Riley asks resident to leave after public comment
Published 4:20 pm Wednesday, November 6, 2024
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VALLEY — A Valley man who had asked to speak to the city council about a problem he was having with some new speed bumps near his home talked about the troubles he was having with them at Monday evening’s council meeting but was cut short when he started discussing personalities.
Hurley Cunningham told the council that the new speed bumps on Williams Terrace were unduly high, causing his car to bottom out when he drove over them. He said that he couldn’t understand why they had gone up, especially coming a year after he’d asked for a speed limit sign to be posted on the street and nothing had been done.
Cunningham said he had lived in the neighborhood since 1997 and had long seen the need for speed limit signs to be posted on the street.
“It’s a crooked road and it’s narrow,” he said. “I’ve asked for speed limit signs to go up and nothing has happened. Now, all of a sudden, these speed bumps go up on the road. Why didn’t the speed limit signs go up, but these speed bumps did?”
He made the case that some people have influence at city hall while other people don’t, mentioning someone by name who lives in the neighborhood.
Mayor Leonard Riley asked him not to mention people by name. “We’ve given you five minutes to speak, and if you don’t do it properly I’m going to ask you to leave,” he said. It’s been a longstanding city policy for citizens to discuss problems they are having but not to get into name-calling. When Cunningham again said that some people have more pull than others, Riley asked him to leave.
Cunningham then left the council chamber.
In action taken at the Monday meeting, the rules were suspended to approve an ordinance to sell some city-owned property after a first reading. Mark Gibson had offered $70,000 to purchase two of the ten lots the city owns on 30th Street. The location is a prime spot for new home development.
The council renewed an agreement the city has with Avenu Insights & Analytics, LLC of Birmingham, Ala. for its rental and lease tax processing. These taxes are administered on rates of two percent for general and linen renting and one percent for automotive rentals.
A public hearing has been set to take place at the next council meeting to discuss and amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance. This will be taking place prior to the 6 p.m. EST meeting on Monday, November 18th.
The council meetings in December will be taking place at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 2nd and 6 p.m. on Monday, December 16th.
City hall will be closed for Veterans’ Day on Monday, November 11th. American Legion Post 67 will be hosting a Veterans Day program in Veterans Park at 11 a.m. that day. In the event of bad weather, it will take place inside at Valley Community Center.
