By Joshua Huff, sports editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Constitution, Patriot Day, merit raises, the allotment of gas tax funds and the census were a few of the topics discussed during the regular meeting of the Trussville City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
To open the meeting, the council unanimously passed both Constitution Week and Patriot Day. Constitution Week will run through September 17-23. Councilman Brian Plant said the purpose is for citizens to read up on the Constitution and reflect on the privilege of being an American.
“It’s a privilege to live under the constitution,” Plant said. “But, it’s also a duty and a responsibility that we have as citizens. We’re citizens, not subjects. We have duties to each other and to our country.”
Patriot Day is the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. The proclamation passed unanimously to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the country.
The next resolution was to establish a separate fund to received and deposit funds from the Rebuild Alabama Infrastructure Plan or otherwise known as the gas tax.
“Our funds allocated for the first fiscal year are approximately $88,979 and allocations will hopefully increase each fiscal year after that,” councilman Zack Steele said.
Trussville plans on divvying up the funds to finish roadways and subdivisions that were left unfinished by developers following the recession. The resolution passed unanimously.
Another other resolution that was passed was the disposal of unused property in the form of a treadmill, TVs and an elliptical. The resolution passed unanimously.
The Trussville Public Library received a grant for $10,000 for juvenile non-fiction books. In conjunction with the library, the museum will open this Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. till noon. A guest exhibitor will be present with artifacts.
Mayor Buddy Choat concluded the meeting regarding the necessity for people to fill out the census and the challenges that next year’s elections will pose. Choat introduced the idea of opening another polling place to alleviate some of the lines with a record number of voters expected to return to the polls.
“This is so important to the state of Alabama,” Choat said of the census. “Funding comes from our census. We get federal dollars for schools. We get things because of the populations. Everyone has to be counted. I don’t think people are leaving Alabama, I think people just aren’t participating in some of the polls and censuses.”
The next city council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Trussville City Hall.
