Bobby Ledbetter’s
SCORE BIG THIS SEASON WITH TWIN CITY 1411 Glenn Blvd SW, Fort Payne, AL 35967
THE SOUTHERN TORCH / FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 / VOL. 4, NO. 38 / $1.00
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CITIES PASS BIG BUDGETS
Fort Payne passes Rainsville passes $24.7M Budget $4.3M Budget
The Fort Payne City Council passed a $24.7 million budget at its meeting on Tuesday. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)
The Rainsville City Council passed its budget on Monday for the 2018-19 fiscal year. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)
By Marla Jones Reporter
By Marla Jones, Reporter
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — (Full Live Video on our Facebook) The Fort Payne held their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, September 18. During the work session, City Attorney Rocky Watson addressed the Council on road construction requirements for subdivisions. The Council also discussed the changing of dates for Christmas in the Park to the first Friday in December. It was later approved in the regular meeting. It will begin at 3pm and last until 7pm in Fort Payne City Park. In the regular meeting, the Council passed its 2019 Fiscal Year Budget, which is $24.7 million in revenues and includes an employee raise and a 5% insurance cover for Blue Cross and Blue
Shield. The Council also presented two retirement plaques to former Parks and Recreation Director Greg Conkle and Sanitation worker Robert Metallo. Conkle worked with the City for 29 ½ years. The Council passed two resolutions during the meeting. The first established rules for overtime, vacation payout, and Police Department shifts. The second accepted the low bid for Wastewater Treatment Plant forklift. The Council presented a check to Fort Payne City Schools Superintendent Jim Cunningham for $50,000 for teaching materials. The Council announced that they would renew next year for the teachers. They also appropriated $150,000 for school supplies, so that no
>> FORT PAYNE, P2
RAINSVILLE, Ala. — (Full Live Video on our Facebook) The Rainsville City Council held their regularly scheduled meeting on September 17, 2018. The Council approved the $4.3 million proposed budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Councilmember Ricky Byrum said he had studied the budget and felt comfortable with its passage. Councilmember Marshall Stiefel stated that he would be voting in favor of the budget, but felt that the outside audit from 2016-17 should have been completed by now because it would have been helpful to compare figures. The Council unanimously passed the budget. Mayor Rodger Lingerfelt addressed the Council on several items including the needed repair of a tractor at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The estimates to repair it were from $3,000 to $5,000. Lingerfelt also discussed the need for wording changes in the contract between the DeKalb County Commission and City of Rainsville concerning the funding of the Boozer Bridge. The City would give a parcel of land in exchange for backfill and approach work for the bridge. The City is seeking funding due to ATRIP funds no longer being available. The Mayor also reported that public safety radios would be cheaper to repair than to purchase new ones. Councilmember Brandon Freeman read a proclamation regarding the 231st anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and made September 17-23, 2018 as Constitution Week in the City of Rainsville.
>> RAINSVILLE, P2
BOE APPROVES BUDGET >> RAINSVILLE, P2 PHOTO BY MARLA JONES
By Marla Jones Reporter
TORCHCAST
FRIDAY 9/21
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89 • 66
SUNDAY 9/23
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RAINSVILLE, Ala. — The DeKalb County Board of Education held their regularly scheduled meeting on September 13, 2018. During the workshop session, Anthony Cooper presented the final budget summary and gave the audience the opportunity
to ask questions and concerns. The Board also discussed concerns regarding Dress Code for teachers and support personnel. No changes were made and clarification was made that the code was the interpretation of the Principal of each school. In the regular session of the meeting, the Board approved the presented
2018-2019 budget. The Board also approved a bid by Stewart Signs for a LED sign for DeKalb County Career Technology Center in the amount of $18,028. For a full list of recommendations and approvals that the Board of Education made during their meeting, please visit our website at southerntorch.com.
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JORDAN BURT, SOPHOMORE Quarterback for Valley Head
DEKALB BANDS IN EXHIBITION
By Zach Hester Reporter
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — All seven high school marching bands in DeKalb County set upon Fort Payne’s Wildcat Stadium on Sunday afternoon to take the field in exhibition. The exhibition, where bands are encouraged to show off their halftime show instead of competing for trophies, included Sylvania, Geraldine, Fyffe, Crossville, Ider, Plainview and Fort Payne. Each performance ranged from 10 to 15 minutes. The exhibition not only allows the bands to show their show, but also gets them more prepared for upcoming competitions like Gadsden’s MidSouth
Marching Festival. “First and foremost, our band exhibition is a fantastic way to unify and show support for all band programs in DeKalb County,� said Plainview Band Director Chris Davis. “Our band exhibition is a great way to ‘test run’ our halftime show and receive helpful feedback from experienced judges in preparation for marching competition season.� “Although our bands don’t receive official scores, the recorded comments are a tremendous benefit to both band directors and students,� he concluded. For a full color display of photos from this great day of music in DeKalb County, please see our backpage.
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FOLLOW THE LEADER and watch Sports Editor Marla Jones and Reporter Chris Capps in our new TorchSports online show! Topics will include: complete breakdowns of the week's games, discussion with coaches, and much more! Check it out on our Facebook page each week sponsored by DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris! Visit our website at www.southerntorch.com for daily news updates and pick up your weekly print edition at news stands every Friday.