New Sales Tax Law Will Go To City Council
One item to be presented to the City Council at next week's meeting will be a proposal to make drastic changes in Piedmont's sales tax ordinance. There will be no increase in the tax, but Piedmont will join many other cities in standardizing laws across the state.
The ordinance is a "model" prepared by the Alabama League of Municipalities. City Clerk Bill Fann said it has already been adopted by more than 60 municipalities, and Piedmont was among 10 more cities with plans to put the law on its books.
"The main difference is in the categories of the licenses," Fann said. He explained that each type of business has a classification with a numerical code. If the ordinance is adopted, the codes in Piedmont will be the same as in most cities throughout the state.
According to the clerk, there are at least 50 more categories in the proposal than in the existing ordinance. "In the past, if a business didn't fall into one of the listed categories, it was placed under the miscellaneous heading, whether it belong there or not," the clerk quipped.
The proposed list of categories has been prepared from a list of all businesses in several cities. They are generally sorted as wholesale, retail, industrial, professional, service and transportation, Fann said. Under these general headings are the numbered codes and specific categories.
"This ordinance is not specifically designed to help cities, as it is to help businesses." Fann said. He pointed out that a business moving or expanding to another city could look for the same numbered category and have its taxes assessed in the same manner.
The proposed law would, however, be of some assistance to cities. As an example, Fann cited the ease of cross-checking a local business with similar businesses in other cities. It could simply be done by comparing a category number with the list in another city.
The sales tax ordinance governs the amount and method of how tax is collected from all types of businesses, and it includes business license fee schedules.
Fann said the existing ordinance has been slightly modified several times throughout the years. If the council adopts the new proposal, it will be the first time in decades that the entire ordinance has been updated.
The proposal is about 40 pages long and the council is not expected to act on it next week. It will only be presented so each official can review the document. If they approve it, the action could come as early as later this month.
Fann said he hoped for swift council action so the new law could go into effect by the first of next year.

City To Eliminate 26 Bank Accounts
To many observers, the city's financial operation may seem boring, but in the coming weeks, there will be some major changes.
At one time, the city had 29 separate bank accounts. There were separate accounts for water, gas and sewer, but electrical revenues went directly into the general fund.
This will soon be streamlined using new computer software, said City Clerk Bill Fann. He said he was creating a single "public utilities account" that will receive all revenues from water, gas, sewer, electrical and garbage. Money from this account will be used to pay operating expenses from all utility receipts, as well as making transfers to the general funds.
Fann said this is not as simple as it sounds, the utility account will also receive collections of utility-related penalties, taxes, service charges and overpayments.
Beside the general and public utility accounts, there will be only one other city account, that for "restricted funds" Deposits in this accounts will be from tax revenues or grant funds can only be used for specific purposes. For instance, a portion of the city's gasoline tax is earmarked to be used for transportation improvement.
Fann said the three accounts would greatly reduce the amount of bookkeeping and auditing required for standard city accounting.

City Says Sales Tax Figures Rise
To some, Piedmont may not appear to be a prospering city, but a recent review of sales tax figures reflects a healthy gross in local commerce.
City Clerk Bill Fann produced figures for the past five years that show a $400,000 increase in sales tax. There was a $150,000 increase during the last fiscal year, alone.
Fann was quick to admit that inflation contributed to the increase, but it was only a tiny fraction.

Michael Bobbitt Resigns As Head Coach
Piedmont school officials are searching for a new head football coach now that Coach Michael Bobbitt has resigned.
In a meeting last week PHS head coach Bobbitt, Hugh McWhorter, the school principal and Superintendent Matt Akin came to a mutual decision to end Bobbitt's coaching duties. Citing personal reasons, Bobbitt offered his resignation and McWhorter and Akin agreed that it was time for a change for the Bulldogs.
"It was a tough decision. But for the past ten years I have been spending more time with other people's kids than I have my own and I realized that I need to spend more time with my three children," Bobbitt said.
"I think it is the best situation for our football program and for Mike," said Akin. "I think Mike will have the opportunity to be a successful head coach again."
Bobbitt began as head coach in January 2002 and his coaching duties included weight training coordinator and track coach. For the time being, he will continue to work with the athletes and their weight training until the new coach arrives.
A tenured teacher, Bobbitt will also continue teaching his special education and physical education classes. At this time, he is unsure what the future holds for him. He has been contacted about other coaching jobs but hasn't made a decision yet.
"Going somewhere else would be difficult. My son will be playing soon and it wouldn't be fair to him to coach somewhere else and miss his games," he said.
Earlier this season Piedmont lost to Litchfield but the Bulldogs were given the win when the Alabama Supreme Court failed to change Litchfield's disqualification for the season.
Under Bobbitt's leadership, the Bulldogs finished this season with a 5-5 record. This was his best season since being hired. During his time as head coach Bobbitt accumulated a record of 12 wins and 28 losses.
Last Tuesday Akin called a special meeting of the school board to present Bobbitt's resignation to the members. The board accepted it with little discussion and the meeting lasted only five or ten minutes, according to Akin.
The news spread fast that Piedmont was looking for a new head coach for the Bulldogs. By Friday, Akin had received approximately 25 letters of interest, resumes or e-mails from across the Southeast.
"We don't have any experienced head coaches on staff, so filling the position is wide open," said Akin. "We are looking for someone with head coaching experience who has been successful. Not all of those showing interest meet our requirements.
Akin and McWhorter will work together interviewing applicants and making a recommendation to the school board. "Ultimately they will have the final say about who is hired," the superintendent noted.
Akin's goal is to make a recommendation in December so the new coach can start in the second semester in January. Depending on the level of experience, the new coach's salary is negotiable.

Strictly Personal
Two Topics: Remember The Vets And On-Line Holiday Shopping...
Friday is Veterans Day. This is a special day when all Americans should remember the sacrifices of our gallant men and women in uniform. They have fought for freedom all over the world and are leading the way for democracy in the Middle East.
If they had not fought in the many wars across the globe, I shudder to think what our country would be like today. Friday, take time to fly a flag, say a prayer, spend a quiet moment of remembrance or attend one of the several services that will be conducted. The people in uniform ask for so little, yet give so much that we may remain free.
On a lighter note, I recently read where on-line shopping will be at an all-time high this year. I will be the first to admit it is convenient, though not always less expensive.
I'm not trying to rush the season, but since Christmas decorations and other items have been up since Halloween, holiday shopping is a fair topic.
Anyone with a computer and an interment service provider can go on line and use one of the many search engines to find almost every outlet for a specific item. If you want to shop one particular store, chances are it has its own web site, and you can browse through the entire inventory with the click of a mouse.
You can buy anything on the Internet. Each day, I receive unsolicited e-mail concerning financing cars or homes. At least twice a week, I get other "spam" for available credit cards. If you took advantage of some of the offers, you could not only buy stuff, you could pay for it with a loan or a new credit card.
One of the brighter aspects of Internet shopping is saving time and travel. From the comfort of your own home you can shop for items, compare the prices and order your item to be delivered to your door. You may or may not find a bargain, but many believe the savings in fuel costs for traveling offset a higher price tag.
Selection is also of great interest to Internet shoppers. You can buy almost anything, many of which cannot be found in area stores. If you were in the market for a chrome-plated, left-hand lug wrench, you could simply enter the item in the search engine, click "Go," and wait for a list of suppliers. Once the list was there, you could go to each web site and find the lowest price for your wrench.
I admit that I have bought several items from the Internet, and have been 99-percent satisfied. They were, however, items that could not be found anywhere around here.
The Internet is not for everybody. Our secretary, Betty Lawler, detests computers. She uses one at work because there is no other way, but will quickly tell you she does not and will not have one of the evil little machines in her home. Many people share her opinion.
While the Internet offers a nearly endless array of goods and services, there is no personal contact with a sales person. You may or may not be able to ask questions about an item on a web site, and you cannot try it on, feel it or inspect it for quality. What you buy is what you get. Even though most Internet merchants offer return policies, you must go through the hassle of shipping it back and hoping the company will live up to its promise.
There is another drawback to going on line to shop for your loved ones. This may be something that matters to those of us who were born before computers and mail-order catalogues came into vogue. It involves the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. The stores are all decorated for the season, and the shoppers (at least most of them) are in a really good mood. As Dec. 25 approaches, the crowds grow and the shopping becomes more frantic.
It has always been a part of the Christmas season to pick one evening and go out to see the people, if not to do the shopping. I guess it's just a part of the Christmas spirit.
The only other aspects that you need to consider are bottom-line savings. When you order from the Internet, there are usually shipping and handling charges that can be rather expensive. These charges can wipe out any savings on the purchase price and are higher than sales tax. Speaking of tax, an Internet or catalogue purchase is free of sales tax, but are you really saving? With the loss of tax revenues, the governmental agencies can't perform the services we expect and often demand. Shopping out of town or out of state contributes nothing to that street that needs paving or that police car that patrols your neighborhood.
These are some serious things to consider when you use a mouse to take you on a shopping trip.