THE LOCAL, PAGE 10 Dadeville has successful cleanup
TUESDAY
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 March 19, 2019 Vol. 127, No. 55 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
SPORTS, PAGE 12 March Madness Contest inside today’s sports
Council asks legislature to approve annexation By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
The Alexander City City Council voted 6-0 Monday to ask the Alabama Legislature to approve the annexation of four parcels of property, including the Miner’s Cove area for future residential development. City public works director Gerard Brewer, revenue manager Ward Sellers and planning commission chairman Mark Lamborne each told the council it would be advantageous to annex the property, especially Miner’s Cove, owned River Cove II LLC, which wants to develop it.
Sellers said the “rosiest” projection of economic impact to the city would be $360,000 year following the complete buildout of Miner’s Cove, which would take 17 years, assuming six houses a year are built. “That’s building permits, sales taxes on building materials, the water impact fee and property taxes,” Sellers said. Brewer said it would cost the city $91,000 annually to maintain infrastructure after the complete buildout. “Even if we cut (the economic impact) in half, we’d still be ahead,” Sellers said. Brewer said the Miner’s Cove project
A portion of Miner’s Cove subdivision is shown looking from near the bridge on Sturdivant Road. The city wants to annex that parcel and three others. Jimmy Wigfield /
See COUNCIL • Page 9
The Outlook
Sales tax collections in Alex City up 2 percent
Ongoing tradition
By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
Sales tax collections for the first five months of the 2019 fiscal year in Alexander City have increased 2 percent over the same period last year and put the city back at the same level when crews working on the Sabal Trail Pipeline were spending money in town two years ago, according to finance director Sandy Stanbrough. The $4.128 million in sales taxes from Oct. 1, 2018, to Feb. 28 is also above the $4.12 million Stanbrough projected for that time span. “It’s back up to the 2017 level, which we didn’t expect to be, which is a good thing,” Stanbrough said. “We try to project conservatively. We know December was a very good month. In December ’17 we received $914,000 (in sales taxes) and last December it was $818,000 but we expected it to be lower because the pipeline was gone.” The Sabal Trail Pipeline, a natural gas conduit to Florida, brought an estimated 400 to 600 workers into Alex City during construction. “We had people eating here and shopping here and living at Wind Creek (State Park),” Stanbrough said. Stanbrough said the 2018 federal income tax cut may also be a factor in increased spending and thus an increase in sales tax collections. “We know there were personal income tax rate changes in the IRS tax tables and there is less See TAX • Page 9
Florida ’Bama Gang returns to roots of fun year after year By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
J
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Top: Fish caught by members of the Florida ’Bama Gang are put into a cooler to be cleaned. The group will fry fish a couple times this week. Above: Members of the group sit around a camp fire Sunday afternoon at Wind Creek State Park. The Florida ’Bama Gang has been camping and building traditions at Wind Creek since the early 1990s.
okes, pranks and jabs are just part of the fun and camaraderie with the Florida ’Bama Gang. Just ask Scott Holmes of Milton, Florida, about wearing a Florida baseball cap while camping Sunday at Wind Creek State Park. “You’re marked with that cap,” a Florida ’Bama Gang member said. “You’re in ’Bama territory,” another said. “How can someone from ’Nole country wear that?” another asked. Some even joked ’gators are shot around Tallapoosa County. “I’m supporting my daughter,” Holmes said to the jabs and gibes coming from the group. “We have to support it; she is going to school there.” Many members of the Florida ’Bama Gang go to church together at Pine Terrace Baptist Church in Florida and have known each other for years. The tradition of the group goes back four generations to Papa (Tony) and Nanny King, who 40 years ago started taking their family and some friends camping. The group has been around to the Smokies and Lake Eufaula but settled into Wind Creek State Park in the early 1990s. Sadly, Papa King passed away to illness three years ago in March while missing his first trip to Lake Martin with the group. It was the first trip to Lake Martin that See GANG • Page 3
Alex City natives to host benefit concert for tornado victims
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Alexander City natives Chad and Kyle Wilson, who make up Wilson Brothers Band, will host a benefit concert in Nashville Wednesday for victims of the March 3 tornado in Lee County. “Being that we were home and we are so involved in the community around here we went down and spent a couple of days with first responders doing a lot of search and rescue stuff,” Chad said. “We helped some elderly people with trees that had fallen on their houses. We just went down just to serve the community and give back.” Kyle, who lives in Opelika, said his girlfriend See CONCERT • Page 3
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Wilson Brothers Band, native to Alex City, is hosting a concert to benefit Lee County tornado victims.
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