Alexander City Council approves three rezoning ordinances, awards contracts and rescinds emergency declaration

Alexander City Council on March 17 approved three ordinances to rezone a total of roughly 197.3 acres across three properties and voted unanimously on a set of routine resolutions, including a contract award for light-department materials, a termite-treatment contract for the Adelia M. Russell Library and a rescission of an earlier emergency declaration.

The rezoning ordinances — sponsored by Councilor Chris Brown — would: rezone about 128.2806 acres at River Oaks Drive from Location Residential R-1 to Lakefront Residential SD-1; rezone about 16.44 acres on Ellis Parkway from Reserved Residential RR and Planned Development PD to Reserved Residential RR; and rezone about 60 acres along Highway 63 South from light industrial/B-3 to High Density Residential R-3. The council opened a public hearing, recorded no public speakers and noted that all three parcels fall within the city’s comprehensive plan. Councilor Chris Brown told colleagues there is a “very preliminary design” for the River Oaks road but no final plan yet; Amanda in the planning office clarified that an earlier zoning map change for one parcel had not been reflected online.

The council moved the three ordinances to the consent agenda and then approved them together. The roll-call votes recorded Councilor Phillips, Councilor Bobby Tapley, Councilor Hardy, Councilor Eric Brown and the chair as voting yes on the measure.

Council business also included these formal actions:

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes for March 3, 2025: motion passed by roll call (all voting members recorded as yes). (See provenance: minutes approval transcript lines.)

- Placement of three rezoning ordinances on the consent agenda and final approval of the ordinances covering River Oaks Drive (≈128.2806 acres), Ellis Parkway (≈16.44 acres) and Highway 63 South (≈60 acres): motion passed by roll call (all recorded yes). No public comments were registered during the hearing.

- Resolution awarding bid No. 25-08 to Tri State and Irving Utilities for materials for the light department, tied to ALDOT project BR-0063507 (Highway 63): resolution approved by roll call (all recorded yes). The resolution text identified the vendors and ALDOT project number; funding and contract terms were not specified in the public remarks.

- Resolution authorizing the mayor to contract with Lewis Pest Control for termite treatment at the Adelia M. Russell Library at a cost not to exceed $650: approved by roll call (all recorded yes). Council members noted the city will re-evaluate future rebidding because the current price has been stable for several years.

- Resolution to amend and then approve appointment of voting delegates for the 2025 Alabama League of Municipalities annual business meeting (fillings made for line 12: Councilor Bobby Tapley; line 14: Mayor Woody Bader): approved by roll call (all recorded yes).

- Motion to suspend the rules to bring two floor items: approved by roll call (all recorded yes). Following suspension, the council approved a resolution declaring certain personal property no longer needed for municipal use and authorizing sale to Guarcy Polk Associates (approved by roll call, all recorded yes).

- Resolution to rescind the previously declared emergency related to the recent storm: approved by roll call (all recorded yes). Councilors and the mayor said they were relieved the declaration was not needed operationally; staff had prepared the declaration in case it was required.

Council members and staff also reported routine operational updates. Finance director Ms. Wong reported bank-statement balances showing roughly a 4% increase over the same time last year and noted a handful of utility accounting entries being corrected; she said most accounts currently meet expected year-to-date proportions. The utilities report said the water department began washing six basins this year that together hold about 487,000 gallons and that the sewer department has scheduled grinder-pump upgrades at Sugar Creek. Public safety staff announced the Citizen Public Safety Academy has been rescheduled to March 25 and provided a contact number for registration (Kathy McKee, (256) 329-2470). The Alexander City Fire Department completed final inspection on a new apparatus described in the meeting as including a 470-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank and a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump; the apparatus was assigned to Station 2.

Parks and recreation announced events and staffing needs: a second-annual Easter egg hunt for ages 0–12 on Saturday, March 29 (inflatables and music; entry via the Highway 22 entrance; registration at the gym parking lot), baseball/softball opening day on April 5 and a $5 adult admission fee for certain events; the department is accepting lifeguard applications and expects playground construction at Sixth Street Park to begin in April. The library reported expanded programming (one-on-one computer instruction, drawing and cursive classes) and a 13% increase in checkouts compared with March 2024.

Mayor Woody Bader thanked staff and volunteers for preparing during the recent storm and said the city sheltered roughly 20 people overnight; he later introduced the resolution to rescind the city’s emergency declaration, which the council approved. "We were prepared," Mayor Woody Bader said, "and I want to thank the staff for preparing and being ready." The council also observed the recent death of former city employee Randy Thomas and adjourned in his honor.

The council said it will next meet on April 7 at 5:30 p.m. for its regular session.