. This report has to be filed with The Alabama Department of Environmental Management annually.
“We actually had a final score of 53,” said Smith, adding that the lower the score, the better on this scale. “Last year, it was 100. We nearly cut that in half.”
Smith added that the “Rock Creek” upgrade to the sewer system were well in hand, and despite the rain that fell recently, helped cut down the amount of overflow from the system.
“We found out that some of our overflows were due to blockage,” said Murphy.
Smith added that the sewers that are blocked have been cleaned out. The council also voted to annex a wedge of land formerly right-of-way for L&N Railroad into the city. The property, which runs in part along County Road 71, was zoned R-1.
