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A spirit that is not afraid

City cancels school board interviews

Auburn High School located off of East Samford Ave. on Sept. 25, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Auburn High School located off of East Samford Ave. on Sept. 25, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

During the Committee of the Whole before Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Ward 3 Council Member Beth Witten proposed that the Council suspend its rules for appointing someone to the Auburn City Schools Board of Education.

“I have been in conversation with the superintendent and her peers,” Witten said. “[They] would like to see [the incumbent] not only apply, but be nominated for a second term.”

Applications for the school board position are currently open to anyone until March 23. But the Council will not hold interviews for the position. 

The proposal passed 7 to 2, with Ward 1 Council Member Connie Fitch-Taylor and Ward 2 Council Member Kelley Griswold opposing.

At the beginning of the City Council meeting, the Council and citizens in attendance observed 23 seconds of silence in remembrance of the victims of the tornadoes that struck Beauregard on March 3, 2019.

Mayor Ron Anders reminded residents that the 2020 U.S. Census will take place soon. The City needs full participation to receive ample federal funding, he said.

Griswold took two items off of the consent agenda. Both items dealt with intersection improvements at Auburn Camp Road and Shug Jordan Parkway. The Alabama Department of Transportation is providing the City with a grant worth $1 million to be given to the University.

“Without [the City] being the middle person, the University would not be able to get this money,” said City Manager Jim Buston.

The items passed, and Griswold opposed the item that involved the City’s responsibilities in the ALDOT contract.

The Council unanimously approved a tax rebate for the Winn Dixie on South College Street for nine years that will not exceed $420,000 in total. 

The property manager of Tiger Crossing is working to keep Winn Dixie in the plaza, as the chain has closed a large number of stores, said Assistant City Manager Megan Crouch. 

“[Winn Dixie] was the first grocery store on our side of town,” said Ward 8 Council member Tommy Dawson. “Of course, now we have Wal-Mart, but it would be a shame to lose Winn Dixie.”


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