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Alexander City mayor presses preventive infrastructure work as audits and budgets are updated
Summary
Mayor outlined a multi-year infrastructure plan, warned that two recent sewer line failures will cost roughly $200,000, and said the city is working to finish outstanding audits while maintaining roughly $10.3 million available in the general operations fund.
Mayor provided a broad update on Alexander City’s infrastructure and finances at the May 18 council meeting, urging preventive work and tighter planning to avoid costly emergency repairs.
The mayor said the Alabama Department of Transportation plans to reopen Highway 63 by July 4 and reported two sewer-line collapses on Cherokee that are expected to cost “almost $200,000” to repair. He said officials are preparing a Gantt chart and draft plan that lays out infrastructure needs through 2030 and emphasized preventive maintenance to reduce long-term costs: “If we had been able to line those pipes before they collapsed … the difference in cost [would be] $200,000 or $25,000,” he said.
The finance committee presented a monthly snapshot showing an end-of-month bank balance around $30 million and about $10.3 million available in the general operations fund after accounting for restricted and committed funds. The report noted that departments are generally within their budgets and that accounts payable activity for April included more than $2.8 million in disbursements. The utilities report said crews repaired 35 leaks, installed six new services, replaced one fire hydrant and installed 1,377 AMI meters so far this year.
The mayor stressed the importance of completing outstanding audits and said the audit team will return before the end of the month with a plan to have the 2024 audit finished by June and bring 2024–2026 items to council in July and October so the city will be caught up by year end. “We will be caught up by the time we turn the page on 2026,” he said, praising city finance staff for progress toward that goal.
Council members applauded public works and other staff and reiterated that sufficient budget capacity is essential to carry out the infrastructure work the mayor outlined. The council did not take action tied to a specific borrowing or funding source at the meeting; the mayor and staff said detailed budget proposals will be part of upcoming budget work sessions and the next council meeting on June 1.
