Council re-appoints Trapp to city school board

The Russellville City Council voted Monday night to re-appoint Greg Trapp to the city’s school board.

The appointment caused a few tense moments during the council’s work session when council members argued over who was supposed to make the appointment.

The council agreed when they took office in 2008 to make sure that each district was represented on all the city’s boards, when possible.

Trapp currently lives in District 1, which has a second board member as well.

Monday night, Councilman William Nale, who represents District 2, asked to remove an item from the agenda that called for making a school board appointment. District 2 does not currently have a representative on the school board.

Nale believed that it was his appointment to make, but decided to pull the agenda item. Mayor Troy Oliver said the item needed to be voted on Monday and did not take it off the agenda.

“What you all are trying to do could happen to your districts, too,” Nale said.

Councilman Gary Cummings told Nale that council members could “drag it out for six months and it wouldn’t change.”

Nale decided not to make a motion on the item. Cummings then recommended that Trapp be re-appointed. That was unanimously approved.

Cummings said the timing was not right to recommend a new school board member.

“With all the budget issues we have, this is a crucial time,” Cummings said. “I just don’t think now is the time to train a new school board member.”

Nale said that he had no issues with Trapp serving on the school board, he just believed that District 2 should be represented on the board also.

“William is great to work with on the council and he is a good friend,” Cummings said, “but I just didn’t think we needed to change school board members at this time.”

Cummings said that, in the past, council members have tried to make sure that each district was represented on each city board, but this was an unusual circumstance, he said.

“Wee have good board members on all the city boards and there are some good candidates from District 2, but we are just at a point where I think we need to keep moving forward and not have to have a period where somebody is learning that job.”

In other business, the council:

• voted to adjust the dispatcher reimbursement to the utility departments for $1,112 each month.

• agreed to pay North Alabama Paving for a turn lane at Waterloo and Summit Streets for $49,260.?

• approved a contract with Garver Engineers for installing airfield perimeter/security fencing and remarking the Russellville Airport field for $33,715.76.? Of that cost, the city is responsible for 2.5 percent.

• accepted the resignation of P.J. Sears from the park and recreation department.

• declared a vacancy for assistant street superintendent and authorized posting to fill by promotion from within the classified service.?

• approved a 5 percent raise for firefighter Jason Miller.