NAIL IN THE COFFIN
The Fairhope City council just put the final nail in their re-election coffin.
Without any public participation at council meetings or any community engagement, the Fairhope City council bullied the community into a 2.65 million dollar land purchase for recreation. This property will remain vacant for years and required the council to raid city accounts in order to purchase the property.
This untimely purchase will delay infrastructure, sewer and capital improvements that the city already had scheduled. It will also impact the 2020 budget and cost countless hours of staff who will have to make changes to accommodate the 2.65 million dollar purchase. The Council has voted themselves a raise and full family insurance, as part time employees.
City Council Agenda
19. Resolution – That the City Council authorizes and allocates funding of $2,650,000.00 for the purchase of approximately 114 acres of land located on the northwest corner of County Road 13 and 32 (8875 County Road 32) as follows: Investment CD – Savings: $1,065,146.07; Prepay Debt Reserve: $700,285.37; Impact Fees – Recreation: $884,568.56; for a Total amount of $2,650,000.00.
They are stripping savings, reserves and impact fees, without budget approval or even having a budget in place. Keep in mind they have not approved the 2020 budget nor have they in 4 years, delivered a budget on time.
What this council did was to simply delay the budget with the next agenda item.
20. Resolution – That the Budget for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019 be extended to allow the invoices and expenditures to continue as needed until the parts of Budget FY2020 are adopted.
The council has used a very questionable appraisal to boost the purchase of the land. Fact is the council first promised on Oct. 29,2019, that only an appraisal was being sought, not a sale. They approved the appraisal and then moved forward to purchase.
They lied, not only did they lie they conspired among themselves to pass the purchase without public input.
WHY?
Because they could not get public support through legitimate public engagement.
Let’s look at some of the parks and purchases of the Fairhope City Council:
1.The Triangle PARK
The council President, Jack Burrell insisted for years this PARK was purchased for 8.25 million. Jack had to eat his words when several attorneys and publications pointed out that it was not a purchase, nor a PARK, at all.
It was a legal settlement, of a lawsuit the city lost.
The city HAD to purchase the property. With attorney fees the final cost was close to 13 million dollars.
Burrell led the unsuccessful effort, supported by a ?CATALYST council, to give it away. The property value today is around 20 million.
Do not be surprised to see the City Council come up with another bright idea to give away municipal property worth 20 million. ?CATALYST wants control of the Triangle.
2.Soccer Fields purchase.
What an absolute corrupt deal this was. The council, in office at the time, did the same thing this council is doing, draining city accounts for an unnecessary land deal for the good ole boys.
The property remained vacant for years, without the slightest plan, the city decided they would install soccer fields.
Over 5 million dollars later, maybe as high as 7 million, the fields today have a host of problems and are considered “fair practice fields”.
3.The purchase of the K1 and Nix center
The City Council screwed up this deal for months. One proposal after another went down the toilet until finally the Mayor secured the sale. Now they own it and have no plan and no money.
The council discussed in the work session prior to the council meeting as to how they could come up with money to do minor repairs, such as a roof, on K1. People wake up! They do not have the money for a roof on a building falling down, or a replacement roof for city hall, or improvements for the Nix Center.
But they approve 2.65 million for dirt???
4.
You will hear much more about this good ole boy deal because people are already coming forward with details and information never made public. This should be the nail in the coffin for the city council in 2020.
This is in your face corruption with ?CATALYST fingerprints all over it.
Be aware folks the Fairhope City Council is 100% ?CATALYST. For those of you who do not know who ?CATALYST is, just understand that they do not represent the Citizens of Fairhope or Baldwin County.
