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VALLEY — At its Monday meeting, they Valley City Council approved an incentive for a developer to build a new shopping center off Fob James Drive and approved a three percent cost of living adjustment for city employees.

Prime Space Holdings LLC has plans for constructing a $12 million shopping area next to Valley Collision. 

The city is offering up to $1 million in incentives to get them to do that. The incentives will be coming from a 40 percent rebate off the city sales tax commencing when new stores go into business in the strip mall shopping area. The rebate will be remitted on a quarterly basis to help cover the construction costs involved in opening the new retail establishments.

The three percent employee raise will go into effect the next fiscal year, which starts on October 1st. It’s for both full-time and part-time employees, and the raises will be effective in the December 5th payroll.

In other action, the council held a second reading and approved an ordinance setting a 35 miles per hour speed limit on Burney Road, a new city street which connects to Fob James Drive. A second ordinance was approved following a first reading. The rules were suspended to allow for early approval. This ordinance permits the sale of ten city-owned parcels of land, some on 26th Avenue and some on 30th Street. The lots on 26th Avenue are being sold for $11,000 an acre and those on 30th for $28,000 an acre. The lots on 30th Street are more highly priced since they are ideal for residential development. Those lots are being purchased by Thomas Steve Miller, Richard Blake Carter and by Richard Blake Carter and Kenneth Teel.

The lots on 26th are from land that was purchased by the city at auction. Purchasers of these lots include John A. Walden and Mark Walden Jr., Terrell E. Bishop and Carole Bishop, and Henry Bledsoe and Judith Bledsoe.

The council approved a five-item consent agenda. These items include permitting the consumption of alcohol at two upcoming events at the Lakeview Cabin, declaring some city-owned vehicles surplus items and the approval of two budget amendments involving purchases.

The upcoming events at Lakeview include a wedding reception on Saturday, September 7th and a family reunion on Sunday, September 8th. The property that has been declared surplus includes four vehicles from Public Works and three from Valley Police Department. The items from Public Works include a 52-inch zero turn mower, two 60-inch zero turn mowers and a John Deere rubber tire skid steer. The VPD vehicles include a 2016 Ford Explorer with over 200,000 miles on it, a 2012 Ford Taurus with just under 200,000 miles on it and another 2012 Taurus with less than 150,000 miles on it.

A retail beer license was approved for The Bowlin’ Alley. The owners include Shailav Mayurkant Sheth of Marietta, Georgia and Shirish Patel of Mobile.

Coaches and members of Valley Parks & Recreation’s 10 & Under All-Star team that won the District and State titles received certificates of appreciation and a standing ovation from the large crowd gathered inside the council chamber at city hall. Players on the team include Easton Allen, Baylor Anglin, Cole Carswell, Hugh Chambley, Benton Earl, Reason Lacy, Mason Landrum, Noah Lind, Cayden McCarley, Ingram Smith, Hudson Whitehead and Walker Wright. The coaches are Casey Anglin, Joe Carswell and Justin Whitehead.

Coach Anglin told the crowd present he, the other coaches and parents of the players were very proud of what the team had accomplished this summer. “We were undefeated all the way through District play and lost only one game in the State tournament,” he said. “We were proud to represent Alabama in the 10 & Under World Series in Bossier City, Louisiana. We were able to win a game over Tennessee in that tournament.”

“I know it took a lot of hard work on the part of the players to make it that far,” said Mayor Leonard Riley. “The team represented our city well, and we appreciate that. We appreciate the sportsmanship shown by the players, coaches and parents throughout the tournaments you took part in.”

The next council meeting will be taking place at 6 p.m. EDT on Monday. August 26th. Prior to that meeting, a public hearing will take place to consider the abatement of properties located at 604 Cusseta Road and 140 GI Street.