City Council

APPROVED AS PRESENTED TO COUNCIL 09/16/25 CALLED MEETING MINUTES JULY 16, 2025 BUDGET WORK SESSION The members of the City Council of the City of Phenix City, Alabama met in a called work session at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in the Martin Idle Hour Community Center (MIHPCC) located at 3743 Moon Lake Drive, Phenix City, Alabama for the purpose of reviewing the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Upon roll call the following councilmembers were present: Councilmember Arthur L. Day, Jr., Councilmember Vickey Carter Green, Councilmember Steve Bailey, Councilmember R. Griff Gordy and Mayor Eddie N. Lowe. Also present were City Manager Wallace B. Hunter, City Clerk Shannon Davis, Finance Director Labrita King Copeland, HR Director Stephanie Chastain, Chief of Police George Staudinger, Utilities Director John Spraggins and Assistant City Manager Chan Gamble. Mayor Lowe delivered the invocation. Mayor Lowe turned the meeting over to City Manager Wallace Hunter, who advised we are here to go over the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. City Manager Wallace Hunter commented on the following: 1. Budgets 2. Emergency Money 3. Personnel and Capital Items 4. The Utilities Budget as being a separate budget. Councilmember Green spoke on the Phenix City/Russell County Library and how many Citizens have been talking about how great and upgraded the library looks on the inside. Councilmember Green further stated that it would be good if the City could keep that momentum going with fixing up the exterior to make it look a little more inviting. City Manager Wallace Hunter stated that is why funding has been placed there in the budget, and that is to make sure that the face of the outside can be taken care of. City Manager Wallace Hunter asked Finance Director Labrita King Copeland to go over the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. Ms. Copeland reviewed the column layout. City Manager Wallace Hunter asked City Clerk Shannon Davis to go over the upcoming pay scale for Mayor and Councilmembers. Finance Director Labrita King Copeland reviewed the following Revenues: 1. Revenue Summary 2. Department Expense Summary 3. Category Expense Summary 4. Revenue Detail 5. Miscellaneous Revenue 6. Restricted Funds Revenue 7. Grants 8. Reserved money that has been set aside. Finance Director Labrita King Copeland reviewed the following Expenses: 1. City Manager Budget – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $1,000.00 budgeted for equipment and $1,000.00 for furniture/fixtures. 2. Economic Development – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 3. Planning Development Department – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 4. IT Department – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $315,000.00 budgeted for computer equipment. 5. Library – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 6. Municipal Court – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 7. Human Resources – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $38,030.00 budgeted for Company Vehicles. 8. City Clerk – Increase salaries – No Capital Outlay. 9. Building – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $75,000.00 budgeted for office equipment and $2,500.00 budgeted for other equipment. 10. Finance – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $7,500.00 budgeted for furniture and fixtures. 11. Revenue Collection – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 12. Parks and Recreation – Increase salaries – Capital Outlay of $36,000.00 for other equipment and $90,000.00 for company vehicles. 13. Golf – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $22,000.00 budgeted for other equipment. 14. Public Safety – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $1,500.00 budgeted for office equipment and $1,800.00 budgeted for computer equipment. 15. Fire Department – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $52,800.00 budgeted for other equipment, $109,450.00 budgeted for capital leases and $160,000.00 budgeted for facility improvements. 16. Police Department – Increase salaries. $220,627.00 budgeted for other equipment, $10,000.00 for furniture/fixtures and $40,000.00 for facility improvement. 17. Police – Animal Control – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. 18. Engineer / Public Works a. Administration – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. b. Engineering – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. c. Limbs and Debris – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $75,450.00 budgeted for other equipment and $54,883.00 budgeted for vehicles. d. Streets and Drainage – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $8,000.00 budgeted for other equipment. e. Building Maintenance – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. f. Refuse Disposal – Increase salaries. No Capital Outlay. g. Vehicle Maintenance – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $17,700.00 budgeted for other equipment. h. Cemetery Maintenance – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $14,400.00 budgeted for other equipment and $57,600.00 for Capital Vehicles. 19. Non Departmental a. Professional Services b. Utilities for purchased property c. Lee/Russell Council of Governments – PEX Bus d. PBA Lease Expenses e. Highway 431 Retail Building and Maintenance Project f. Contract for Garbage Services g. Appropriations – Requested amounts by various agencies will be determined by Council upon the Appropriation Review Section of this Budget Work Session. h. General Fund Capital / Restricted Funds / Red Light Camera Projects – Emergency Expenditures are recorded here. Also: Riverwalk Ramp to 5th Avenue and 12th Street; Community Center Austin Sumbry Park; LED Lights-Southside; LED Lights-Idle Hour; Bridgewater Bridge Replacement; Storm Drainage Repairs; Riverwalk Maintenance and Retention Pond. i. Tax Incentive Payments – 2nd Street Development; Halpern Development; Girard Partners. j. Operating Transfers Out – Debt payment out of General Fund; Mill debt service coverage; Reserve fund contingency of $2,000,000.00 20. Utilities Fund – Revenue and Expenditures – Capital Projects funded by System Development Fees – the rest of the projects are funded from Operations. a. Operating Revenue b. Water Fund Revenue c. Waste Water Fund Revenue d. Expenditures e. Capital Expense Summary f. Capital Projects - Saddlebrook Improvements (Engineering Costs only); SRF-WWC System Rehab Phase I; WWTP Upgrade and Expansion (Partially Funded with ARPA Funds). g. Administration – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $60,000.00 budgeted for facility improvement. h. Water Distribution – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $100,000.00 for Mains and Lines Repair and $54,000.00 for Capital Leases. i. Water Filtration – Increase salaries. Capital Outlay of $20,000.00 for other equipment. j. Waste Water Collection – Increased salaries. Capital Outlay of $128,000.00 for leases and $200,000.00 for Mains and Lines Repair. k. Waste Water Treatment – Increased salaries. Capital Outlay of $15,000.00 for facility improvement.  21. Special Revenue Funds Budget a. Capital Improvements Fund b. Gas Tax Funds – (2 cent, 4 cent, 5 cent and 7 cent) c. 10 Cent Gas Tax d. Corrections Fund e. 2nd Mortgage Fund f. Confiscated Property Fund g. 3 & 4 Mill Tax h. 7 Mill Tax Fund i. Municipal Court Funds j. Donated Money k. Public Building Authority l. Library Fund m. 2017-A Capital Projects Fund n. 2017-B Capital Projects Fund o. American Rescue Plan Fund 22. Appropriations The following requests for Appropriations were approved for funding by council: a. Alabama Cooperative Extension - $3,000.00 b. Children & Family Connection of Russell County, Inc. - $2,500.00 c. Doris C. Weaver Girls Club of Phenix City, Inc. - $10,000.00 d. East Alabama Chamber of Commerce - $35,000.00 e. Keep Phenix City Beautiful - $1,500.00 f. Phenix City Board of Education - $200,000.00 g. Phenix City Board of Education – In-Kind - $389,998.00 h. Project Greene Light - $5,000.00 i. Russell County Child Advocacy Center - $5,000.00 j. Russell County Department of Human Resources - $5,000.00 k. Russell County Juvenile Drug & Family Dependency Court Program - $17,000.00 l. Russell County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) - $30,000.00 m. Russell County Soil & Water Conservation District - $2,500.00 n. Integra Community Mental Health System (formerly East Alabama Mental Health) - $2,500.00 The following requests for Appropriations were moved to the Police Department: a. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers b. Russell County Coroner/Special Transport  c. Russell County Juvenile Probation Services The following requests for Appropriations were not approved for funding by council: a. East Alabama Service for Elderly b. East Alabama Humane Society c. Russell County Department of Human Resources d. Chattachoochee Valley Community College Foundation e. Communities of Transformation f. Habitat for Humanity g. Phenix City Housing Authority h. Phenix City Tree Commission i. Russell County Historical Commission Mayor and Council requested that the City Clerk send out letters notifying the agencies if they were approved or not. Mayor and Council concluded its review of the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. There being nothing further to discuss, the meeting adjourned.