The Trussville City Council entered into a non-exclusive franchise agreement with Southern Light, a fiber optics company specializing in business and government internet options, tonight at the city council meeting by a unanimous vote.

Southern Light has contracts with a number of municipalities near the gulf coast, where the business is headquarted, but recently more local municipalities, including the city of Mountain Brook entered into a similar agreement with the company.

According to William Hanes, a representative of Southern Light, the company would install fiber optics through the most business-heavy areas of the city such as U.S. 11 and N. Chalkville Rd. At this time, Southern Light does not service residential customers.

The council asked at their Thursday work session, what the cost to the city would be and the benefit. Hanes said the installation and maintenance would not cost the city anything. The city would receive 5% of revenue

Last week, the Clay City Council voted to remove the earmarks from a 5-mill city property tax. The money was originally earmarked for the possibility of starting a city school system or city police force, but the council voted 4-2 in favor of releasing the monies to the general fund.

One item that the formerly earmarked money might go toward is the Center Point Fire district. The department will soon have a transport unit at Station 4 in Clay. The current problem is there is not enough room to properly house those men.

The department held an open house over

the weekend, showing off new renovations to the station, but no additions that could house the extra equpiment and employees.

Mayor Charles Webster and City Manager Ronnie Dixon briefly discussed the possibility of a future fire station and library facility on the site of the old city hall, but no formal motion was made.

In other news:The mayor announced the county’s new

virtual schooling program. The program would allow children attending home school to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports. In return the county will be allowed to list those children as belonging to the school district.

A report last week from Alabamaschoolconnection.org showed Trussville City Schools parents paid close to $150 more per student, per year in required high school fees than any other system in the state. The data was taken from revenue reports, using Code 7260, which is used

for required annual fees.Trussville Superintendent Dr.

Pattie Neill contends the data is possibly skewed because of coding differences among bookkeepers in every system.

Neill said in an email to The Tribune she believes code 7260 is for all grades K-12, and every elementary field trip is coded in 7260.

“Revenue codes do not have a pure definition by code number,”

Neill said in the email.While coding differences

are used statewide, the code in question is specifically desgined to show required monies paid by students to take certain classes.

The state, by law, does not allow schools to require any fees for any child in the first six grades (Code of Alabama, Section 16-10-6). That is interpreted as kindergarten through fifth grade. Law also

prohibits any fee for a course required for standard graduation (Code of Alabama, Section 16-13-13), but any honors course or Advanced Placement courses are not considered required for standard graduation.

Therefore, many honors courses have a fee attached, but rarely exceed $25 per class. Only AP Sciences ($35) and AP Art ($50) have a fee higher.

Academy classes, however,

typically have higher fees due to extra necessities, such as uniforms for the Fire Fighting Program or food for the Culinary classes.

All of those fees account for the average cost per student reported by Trisha Crain in last week’s story.

Crain said Trussville ma be simply coding some fees

Here is The Trussville Tribune’s area weather forecast for the next seven days. For current

weather conditions in Trussville, Clay, and Pinson, see The Trussville Tribune weather web

page by scanning the QR code below with your smartphone.

Sonya Mitchell never thought film making would be something she would be successful with, but the Trussville resident was going to give it the old college try.

A college recruiter and sales rep for many years, Mitchell decided her photography interest and English degree was something she wanted to put to use. The epiphany came after her first trip to the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival five years ago.

“I fell in love with the event,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of Birmingham’s best kept secrets if you ask me.”

The event led her to wonder how she

A new movie in production that is gathering national attention has local connections.

Trussville attorney Rick Stotser and Hewitt High School student Savannah Walls are involved with the film, I’m Not Ashamed.

The movie is based on the writings of Columbine student, Rachel Scott who was the first victim shot in the Columbine tragedy in April of 1999. The

film will bring notable actors Ben Davies of Courageous and Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty and producers Chuck Howard, Nise Davies, and Martin Michaels.

At first, Stotser signed on to represent an investor in the film. However, as he learned more about the film and its message Stotser became more involved and his roles increased. He is working on the business side of the film in business planning and legal planning; working with producers, investors, and actors

August 12 — 18, 2015 50¢

www.trussvilletribune.com

The Trussville TribuneThe Trussville TribuneYour news source for Trussville, Clay and Pinson

Neill: Coding differences the reason for seemingly high fees

see FEES page 4

Local filmmaker showing pair of films in August

New film has local connections

ASWA releases preseason football

poll, page 9

Pinson tables incentives vote for

30 days, page 3

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Inside The Tribune:News – pages 2 – 5Lifestyle – page 6Calendar – page 7Opinion – page 8Sports – pages 9 – 10

see MITCHELL page 5 see CLAY page 5 see TRUSSVILLE page 4

see MOVIE page 4

Tribune AreA WeATher

by Chris Yow

Editor

by Chris Yow

Editor

by Lori Leopold

Special to The Tribune

submitted photo

Sonya Mitchell

Fiber optics company brings high speeds to Trussville

Center Point shows off FD renovations

Photo courtesy of Center Point Fire District

Center Point Fire District, Station #4

by Lee Weyhrich

Staff Writer

by Chris Yow

Editor

Page 2 August 12 — 18, 2015 | The Trussville Tribune

I don’t do well with greetings, so “hello” will have to do for now. My name is Chris Yow, and I am the new Editor here at The Tribune. While only being here a few days, I have known this area for a very long time. I have friends here in town, and I’ve been going to church at The Healing Place for about a month now.

Trussville is a wonderful place, and I’m proud to be here.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking for a job when I saw this one come across my email, but sometimes

when the right job comes along you just have to jump at the opportunity. This is one of those jobs.

For the past two years, I have been running a mobile DJ business for weddings and birthday parties, and business was great. It still is, really, and I hope to continue doing that in the future.

Now, however, I’m ready to dive into this job, and help bring you the news from our communities so we can all be more aware of what’s going on.

The Birmingham metro area is home. I grew up

in Dora, which is about 25 miles northwest of downtown. I attended Sumiton Christian School from kindergarten to graduation. I moved on to

Huntingdon College where I spent my freshman year as part of the basketball team. From Huntingdon, I transferred to Jacksonville State. At JSU, I worked for the campus radio station and the school newspaper. Eventually, they paid me to do both jobs and I was the Assistant Program Director of WLJS FM and an Editor of The Chanticleer.

From there, I moved to Sand Mountain where I found my first real job in the business at The Weekly Post in Rainsville. Unfortunately for me, the paper closed my fourth

week on the job. After a few months, a job opened at The Sand Mountain Reporter, a tri weekly paper in Albertville. I covered county government and a small municipality while there. Then, as the famous saying here in Alabama goes, “Mama called.”

The Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper was where I first wrote for newspapers as a high school football stringer, and the paper covers my hometowns of Dora and Sumiton. The Managaing Editor offered me the chance to come home and cover my

hometown, and that was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.

I then spent two years as Sports Editor of the Moulton Advertiser in Lawrence County. I left the paper with the intentions of becoming Editor of a newspaper in Oklahoma, but a family matter kept me close to home and I built my DJ company into a full-time job.

Until now.I hope when you see me

around town you’ll extend a greeting, and maybe I can come up with something better than simply “hello”.

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AUTO, HOME, AND OFFICE

From Staff Reports

The Palmerdale Chevron at the 7700 block of Ala. 75 has seen a pair of robberies lately, the most recent coming just after 6 a.m. Saturday morning according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies said an adult white male walked to the counter to make a purchase, and when the cashier opened the cash

register, the suspect pulled a firearm out and demanded the money in the register.

The cashier gave the suspect the money, and he was seen leaving in a gold Chevrolet Impala.

The suspect fled South on Ala. 75. Deputies responded and searched for the suspect, but he has not been located at this time.

In another robbery, the Blount County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a

call for a possible robbery at Dollar General at the 13000 block of Ala. 75 in Remlap just after 5 p.m.

Sunday.Captain Pat Thomas said

very little is known at this point, but the suspect was

described as a black male, who also left in a Chevrolet Impala.

No definitive information

was available linking the two crimes, despite the similarity in vehicles.

Pair of robberies over the weekend

New Tribune editor says ‘Hello.’

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48 Medical Park Dr. East Suite 458 Birmingham, AL 35235

August 12 — 18, 2015 | The Trussville Tribune Page 3

Some Pinson residents voiced their concern with the Pinson City Council regarding the proposed site of a Joe Hudson Collision Center at Thursday’s city council meeting. The vocal citizens led to Councilman Robbie Roberts entering a motion to rescind a vote last week.

At the last council meeting, the council voted 3-2 to offer incentives to the business to move into the former Big 10 Tire building, and lease-to-own the city-owned parcel of property closest to the highway. The plan would allow JHCC to essentially get the additional property for free as long as the business hit certain specified sales numbers.

Councilman Joe Cochran made a motion to table the vote for 30 days, effectively putting a hold on both the original agreement and the rescission until further research could be done.

When the council voted to purchase the property around Big 10 Tire and Rite Aide, they did so with the goal of turning the land into a restaurant and commercial district. While it appears the collision center would technically be “commercial” under the current definition used by the Board of Zoning Adjustments, Roberts, who helped write the zoning rules said it was never the

intent of those who drafted the city zoning rules for such a business to be anything other than light industrial. In fact, Roberts added, other locations of the Joe Hudson franchise, such as the one in Trussville, are zoned light industrial.

Concerns expressed by residents included lowered property values, environmental issues, the eyesore of having junk cars on the main thoroughfare, and the belief that once such a business is put there no restaurants will ever want to locate to the other parcels of land in that location. Many said they were happy the collision center wanted to come to the city, but just hoped they could find a spot further away from the city center.

“Why are we allowing the placement of this business right in the heart of town,” Pinson resident Diana Heron asked. “That area is prime for the growth of our city. That will not do anything to grow our city.”

She added that that land should be used to beautify and draw businesses and patrons into the city. Another resident, Van Muth, admonished the council for not planning ahead for what the city could become after the Northern Beltway is opened.

Councilmen John Churchwell and Roberts largely agreed with those sentiments. According to Roberts, once an

automotive graveyard was placed on prime real estate, the only restaurant that might want to move to that area would be one with a “junkyard theme,” essentially devaluing all the other land owned by the city in that area. He also expressed concerns as to what the fluids from wrecked vehicles might do to groundwater.

Another concern to Roberts is the city’s legal liability if Joe Hudson bought the Big 10 building only to find out later that zoning doesn’t allow that business there.

In other business:- The council voted

to allow Mayor Hoyt Sanders to purchase a new stove and oven for the community center. No one is sure exactly how old the old appliances are other than to say they are avocado-colored and the electric burners are throwing electrical sparks.

Since the units are built-ins, some demolition and renovation will be required.

The mayor expects the cost of a new stove/oven combo to be around $450, with the construction and demolition possibly taking the budget beyond his $1,000 discretionary limit.

- The Bicentennial Park

architects, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, recommended a change of plans for one part of the project.

The firm advised the Council to switch the sewage laterals from 4-inch iron pipe to 6-inch PVC piping. The change will give the park better sewage flow, but will also save the city $6203.56.

The last such change occured when Birmingham’s waterworks and sewer board informed the council that the main line would need to be extended at a cost of $4,200.

The project is scheduled for completion in eight weeks. There will likely

be a “soft opening” around the time of the Butterbean festival.

- The Pinson Youth Sports Complex is showing a record turnout for football this year at $16,000 in registration fees. The council passed a resolution allowing the mayor and the park director to issue purchase orders for equipment and uniforms.

Last month the council voted to create a special task force to create a strategic plan for the PYSC. The Council voted to add an additional member to that task force, Stephanie McFarland. McFarland has experience with youth sports and cheerleading.

From staff reports

Students in Clay, Pinson and Chalkville reported for the first day of school Thursday to meet their new classmates, teachers, principals and, in some cases, a substitute teacher.

According to WVTM, Jefferson County has 60 jobs unfilled and 30 of those are teaching positions which are primarily Math, Science and Special Education.

Brett Kirkham, director of human resources said this isn’t an unusual situation, according to

the television station. Kirkham said employees are only required to give a five day notice if they aren’t returning, but the school system is required to advertise open positions for 14 days.

According to the report, superintendent Craig Pouncey said retired teachers and qualified substitutes would fill the positions on a temporary basis until permanent employees are hired.

But the late start for math and science teachers could pose problem for students if the newly hired

teachers haven’t had a chance to prepare lesson plans on short notice. Many veteran teachers spend much of their summer break working on classroom plans for the upcoming school year.

According to the ACT Plan scores on the Alabama State Department of Education website, Jefferson County schools are below the state average in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in Math, Science and English.

Jefferson County schools open with 60 jobs vacant

Pinson tables incentives vote for 30 daysby Lee Weyhrich

Staff Writer

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Page 4 August 12 — 18, 2015 | The Trussville Tribune

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on contract agreements and negotiations.

Stotser’s two sons, Nathan and Jacob, will also have small roles as extras in the film.

Stotser is proud to be a part of this film as the profits will go to the religious youth group, First Priority. He stated that the film is not as much about the tragedy of Columbine as it is about the impact Rachel Scott’s religious faith has made.

Scott, the film’s principal character, was shot after confessing her religious faith to

her killers.Savannah Walls is what some

people in the entertainment industry call a triple threat; she sings, she acts, and she dances. Walls, a 10th grader at Hewitt Trussville High School has been preparing for opportunities such as this with dance classes, theater classes, guitar lessons, voice lessons, and modeling.

At the local level, Walls is involved in the theater department at Hewitt Trussville High School and she has participated in plays at ACTA.

It takes a lot to make it to the big time, but Walls could be well on her way. This is not her first experience as a featured extra, but it may be one of the most exciting and emotional.

Although the Columbine tragedy happened before Walls’s

life began, it is an important and relevant story for her.

Like Scott, Stotser’s and Walls’s faith is of utmost importance to them. They are excited to be a part of this film which tells the story of a young woman’s courage to share her love for Jesus to everyone around her, even to her killers.

I’m Not Ashamed is set for release to theaters on the 17th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy, April 20, 2016.

MOVIE continued from page 1

differently, but the data she used was exactly what each school system reported over the last four years.

“If (Trussville) is calling an elementary field trip a required fee, that might get through an audit, but it’s not an accurate representation for what the code was meant,” Crain said.

Code 7260 is listed as “Dues and Fees (Required)”, while another code --7610 -- is listed for “Dues and Fees (Self-

Imposed)”, which is where Crain said elementary field trips and athletic fees, etc. should be coded.

State law and the financial outline provided to schools tend to side with Crain on the matter, since legally no fee can be required of any student grades K-5, including field trips, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s booklet “Financial Procedures for Local Schools”.

Dennis Heard, of Local

Education Agency, the agency who lays out the guidelines in the booklet according to state laws said he believes elementary school field trips should be coded as donations.

“We know that schools miscode things,” Heard said. “There are 1,500 schools, so there are 1,500 different ways to do things. Field trips would come under donations, because you can’t require students to pay for field trips. They’re (coding) it

in the wrong place. Other school systems may have things that should go in 7260, but they’re putting it somewhere else.

“The best way to compare school fees is to compare fee schedules for each school.”

In Section 8, the booklet states when the field trip is for academic purposes, “Voluntary contributions may be requested to pay transportation, meals, or admission charges.” While those fees are voluntary,

Neill said without parents’ help, field trips could not be taken.

Andy Craig, Deputy State Superintendent for Administrative and Financial Services, said he doesn’t believe the report compared apples to apples.

“Trying to find out what every system in the state codes everything would take a lot of leg work,” Craig said. “But I think Dr. Neill is probably right in saying every school system codes things differently.”

Craig did not comment on the legality of coding field trips in the code, but state auditors have no problem with the coding according to Neill.

“We’re coding it correctly according to the auditors,” Neill said. “We’ve never had an audit exception. If we were coding it wrong, they would write us up.

“Our bookkeepers are very precise and I appreciate them for their hard work.”

FEES continued from page 1

submitted photo

Savannah Walls is a 10th grader at Hewitt-Trussville High School, and she will have a role in the upcoming film “I’m Not Ashamed”.

as with any business in the city. The company would also provide access for all municipal buildings and schools.

The council also approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a resurfacing agreement with ALDOT for ALDOT to resurface part of I-59 from Edwards Lake Rd. to Chalkville Rd. The council also approved a resolution authorizing ALDOT to resurface the road.

The stretch of Interstate in question has been a major area

of concern for anyone exiting from Chalkville Rd. onto I-59 in the past, and although it may cause delays temporarily, will be welcomed news by Trussville drivers.

In other city business, the council approved:- An ordinance to amend the

number of Design Review Committee members members to nine members, adding a representative from the Redevelopment Authority.

- A resolution to approve an

amendment to the RDA certificate of incorporation.

- A proclaimation to “Turn Trussville Pink” on October 14, 2015.

- An authorization for the Mayor to sign Alabama Power easement to Magnolia Elementary.

- Merit increases for the following employees: Randall Machuis Jr., Bernard Lockhart, Matthew Panepento and Emily Tish.

- The hiring of Crystal Graves

to the Library Page.- The hiring of James

Christopher Slaughter to the fire department.

- The hiring of Stephen Kyle Sanders to the Fire Department.

- The move of Richard Golden to Investigator and a 5 percent pay increase.

- The resignation of Dennis Stripling and William Chris Holmes.

- The resignation of Cla Lowe from the Planning and Zoning

Board and Board of Zoning Adjustment.

- The retirement of Gary Vaughn from the fire department.

- The Reappointment of John Copham, David Fuller and Cecil Medders to the Industrial Development Board through July 14, 2021.

- A resolution to declare miscellaneous items as surplus.

- The annexations of 6673 Service Rd. and 6985 Praytor Rd. into the city limits.

TRUSSVILLE continued from page 1

August 12 — 18, 2015 | The Trussville Tribune Page 5

When the power goes out, you don’t have to. Natural gas cooktops work even when your electricity doesn’t. Natural gas. Nothing else compares.    

Fresh  Souther+  Green  Beans    2  lbs  fresh  green  beans  –  snapped  and  washed    1  ½  cups  chicken  broth  (enough  to  cover  the  beans)    2  slices  bacon  (chopped)    ¼  cup  bacon  drippings    1  small  onion  (chopped)  op>onal    Red  Pepper  flakes  (a  good  shake)    Salt  and  Pepper  to  taste    Cover  beans  and  bring    to  a  boil  and  then  simmer  for  1  ½    to  2  hours.  S>r  frequently.  Start  tas>ng  aGer  the  first  hour  and  modify  spices  to  your  liking.  

In other school news, the career tech facility at Clay-Chalkville High School should be ready in the next week or so. Masonry, electrical, carpentry and welding classes will begin this year. Culinary classes will also begin.

“That’s going to be a big benefit to our school,” Webster said. “I think there’s only one other school in Jefferson County doing that right now. It’s huge for our school.”

Another big boom for the school is the installation of repeaters that will allow deputies and School Resource Officers to keep in contact with dispatchers. Due to the steel in the building

this was nearly impossible in the past.

Clay Elementary also shared good news with the Council. Principal Sharon Gallant and fourth-grade teacher Daphnea Doaty gave a brief presentation thanking the council for the funds to buy new technology.

Other schools also used their money primarily for technology.

Principal Michael Lee asked for an advance on $5,400 of the funding provided by the city to help the football team go to an away game in Tennessee. Councilman Small suggested that rather than make the funds an advance on the October check, the Council might be better off

changing the dates of the grants to a more useful time slot.

Right now the schools must wait until October and March for the funds due to when the ordinance was originally passed. With Smalls proposal the schools would get the funds before school starts each year and just before school comes back into session each January.

His suggestion passed unanimously.

The final item regarding schools was in direct regards to Principal Lee. Lee has been scouted by other school systems for more money than he currently makes through Jefferson County. The council voted unanimously

to create a three year, $1,500 per month grant to help supplement his income. The grant will be tied to his county contract.

“He has other offers that are more financially beneficial and this will bring him up to what he has been offered,” Dixon said.

The council voted 4-1 to purchase a 25 passenger bus for $10,000 from Clearview Baptist Church for use by the senior’s center. Baker voted no and the mayor abstained.

In other business, the council voted unanimously to demolish an abandoned home on Elliot Road. The home was abandoned after being damaged in the 2012 tornadoes. The council also

voted unanimously to declare the weeds on two properties as public nuisances and to abate four other properties.

The council also voted unanimously to split the zoning on a piece of property owned by Richard Aldridge of AllStar Realty. The section of the land closest to his farm will be zoned agricultural, while the section containing the former Boss Mechanical building will be zoned “Special Commercial.”

The building will be used by a company that refurbishes electrical motors.

The next council meeting will be August 17 at 6:30 p.m.

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could begin making films, and now she’s produced two short documentaries. Mitchell’s first film “Jesse Speeks” was part of last year’s Sidewalk Film Festival, and Mitchell plans to show the film Saturday at the Courtyard Mariott in Trussville at 2 p.m.

The film, originally about the story of one man, has become somewhat of an awareness piece, as the film’s star “Jesse” is autistic.

“Jesse’s story is great,” MItchell said. “I’m proud of the direction the film has taken. I didn’t really intend for it to be an awareness documentary, but it has sort of become one, and it is bringing much needed awareness to autism.”

The film is the story of Jesse’s life, as told through those closest to him.

“Jesse is a great person who happens to have autism, and I am proud to

help tell his story,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has also finished

her second film, a short documentary on Trussville resident Carla Youngblood,

who is a CPA turned stand up comic.

“This is a story about

never giving up on your dreams,” Mitchell said. “(Youngblood’s) been a

CPA for 15 years and in accounting for 25 years. But she followed her dream, and that’s what this film is about.”

Mitchell said the film is meant to inspire people of all ages to never give up on what you love because it’s never too late to follow your dreams. The film “’The Truth’ Up and Coming” is aptly named because Youngblood uses the name ‘The Truth’ as part of her stage name.

This film will be shown Aug. 30 at the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival this year at 1:40 p.m. at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.

“I wanted the premier to be in Birmingham since it’s my home and it’s about two people who are from here,” Mitchell said. “I’m so proud to be able to tell other people’s success stories.”

submitted photos

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