Alexander City mayor names $30M utility need, audit push and new community development director as top priorities

Mayor Dmore told the Alexander City Council on Feb. 16 that the city must prioritize utility repairs, financial reporting and planning to position Alexander City for future growth. He announced the hire of Scott Hardy as community development director and outlined four near-term goals.

"We need our utility infrastructure to be made healthy. That's about a $30 million bill to do it completely," the mayor said, framing the work as necessary to maintain current services and serve projected growth tied to nearby development. He said the city must also finish audits and be "bond eligible by year end," and that a strategic plan based on the comprehensive plan should be completed by June.

The mayor said the city has spent on capital projects without a recent bond issue and noted a roughly 16-year gap since the last municipal bond. He described unassigned general fund reserves of about $7.6 million against a 30% reserve target of roughly $9.6 million and said auditors and staff are meeting this month to map a path to current audits and bond eligibility.

The mayor assigned Scott Hardy primary responsibility for pursuing grants and external funding opportunities and described Hardy's background, including leadership roles with a regional building-and-trades group and work in student enrollment and marketing at a college foundation.

Council members asked no substantive questions during the report; the mayor closed by urging unity among city staff and elected officials as the city pursues audits, bonds and infrastructure work. The council proceeded with its agenda without further action on the mayor's items at this meeting.