BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Top Photo: From left are City Attorney Kelly Lee, City Council President Michael Gay, and new City Prosecutor Bradley Ekdahl.
Tuesday evening the Millbrook City Council approved and announced a new City Prosecutor for the Municipal Court system.
The Council authorized the Mayor to enter into a contract with Bradley Ekdahl for an amount not to exceed $2,000 per month for his services.
Ekdahl is an Attorney in Prattville. He did his internship with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in violent crime and also the Governor’s office in Finance legal. He spent four years with the 19th Judicial District Attorneys Office as the child sex prosecutor. He has been the City of Prattville’s prosecuting attorney for the past seven years, and will continue in that role as well.
Former city Prosecutor Josh Cochran will follow up on any appeals. The Millbrook court system is transitioning to a day court system, which did not mesh with Cochran’s schedule, as until now the city court was held at night.
In other business:
The council approved RESOLUTION 22-60 Report of Costs for Abatement of Nuisance at 309 Honeysuckle Drive.
City Clerk Lori Davis explained that the issues on the property have been resolved by the city, which will be reimbursed for expenses.
The council approved RESOLUTION 22-61 Authorizing Mayor to Accept Grant Funds and Enter Into Agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for Recycling Trailer.
“The city is a recipient of a grant in the amount of $14,615 to the Alabama Recycling fund administered by Dept of Environmental Management. We will buy a recycling trailer with bins to put in the different items we accept at our recycling center. It will have decals and can be pulled behind a truck so it will be mobile. We can take it to the Village Green, schools or other areas. It will be a nice promotion for our program. We will be accepting the check later this month. We will not be able to begin spending until after Oct. 1,” said Ann Harper, Economic Development Director.
The council approved a PUBLIC ASSEMBLY PERMIT for the River Region Community of Hope “Relay for Life” April 15, 2023 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Village Green Park.
City Attorney Kelly Lee gave an update on Opioid litigation settlements which will be coming to the city. She said in the future, council members may want to think about ideas and questions on how the money will be used. Lee said the council should begin considering what services or programs would best benefits citizens that may be suffering from drug addition, opioid addiction and anything that goes with that. Decisions will have to be made on how the money will be spent. Any money from the litigation must be used in specific areas, though the specifics are still being defined.
Lee said she will be sharing more parameters to council members when they are available. One settlement will be a payout over 10 years. The other will be more of a direct pay in a lump sum though the exact final figure is not yet known.
The next Millbrook Cleanup Day will be Aug. 27 from 7 a.m. to Noon at the old Police Department building. Trucks will be available to take items from residents that are no longer needed. Not accepted are tires, oil, paint or anything with freon.
Stuart Peters with Landmark Engineering gave a brief update on progress at the 17 Springs development. Work continues on completion of Phase 1. Phase 2 is working in design and budget and updates are expected soon. He said there is a lot of work on the water and sewer side happening currently. Underbrush for the commercial frontage is being removed.
Ann Harper said that currently the city is still taking proposals for commercial development for this area. Proposals must be turned into the city by Aug. 25.
Special Events and Cultural Arts Director Danae Morgan said renovations are continuing at the future Art House. She said programs could begin in September. She said the last Farmers Market of the season is this coming Tuesday at the Village Green from 7 a.m. until noon.
It has been an awesome season, she said, with a lot of compliments. Some vendors are reporting selling out of everything at the markets.
She said she is also working on the planning of upcoming events during the holiday season and will be putting out more information on those events in the coming months.
