Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
Updated Sept. 11, 2024 per Prattville City Councilman Michael Whaley’s request to clarify and correct information he stated within the work session
The City of Prattville along with the Prattville City Council hosted a city council budget work session Thursday evening for the proposed 2024-2025 budget.
While no public comments or input was available at this meeting, the meeting was geared towards the council asking questions regarding the proposed budget to the department heads from various programs throughout the city, to Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie and to Prattville finance director Daniel Oakley.
While the council went through the over 20 tabbed departments within the budget and all council members had questions and comments, most of the questions stemmed from councilman Michael Whaley.
To start the meeting, Whaley posed the question about the increases of salaries within the executive department, with “pretty significant increases in salaries and wages,” Whaley stated.
Mayor Gillespie answered the question stating that there’s many key components looking at the various departments and personnel. Gillespie went on to state that there’s a Fair Labor Standards Act in place, where Gillespie confirmed that it was first brought in July of this year.
“The main position that you’re probably looking at and talking about has been and is needed in the executive branch, and as far as I know it’s been needed since Prattville started. To my knowledge, it’s always been an important position,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie only referred to “the main position” as “her,” stating the “she” uses her own personal cell for work like many other city employees and is also crucial in helping with the city events, parades, meetings, economic development and various labor standards.
“This is one (Fair Labor Standards Act) that the federal government has sent down that we have to abide by. But it came up as a financial threshold, that if you have an administrative assistant who is in the salary, they have to make this minimum dollar amount. There were some others in the office that would pretty much be in touch with a part of this Fair Labor Standards Act. But they’re already over the financial threshold, so they were not affected as well,” Gillespie said.
Another reclassification of the Fair Labor Standards Act will take effect January 1st of 2025, which is where the increase in salary is stemming from, according to law, Gillespie confirms.
Another topic covered at the budget work session was the finances regarding the Autauga-Prattville Public Library, which is level-funded, where Oakley confirmed that the library receives funding from the city quarterly. The library also receives funding from Autauga County as well.
Oakley confirmed for 2023 the City of Prattville appropriated $315,000 to the library and the county appropriated $215,000.
“We hear every week from people who are concerned about the library We receive a lot of information from those people that are concerned about how the library is operating, I am for, in no way, de -funding the library. I believe the library is still an important part of our community. I do think there probably are some operational things that could be done differently. I realize we have limited control over that. I do know that there was an e -mail we received, which requested an increase in library funding, and I’m not in favor of increasing library funding at this time,” Whaley said.
Whaley went on to reiterate that the increased funding request is not a request to be included in this current budget, and that he and his family still use the library regularly. He said he would hate to see the community without those resources.
In an email Whaley stated he received from the library, Whaley stated that the email confirmed that no new books are being purchased at the library at this time.
Update: Whaley reached out to EAN to correct his above quote where Whaley stated that the Autauga-Prattville Public Library was not the ones to reach out via email, but it was a concerned resident and not an official request from the library.
“During the City Council Budget Work Session, on Thursday, September 5, 2024, I referenced an email requesting an increase in funding, from the library. This email was from a concerned resident and not an official request from the Autauga-Prattville Public Library. The official request, from the library, was sent several months ago, and requested level funding, which is what is in the proposed budget,” Whaley’s email to EAN reads.
“There is a lot of misinformation, in the world we live in, and I am seeking to find and point out truth. Therefore, I have to be willing to admit wrong if I am seeking truth,” Whaley continued in his clarification email to EAN.
The Autauga Prattville Public Library has been under heat this year well before former library director Andrew Foster was removed earlier this year. With Foster’s termination, many other positions at the library were also terminated or staff quit on their own. The library has also been battling legal troubles for the better part of this year.
“We’re providing the same amount of funding, and they’re not purchasing books, they have less employees, they have positions at higher salaries that have been vacant for some time,” Whaley said.
Whaley stated he would like to request to see how these funds from the city are being spent and what they’re being used for. Whaley also pointed out that there is a city appointed vacancy on the library board as well as another coming vacancy that will also be city appointed to the library board.
“I think some requests from them on how these funds are being expended and what they’re being used for. I know the email references increasing salaries, they should be well under in their salaries. They’re short employees, they have an interim director and I’m sure probably doesn’t make as much as the previous director made. They also have some other positions that are higher positions in the library that are not filled at this time. I kind of took a little issue with a request for an increase,” Whaley said.
In response to Whaley, Gillespie stated that the library is a part of their audit system, where Gillespie stated, “its going to be interesting to see what the next audit will come about and show.”
“(The audit) It’ll give us a really good snapshot of what’s going on here financially,” Gillespie said.
Oakley confirmed that the library’s audit is typically done in October or November, where Oakley stated he worked on that audit in a previous profession.
“We get their (the library’s) financial statements once it’s finished and then our (the City of Prattville’s) audit is usually much larger, but their financials are roped into our government financial statements and our audit has to be completed on March 31st,” Oakley said.
Oakley also noted that any grants that the library does receive, are included on the federal expenditures as part of the single audit with the City of Prattville. However, Oakley went on to state that not all grants are tested but that their grants could be pulled and tested.
“This is a living document and as we move forward there will be some changes, but I do think this is a good budget,” Gillespie said.
The Councilors and Gillespie thanked the citizens for coming to the budget work session, and really thanked the department heads for attending and being available to ask clarifying questions during the work session.
