BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Top Photo: At right Coosada Police Chief Leon Smith Jr., talks to council members during a discussion Friday night concerning the time for a school zone for Coosada Elementary.
The Coosada Town Council held a special called meeting Friday evening to address the ongoing issue of a school zone time dispute in the area of Coosada Elementary, and specifically the area that falls within their jurisdiction.
The meeting lasted for about two hours, but in this article we will attempt to hit the highlights.
In answer to the Elmore County Commission and the Elmore Board of Education deciding to shorten the school zone times for Coosada Elementary, Coosada Council members will pursue changing the speed limit permanently within their jurisdiction from 40 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour, in the interest of safety. The proposed area would include Goodwyn Road to Walker Way. This is expected to occur at a special called council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
In the meeting Friday, the Council voted on only one issue; to take down their school zone sign that is currently in front of the county’s sign on Airport Road.
When we reported on this issue Friday, Coosada officials withheld comment. However, Friday night they had a lot to say about how they feel this issue is more about the Elmore County Commission and Elmore BoE pushing a “false narrative” that Coosada is only interested in writing speeding tickets.
“That’s what they are saying…(that we) have this new court system and (we) want to write tickets,” Coosada Police Chief Leon Smith Jr., said. The Town of Coosada recently began their own municipal court, rather than issues funneled through Elmore County court system.
“Well, we have been writing those school zone tickets before we had our court established. They were just going to Elmore County and that is why they (teachers)were missing school. They won’t miss school with our court, because ours starts at 5 p.m.” Chief Smith said.
Council member Roosevelt Watkins referred to the Elmore/Autauga News article published Friday, with comments from county and school officials. Again, Coosada officials were offered the chance for input, but declined.
“I think (the Elmore/Autauga News) needs to put the truth in the paper. I think we need to explain to her how all this started from the beginning. Because they (Commission and BoE) didn’t tell that,” Watkins said.
To do that, the Coosada Council members and Mayor explained about a meeting held several weeks ago. This was a meeting between Coosada officials including Mayor Jim Houston, Chief Smith, Council member Watkins, Councilwoman Landrum, Councilwoman Rogers; and Elmore County officials including Richie Beyer, Commissioner Bart Mercer, Commissioner Desirae Lewis,; Elmore School Supt. Richard Dennis; Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson and Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley. We were not notified of the meeting prior. No media were present, minutes were not taken and there is no known recording of what transpired. However, those on the Coosada Council gave their take on the meeting.
“From the meeting that we had in here, we all agreed on something and the county lied to us about it,” Councilman Watkins said, saying the Town’s side needs to be published. “That way we don’t have any skeletons in the closet. From what I read we look like the worst people in America. We look bad. Because they told their story, but their story wasn’t the truth, I promise you that. If they are going to lie in the paper like that…the truth needs to come out.”
Coosada Mayor Houston explained the back story of how the current situation unfolded.
“I received a text that (the School Board) was changing the school zone times,” Houston said. “Chief Smith (said the Board) had cut it from an hour and a half to 45 minutes.” From there the Coosada Town Council asked to meet with multiple officials and the meeting was held at Coosada Town Hall.
Referring to that meeting held several weeks ago, Mayor Houston said, “Mr. Dennis was livid. He said he had a list of 29 teachers that have tickets from the Town of Coosada Police Department. The conversation went back and forth on the tickets, and (us) saying they need to slow down.”
Chief Smith said that the town’s officers were accused of targeting and harassing educators.
“(Mayor Houston) asked what data they had to show that the school zones needed to be changed,” Chief Smith said. He added that the only data offered to the Coosada officials was a list of tickets from Richard Dennis.
“The agreement when we left that meeting is that the County would change that sign back to the way it was (Hour and a half) and a study would be done in three weeks. The next thing I know they did not change the sign back. Everyone was under the impression the sign would be changed back until we had the study,” Houston said. That is when the Town Council decided to place their own school zone times in front of the County’s sign on Airport Road.
Houston said that after the initial meeting he requested a list of the tickets written to teachers.
“The whole time they are saying that we are targeting their teachers. All those tickets…the ones that had to do with the school zone…there were 11 tickets and four warnings. Five came from one school, six from the other. The average speed over the school zone speed limit was 19 miles an hour. One of them, a school teacher, passed the bus with the stop signs out. We are not targeting their teachers. They are putting themselves out there in my mind,” Houston said.
Houston said in the days that followed two Board of Education vehicles were parked in handicapped zones as school was being released. Officer Price went inside the school and said the vehicles needed to be moved from the handicapped spaces.
“A lady came out and told Officer Price that Richard Dennis wanted him to call him,” Houston said.
Houston alleged that in the conversation the officer was accused of targeting teachers with tickets.
“There are other places to put these vehicles…not in handicapped zones. Chief Smith went up there. All of this is on video. (Richard Dennis) told (Chief Smith) that his officers were targeting teachers,” Houston said.
Mayor Houston would later send a letter to Richard Dennis saying he found no evidence that his officers were targeting teachers. “I asked him to cease spreading a false narrative and to do not approach our officers with accusations. If he has a problem he needs to contact me. I will look at the facts and get back with him.”
An email was sent to Richard Dennis by Houston that was prepared by Coosada’s attorney Tyler Winans, regarding removal of the county sign until the study was complete.
Houston said he could not find 29 tickets to teachers. Though, some of those tickets documented included multiple offenses.
“I had all that data and I sent it to him,” Houston said.
In the letter he went over the tickets that were written and said he believes them to be justified.
Councilman Watkins said he believes the city should consider getting outside legal representation to clear up a lot of the confusion related to the issue.
“I asked Richard Dennis point blank in that meeting, ‘Is this about the kids’ safety or is this about a lot of teachers getting tickets?’ I feel personally that we need to hire an outside attorney…to go at them and fix it.”
Watkins says he feels there is a lack of communication, and unwillingness to compromise on the part of the Commission and the BoE.
“We are doing nothing wrong. All they had to do was come and sit down and discuss this, and we wouldn’t be in this problem right now,” Watkins said. “But in their mind, we are nobody to them and that is just the bottom line. They don’t care what we think or say. No one is above the law.”
Watkins made the recommendation that a solution to the issue is for the Town Council to simply change the speed limit to a permanent, 24-hour speed of no more than 25 miles per hour. “According to the state law, Attorney General’s Opinion, and the Alabama League of Municipalities guide, the Town of Coosada can set speed limits and post speed limits on state, county roads within their incorporation limits. So they can’t tell us what to do. They are selling wolf and bluff tickets. But this is all in black and white I have in front of you guys.”
Watkins said to let the county and the school board have their school zone.
“Coosada has been writing tickets forever, this is nothing new. Those guys don’t want to sit at a table and talk to us,” he said.
“With my research, the Town of Coosada has the right to control what is in their municipality, including signage,” Councilwoman Lucille P. Landrum said. Attorney Winans told Landrum that is correct. “The County has the right to maintain it.”
Later Landrum said, “I think they are testing us, trying to intimidate us and I think we should move forward on what we have set in place. We have a proven ordinance, we should abide by the law of the land.”
Attorney Winans recommended having Coosada’s engineer do an independent study on traffic flow.
Chief Smith said that he is in favor of changing the speed limit on the entire roadway, as it is not fair to the travelers to have two different times in the school zone.
Chief Smith said he believes the Town Council did the right thing in placing its own school zone times, “But, we have been getting calls and it is confusing to (travelers.) We still need to look at the safety at where Walker Way Road is.”
Winans referred to a traffic study/school zone review report that the Commission says proves there is no longer a need for extended school zones in the morning and afternoon times. (Coosada provided the EAN with a copy of that report.)
After the third week of school, the County Commission reviewed school traffic patterns Aug. 30-31. The report notes that it indicates that moving the morning school zone from 7:05 a.m. to 7:50 a.m., and afternoon from 2:20 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. is sufficient. The new turn lanes and additional roads around the school are operating well, and has ended the traffic being backed up on Airport Road.
Within the report, the Elmore County Commission requests that Coosada remove their school zone sign installed on Aug. 23. The Commission also gave guidelines if Coosada should, in the future, put up their own signage it must be with approved specifics, and Coosada would need permission beforehand. “Failure to follow this process will result in removal of any signage installed without (Elmore County Commission) permission,” the report reads.
The Elmore County Commission will also take down their own signs along Airport Road and install new signage in an area that falls within the Millbrook Police jurisdiction.
Councilman Watkins said he did his own review of morning and afternoon traffic, and does not agree with the Commission’s study.
Councilwoman Landrum asked what the city’s recourse is should Coosada’s sign be removed.
Attorney Winans said, “They shouldn’t remove the signs without speaking to you prior. That is the recourse of that. But if they are removing it from the municipality and what is controlled by Coosada, I don’t believe they can do that. Of course, the County Commission has a little more power than the municipalities do. So they may have some leeway to do that and have the overhead to remove that sign.”
Watkins argued that he has checked into this, and he does not believe the County has the power to remove a sign put in by the Town of Coosada.
The Coosada Town Council will again take up this issue Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be at Coosada Town Hall.
