Hello friends. Your new City Council members are off to a busy start. Since being sworn in we have had two Council meetings and an all day workshop on Ethics Training with the Alabama League of Municipalities. This was a very informative session and filled us to the brim with pertinent facts and rules and laws regarding our office.
Mayor Finley’s Update for November 27 to December 3, 2016
Team,
What a busy and exciting week for our city. As with most of you I truly enjoyed my Thanksgiving time and was ready to hit the ground running Monday.
Some highlights from the week are as follows:
Thanks again to all of you for your continued focus on our citizens and the improvement of their quality of life.
Have a great weekend!
Your Mayor,
Paul Finley
So far in Council session we have named an acting Police Chief (Major Jim Cooke), acting Fire Chief (Deputy Chief Brandy Williams) and acting City Attorney (Ms. Megan Zingarelli). I am very pleased with these three appointments and believe our City’s future is bright as we move forward. I personally appreciate the leadership and integrity that these three professionals display.
I have had the opportunity to help the neighbors of Windsor Parke subdivision. They had a vacant lot that was the responsibility of the management company to keep maintained. The neighbors brought to my attention that it was in poor condition with overgrowth and was potentially a safety issue for neighborhood children. I contacted Public Works who contacted the management company. Through the assistance of Public Works this area was taken care of and is no longer a hazard. The Management Company will be held responsible for costs incurred.
I hope to have a similar work party in the area along Wall Triana between The Reserve and Mill Creek Crossing. This area is mutually maintained by the two Home Owner Associations and as such the City is not able to intervene. I will post updates on the Bridgefield and The Reserve and Mill Creek Crossing Facebook pages as we look to early spring to prune and cutback the overgrowth in this area.
Several folks have asked me about a pool status regarding the city and Madison City School Board collaboration. City Administrator Taylor Edge has been working with the BOE and hopes to have two or three options for us to consider by the end of the year. I am encouraged by the progress that is being made.
The brand new movie theater located behind Publix on Highway 72 is back under construction with a new management company. The expected opening date is May, 2017. A letter of intent has been signed for the “old” Kroger. Details will be announced by the company under their timeline. Construction on the brand new library on Plaza Drive has begun. The Madison Library will increase in space from 15,000 to 25, 000 square feet. Construction should take approximately 18 months so mid 2018 is a tentative completion date.
After much research and discussion among council and wildlife professionals I am not going to pursue requesting a trapper be hired by the City to trap coyotes within the city limits. It has been advised that the answer is to keep all animals (especially cats and small dogs) inside and to go out with them at night as needed. I was also given the suggestion to spread a line of powdered laundry detergent along your property line. The smell will repel coyotes.
The Madison Christmas Parade is this Saturday, December 10th at 5:30. The parade route will start at Hughes and Plaza Road and will end in Downtown Madison. Here’s the link for more information: Madison Christmas Parade
Council meetings for December will be December 12th and 19th starting at 6 pm.
As always if you have any questions or concerns I can be reached at Email Maura. or 256.337.2408. Thank you for your continued support!