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By Fred Guarino

The Lowndes Signal

The Hayneville Town Council was unable to conduct business regarding grants for sewer improvements, sidewalks and water meters and a loan for new police cars in a meeting carried over from Monday until Tuesday night due to the lack of a quorum Tuesday.

While Mayor David Daniel and Council members Carole Scrushy and Kim Payton returned for Tuesday night’s carryover meeting, Council members Sharon Reeves, Cynthia McDonald and Lula Tyson-Bailey did not.

Former Hayneville Mayor Helenor Bell said while a quorum was established at Monday night’s regular meeting, which was not broken by the absence of three council members Tuesday, she said the council could not conduct business with just three members present.

Bell currently serves as economic development director for the town of Hayneville.

Daniel said of the missing council members that on Monday “I asked for their cooperation. We could work together, that Hayneville was greater than the council and greater than the mayor because we all were servants – we’re supposed to be serving our people out in the community of Hayneville.”

He said, “I told them I had prayed for their cooperation and then I went into these grant proposals.”

One resolution on the agenda regarded the town’s need of Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development assistance with matching funds for an Alabama Department of Transportation grant for a sidewalk extension for which the total funding amount is $20,000.

Daniel said the sidewalk would have been extended from the blinking light in town to the Lowndes County Health Department.

Another resolution regarded a Community Development Block Grant application to run a 6-inch sewage line to the homes in the town limits.

Daniel said there was no match for this grant, which would have been for about $350,000 through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

A third resolution regarded about a $49,000 loan and grant from USDA for two new police vehicles for the town.

A fourth resolution regarded a line of credit in the amount of $100,000 at 6.5 percent through First Citizens Bank that would have been paid for through a grant and loan for new water meters.

Daniel said a lot of the town’s water meters “are not functioning property,” so the town has to charge the minimum water rate.

In addition, he said the project would have connected Hayneville to the Lowndesboro Water System in the event something happened to the town’s water wells.

He said the nearly $1 million project would involve a $500,000 grant and $500,000 loan.

Daniel said the absent council members Tuesday wanted to review the resolutions.

Daniel pointed out that are deadlines for these things.

While waiting to see of the other council members would show, Daniel said he would try to contact the other council members to see if a meeting could be held during the daytime to “try to get these resolutions passed.” He said, “It never dawned on me that they would not show up tonight.”

Scrushy said, “I would just suggest that anybody who can reach them (the absent council members) and talk to them explain to them what we need to do and encourage them to come.”

She said, “Speak your voice. If you want to vote one way and I want to vote another, that’s fine. But be just be here and learn enough to know what you’re voting for.”

Scrushy said, “Ask them how can we resolve this? What is it going to take to keep from destroying Hayneville?”