[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6212810,"mediaKeyId","3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a","parentId",3683302,"title","Irondale council debates two competing training guides for municipal board members; council agrees to collaborate and delay final adoption","audioSeconds",2658,"startMs",5262000,"endMs",7920000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a&start=5262&end=7920","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a/thumbnail_5262000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6212810/Irondale-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Irondale-council-debates-two-competing-training-guides-for-municipal-board-members-council-agrees-to-collaborate-and-delay-final-adoption","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212810-974faf752c0938afcccd3b25f5be0620/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411681&Signature=aTGwtvnrb7~SX7Cl2feh~PkGvno3nTvBFdMfjJQuKciFF9U9pKOO70~YM34wjskk0yJS5gKaCdlG2IsbkcNRfm4JGalAm2EPURpj46puCkXA-47yWRt0W6vtcw5xzrWefQy-KRIFHZBPRV3FWrsoJoBxt5mpnWyPhgkJdF6Nnv0QuQjeS1Y82j2R~Nfkpxf55gM7lWLwyTwe6JNEVvMNjGu1aKVuLkLEqJmVROMqq6opvkJ8fCAGIXMAQ3fWAp6dsN5MLfAZIpeECKeIKzJvY5BwjC-VqUypocxpuUqYW3PVoY~-ER-3tzSLKTOuLyEd7pc1cQaQ0zENs5fWxn542A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Irondale City, Alabama","date","2025-06-04T01:44:28Z","article","The Irondale City Council spent substantial discussion time on June 3 on two competing resolutions to establish a municipal board member training guide. Councilman Aaron Sims introduced a resolution (R99) to create a municipal board member training guide; Councilwoman McQuayre subsequently presented an alternative version (R103) that would make the guide part of the enabling resolution and remove references to commissions appointed exclusively by the mayor.

Key items in dispute included who could implement time‑sensitive changes to the training guide and whether the guide should be adopted as an exhibit to a single resolution. Sims's draft originally included wording that would have allowed the council president and the city attorney to approve revisions; after discussion the parties agreed to an amendment permitting the city attorney and the council president or designee to implement time‑sensitive changes as determined by the city attorney. McQuayre's alternate version struck references to the planning and zoning commission because commissioners are appointed by the mayor, not the council, and added material taken from Robert's Rules of Order outlining decorum and useful parliamentary phrases.

Rather than approve one of the two competing guides that night, council members agreed to collaborate and review both proposals in a work session. Councilman Box suggested passing a simple resolution committing the council to create a training guide and then reviewing an integrated draft in a work session; Sims and others signaled willingness to merge language. The council moved Sims's item to the consent agenda (so a formal guide would not be adopted that night) and agreed to hold a follow‑up meeting to finalize the text.

Why it matters: The discussion addresses how citizen board members are prepared for service and who controls training content and emergency edits. The council's decision to delay adoption and collaborate reflects concerns about centralizing authority in an individual office and about preserving the mayor's appointment authority for certain commissions.

Action: Item R99 (Sims's training‑guide resolution) was moved to consent for later finalization; R103 (McQuayre's version) was removed from immediate consideration pending collaborative review. Council members asked for a work session to produce one consolidated guide for future approval.

Attributions in this report come from the council dais during the deliberation on items 5 and 6.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 6/03/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Irondale City Council debated two competing resolutions to establish a municipal board member training guide on June 3 and agreed to collaborate and postpone final adoption.","taxTitle","Irondale City, Jefferson County, Alabama","taxId",71505,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":46,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212816,"Irondale council adds and approves security resolution to tighten after‑hours City Hall access",1996,5924000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a&start=5924&end=7920","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a/thumbnail_5924000.jpg","/articles/6212816/Irondale-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Irondale-council-adds-and-approves-security-resolution-to-tighten-afterhours-City-Hall-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212816-6bdd0de51f04decb7c7f91b6ac4cd23a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411681&Signature=GvUzIQu5clcBX3PBqiH3blXGHSnA9ymCK2InHmBG-7265IE2UJnm5RKUZa5ovI~jr0wGFmHQoTXUHL1rFMbJc6xGSHWhFyKP3uYv-t6t0R46k04e9xmw4hhPqaEzuLvx-O2K2VzOveCAkK169ib5r8yfuD-5iE82y6-3NG21C00MCxVj1SO3Ewb3W~ZDLUDb6KvsmPA6R13a0GwL7oypxwONqcz4BvEQll2Eb5Ml6WnpgYSlJO4OtvtTImh4UWEtLCDOolZ1FcTtbGpqJfRAg8enjn1ISTINMoa1Ok6IEbnThK8aA55XANE8xH836dU1RXI0QdSJN7BlVMCG3T99dg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Irondale City Council on June 3, 2025 added Resolution R110 to the agenda and approved measures to tighten after‑hours access to City Hall and to document non‑employee visits.

The resolution directs that new locks be placed on doors leading to the outside of the City Hall building and requires that all non‑employee visitors after regular business hours check in at the E‑911 dispatch window for safety and security reasons. The measure also instructs that bills and supporting documentation used for council meetings be placed in the E‑911 area; councilors may check those materials out for review during regular business hours but the documents may not be removed from City Hall.

Council discussion focused on balancing security with council access. City Clerk/Treasurer Leanne described the mailroom and reasons for moving certain materials: \"The mailroom contains every department's mailbox... there are not a lock on our mailboxes, so anybody can just walk in there and go through whatever they want.\" Council members amended the proposal so that the packet materials would be checked out in the E‑911 area and agreed the council would retain keys for necessary access to internal rooms. The clerk and council members discussed using the council chamber or lobby as an indoor waiting area for visitors if needed.

Procedural steps: The council voted to add R110 to the agenda and later moved the resolution into the consent agenda with amendments; council members indicated support for updating locks and documenting after‑hours access. The motion to add the item passed by show of hands/roll call and the subsequent vote to approve the consent agenda carried.

Why it matters: The measure establishes a formal process for after‑hours visitors and adds a layer of documented access to protect public records and staff; it also alters where paper agenda materials are kept and how they are reviewed.

Attribution: Quotes and descriptions above are pulled from remarks by City Clerk/Treasurer Leanne and discussion on the council dais.","The council added and approved Resolution R110 to require new exterior locks at City Hall, require non‑employee after‑hours visitors to check in at E‑911 dispatch, and to place council packet bills in the E‑911 area for supervised review; council members will retain key access and the mail handling location was amended during debate.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212821,"Audit fuels dispute in Irondale: councilor calls pause on nonessential spending; city clerk says finances are sound",1263,640000,1903000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a&start=640&end=1903","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a/thumbnail_640000.jpg","/articles/6212821/Irondale-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Audit-fuels-dispute-in-Irondale-councilor-calls-pause-on-nonessential-spending-city-clerk-says-finances-are-sound","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212821-9d5435667231dfde63edbba5e97ad4d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411681&Signature=Hpz8PoiPOv3RqRrP9GgaoWE3SySv85zHe8kTctQEX3JZ7QHEOoGfgDG01~I0IOG2h2rUPNL7XThrJKL1q98HlzHVj4wNfs1f9En-vYdv8Gmi~GE07sDfWJ1ZQbKA5nAg0SFnJ1yp9cSAm0pd06PaZaoBs0qac5lf95TM3jKCJFij4zb-AgYQvawOuhLsSFutsKJxfvYM7-GbPJgdsaDayEXdc8Gp10f4gEGWijZm6uGWRT~ezYfYJYJzZmJssMsGcFSPZgIuApdB1c~VWChBOeCEPhhx9gALmyI-LkkOxmHwt7myCmHn7-ZH1YlsDX0k4tTUta9vdifA2kzSLjUN0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Councilor Cindy Cuellar told the Irondale City Council on June 3 that recent audit findings and year‑end reports showed concerning increases in long‑term debt and a material weakness in internal control, and asked the council to \"pause these nonessential expenditures for 2 to 3 months\" to reassess the city's finances.

Cuellar said the city's long‑term debt had risen from about $45 million when the current council was sworn in to $114 million \"after less than 5 years in office\" and calculated a per‑capita debt figure she said was $8,444. She cited an audit finding described in the report as a material weakness and asked for a midyear review and more frequent financial statements.

City Clerk and Treasurer Leanne responded directly to those public statements during the meeting. She told the council, \"Iredell's finances are in good condition and the city is being managed responsibly,\" and said the city's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024 received an unmodified opinion from the independent audit firm BMSS, indicating the statements \"present fairly in all material respects\" under generally accepted accounting principles.

Leanne also disputed the $114 million figure as a city obligation, saying the city has $62,205,000 in long‑term debt and that additional borrowing cited in public comments was held by the Public Building Authority (PBA), a separately incorporated governmental entity. Leanne said PBA debt is not the city's long‑term debt and noted the city held a double‑A credit rating.

Other speakers raised related numbers and legal filings: Carter Dukes, a resident, said the city had filed a pleading in circuit court that listed the debt at $99 million; the transcript records this as Dukes's statement. Cuellar and others emphasized that certain settlement or restricted funds — she named Rebuild Alabama and opioid settlement proceeds — should not be included in the general fund unless handled according to legal restrictions.

Audit content: During the public exchange Cuellar referenced language from the audit indicating a \"deficiency in internal control\" which the auditors classified as a \"material weakness\" and an item described in the schedule of findings and responses (item 24‑002) on page 94 of the audit. The clerk cited BMSS's unmodified opinion on the city's financial statements for the year ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Discussion versus decision: Cuellar asked the council to pause certain spending and to require more regular financial reporting; no formal council action to pause spending was taken during the meeting. The council approved routine bills and consent items during the session, and several council members and residents said the audit's presence in the agenda process and the timing of release complicated review.

Why it matters: The exchange highlights a substantive policy dispute about fiscal transparency, fund accounting for restricted settlement or grant proceeds, and how long‑term debt should be presented to the public. The council and city staff provided conflicting public statements about debt totals and accounting treatment; those differences were not resolved at the meeting and will require follow‑up documentation and possibly legal or accounting review.

Attributions in this article come from: Councilor Cindy Cuellar, City Clerk/Treasurer Leanne, and resident Carter Dukes; auditor firm BMSS is cited in the clerk's remarks.","Councilor Cindy Cuellar urged a two- to three-month pause on nonessential spending after an audit flagged internal control concerns; City Clerk/Treasurer Leanne told the council the audit produced an unmodified opinion and that some debt figures cited publicly conflate city debt with Public Building Authority debt.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212826,"Irondale council adds censure resolution against Councilor Cindy Cuellar after months of public dispute",1235,6085000,7320000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a&start=6085&end=7320","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3683302-0199685c9f6c519d5ed51443d1efbd3a/thumbnail_6085000.jpg","/articles/6212826/Irondale-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Irondale-council-adds-censure-resolution-against-Councilor-Cindy-Cuellar-after-months-of-public-dispute","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212826-f670e651face69caf97ab88b982d3d20/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411681&Signature=j2SnX11RsYxD6FdKFOanxOIEszDWTt4XcHnGUF-tdA5wMmNfUIA5J-R8tmdoebZIqXqRNG5ECSxC2-LNo3Sk6iSR7Q3~3aDiRm9hdqHiD9qiExBgJ7d4qVSqsWxR5CJNCADlrncgYsA6h3UVi8v8wlxKtU3FV-tzWMNvtRnkW6ZTaNckzrLzoU2WgwKmH7AdSrx8njWVuP2pnT67Ka8evCSGch36tv23K2YXXTckKpVYNJxsLob1IYuNHoqA4mQPkTZeNmg7IGcV2OgguFue-5b5cnhwfhxN1dSMykff8K-8SUn~3sxvGEaikjBdDzGtqq4uTM7Hdb3Y1ooIMXr8tw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Irondale City Council members voted on June 3, 2025 to add a resolution (R109) to formally censure Councilor Cindy Cuellar, placing the matter on the meeting agenda after extended discussion and public comment.

The measure, read aloud by Council President David Spivey and presented by council members supporting the action, lists repeated conduct the authors called \"unbecoming a public official,\" including alleged public statements they characterized as misleading or damaging to the city. Council President David Spivey said, \"That item has been formally added to the agenda.\" The motion to add the item passed on roll call: Councilman John London, Councilman Box, Councilman Aaron Sims and Spivey voted yes; Cuellar voted no.

The resolution text, read into the record by Spivey, accused Cuellar of making \"accusatory, baseless, and unfounded allegations\" about fellow council members and city finances, of making public comments the sponsors regarded as derogatory toward new businesses, and of improperly accessing restricted areas of City Hall. Aaron Sims, who requested preparation of the resolution, told the council he had asked for the item to be prepared and said the final decision would be made by the council as a body.

Cuellar denied the charges during the meeting and repeatedly called the statements in the resolution false. She told the council, \"Number 1 is false. Number 2 is false. Number 3 is false. Number 4 is false. Number 5 is false. All of these are false comments.\" She defended taking concerns to the media and characterized her actions as attempts to highlight issues in the city's financial reporting.

Public comment at the meeting was sharply divided. Several residents voiced support for the censure, describing a pattern of remarks and conduct they said were inappropriate; others called the move a political ambush and urged civility. Sergei Kilich, a speaker from the audience, urged the council to hold Cuellar accountable; another resident, Scott Lewis, said he had previously called for similar action.

Action vs. next steps: The council vote at the meeting added the censure resolution to the agenda; it was not adopted or rejected at the moment it was added. Council members and the public indicated the measure would return for formal consideration per the council's standard procedures.

Why it matters: The added resolution formalizes a reprimand process by the council and represents an escalation of a months‑long dispute over statements and conduct by an elected member. The item may result in a formal censure vote at a subsequent meeting, which would be an official rebuke by Cuellar's peers.

Sources in meeting: The summary above is drawn from the text of the resolution read by Council President David Spivey, statements by Councilor Aaron Sims and public remarks from Councilor Cindy Cuellar and multiple members of the public during the June 3 meeting.","The Irondale City Council voted to add a resolution formally censuring Councilor Cindy Cuellar to the meeting agenda after heated debate among council members and a large public turnout. Cuellar denied the allegations; supporters and critics spoke during public comment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Irondale council debates two competing training guides for municipal board members; council agrees to collaborate and delay final adoption

Irondale council adds and approves security resolution to tighten after‑hours City Hall access

Audit fuels dispute in Irondale: councilor calls pause on nonessential spending; city clerk says finances are sound

Irondale council adds censure resolution against Councilor Cindy Cuellar after months of public dispute