City takes option on acreage

In a brief meeting Thursday, the Demopolis City Council agreed to a six-month option to purchase 121.5 acres on the southwest corner of Maria Street and U.S. Hwy. 80 West now owned by the Thomas McGregor Trust.

The option will cost the city $3,000 per month while it conducts due diligence on the property. If the city decides to purchase the acreage, the option cost would go toward the total cost of $364,500, said Mayor John Laney.

At this time there is no explicit use for the property, the mayor said. It would be held for future expansion of city services.

In May of this year, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law required mandatory long-term and cancer insurance for fire fighters. The Council voted to cover the 25 employees of the Demopolis Fire and Rescue Department at a cost of $4,950 annually, starting Jan. 1.

Overtime costs for the Demopolis Police Department were approved for $5,016.75. The costs were incurred when the DPD assisted in the search for Taylor Rose Williams in November. The five-year-old’s body was discovered in rural Marengo County.

The Demopolis Water and Sewer Board was directed to include a quote for work to restore the Commissioners Avenue water tower for 20 years. The fate of the tower has been an issue for several months, whether to demolish it or restore it for recreation and tourist purposes.

The Council appointed Diane Brooker to the Marengo County Economic Development Authority board. Deferred until the January meeting were the appointments of Gary Malone and Seth Allgood to the Demopolis Park and Recreation Board.

The mayor announced that city clerk Sam Gross begins her term as the president of the Alabama Council of City Clerks and Administrators on Jan. 1. He also said that Public Works director Julius Rembert passed the examination for Building Code Certification and now is eligible to apply for certification from the Department of Labor as a Building Code official.

Council members approved a proclamation on human trafficking declaring January 2020.