Columbiana council approves lighting agreement, auditing contract and adopts county building codes; mayor reports new business prospects

The Columbiana City Council approved three resolutions during its Feb. 18 meeting, authorizing a lighting-service agreement for the Springs Crossing subdivision, contracting an auditing firm to recover undercollected sales taxes, and adopting the Shelby County Commission's building-code regulations.

Mayor (presiding) called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. and, after department reports, the council moved through three agenda resolutions. Councilman Ruston introduced Resolution 022501 to authorize the mayor to sign a lighting-service agreement with Alabama Power for five new street lights in Springs Crossing; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote. Council later approved Resolution 022502 to contract Rivertree Systems for sales-tax and business-license audit and recovery services, and adopted Resolution 022503 to align the city's building-code version with Shelby County's inspectors by voice vote.

Why it matters: The lighting agreement will add street lighting infrastructure for a new sector of the Springs Crossing subdivision, the auditing contract is intended to recover unpaid sales-tax and business-license revenues, and the building-code adoption ensures the city's inspections and builder requirements match the county standard used by local inspectors.

During department reports the police chief warned residents about an ongoing jury-duty/warrant phone scam and urged caution: "Please do not take a phone call from somebody claiming to be a deputy or a police officer and go to an ATM machine and give them a card number to pay a fine. That is not how this works at all," the chief said. City administration reported normal business-license processing and explained that a general-fund surplus reflected timing of revenue receipts; officials said they recently received a $1,700,000 payment from ADEM tied to the sewer upgrade project that will appear in the February financial report.

The municipal judge told the council the court continues to struggle with defendants failing to appear, noted new probate-court funding for mental-health services that can keep some individuals out of jail, and described the administrative burden of pursuing very old warrants.

Mayor's report and economic development: The mayor said he attended the Shelby County Mayors Association meeting, invited a representative from Innovate Alabama to speak at the city's March meeting, and said he opposed proposed state changes to how supplemental sales-tax revenue is distributed, noting he had discussed the issue with state Rep. Corley Ellis. He also described two potential new businesses: a 22,000-square-foot agricultural retail facility planned off Highway 70 with an estimated 15 full-time-equivalent positions and an industrial project at Industrial Parkway that developers have said could employ up to about 100 people once fully built out.

Public comment: Resident Chandler Manwaring urged the council to address stormwater problems on Center Street after recent repaving. Manwaring described raised driveway approaches that block gutter flow and said water has repeatedly been pushed across the road into front yards; he provided photos and asked the city engineer to evaluate fixes such as grates or culverts. The mayor said he will ask the engineer to review the photographs and possible remedies.

The council adjourned after a brief announcements section covering community events including Cowboy Day, a Shelby County Arts Center fundraiser, and the Touch-a-Truck event. The auditor is expected to present the FY23 audit at the March 4 meeting.