by Cliff McCollum
News Editor
The result of months of meetings, planning and negotiations by the city’s various department leaders came to a head during Tuesday’s Opelika City Council meeting, as council members voted unanimously to pass the city’s fiscal year 2013 budget – a balanced general fund budget of $45,255,699.
City officials estimated the city’s FY2013 expenditures to be a bit more than $134 million, while the city’s projected revenues for the year are shown to be almost $112 million. The almost $22 million difference between the two figures is due to the city’s recent fiber-optic network project, which is being built as a facet of the city’s new telecommunications undertaking.
Council members also voted to move certain FY2012 funds forward for the Opelika Parks and Recreation department to purchase a new 15-passenger van.
The Alabama Department of Transportation awarded the city an additional $1.8 million in federal bonds to help the city complete its long-awaited Frederick Road widening, and council members voted unanimously to accept the agreement with ALDOT.
The Opelika city council also:
– agreed to bring forward almost $44,000 in unused funds from the council members’ respective discretionary funds.
– increased four purchase orders. Southern Contractors’ contract for the Shannon Court realignment went up $5,311.80 and their contract for the connecting street between Fox Run Avenue and Douglas Street was raised $4,500; East Alabama Paving Company, Inc.’s fee for the city’s 2012 street resurfacing contract increased by $7,620.46; and Robins and Morton’s fee for the Opelika Power Services facility was raised by $58,360.50.
– awarded two bids. East Alabama Paving Company was awarded the city’s 2013 street resurfacing contract for $1,079,961; Verizon Wireless received a contract for wireless broadband service for the OPD at $39.99 per month for each device used.
– gave the Lee County Young Leaders program a special $5,000 appropriation.
– purchased additional IP addresses from Charter Business Fiber for an additional $200 per month,
– assented to an agreement with Cash Bond Online, LLC to provide cash bond processing for the Opelika Municipal Court.
– approved three agreements with various businesses. Council members agreed to a one-year contract with Aclara Technolgies for automated meter reading system maintenance for $6,885, awarded the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga a consulting contract for the city’s fiber-optic network and approved an agreement with Williamson and Associates, Inc. for a “watertightness and durability” check for the new Opelika Power Services facilities.
– applied for membership to the National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc., to help the city in its negotiations to get channels for its cable television project.
– honored James “Lamar” Baker, II, as the OPD’s Officer of the Month.