New council member sworn in
By Melinda L. Lucas
Albany city council member James Waters resigned and Austin Sherwood was appointed to replace him at a special session held on Thursday, July 2.
Waters’ letter of resignation stated that he was giving up his seat “due to family issues.” He had filed for reelection without opposition earlier this year, with his present term scheduled to end in May 2022.
City manager Billy Holson explained that Waters’ son Kenneth Waters had applied for a position at the municipal golf course after Tommy Terrell retired, and in order to hire him, it was necessary for James Waters to resign from the council.
Even though the employee is hired by the Albany Golf Club, the salary is paid through the city, Holson said.
Council members discussed several possibilities to fill the vacancy left by James Waters’ resignation, and on a motion by Lester Galbreath, they made the decision to appoint Sherwood.
Sherwood, who is a financial advisor, accepted the position and will serve until May 2021, when the council seat will be on the ballot for the remainder of the one-year unexpired term.
The new council member was sworn in last week and took his seat at the regular monthly meeting on Monday, July 13.
Youth Center
ResourceCare CEO Meagan Marshall asked the council to consider the sale or long-term lease of the Albany Youth Center, which is utilized by ResourceCare (RC) for various programs, including Vittles by Vehicle and Summer Day Camp for 150-plus local children.
“ResourceCare has occupied and taken care of the youth Center for 25 years,” said Marshall. “During that time, we have funded almost all the improvements and maintenance, but a lot more needs to be done.”
She explained that when seeking grants and other types of funds to reno-vate or make upgrades, she often runs into the problem of Resource-Care not owning the building, or at the very least, having a long-term lease.
“No one wants to help unless we have a 10-year lease or own the building,” she said, adding that she felt the RC board would like to own rather than lease the facility.
Holson explained that the city’s legal counsel, Pat Chesser, had said that there are only three ways for the city to sell the building – by sealed bids, public auction, or as a conveyance to a nonprofit corporation for public use.
It cannot be given away, but the council can set the price for the real estate, Holson said.
Council members acknowledged that Resource Care has invested a great deal of time and money into the property, about $125,000 according to Marshall.
Holson stated that since ResourceCare falls within the boundaries of a nonprofit corporation and uses the facility for public good, the council is allowed to sell the building to RC without sealed bids. If in the future, the building is abandoned or is no longer used for the public good, ownership will revert back to the city.
In order to move forward, council members voted to “sell or lease the Youth Center to ResourceCare at a price to be agreed upon at a later time.”
Marshall was asked to check with RC board members and report back at the August council meeting.
“You have been great stewards of that property, and ResourceCare does a great job throughout the community,” said Albany mayor Susan Montgomery. “We will look forward to hearing back from you.”
Post Office Rental
Holson noted that the monthly rent paid by the U.S. Postal Service for the land upon which the local post office sits, has been deposited into an account for use by the Albany Volunteer Fire Department for the past 10 years.
The funds were used to service a loan for the new AVFD fire station, but that loan was paid off two years ago.
Holson proposed that the $450 monthly rent should now be deposited into a restricted account. The money could still be used by the fire department, but would be governed by the council so that purchases could be tracked by the city’s auditor.
A motion to change the monthly deposit to a restricted account was unanimously approved.
