By Paul Stackhouse
Across the years, plenty of bass tournaments have called Wheeler Lake home. Prizes ranged from cash, boats and even cars.
This week’s fishing tournament offers a week in Japan for two people to the winner.
The inaugural American Dream Tournament is slated for Saturday and Sunday at Ingalls Harbor with registration Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Academy Sports 1205 Wimberly Drive S.W., in Decatur. Entry fee is $150 per team. It is a bring-your-own partner event.
Japan’s Kota Kiriyama, who recently moved to Moody, has had his share of success on the Bassmaster tournament trails. He has received six invitations to fish the Bassmaster Classic and won the 2008 Lake Erie Elite.
“I’ve had three of these tournaments in Japan where the winners came to the United States as the grand prize,” Kiriyama said. “Now, I’m doing just the opposite for this tournament. The winner here on Wheeler Lake will go to Japan for a week.”
The winners will get to fish on Lake Biwa in Japan where the world-record-tying largemouth bass weight was caught.
“But, fishing on Lake Biwa is just the beginning. This is also going to be a cultural trip. I can guarantee they are going to enjoy this trip to the homeland. It will be a week of learning history and culture and bass fishing. And, I want to make sure everybody knows that’s just the first-place prize. We have a lot, lot more. If we have say 150 boats entered, second place could be $1,000.”
Takeoffs from Ingalls Harbor are to begin at 6:30 a.m. or safe-light each day with the weigh-ins slated to begin at 3 that afternoon, also at Ingalls Harbor.
To find out more about the tournament, including rules and regulations, you may visit kotaamericandream.com, or call Doug Nichles at 205-396-5556. You also may visit the Decatur/Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website at decaturcvb.org.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Decatur budget scrapes through council
Russell, Jackson vote against plan; Reeves ‘optimistic’
By Evan Belanger
Decatur City Council President Greg Reeves said he was “cautiously optimistic” the city can rein in more than $1 million in deficit spending called for in its fiscal 2011 budget.
But Councilman Ronny Russell called the plan “undefined and unrealistic” as the council narrowly approved the new budget in a 3-2 vote Monday.
Prior to the vote, Reeves said the $53.26 million budget would stretch every penny of government spending toward maximum efficiency as the city faces a tight fiscal year.
“We’ve got be to be as efficient as possible and do as much as we can with what we’ve got,” he said.
Russell, however, said he was uncomfortable with revenue projections made by the city’s Finance Department, which overprojected the city’s income during fiscal 2009 and 2010.
Hiring freeze
He also said he did not trust Mayor Don Stanford’s judgment regarding an ongoing hiring freeze designed to reduce the projected deficit. That freeze calls for Stanford to determine whether vacant positions are critical before the city fills them.
“I believe this budget to be the culmination of the past two years of this administration, which, unfortunately, I feel like has left a legacy of arrogance and embarrassment to this city,” Russell said.
Monday’s voting saw Russell and Councilman Billy Jackson in opposition of the budget, which they blocked from consideration during the council’s Oct. 4 meeting. Reeves and Councilmen Gary Hammon and Roger Anders voted yes.
“I think it’s a very reasonable budget,” Anders said before voting. “I think it’s an attainable budget, and I appreciate the work of Linda (McKinney) and the mayor and Wally (Terry) to get it to us.”
Overall, the budget projects $53.26 million in spending versus $52.26 million in revenues for a deficit topping $1 million during fiscal 2011. Compared to the fiscal 2010 amended budget, that means the city’s spending will be up $352,306 while revenues will be down nearly $1.29 million, according to projections.
Actual numbers for fiscal 2010, which ended Sept. 30, will not be available until November at the earliest.
Included in the budget is $125,000 in revenue to be generated by a 1-percent increase in the lodgings tax charged for local hotel stays. The council approved that tax hike Monday in another 3-2 vote — again with Russell and Jackson in opposition.
After the meeting, Jackson cited a letter from the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau cautioning the tax hike would be harmful as his reason for opposing the tax hike.
“This budget is totally unrealistic,” he said.
To eliminate the projected deficit, Stanford, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, called previously for a hiring freeze for all non-essential positions. According to city estimates, that will save about $400,000 during fiscal 2011.
Stanford also proposed previously a host of spending cuts to be implemented as the fiscal year progresses. Those cuts would take $250,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department, reducing operating hours at some recreation centers, cutting funding to swim programs, and eliminating 18 part-time contract positions.
They would also take $400,000 from other departments in the form of unspecific overtime reductions, efficiency enhancements, increased outsourcing, and fewer part-time contract positions.
Stanford said he may also consider employee layoffs and eliminating the annual merit raises city workers get during their first 10 years of employment if his plan fails to address the projected deficit.
Carnegie appropriation
Also included in the fiscal 2011 budget is a $20,000 appropriation to the Carnegie Visual Arts Center — up from the $4,940 the center got in fiscal 2010. But the council will wait at least until its Nov. 1 meeting to consider a contract authorizing that and other city appropriations.
Noel King, president of the Carnegie’s board of directors, said the board requested the delay of its appropriation so the center will have time to evaluate its finances and present the council with any safeguards it plans to implement.
The board announced Thursday the resignation of the Carnegie’s former executive director, Laura Phillips, after the board identified what it termed “accounting irregularities.” A spokesman for the Decatur Police Department said police are investigating a “suspected financial impropriety” at the center.
Despite those reports, Reeves said Monday he was not aware of any discussion aimed at changing the Carnegie’s appropriation. While Jackson said he plans to oppose the group’s funding for budgetary reasons, he said his decision is not related to the ongoing investigation.
Hammon, meanwhile, said the board requested the delay because it was starting a “forensic audit” — an audit suitable for use in a court of law — of its financial records. “They’re wanting to see how that comes out,” he said.
Overall, the fiscal 2011 budget includes $3.02 in appropriations to outside agencies like the Carnegie — down $26,603 from the amended 2010 budget.
Compared to the amended fiscal 2010 budget, it cuts funding to 13 city departments.
By Evan Belanger
Decatur City Council President Greg Reeves said he was “cautiously optimistic” the city can rein in more than $1 million in deficit spending called for in its fiscal 2011 budget.
But Councilman Ronny Russell called the plan “undefined and unrealistic” as the council narrowly approved the new budget in a 3-2 vote Monday.
Prior to the vote, Reeves said the $53.26 million budget would stretch every penny of government spending toward maximum efficiency as the city faces a tight fiscal year.
“We’ve got be to be as efficient as possible and do as much as we can with what we’ve got,” he said.
Russell, however, said he was uncomfortable with revenue projections made by the city’s Finance Department, which overprojected the city’s income during fiscal 2009 and 2010.
Hiring freeze
He also said he did not trust Mayor Don Stanford’s judgment regarding an ongoing hiring freeze designed to reduce the projected deficit. That freeze calls for Stanford to determine whether vacant positions are critical before the city fills them.
“I believe this budget to be the culmination of the past two years of this administration, which, unfortunately, I feel like has left a legacy of arrogance and embarrassment to this city,” Russell said.
Monday’s voting saw Russell and Councilman Billy Jackson in opposition of the budget, which they blocked from consideration during the council’s Oct. 4 meeting. Reeves and Councilmen Gary Hammon and Roger Anders voted yes.
“I think it’s a very reasonable budget,” Anders said before voting. “I think it’s an attainable budget, and I appreciate the work of Linda (McKinney) and the mayor and Wally (Terry) to get it to us.”
Overall, the budget projects $53.26 million in spending versus $52.26 million in revenues for a deficit topping $1 million during fiscal 2011. Compared to the fiscal 2010 amended budget, that means the city’s spending will be up $352,306 while revenues will be down nearly $1.29 million, according to projections.
Actual numbers for fiscal 2010, which ended Sept. 30, will not be available until November at the earliest.
Included in the budget is $125,000 in revenue to be generated by a 1-percent increase in the lodgings tax charged for local hotel stays. The council approved that tax hike Monday in another 3-2 vote — again with Russell and Jackson in opposition.
After the meeting, Jackson cited a letter from the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau cautioning the tax hike would be harmful as his reason for opposing the tax hike.
“This budget is totally unrealistic,” he said.
To eliminate the projected deficit, Stanford, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, called previously for a hiring freeze for all non-essential positions. According to city estimates, that will save about $400,000 during fiscal 2011.
Stanford also proposed previously a host of spending cuts to be implemented as the fiscal year progresses. Those cuts would take $250,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department, reducing operating hours at some recreation centers, cutting funding to swim programs, and eliminating 18 part-time contract positions.
They would also take $400,000 from other departments in the form of unspecific overtime reductions, efficiency enhancements, increased outsourcing, and fewer part-time contract positions.
Stanford said he may also consider employee layoffs and eliminating the annual merit raises city workers get during their first 10 years of employment if his plan fails to address the projected deficit.
Carnegie appropriation
Also included in the fiscal 2011 budget is a $20,000 appropriation to the Carnegie Visual Arts Center — up from the $4,940 the center got in fiscal 2010. But the council will wait at least until its Nov. 1 meeting to consider a contract authorizing that and other city appropriations.
Noel King, president of the Carnegie’s board of directors, said the board requested the delay of its appropriation so the center will have time to evaluate its finances and present the council with any safeguards it plans to implement.
The board announced Thursday the resignation of the Carnegie’s former executive director, Laura Phillips, after the board identified what it termed “accounting irregularities.” A spokesman for the Decatur Police Department said police are investigating a “suspected financial impropriety” at the center.
Despite those reports, Reeves said Monday he was not aware of any discussion aimed at changing the Carnegie’s appropriation. While Jackson said he plans to oppose the group’s funding for budgetary reasons, he said his decision is not related to the ongoing investigation.
Hammon, meanwhile, said the board requested the delay because it was starting a “forensic audit” — an audit suitable for use in a court of law — of its financial records. “They’re wanting to see how that comes out,” he said.
Overall, the fiscal 2011 budget includes $3.02 in appropriations to outside agencies like the Carnegie — down $26,603 from the amended 2010 budget.
Compared to the amended fiscal 2010 budget, it cuts funding to 13 city departments.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
BASS anglers descend on Wheeler for Southern Shootout
By Paul Huggins
Staff Writer
Nearly 400 anglers from seven states are scheduled to begin a three-day tournament today on Wheeler Lake as part of the BASS Federation Nation’s Southern Team Shootout.
The event features 66 six-person teams from fishing clubs in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky. Teams will start each morning at 6:30 from Ingalls Harbor. Weigh-ins, also held at Ingalls, will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Charles Graybeal, president of the Tennessee BASS Federation, chose Wheeler Lake for the event based on personal experience that all competitors will catch a lot of fish.
“It’s a great fishing lake. I love Wheeler,” he said. “I wish we had more lakes like this.”
The BASS Federation Nation tournament circuit is not a professional series that focuses on an individual winner. It is strictly a team competition with a foundation in local fishing clubs.
“This tournament is all about fishing with your partner and having a good time,” Graybeal said.
Each team pays a $600 entry fee, and all entry fees go directly back to participants as prize money.
The 66 teams will share in $237,000. The team with the heaviest fish weight from three days will win $2,400. One out of every five teams will win some type of cash prize.
Teams began arriving Saturday for pre-tournament practice, and all were in town Monday for tournament meetings. The Jameson Inn and Holiday Inn & Suites are host hotels for the Southern Team Shootout. The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau will report the economic impact of the event after counting hotel rooms filled after the tourney ends.
Staff Writer
Nearly 400 anglers from seven states are scheduled to begin a three-day tournament today on Wheeler Lake as part of the BASS Federation Nation’s Southern Team Shootout.
The event features 66 six-person teams from fishing clubs in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky. Teams will start each morning at 6:30 from Ingalls Harbor. Weigh-ins, also held at Ingalls, will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Charles Graybeal, president of the Tennessee BASS Federation, chose Wheeler Lake for the event based on personal experience that all competitors will catch a lot of fish.
“It’s a great fishing lake. I love Wheeler,” he said. “I wish we had more lakes like this.”
The BASS Federation Nation tournament circuit is not a professional series that focuses on an individual winner. It is strictly a team competition with a foundation in local fishing clubs.
“This tournament is all about fishing with your partner and having a good time,” Graybeal said.
Each team pays a $600 entry fee, and all entry fees go directly back to participants as prize money.
The 66 teams will share in $237,000. The team with the heaviest fish weight from three days will win $2,400. One out of every five teams will win some type of cash prize.
Teams began arriving Saturday for pre-tournament practice, and all were in town Monday for tournament meetings. The Jameson Inn and Holiday Inn & Suites are host hotels for the Southern Team Shootout. The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau will report the economic impact of the event after counting hotel rooms filled after the tourney ends.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Racking Up Gain
Racking up gains
Event’s revenues, participation up
By Paul Huggins
PRICEVILLE — Racking horse officials say they’ve experienced their greatest breeding season in a long time, only they’re not talking about equine genetics.
Revenue and optimism have grown beyond what they hoped for after agreeing to terms to sell Celebration Arena to the State Products Mart a year ago.
“Excitement breeds excitement,” said Chris Walker, Racking Horse Breeders Association of America president, from Crossville, Tenn.
The positive outlook on the racking horse breed’s future is evident everywhere around the arena grounds. It’s in the new registry ledgers that show a 26-percent increase this year.
See Also:
Horsin' around
It’s in the rear parking lot packed with horse trailers. It’s in fuller campsites. It’s in the barns that have more stalls rented than last year.
And it’s in brimming confidence for a 5-year marketing plan aimed at the grass-roots level.
Horse entries for the nine-day World Celebration, which concludes Saturday, are up 10 percent from last year.
The show rented out 530 stalls through Monday, 200 more than last year.
All but three of the 69 camper sites are occupied, the highest in years.
New registrations
Registration of new racking horses rose significantly from 304 in 2009 to 410 so far in 2010.
All that growth points to more revenue than in previous years.
“They say if you’re treading water in this economy, you’re doing good,” Walker said.
“But we’ve done better than treading water, we’ve seen an increase in revenue. We’ve outdone the rest of the economy. I think that speaks volumes.”
Racking horse growth bodes well for Decatur. Until recent years when the RHBAA saw its membership nosedive, World Celebration was the city’s largest tourism event annually. In 2003, World Celebration filled more than 2,500 hotel room nights.
Start of decline
A steep decline began in 2004, and last year, the show filled 302 room nights. The economic impact dropped from about $1 million in 2003 to $150,000 last year, according to figures from the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Walker and other racking horse officials said the growth stems from the most important factor in the economy: confidence.
The membership has regained confidence, they said, particularly with the association staff and with management of the arena. The latter is now under control of the Products Mart.
Judy Jones, RHBAA past president from Naples, N.C., and Fred McRoy, head of the association’s personnel and property committee from Olive Branch, Ill., said for several years, members grew frustrated by overextended staff and volunteers who couldn’t keep pace with basic needs. Often, association officers from out of town had to deal with facility issues, such as electric outages.
Cost issues
McRoy said it usually wasn’t simply a matter of finding someone to do repairs; it was finding someone affordable.
“I hardly ever get a call now,” McRoy said.
“Before, it was almost an every day deal,” Jones added.
The Products Mart, which officially bought the arena and property in January, made upgrades to the facility, including new water lines and a covered warm-up area, and has shown it will quickly respond to needs, both big and small, when horse shows come to the arena.
“When you have a problem and somebody is there to help you, it means a lot, and we didn’t have people who took care of that.” McRoy said.
Jones said selling the arena allows the association to focus full attention on promoting the racking horse breed.
Small shows throughout the spring and summer benefitted from financial and personal assistance this year, she added, and more attention to the grass-roots level should generate more interest in the bigger shows like World Celebration.
Jim Morris, former chairman of the personnel and property committee from Perryville, Mo., credits the extra attention given to association members is probably the chief reason there was a 26-percent increase in racking horse registrations this year. For the first time in years, the general public could see RHBAA officers unstressed and upbeat, he said.
“I’ve seen more enthusiasm with everybody down here, more enthusiasm than I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Morris said.
McRoy conceded he was pessimistic when he joined the RHBAA board three years ago, and it was wearing him out to spend 28 days out of the year in Priceville attending to facility issues.
“When I joined the board three years ago, I had to ask, ‘Why are you doing this. What is the future,’ ” he said.
“After we sold this place, I saw a future. I can see the positives of it. This year, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Event’s revenues, participation up
By Paul Huggins
PRICEVILLE — Racking horse officials say they’ve experienced their greatest breeding season in a long time, only they’re not talking about equine genetics.
Revenue and optimism have grown beyond what they hoped for after agreeing to terms to sell Celebration Arena to the State Products Mart a year ago.
“Excitement breeds excitement,” said Chris Walker, Racking Horse Breeders Association of America president, from Crossville, Tenn.
The positive outlook on the racking horse breed’s future is evident everywhere around the arena grounds. It’s in the new registry ledgers that show a 26-percent increase this year.
See Also:
Horsin' around
It’s in the rear parking lot packed with horse trailers. It’s in fuller campsites. It’s in the barns that have more stalls rented than last year.
And it’s in brimming confidence for a 5-year marketing plan aimed at the grass-roots level.
Horse entries for the nine-day World Celebration, which concludes Saturday, are up 10 percent from last year.
The show rented out 530 stalls through Monday, 200 more than last year.
All but three of the 69 camper sites are occupied, the highest in years.
New registrations
Registration of new racking horses rose significantly from 304 in 2009 to 410 so far in 2010.
All that growth points to more revenue than in previous years.
“They say if you’re treading water in this economy, you’re doing good,” Walker said.
“But we’ve done better than treading water, we’ve seen an increase in revenue. We’ve outdone the rest of the economy. I think that speaks volumes.”
Racking horse growth bodes well for Decatur. Until recent years when the RHBAA saw its membership nosedive, World Celebration was the city’s largest tourism event annually. In 2003, World Celebration filled more than 2,500 hotel room nights.
Start of decline
A steep decline began in 2004, and last year, the show filled 302 room nights. The economic impact dropped from about $1 million in 2003 to $150,000 last year, according to figures from the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Walker and other racking horse officials said the growth stems from the most important factor in the economy: confidence.
The membership has regained confidence, they said, particularly with the association staff and with management of the arena. The latter is now under control of the Products Mart.
Judy Jones, RHBAA past president from Naples, N.C., and Fred McRoy, head of the association’s personnel and property committee from Olive Branch, Ill., said for several years, members grew frustrated by overextended staff and volunteers who couldn’t keep pace with basic needs. Often, association officers from out of town had to deal with facility issues, such as electric outages.
Cost issues
McRoy said it usually wasn’t simply a matter of finding someone to do repairs; it was finding someone affordable.
“I hardly ever get a call now,” McRoy said.
“Before, it was almost an every day deal,” Jones added.
The Products Mart, which officially bought the arena and property in January, made upgrades to the facility, including new water lines and a covered warm-up area, and has shown it will quickly respond to needs, both big and small, when horse shows come to the arena.
“When you have a problem and somebody is there to help you, it means a lot, and we didn’t have people who took care of that.” McRoy said.
Jones said selling the arena allows the association to focus full attention on promoting the racking horse breed.
Small shows throughout the spring and summer benefitted from financial and personal assistance this year, she added, and more attention to the grass-roots level should generate more interest in the bigger shows like World Celebration.
Jim Morris, former chairman of the personnel and property committee from Perryville, Mo., credits the extra attention given to association members is probably the chief reason there was a 26-percent increase in racking horse registrations this year. For the first time in years, the general public could see RHBAA officers unstressed and upbeat, he said.
“I’ve seen more enthusiasm with everybody down here, more enthusiasm than I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Morris said.
McRoy conceded he was pessimistic when he joined the RHBAA board three years ago, and it was wearing him out to spend 28 days out of the year in Priceville attending to facility issues.
“When I joined the board three years ago, I had to ask, ‘Why are you doing this. What is the future,’ ” he said.
“After we sold this place, I saw a future. I can see the positives of it. This year, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Decatur officials considering fee increases to help balance budget
By Evan Belanger, The Decatur Daily
Decatur Mayor Don Stanford’s proposed budget for fiscal 2011 includes a host of revenue-generating fee increases, as well as numerous spending cuts.
City officials discussed the budget during a finance meeting Wednesday. Proposed fee increases included a 2-percent hike in the city’s 6-percent lodging tax and a 0.9-percent increase in garbage-collection rates.
Also proposed
Other budget proposals included a $1-per-month fee to be collected on all utility bills to recoup the cost of operating and maintaining street lights, traffic signals and outdoor lighting in public parks.
Another proposal projected $250,000 in additional revenue if the city hires Revenue Discovery Systems of Birmingham to help identify and collect delinquent taxes from companies and individuals that have done business in Decatur without purchasing a business license.
As expected, Stanford’s budget also called for numerous spending cuts, including the reduction or elimination of 27 public-service contracts and a $500,000 cut to the city school system. It would cut spending in nearly every city department, too.
The combined fee hikes and spending cuts increase Stanford’s revenue projection for fiscal 2011 from $51.94 million as of Sept. 1 to $53.32 million. That’s an overall revenue increase of nearly $1.4 million to project a $110,423 surplus for fiscal 2011, which begins Oct. 1.
Work in progress
Stanford and General Services Director Wally Terry stressed the budget was still a work in progress and that none of the proposals would become official until approved by the City Council.
“We want to look at all options to us ahead of time and that’s all we’re doing,” Terry said.
Of the city’s five councilmen, only Councilman Roger Anders attended the full meeting. While Councilman Billy Jackson stayed for part of the meeting, he left after discussion of a Fire and Rescue Department grant concluded.
Prior to the meeting, Jackson said he did not plan to stay for the full session because he did not want to condone the Wednesday finance meeting, which he said excludes the public from city business.
In reaction to the budget proposals, Anders asked for research showing how the proposed 8-percent lodging tax would compare with other cities’ lodging taxes. He also said he was concerned about cutting municipal appropriations to which the council had already committed.
“We’ll do our best to see what we can do about getting that back to them,” Stanford responded.
In addition to the proposals included in Stanford’s budget, Finance Supervisor Linda McKinney presented contingency options for the council to consider during upcoming budget hearings.
Those projected $120,000 in additional revenue if the city begins charging for public services it currently provides free and $500,000 in savings if the city cuts what a finance document referred to as “an identified service.”
City officials declined to say what services they may charge for or what service they may cut.
“Until we’re 100 percent sure that this is what we’re going to do, we’re not going to start speculating to the news media or to the public about, ‘We may do this, we may do that,’ ” Stanford said.
Another contingency proposal projected $800,000 in additional revenue if the city begins charging a sales-and-use tax in its police jurisdiction.
The proposed budget comes as the city officials project a $1.5-million budget deficit this year and a second consecutive year of declining revenue during fiscal 2011, after flat revenue in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
“We cannot expect to live on the revenues that we’ve lived on for the past four years,” Terry said.
“We’ve got to look at all options, and some of those options might not be viable, but if we don’t look at them and discuss them as a community, we won’t know that.”
Councilmen Gary Hammon, Ronny Russell and Greg Reeves did not attend the meeting.
Public service cuts
A draft of Mayor Don Stanford’s proposed budget for fiscal 2011 calls for numerous cuts to public-service agencies contracted with the city. Finance Supervisor Linda McKinney said the proposed cuts are based on several factors, including how much the agency received previously and the percentage that the city funding accounts for in the agencies’ budgets (*—proposed for 2011):
Agency 2010 Budget 2011* %Change
Decatur Public Library $372,081 $334,873 (10)
Morgan County Emergency Management District $566,474 $550,000 (2.9)
Decatur-Morgan County Emergency Mgt. Agency $26,791 $23,442 (12.5)
North-central Alabama Regional Council
of Governments (NARCOG)/Regional Planning $18,486 $18,846 0
North Central Alabama Mental Health Board $19,402 $0 (100)
Morgan County Economic Development Association $76,274 $64,883 (14.9)
NARCOG/Transportation Planning $26,100 $26,100 0
North Central Alabama Mental Retardation Authority $12,585 $10,680 (15.1)
NARCOG/Senior Aid Program $2,000 $0 (100)
Morgan County Health Department $148,200 $118,560 (20)
North Alabama Meals on Wheels Program $19,760 $15,808 (20)
Foster Grandparents Program $14,301 $0 (100)
Dec.-Morg. Co. Chamber of Commerce/BRAC program $9,534 $0 (100)
Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts $49,400 $40,000 (19)
Morgan County Area Transportation System $148,200 $150,000 1.2
Decatur-Morgan County Seniors Council $59,112 $53,200 (10)
Decatur-Morg. Co. Convention and Visitors Bureau $522,000 $560,000 7.3
Morgan County Rescue Squad $9,534 $8,342 (12.5)
Pryor Field Airport Authority $30,000 $30,000 0
Mainstreet Decatur $33,370 $0 (100)
Decatur-Morg. Co. Chamber/Cornerstone Partnership $38,137 $40,000 4.9
Hospice of the Valley $5,434 $0 (100)
American Red Cross $5,434 $0 (100)
Decatur Beautification Board $19,068 $18,000 (5.6)
North Central Alabama Mental Health/Facets $16,208 $0 (100)
ARC of Morgan County $7,074 $5,659 (20)
Dec.-Morg. Co. Chamber/Business Dev. Board $28,602 $22,882 (20)
Volunteer Center of Morgan County $10,488 $0 (100)
Carnegie Visual Arts Center $4,940 $20,000 304.9
Parents And Children Together $4,767 $0 (100)
Morgan County System of Services $4,800 $4,800 0
Decatur Community Free Clinic $74,100 $59,280 (20)
Morgan County Child Advocacy Center $24,700 $20,995 (15)
Junior Achievement of North Alabama $4,767 $0 (100)
Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority $74,100 $74,100 0
Decatur Youth Symphony $14,302 $13,500 (5.6)
Calhoun Community College Robotics Complex $250,000 $250,000 0
Downtown Arts Center $200,000 $300,000 50
Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center $60,000 $90,000 50
Total $3,010,885 $2,923,950 (2.9)
Decatur Mayor Don Stanford’s proposed budget for fiscal 2011 includes a host of revenue-generating fee increases, as well as numerous spending cuts.
City officials discussed the budget during a finance meeting Wednesday. Proposed fee increases included a 2-percent hike in the city’s 6-percent lodging tax and a 0.9-percent increase in garbage-collection rates.
Also proposed
Other budget proposals included a $1-per-month fee to be collected on all utility bills to recoup the cost of operating and maintaining street lights, traffic signals and outdoor lighting in public parks.
Another proposal projected $250,000 in additional revenue if the city hires Revenue Discovery Systems of Birmingham to help identify and collect delinquent taxes from companies and individuals that have done business in Decatur without purchasing a business license.
As expected, Stanford’s budget also called for numerous spending cuts, including the reduction or elimination of 27 public-service contracts and a $500,000 cut to the city school system. It would cut spending in nearly every city department, too.
The combined fee hikes and spending cuts increase Stanford’s revenue projection for fiscal 2011 from $51.94 million as of Sept. 1 to $53.32 million. That’s an overall revenue increase of nearly $1.4 million to project a $110,423 surplus for fiscal 2011, which begins Oct. 1.
Work in progress
Stanford and General Services Director Wally Terry stressed the budget was still a work in progress and that none of the proposals would become official until approved by the City Council.
“We want to look at all options to us ahead of time and that’s all we’re doing,” Terry said.
Of the city’s five councilmen, only Councilman Roger Anders attended the full meeting. While Councilman Billy Jackson stayed for part of the meeting, he left after discussion of a Fire and Rescue Department grant concluded.
Prior to the meeting, Jackson said he did not plan to stay for the full session because he did not want to condone the Wednesday finance meeting, which he said excludes the public from city business.
In reaction to the budget proposals, Anders asked for research showing how the proposed 8-percent lodging tax would compare with other cities’ lodging taxes. He also said he was concerned about cutting municipal appropriations to which the council had already committed.
“We’ll do our best to see what we can do about getting that back to them,” Stanford responded.
In addition to the proposals included in Stanford’s budget, Finance Supervisor Linda McKinney presented contingency options for the council to consider during upcoming budget hearings.
Those projected $120,000 in additional revenue if the city begins charging for public services it currently provides free and $500,000 in savings if the city cuts what a finance document referred to as “an identified service.”
City officials declined to say what services they may charge for or what service they may cut.
“Until we’re 100 percent sure that this is what we’re going to do, we’re not going to start speculating to the news media or to the public about, ‘We may do this, we may do that,’ ” Stanford said.
Another contingency proposal projected $800,000 in additional revenue if the city begins charging a sales-and-use tax in its police jurisdiction.
The proposed budget comes as the city officials project a $1.5-million budget deficit this year and a second consecutive year of declining revenue during fiscal 2011, after flat revenue in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
“We cannot expect to live on the revenues that we’ve lived on for the past four years,” Terry said.
“We’ve got to look at all options, and some of those options might not be viable, but if we don’t look at them and discuss them as a community, we won’t know that.”
Councilmen Gary Hammon, Ronny Russell and Greg Reeves did not attend the meeting.
Public service cuts
A draft of Mayor Don Stanford’s proposed budget for fiscal 2011 calls for numerous cuts to public-service agencies contracted with the city. Finance Supervisor Linda McKinney said the proposed cuts are based on several factors, including how much the agency received previously and the percentage that the city funding accounts for in the agencies’ budgets (*—proposed for 2011):
Agency 2010 Budget 2011* %Change
Decatur Public Library $372,081 $334,873 (10)
Morgan County Emergency Management District $566,474 $550,000 (2.9)
Decatur-Morgan County Emergency Mgt. Agency $26,791 $23,442 (12.5)
North-central Alabama Regional Council
of Governments (NARCOG)/Regional Planning $18,486 $18,846 0
North Central Alabama Mental Health Board $19,402 $0 (100)
Morgan County Economic Development Association $76,274 $64,883 (14.9)
NARCOG/Transportation Planning $26,100 $26,100 0
North Central Alabama Mental Retardation Authority $12,585 $10,680 (15.1)
NARCOG/Senior Aid Program $2,000 $0 (100)
Morgan County Health Department $148,200 $118,560 (20)
North Alabama Meals on Wheels Program $19,760 $15,808 (20)
Foster Grandparents Program $14,301 $0 (100)
Dec.-Morg. Co. Chamber of Commerce/BRAC program $9,534 $0 (100)
Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts $49,400 $40,000 (19)
Morgan County Area Transportation System $148,200 $150,000 1.2
Decatur-Morgan County Seniors Council $59,112 $53,200 (10)
Decatur-Morg. Co. Convention and Visitors Bureau $522,000 $560,000 7.3
Morgan County Rescue Squad $9,534 $8,342 (12.5)
Pryor Field Airport Authority $30,000 $30,000 0
Mainstreet Decatur $33,370 $0 (100)
Decatur-Morg. Co. Chamber/Cornerstone Partnership $38,137 $40,000 4.9
Hospice of the Valley $5,434 $0 (100)
American Red Cross $5,434 $0 (100)
Decatur Beautification Board $19,068 $18,000 (5.6)
North Central Alabama Mental Health/Facets $16,208 $0 (100)
ARC of Morgan County $7,074 $5,659 (20)
Dec.-Morg. Co. Chamber/Business Dev. Board $28,602 $22,882 (20)
Volunteer Center of Morgan County $10,488 $0 (100)
Carnegie Visual Arts Center $4,940 $20,000 304.9
Parents And Children Together $4,767 $0 (100)
Morgan County System of Services $4,800 $4,800 0
Decatur Community Free Clinic $74,100 $59,280 (20)
Morgan County Child Advocacy Center $24,700 $20,995 (15)
Junior Achievement of North Alabama $4,767 $0 (100)
Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority $74,100 $74,100 0
Decatur Youth Symphony $14,302 $13,500 (5.6)
Calhoun Community College Robotics Complex $250,000 $250,000 0
Downtown Arts Center $200,000 $300,000 50
Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center $60,000 $90,000 50
Total $3,010,885 $2,923,950 (2.9)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Several spending votes pulled from City Council agenda
By Evan Belanger, The Decatur Daily
Decatur Council President Greg Reeves has delayed votes on two transportation-enhancement projects, pending the outcome of upcoming budget talks.
Reeves said Tuesday he called off the votes, which would have authorized projects to revamp a portion of Bank Street downtown and beautify the U.S. 31 causeway, because he was not sure the city will have the needed $134,430 in its incomplete fiscal 2011 budget to match grants for the projects.
While he described the projects as needed and said he would know more as the city continues its budget process, he also said the city may have to wait until fiscal 2012 to fund its portion.
The 2010 grants awarded by the Alabama Department of Transportation total $537,720 in federal funding, not including the city’s matching funds. Grant Administrator Allen Stover said the city must start the projects by 2012 to accept the grant money.
Hiring vote delayed
In related matters, Reeves also delayed a vote that would have hired the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama at a cost of $17,000 to help the city adopt a new budgeting system. Reeves said he expects that item will make it back on the council’s agenda for consideration Sept. 20 or Oct. 4.
At the request of Tami Reist, director of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Reeves also canceled four votes that would have increased the bureau’s take from the city’s lodging tax from 75 percent to 95 percent.
The extra funding was intended as part of a plan for the visitors bureau to begin funding the Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts and the Carnegie Visual Arts Center.
But Reeves said the plan may be unraveling because Reist had concerns the proposed funding was not enough to cover the extra expense. Reist said the votes were tabled because they were uncertain if the funds would be available in the city’s 2011 budget.
It was not clear Tuesday when the council will consider a budget for fiscal 2011, which begins Oct. 1.
Decatur Council President Greg Reeves has delayed votes on two transportation-enhancement projects, pending the outcome of upcoming budget talks.
Reeves said Tuesday he called off the votes, which would have authorized projects to revamp a portion of Bank Street downtown and beautify the U.S. 31 causeway, because he was not sure the city will have the needed $134,430 in its incomplete fiscal 2011 budget to match grants for the projects.
While he described the projects as needed and said he would know more as the city continues its budget process, he also said the city may have to wait until fiscal 2012 to fund its portion.
The 2010 grants awarded by the Alabama Department of Transportation total $537,720 in federal funding, not including the city’s matching funds. Grant Administrator Allen Stover said the city must start the projects by 2012 to accept the grant money.
Hiring vote delayed
In related matters, Reeves also delayed a vote that would have hired the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama at a cost of $17,000 to help the city adopt a new budgeting system. Reeves said he expects that item will make it back on the council’s agenda for consideration Sept. 20 or Oct. 4.
At the request of Tami Reist, director of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Reeves also canceled four votes that would have increased the bureau’s take from the city’s lodging tax from 75 percent to 95 percent.
The extra funding was intended as part of a plan for the visitors bureau to begin funding the Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts and the Carnegie Visual Arts Center.
But Reeves said the plan may be unraveling because Reist had concerns the proposed funding was not enough to cover the extra expense. Reist said the votes were tabled because they were uncertain if the funds would be available in the city’s 2011 budget.
It was not clear Tuesday when the council will consider a budget for fiscal 2011, which begins Oct. 1.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Riverfest 2010
From the Decatur Daily
According to Norman Roby, there will be butts burning in Decatur this weekend, and you don’t want to miss it! The 16th annual Decatur Jaycees Riverfest will roll into Ingalls Harbor on Friday and Saturday with fun, food and entertainment like you have never seen or heard of around these parts.
The 2010 event kicks off with the unveiling of a historic marker celebrating the heritage of Ingalls Harbor and its future as a world-class entertainment venue. The unveiling is set for noon Friday. The Carolina Chocolate Drops will headline the event on Friday night at 9:45. Be sure to register Friday before 8 p.m. for the 5K Rib Run that will begin Saturday morning at 8 a.m. followed by awards at 9:30. Registration is $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race and is sponsored by Pepsi and Fleet Street Sports. Saturday also features a canoe/kayak race at the Riverwalk Marina starting at 10 to benefit the Morgan County Rescue Squad with entry fees at $25 for a two-man (or woman) team. Over $500 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Enjoy the variety of foods and the new addition of arts and craft vendors along with what promises to be a grand adventure. One-day passes are $10 and weekend passes are $15. They can be purchased through the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce or the Convention and Visitors Bureau, both on Sixth Avenue, online at www.decaturjaycees.com or at the gate for cash only.
According to Norman Roby, there will be butts burning in Decatur this weekend, and you don’t want to miss it! The 16th annual Decatur Jaycees Riverfest will roll into Ingalls Harbor on Friday and Saturday with fun, food and entertainment like you have never seen or heard of around these parts.
The 2010 event kicks off with the unveiling of a historic marker celebrating the heritage of Ingalls Harbor and its future as a world-class entertainment venue. The unveiling is set for noon Friday. The Carolina Chocolate Drops will headline the event on Friday night at 9:45. Be sure to register Friday before 8 p.m. for the 5K Rib Run that will begin Saturday morning at 8 a.m. followed by awards at 9:30. Registration is $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race and is sponsored by Pepsi and Fleet Street Sports. Saturday also features a canoe/kayak race at the Riverwalk Marina starting at 10 to benefit the Morgan County Rescue Squad with entry fees at $25 for a two-man (or woman) team. Over $500 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Enjoy the variety of foods and the new addition of arts and craft vendors along with what promises to be a grand adventure. One-day passes are $10 and weekend passes are $15. They can be purchased through the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce or the Convention and Visitors Bureau, both on Sixth Avenue, online at www.decaturjaycees.com or at the gate for cash only.
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