On Tuesday's meeting, the Auburn City Council members approved a resolution to authorize traffic calming devices and opened back up the applications for the vacancies of an East Alabama Board.
During committee of the whole, Mayor Pro Tem Beth Witten, Ward 3, moved to postpone voting for board appointments of the East Alabama Mental Health Board to allow more citizens a chance to apply to the two vacant positions.
“I had the opportunity to speak to the executive director of East Alabama Health this morning and they really are seeking some new criteria for their board members, moving forward as they transition to different goals. It will give them a chance to have a wider pool of applicants to choose from."
The motion was carried unanimously.
The applications for the East Alabama Mental Health Board will open this week, according to Mayor Ron Anders and will be addressed in the next City Council Meeting.
The Council approved a grant agreement for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation of $45,154.86.
Sonny Moreman of Ward 5 commended the grant and its efforts.
“I just think this is a laudable opportunity, it needs just a few more words of praise,” Moreman said. “There’s 2,050 trees that are gonna be planted and there’s a lot of opportunity for professional development. A whole lot of people are going to benefit from this and I just want to recognize this as something special.”
Additionally the city approved the installation of traffic calming devices on Fairway Drive, which was previously postponed on March, 14, 2023.
Megan Crouch, Auburn City Manager was not in attendance at this week's City Council.
During the citizens open forum, many citizens voiced their concerns regarding the contents of the Auburn Public Library and the accessibility of LGBTQ books, labeling them as “obscene for children.”
Justin Clark, city attorney, addressed these concerns and described the rigorous vetting process of the APLs directors to the City Council and citizens.
“If any citizen in the city of auburn, who has a library card, believes there is any inappropriate material within the library, there is an established policy and procedure by which that person can request review,” Clark said. “...That is a policy that has been in place for years, some of the speakers here tonight have utilized that policy of materials and the library management team has worked to review those materials and frequently reviews those requests with a very keen eye.”
Tommy Dawson, Ward 8, and Sonny Moreman, Ward 5, expressed an interest in looking into the concerns outlined by the citizens during open forum. Mayor Ron Anders stated they will revisit the topic privately once City Manager Crouch returns to the office.
The next Auburn City Council meeting will take place on April 18, 2023, at 6 p.m. at 141 N. Ross St.
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My Ly, senior in journalism, is the content editor for the Auburn Plainsman.
