gadsdenmetro.com

(Gadsden, AL - September 9, 2010) The Etowah County School System's required "Five Year Capital Plan" is nothing more than a "wish list," according to new Superintendent Alan Cosby.

He says the report is required by the state so the system can layout their plans for capital improvement "in case the funds are there." But, until the recession ends and state revenue increases, he says, it is very doubtful there will be funds for capital outlay.

According to the report, the Etowah County School Board has plans for projects totaling more than $27.9 million dollars. The largest project listed, addition of auditoriums at Glencoe High, Hokes Bluff High, Gaston High, West End High and Sardis High, is the next to last in the prioritized list.

None of the projects have known funding sources, and range in cost from $250,000 to $10 million.

(Gadsden, AL - September 9, 2010) The Etowah County School Board says more than 1.8 million federal stimulus dollars will be used to pay the local portion of teacher's salaries in the new 2011 Fiscal Year budget.

During Tuesday's budget hearing, new Superintendent, Dr. Alan Cosby informed the board that the stimulus dollars will be used to pay what would normally be considered the "local portion." The remainder of the funds will be reserved until later in the second semester before its planned use is determined. Cosby tells GadsdenMetro that those funds could be used in the 2011 or the 2012 FY budget.

The county school system is the third largest employer in the county, with a $29 million dollar salary budget and another $11 million budgeted for fringe benefits in 2010-2011. The budget reflects more than 600 educator and administrator hiring units, including 535 teachers, 19 principals, 8 assistant principals, 18 counselors, 23 librarians, one career tech director and one career tech counselor.

The system hires more than those numbers, however. Using other state, federal and local funds, the system hires more than 1080 employees, including certified and non-certified support personnel. Those numbers include 589 teachers, 23 librarians, 21 counselors, 37 administrators, 27 certified support personnel and 385 non-certified support personnel. Teachers' annual full-time certified salaries range from $36,146 for a first-year teachers to $60,825 for certified employees with a doctorate degree.

Cosby says he fully expects the state to announce at least a 2% budget pro-ration adjustment sometime after the November elections. Those cuts would amount to approximately $965,000 in budget cuts on top of the reduced budgets from two previous years of pro-ration. That $965,000 is equal to a little more than half of the federal jobs stimulus funds distributed to the system, he says.

Chief Financial Officer Donna Hagedorn informed board members that the central office has worked hard to re-code jobs so that the largest number possible would qualify for federal funds. That effort, she says, "will help us keep the largest number of employees possible in the district."

Hagedorn says the school budget reflects a reduction in financial resources from almost every provider. She described the recession's impact on the school budget between 2008 and 2010. "State revenue is down $9.2 million," she told the board during the budget hearing Tuesday. In addition to state revenue cuts, sales tax revenue has seen a decrease of 4%.

However, she says, with cash reserves and effective planning, the county system can withstand as much as 6.4% in budget cuts this year. Cosby says "our budget is lean, but its as trimmed as it can get. We will use our money wisely to get as far ahead as we can be by springtime [when budget cuts are expected to hit]."

In addition to passing the 2011 FY Budget, the school board:

• Approved the new salary schedules for 2011 FY
• Approved the system's five-year capital plan
• Awarded price bids on 72- and 48- passenger buses to Transportation South
• Awarded bid for installation of Air Conditioning at six schools under the Child Nutrition Program to Coosa Heating and Cooling of Gadsden, AL
  
  • Carlisle Elementary, John Jones Elementary, Southside Elementary, Clencoe Middle/Elementary, Hokes Bluff High and Duck Springs Elementary
• Approved the purchase of five buses
  • Four 72-passenger buses at $74,874.91 each
  • One 48-passenger bus at $88,995.75 each

David Roger Shields, 52 Charged with one count attempted murder, one count first degree arson in connection to Labor Day Weekend Arsons

(Gadsden, AL - September 8, 2010) A string of at least eight small fires in homes around Gadsden over the Labor Day weekend have resulted in the arrest of 52 year old David Roger Shields of Gadsden. At least two charges have been filed against him, including one count of attempted murder. Gadsden Police Sergeant Lane Keener says more charges are pending against Shields at this time. A press conference was held this morning to provide details on the ongoing investigation into the Gadsden fires, and an unrelated Rainbow City apartment fire.

The string of arsons began with a call to 1105 Whitehall Street around 4:50 a.m. Saturday morning. Gadsden Fire Department units were called to the scene where they extinguished a fire described by Gadsden Fire Chief Stephen Carroll as a "small, but suspicious fire."

Moments later, a call to 1015 Hermosa Street was made. Gadsden Assistant Fire Marshal Jason Talton says firefighters noticed two other small fires on their way to the Hermosa Street fire. Units were then split from the one call to the other fires, according to Carroll.

Talton and other inspectors then called for the Etowah County Arson Task Force. Sheriff Todd Entrekin says the Task Force has worked about 120 fires in its two years of existence, including the nine fires in Etowah County over the weekend.

According to Keener, police and fire officers had obtained a description of a vehicle and driver suspected of being involved in the arson cases early on in the investigation. Two GPD officers had pulled the car over and arrested Shields on suspicion of D.U.I., when it became apparent he was the suspect in the arson cases.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp says "Etowah County is lucky to have a group like the Arson Task Force," which is modeled after the Drug Task Force and county SWAT team. He says Shields will be facing a possible sentence of between 10 and 99 years in prison if convicted on the two charges against him today. Other charges are pending, says Keener.

According to Keener, Shields is currently being charged in relation to evidence found at the fire located at 703 Spring Street. At that fire, Shields allegedly cut a screen window and set curtains on fire, threatening the lives of residents inside.

In addition to the Whitehall and Hermosa Street fires, other related fires were set at 1500 Kyle Ave., 703 Spring St., 607 Spring St., 1104 Mathis St. and 1230 Alabama Ave.

RAINBOW CITY FIRE
Twenty-four hours later, at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, eight units in the Spring Lake Lodge apartment complex were destroyed in relation to a fire which is suspected to have been caused by a meth lab in one of the units.

Rainbow City Fire Captain Richard Johnson says one unidentified occupant is currently being held at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. The unrelated case will likely result in several individuals being charged with various crimes, according to Johnson, who says evidence of several drugs were found on the scene.

State Assistant Fire Marshal Ray Cumby says his K-9 units were on the scene of all of the fires over the weekend. "However, we were not able to use our K-9 at the Rainbow City fire, due to the discovery of meth."

Residents of eight of the units were displaced, however only one of the families were in need of placement services by the Etowah County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

POSSIBLY MORE ARSON CASES
Gadsden Fire Chief Carroll stressed during the press conference this morning that there could possibly be more small fires stated in the area on Saturday morning that have not yet been reported. Anyone needing to report a suspected arson case are asked to call the Etowah County Tip Line at 256-543-2893 or Assistant Gadsden Fire Marshal Jason Talton at 256-549-4566.

(Gadsden, AL - September 7, 2010) City of Gadsden Finance Director, Lisa Rosser is setting up a major conflict between her management of finances and the city council if a proposed new ordinance dealing with retirement benefits and workmen's compensation is passed next week.

During the city council's work session Tuesday morning, District 2 Councilman J.R. Countryman said he would be reading a proposed ordinance into the minutes of the meeting. That act would place the ordinance onto the council's agenda for passage next week.

The ordinance, "Paying Retirement Contribution for Employees on Wprkmen's Compensation," is  an attempt by several municipalities to compensate employees' missed retirement qualifications if they are out of work under a workmen's comp claim.

"Right now," Countryman says, "if an employee misses work for a workmen's comp-related claim, they loose that time toward their retirement requirements." The effect, he says, is that persons injured and missing work due to workplace injuries are not able to retire with full benefits because of the Retirement System of Alabama requirement.

Rosser says she contacted RSA the last time this subject came up in council discussions. "They made it clear - the city can not include contributions to RSA from third-party pay (such as workmen's compensation). She says the ordinance will force her clerks to "report hours worked for employees on workmen's compensation," and she said strongly, "I'm not going to do it." Later in the discussion, she again spoke strongly "my clerks won't do it, if the council passes this ordinance."

Her threats, if carried out, would be a complete disregard for municipal law.

City Attorney, Roger Kirby says the proposed ordinance "isn't illegal, but its not advised" either. He says a RSA representative he spoke with "recognized other client governments are doing this. They don't encourage it, but they turn their head the other way when its done."

If passed, the ordinance would instruct a payroll clerk to report hours worked by an employee who was not actually on the job performing city duties. "Municipal employees are authorized to make any certifications required by the Employees Retirement System [so] that this [retirement] payment is for hours worked by the employee."

The ordinance will go into effect as soon as it is passed, which could place yet another department director in conflict with the council. If Rosser does not allow those employees under her direction to comply with the ordinance, she would join Police Chief Richard Crouch in open defiance of certain municipal laws passed by the council.