BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Top Photo: Video image of Hannah Rees speaking to council members over her concerns of the number of books available to children that include sexual content. She brought several containers of books which she feels are inappropriate for young children, but she says are currently available at the library.
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
For months, there has been an ongoing debate concerning books at the Autauga Prattville Public Library.
The issue was raised again during last night’s council meeting. The entire meeting is available on video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzY7It8NuA&list=PLGmBaZToEEGaenSGxFPJA3lbks5Jsnts0&index=1
According to Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie, for now there is a moratorium on the ordering of any new books for the library, but future discussions will be had.
If your interest is concerning the debate over books in the library, which are centered around reported sexually-explicit material, transgender issues or homosexuality, you can jump through the video to the 42-minute mark for comments from area residents on their opinions. No votes or actions were taken at the meeting regarding this issue.
But we would also encourage you to view the entire video, as some very important issues were addressed. This concerns good news and the passage of resolutions that will bring much-needed improvements to North Highland Park.
There is also discussion about the city’s desire to reclaim property currently owned by the Solid Waste Disposal Service. The property in question was damaged by a tornado many years ago, and the city believes the Solid Waste entity has not been able to follow through with agreements and services.
That issue was tabled but will be addressed at the next meeting Aug. 8.
Other issues discussed include a fantastic audit report submitted to council members showing the city is in very strong financial shape.
There is a resolution to the Adrienne’s property downtown, where the city and the property owner have had disagreements over the so-called “beer fence” that would allow customers to consume alcoholic beverages outside of the physical structure, but still on property behind a fence.
Council members and departments heads are currently in discussion regarding the 2023-24 budget for the city.
The council agreed to move forward with the cleaning up of overgrown properties, dilapidated structures and set a public hearing for one property in particular at 902 Wares Ferry Road.
The city plans to apply for a Community Block Grant that would allow for drainage improvements in several areas of the city.
The council approved an extension to Interstate Court not to exceed a cost of $57,000.
So, we ask you to watch the video in its entirety, and we appreciate the city providing a full video after each public meeting. We wish more government agencies offered the same service.
Again, the link to the meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzY7It8NuA&list=PLGmBaZToEEGaenSGxFPJA3lbks5Jsnts0&index=1
