The Town of Alexandria appointed another new alderman at the town’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 17, this time to replace the seat vacated by Jeff Ford after he was appointed Mayor at the previous town meeting.  The meeting had been moved ahead by a week due to the Alexandria Fair beginning this week. Debbie Fisher was appointed by the board and sworn into office by City Recorder Jessica Howard.

The Alexandria Board of Aldermen now consists of Fisher, David Cripps, Sherry Tubbs, Bobby Simpson, Luke Prichard, and Jonathon Tripp. Cripps and Tubbs voted in favor of Fisher, while Simpson and Prichard passed. Mayor Ford then broke the tie, voting in favor of Fisher.

Fisher said she has a lot of experience in government and hopes to be a help to the town. “I live on West Main Street and have since the fall of 2015. I spent 28 years with the Wilson County government in the finance department, and 12 of those years I was the assistant finance director and the rest of my time there I was the insurance manager and risk manager for the whole county. I worked with all the county departments. My background is with county government, but I am hoping my county background can help here. I’m hoping to be helpful.”

One town alderman, Jonathon Tripp, said he is not happy with how recent meetings have been scheduled, and said he has not been informed about the agenda or special meetings times. He said he feels the early times for the meetings, set at 5 PM, have been intentional, keeping him from attending due to him having to work those hours. The normal meeting times are set at 7 PM.

Town officials say the meeting times and agendas have been posted online and at Town Hall, in a timely manner. Financial Officer Rhonda Conatser and part time Water Clerk Amber Ahlgard were let go by the board, with pay through the month of July.

“One of the things we are struggling with is our budget,” Alderman Sherry Tubbs told the board. “There was a lot of hiring and promises of more money that we could not afford. We hired a new lady, Amber Ahlgard, two months ago, but her position is one we will have to do away with right now.

“We will also need to let Rhonda go. She has tried and done a great job but was not given the tools meant for the job. We do need a CMFO (certified municipal finance officer), but we will have to hire one already trained. I’m told MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) will advertise for us to find a CMFO,” said Alderman Tubbs.

The board also adopted a continuing budget resolution to keep city government operating past July 1, until a new budget is adopted.

Mayor Ford also announced that the town is in talks concerning a new city attorney. “We interviewed an attorney today (June 17). They are discussing it, and we are discussing it,” said Mayor Ford.

Several aldermen have expressed concerns over voting for certain town business without an attorney present. The latest city attorney, Matt Boss, resigned the position last March leaving the town without legal representation.

Mayor Ford also addressed public concerns over the condition of several roads in the town. “Roads are very pricey, and we don’t know where we are on the budget,” said Mayor Ford. “The town has been operating basically off of the bank account balances since last August. We are putting our budget back together so we will be looking at that.”

The town also voted to set Saturday, October 4, as the date for Ole Timers Day at the request of a business owner so organizers can move forward with planning. The event will begin at 9 AM.