With Record-High Gas Rates Looming
Council Aproves Water And Sewer Rate Increases
As the old saying goes, there's the bad news and the good news.  After Thursday's special City Council session, the bad news is area residents should prepare to see an increase in their water and sewer bills.  The good news is the council passed a budget that includes money for road paving and ditch repair.  
City officials voted unanimously to accept the proposed rate increase for water and sewer customers.  The new monthly minimum for water is $12.80 and the sewer minimum is now $4.50.  Mayor Charlie Fagan said customers using 5,000 gallons of water monthly would see a $3-$4 increase in their bill.   
The decision also gave gas utility managers the authority to raise gas rates when wholesale gas prices rise in the upcoming months.  Managers can adjust the rates, but the profit margin will not increase proportionally. The profit margin will only allow enough funds to continue usual operations.
The water, sewer and gas rate increases have been discussed for some time. Prior to the city's taking control of the Water Works, Gas and Sewer Board, studies showed the board was losing money at its present water and sewer rates. Utility officials added that improvements were desperately needed at the water treatment plant, but current rates could not fund the work.
For weeks, Fagan has expressed concern over the looming natural gas cost increase. Fagan predicted the fuel costs will skyrocket to unprecedented levels. In at least two council meetings, the mayor has urged area residents to prepare for the predicted increases.
At a budget meeting early last week, Fagan told the council the city would have to dip into its utility reserves to finance gas purchases. He said it was an annual practice to purchase natural gas in the early fall before the winter rate hikes go into effect. The gas is stored in salt mines in Mississippi, then blended in the transmission lines to reduce the winter rates for lower customers.
Fagan predicted this year's purchase would cost about $1.2 million.  
The delay in adopting the budget may have caused some to pull their hair out, but it also allowed the Budget and Finance Committee to get a more realistic look at City revenues.  Between Monday and Thursday, the projected revenues, based on this year's figures, increased $100,000.  A final figure for August, City Clerk Bill Fann explained, was not available when the original budget was put together.  
The new budget allows for the transfer of some unrestricted funds and includes the $50,000 Fagan had requested for purchase of drainage pipes.  Also included are $100,000 for street paving and $75,000 for maintenance of the old hospital building, issues brought up by Fagan in Mondays meeting.    
Under capital expenditures, $442,000 has been designated for the necessary improvements in the water, gas and sewer system.  
The agreements for most of the adjustments came at the budget meeting Sept. 27. At that meeting Fagan offered to release $171,000 in city reserves to be used on capital projects. He made the agreement in exchange for the council's pledge to "open dialogue" with school and Mountain View representatives.
On Sept. 12, the council voted 6-1 to terminate the facility's lease. The action came over Fagan's objection. Last week's decision apparently has placed the termination of the lease on hold, but it may not change some council members' minds. "We'll talk with them, but that doesn't mean we'll change our vote," said Councilwoman Mary Bramblett.

A Look At Some Problems Related To Mountain View, The Children, The School System And The City Council
(EDITOR'S NOTE: In researching this story, reporters have been allowed to go past the customary veil of confidentiality and hear details of several situations involving children at Mountain View and Shine N Stars. These stories have dealt with the children's backgrounds and their efforts to enroll in city schools. In some cases, the information dealt with the behavioral problems demonstrated by the children and dealt with by the schools' faculty members. One story relates some events that have taken place at Piedmont High School. The story in no way represents a single person, incident or all decisions of local school officials.)
On Sept. 12, the City Council voted to terminate the Mountain View lease, while giving Shine N Stars a clean bill of health. This action has been the topic of controversy because of the consequences involving the children.. Further concern has been expressed because the decision was reached in secret sessions.
Councilman Bill Baker read the motion from a carefully worded, typed statement. The issue had never been discussed in a public work session or regular council meeting.
None of the council has visited the local Mountain View facility.
Last week, Mayor Charlie Fagan used some financial leverage to try to get the council to discuss the issue. He agreed to release certain reserves if the council would agree to meet with Mountain View and school officials to discuss any problems that may exist. Neither a date nor a place for that meeting has been set.
A large majority of a standing-room-only crowd voiced its support for Mayor Charlie Fagan at last week's City Council meeting. While the Mountain View lease was not the only issue, it is the most complicated. It also involves several agencies. The three stories that appear below examine and illustrate the complexity of the problem.

"Jane" A Composite Kid
Jane's story is not a happy one. She was taken from her home by the state Department of Human Resources. For the purposes of this story, she was removed because she was neglected. A part of that neglect was her mother not being reliable in providing transportation to school. Jane also had a learning disability, but not to the degree that she was mentally handicapped.
While she had no record of any behavior problems, she failed because she was not able to attend school on a refular basis. Some of the teachers at her formal school said she could be a successful student.
She was placed in a local children's facility by DHR, and she decided to return to school, be with other children and earn her diploma.
Jane and a DHR case worker went to Piedmont High School and requested that she be enrolled. Because of her failure, at 17 she would be entering the 10th grade. Hugh McWhorter, principal at told her she would have to attend "alternative school" if she moved into the Piedmont system.
Alternative school is generally perceived as being reserved for students who have a behavior problem. Jane asked why she would be placed in the program, because she had done nothing wrong. She did not want to go to alternative schools, preferring to enter school as if she had never been away.
According City School Supt. Matt Akin said turning away students is not a school policy, and other factors are involved
Jane said she saw the opportunity of earning a diploma slip further from her grasp when McWhorter handed her a packet and recommended that she try for a GED certificate.
Children such as Jane are residents of Mountain View and Shine N Stars.
These are the children that would be affected by the City Council's decision to terminate the Mountain View lease.
However, there are other sides to Jane's story.
While Jane and those she represents may never get a high school diploma, a former Shine N Stars resident not only got his diploma, but won a prestigious sports scholarship and is pursuing a college degree.
In another story on this page, there are other considerations for school admission.

Principals Face Problems
Hugh McWhorter is the principal of Piedmont High School. On his shoulders rest the often heavy duties of administering the day-to-day operations of his school. He must listen to and try to solve the problems of his faculty, students and fellow administrators. At the same time, he must enforce the policies of the state and local school boards. It is not an easy task, and it is made more difficult when problems outside the school system arrive at his front door.
When he was presented Jane's sutuation, he explained how he would react in a similar situation. Jane is 17 and wantesto enroll in the 10th grade. Many of the facts of this case are included in a story on this page, but not all of them.
Yes, Jane had not been given reliable transportation to school, but it wasn't always her mother's fault. To add some new dimensions to the fictitious Jane, she spent a couple of years living with her boy friend. During this time, she had a baby. He boyfriend was subsequently arrested on drug charges and sent to prison.
When she was removed from her mother's home she had been living as an adult for many, many months.
McWhorter said there were a number of factors involved in reviewing her request to re-enter school. He offered two choices. The first was alternative school. While the name of the program is synonymous with punishment, McWhorter says this is not the case. "Alternative school offers and alternative setting for education," he said.
While those students who misbehave are sent to the program, it is only so they can be taken out of mainstream education and still receive instruction. This can continue until the child's problem is identified and solved, McWhorter explained.
The other function of the alternative school program is for remediation. In Jane's case, she had been out of school for about two years. To have thrown her into school on the 10th-grade level would have been unfair to her, said the principal. He said she would need time to be "brought up to speed" on her studies, and if she were successful she might enter the 10th grade by mid term. From there, she could continue to work toward her diploma.
Since she had lived independently of her parents for a couple of years, and considering she had a child, McWhorter said he would recommended studying for a GED certificate. This would allow Jane the equivalent of a high school diploma and would allow her to be with her child and study at her own pace.
Given this set of hypothetical facts, McWhorter said, "I want what's best for the student and the institution as a whole." Without divulging identities, the principal said he had made every effort to support Mountain View and Shine N Stars students on several occasions. On some occasions, he said he bent the rules to allow some of these students to advance.

DHR Not In Council Rift
On Sept. 12, five members of the City Council supported a motion to terminate the lease on the old Southside Elementary School building. The building is leased to Mountain View of Gadsden, and is a refuge for children taken from their homes due to neglect or some type of abuse.
Officials say the children are not there because of their behavior, but for their protection. In most cases the state Department of Human Resources places children at Mountain View and Shine N Stars, both local facilities.
Councilman Billy Baker, a DHR employee, offered the motion concerning terminating the lease. He said misbehavior by Mountain View students was disrupting the school system and was lowering test scores. Cursory research in the matter showed that Mountain View had an average of five or six students in local schools at any given time. Last week, there were five students enrolled in local schools. Baker said out-of-town children were causing the problem, but of the five currently enrolled, three are from Piedmont.
At last week's regular council meeting, Baker said he had toured the local Mountain View facility. Officials there say Baker has never entered the building. With the exception of the mayor, none of the council members have visited Mountain View.
Sept. 27, however, Baker said that he would no longer comment and he would remove himself from any further activity concerning Mountain View. His official statement was, "Based on the council's vote two weeks ago, and due to the suggestion of my county director and the state department, I have no further comments to make in relation to Mountain View and withdraw from any future involvement with this particular matter."
Apparently, Baker's decision to terminate the Mountain View lease was a personal one, and was not connected with DHS. This was verified last week by a spokesman for DHR. Barry Spears, speaking for a vacationing John Bradford, said he had discussed the matter with his superiors in Montgomery. According to him, DHR has no ill will toward Mountain View. "We (DHR) will continue to use Mountain Wiew as long as their licenses and certificates are in order."
Baker's Sept. 12 vote received support from Council members John Lawrence, Mary Bramblett, Ed Hanson, Kevin Farmer and Doug Goss. In reading his prepared motion, Baker said, "We, the council..." It is not yet know when or where the council reached this decision. The topic had never been mentioned in a regular work session or council meeting.
Mayor Charlie Fagan said neither he, Farmer or Councilman Eddie Baldwin had been contacted by Baker or his coalition to discuss the matter.
At the Sept. 27 budget meeting, Fagan secured a pledge from the council that officials would meet with representatives of city school and Mountain View to try to resolve any problems that may exist.
Last week, Fagan said he thought such a meeting would have been one of the first steps in recommending the closure of Mountain View, but at least one council member disagreed. After the agreement, Councilwoman Mary Bramblett said, "We'll talk with them, but that doesn't mean we'll change our vote."

Jeff Formby Takes Over Recreation Department
When he accepted the position of Park and Recreation Director, Jeff Formby returned to familiar surroundings. As a child, he attended a private kindergarten in the upstairs portion of the Civic Center. Now, he is in charge of the daily operations at the facility.
"People laugh when I tell them that I have made a circle back," said Formby.
A native of this area, Formby graduated from Jacksonville State University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in business. He preferred a teaching degree in physical education, but 20 years ago the teaching market had more applicants than jobs. "So I went into business," he said.
Formby's work experience includes both supervisory and management positions in the retail field. When he learned through the grapevine of the vacant city position, Formby applied. "It is a job that doesn't come open very often, and I saw it as a chance to give something back to the community," he said.
Formby believes it was his business background and personality that won him the job. "I think I get along with people and well work with fellow employees," he noted.
He commented on the practical side of the job., and said he knows there will be times when dealing with the public may be difficult. "I don't kid myself. I know I won't be able to please everybody all the time, " he said. "But when a problem arises, I hope to fix it in a fair and up-front manner."
Formby's first priority on his new job was to give the employees an insight to his personality. "I don't like clutter, and one of the first things I did was to clean up things." His neatly organized office reflects that side of his personality as does the realignment of civic center fees.
It was difficult for employes and members to follow the privileges and fees as they were listed on the old schedule, Formby said. Working with Craig Russell, he has revamped the membership fees and made them more inclusive. His goal is to increase the number of members and give members more for their money.
Formby hopes that an membership increase will allow the facility to update some of the old equipment. Currently, he said, the two tanning beds need replacing as well as some of the weight room equipment. He has also checked into replacing some of the game equipment.
Formby faces a dilemma of low membership versus needed improvements. There are only 267 members on the books now and the low numbers do not warrant the expense of updating the equipment. "If it's not used, it doesn't matter what the price is," Formby said. He anticipates a change once the new schedule goes into effect.
Formby wants to lead his department in a new direction with fresh ideas. His job description says he is responsible for the Eubanks Welcome Center, Bethune Community Center, Clyde Pike Civic Center, and Parks Department. It is a job that requires knowing what is happening and he begins each day at 6:30 a.m. to stay on top of things. "Call it nosey," he said, "but I want to know what's going on around me."
"The Welcome Center and Rails to Trails are a big plus for the city. I want to people to see, that for a small town, we have a lot to offer." he says.

Strictly Personal
The Federal Government Has Failed Its People
It is no secret that the rift between five members of the City Council and the Mayor is still alive and well in Piedmont. The problem is nobody seems to understand why.
For five years, Piedmont has seen unprecedented improvements under the leadership of Charlie Fagan. New businesses, a paving project, downtown renovations and a new concrete plant are only a few of the results of Charlie's programs.
I have been with him on a couple of meetings with commercial and industrial prospects. He has been as professional as anyone I have seen. As a matter of fact, I hope to be able to announce a new industry for Piedmont before the end of the year. At this point, it looks very promising.
For the past five years, every council action has been open and above-board, until recently, and this has been at the mayor's instance. Things have run more smoothly than at anytime I can recall. Oh, how things have changed.
Neither of the now infamous Sept. 12 motions were well planned nor were they properly organized.
Ed Hanson's motion to park all off-duty city vehicles on city property every night was ludicrous. The motion made no allowances for police or other emergency vehicles, no band escorts, no funeral escorts and other public functions involving city vehicles. In short, the motion was destined to fail.
It should be pointed out that the mayor placed the vehicles, all 19 of them, back in the hands of the proper people. He had the authority to do that by virtue of the city personnel rules and regulations. The personnel procedures were adopted by the City Council not too long ago. Maybe the four council members who supported Hanson's plan didn't realize they were contradicting their own ordinance. In case you have forgotten, they are John Lawrence, Mary Bramblett Bill Baker and Doug Goss.
Ed said the move was to save money, but Charlie already had an agreement with the employees to cease all unnecessary driving. The mayor had also done a detailed study on the feasibility of parking off-duty cars. These facts were all available to Hanson, but he never asked. Neither were any of these issues discussed with Charlie nor the city clerk, nor Councilmen Eddie Baldwin and Kevin Farmer.
I don't believe it was economy that motivated the council's action. If it was, why would Ed and John Lawrence vote against saving $5,000 by eliminating payment for their expenses to conventions and other functions? Charlie has never charged his expenses to the city, thereby setting the example.
Since there have been no explanations offered, and the public was not allowed to hear any of the secret discussions, it makes you wonder if there was some sort of personal vendetta involved.
The Mountain View situation is also mystery. The fearsome five council members never discussed the issue in public. If there is a problem, why didn't they make some effort to resolve it? Why did the mayor have to give up some of the city's reserves to bribe this quaint quintet to at least sit down and talk with these folks? Let me change that to the quaint quartet. Billy Baker has declared he will not comment on the issue, nor will he take any further action concerning Mountain View, yet the other members of this mini-council indicate they may not be influenced by the facts. They have made up their minds.
If these issues are not of a personal nature, could it be that the reasons behind these actions are to gain some sort of power or recognition? Could this confusing coalition be wanting to wrest the reigns of leadership from the mayor? If this is the case, it raises still another issue. Four of the five council members who support these actions have served in other administrations. During their previous service, the city and its finances continued to deteriorate. Where were they when Piedmont was slipping slowly toward municipal bankruptcy?
Turning to another issue, Saturday was not only the beginning of a new month. It also marked the effective date of the Open Meeting Law. It clearly states that if a quorum of municipal council, board or committee meet and discuss anything that the members believe will be discussed in a regular meeting, there must be notice of the meeting. The law also says the meeting is to be open to the public, and there must be minutes.
It has been the habit of this pentamerous pack of Piedmont politicos to meet at restaurants at least twice per month. The Dari King was the first site, then the group moved to the Huddle House, and most recently participated in a gathering at McDonald's. You may believe that five members of the City Council meet at a restaurant for fellowship and never discuss city business. If you believe this, I have a bridge in New York I would like to sell you.
The first time any city business is mentioned at one of these clandestine culinary covens, these five folks are in violation of the law. They have been warned, but have indicated they have no intention of giving up secret sessions, just because it's against the law. Everyone already new it is a violation of the public trust.
I think the public is due and explanation of these actions, at least. At best, the residents of this city should have a public apology from these five elected officials.