October 17, 2025

Council Meeting Minutes 09-23-2025

Agenda

Minutes

CITY OF SOUTHSIDE

COUNTY OF ETOWAH

STATE OF ALABAMA

The City Council of the City of Southside convened in a regular meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Prior notice of this meeting was given in compliance with Resolution No. 0-035-2005 of the City of Southside, Alabama, and the Alabama Open Meetings Act. Mayor Pro Tempore Don Steward called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m., with Councilman Don Steward leading in prayer.

The following were present: Mayor Dana Snyder, Council Members: Keith Clay, Don Steward, Joseph Hutchins, Danny Garnett, and John Hatley. With a quorum present, the meeting was called to order for business transactions.

Mayor Snyder asked the council if there were any corrections or additions to the minutes for the September 9, 2025, Election Canvass meeting, and if not, was there a motion to suspend the reading of the minutes and vote to approve them. Don Steward made a motion to approve, and Keith Clay provided a second. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The minutes were approved.

Mayor Snyder then asked the council if there were any corrections or additions to the minutes for the regular council meeting held on September 9, 2025, and if not, was there a motion to suspend the reading of the minutes and vote to approve them. Don Steward motioned to approve the minutes, and Danny Garnett seconded the motion. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The motion was approved.

The Council entered its work session at 5:05 p.m.

The first item on the work session agenda was a discussion of the possible tax abatement/incentive to offset the expense A J’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill will incur for relocating its sign, which has been determined to be located on the ALDOT right of way. There was a discussion about the issue being due to the placement of the sign on the state right-of-way, which was specified in an adjoining street (Forestdale) that no one was aware of before this. Councilman Garnett suggested that the city pay half of the cost to move the sign. Josh Alverson and Annette Kitchens, who own A. J.’s was in attendance, and Mr. Alverson stated that he felt they did their due diligence to make sure all the plans for the property were up to code when he conferred with the city building department. Councilman Clay asked if the sign was not in the engineered plans. Building Inspector Judd Rich stated that the plans were done by an Architect, who only designed the building and parking lot. There was no sign on the architect’s plans. Ms. Kitchens stated that it is a very unfortunate situation and very unusual, but it has to be moved. They have tried to file a variance with ALDOT to no avail. Councilman Hutchins stated that he feels that this is the city’s mistake, due to the unusual circumstances, and no one being aware of the ALDOT rules regarding adjoining City Streets, and they should help. Councilman Steward stated that the city is responsible; this is a unique situation, and there was a learning curve involved for everyone. Mayor Snyder stated that since this occurrence, the City had erected its new digital sign, and they had called out ALDOT to verify the placement/brightness was within restrictions. Councilman Steward asked Councilman Hatley what his thoughts were. He stated that he feels a mistake was made, and the city is responsible. The decision was made to add to old business for a vote.

New Business:

A Resolution was presented to approve Cindy Beshears, Acting City Clerk, for travel expenses to attend the Fall Clerks Institute/Winter Conference in Tuscaloosa, December 9-12. Councilman Steward made a motion to approve. Councilman Clay explained that training items are already included in the budget, and they are very important to give employees the skills and training they need to do their jobs correctly. With that said, he seconded the motion. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The Resolution was approved.

A Resolution was presented to file a lien for a grass/weed abatement at 6583 Vale Cross Way.

Building/Zoning official, Judd Rich, addressed the council and stated they had been having complaints regarding the weeds/grass on this particular property. He stated that there had been letters sent to the property owners, and no response. The building department had public works to go out and maintain the yard, and would like to place a tax lien on the property to recoup expenses for that maintenance. Don Steward made a motion to approve the Resolution, Joseph Hutchins seconded. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The Resolution was approved.

Old Business:

Finance Director Nickie Pylant presented an Ordinance to amend the FY 2024/2025 operating budget. She explained that she had spoken to the city’s auditors, and explained that the recent property purchases were last-minute items, and were unplanned for (the house and the grocery store), and asked if an amendment would be necessary, and she was told definitely. Those items would have been findings in the audit without amendments to reflect the purchases. Joseph Hutchins made a motion to approve the Ordinance, and Don Steward provided a second. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The Ordinance was approved.

Finance Director Nickie Pylant presented an Ordinance to approve the tentative FY 2025/2026 operating budget. Mayor Snyder gave highlights of the budget. She stated that the FY 2025/2026 operating budget provides for a total anticipated income of $8,732,136. The budget appropriates $10,026,084. To the departmental budgets and non-departmental budgets. The difference in expenses vs. revenues is $1,293,948, which includes restricted funds that have accumulated for expenditures, such as the FY 2025/2026 paving project and debt service payments. The FY 2025/2026 general fund budget appropriates the amount of $80,000 to Public Relations (Community). The budget document entitled Special Revenue Funds, filed with the City Clerk, is hereby adopted as the Special Revenue Funds Budget of the City, appropriating $841,620.00for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. The pay rates in the pay plan adopted in Resolution 0-057-2023and the amendment to the pay scale regarding Public Safety shall remain in place unless amended. Employees shall be entitled to a pay raise following the pay plan, as of the first pay period beginning in Fiscal Year 2025/2026, under the pay plan adopted by Resolution 0-017-2022, based on their rate of pay at the end of the 2024/2025 fiscal year. All full-time employees shall receive a 2.5% increase within the fiscal year. All purchases not included in the budget must be approved by the city council. The City Council sets the fixed assets inventory at $1,000. The City Council gives department heads approval to approve any P.O. purchase of $1500. Or below without the signature of the finance director or mayor, as long as the purchase amount is within the confines of their remaining budget. Don Steward made a motion to approve the FY 2025/2026 operating budget. Danny Garnett provided a second. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES, the Ordinance was approved.

The next item of Old Business was added from the work session. The Owners had requested an abatement from the council to cover the moving of the sign for the business from the ALOT right-of-way, due to information given to them by the city. Councilman Garnett stated that he would vote yes, but in the future, he would like, the planning commission and building officials to make sure to consult ALDOT on any future items along the state highway before they are approved by the city. He then made a motion to approve the $8700 abatement to move the sign. Don Steward provided a second. The Roll Call Vote was ALL AYES. The abatement was approved.

A City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30, 2025@ 12:00 in council chambers to canvass the September 23, 2025, runoff election.

The next Planning Commission meeting is October 13, 2025, at 6:00 pm in Council Chambers at the City of Southside City Hall.

The next City Council Meeting is scheduled for October 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City of Southside City Hall.

The mayor then asked each council member if they had anything to add:

Keith Clay: NO

John Hatley: NO

Don Steward: Stated that whatever happens in the election, the city has got to come together and quit the negative rhetoric on social media. From this point forward, the city needs to quit destroying itself. He thanked Mayoral Candidate Dan Childs, who was in attendance, for a clean race. At the end of the day, please come together and bring the City forward.

Joseph Hutchins: Thank you to Nickie and the department heads for all the work on the budget.

Danny Garnett: Thank you to Nickie for all the answers to his phone calls and questions.

Mayor Snyder appreciates all the work on the budget, and she echoed Don Stewart’s sentiment that all the candidates ran clean campaigns and did a good job; however, it is the community that is in uproar right now. She feels that everyone needs to come back together and leave out all the misinformation.

She then asked if anyone in attendance had anything to add.

Dan Childs was recognized to address the council. He stated that he wanted to thank the Public Works Department. He said he had the opportunity to go to the city shop, and he was very impressed. He said that those employees had cleaned up a really big mess. He agreed with Councilman Steward about social media being a problem, promoting negativity. He also thanked Cindy Beshears and Nickie Pylant for their help during his campaign.

Don Steward made a motion to adjourn. Joseph Hutchins provided a second. The meeting was adjourned at 5:32