The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 15

Sunday. Dec. 24, 1978 I 15A Eht Amttfitmt ftar pidemic levels in P'mont Delinquent bills reach i-f We're pretty well in line with other municipafities as far as taxes (is concerned)," Holder says. "If those cities get by, why can't we?" i By DEBBIE SKIPPER Star Staff Writer PIEDMONT Piedmont is the kind of town where "everybody knows everybody, and they let things go," says City Councilman Jack Holder, --Holder is referring to delinquent electric and sanitation bills, particularly the latter, that the city has not collected joke the way they're carrying it through The CSB could be "helpful if they (the board) could" get some cooperation from the city and act in an advisory capacity only. The board and officials should discuss things but in length.

It takes cooperation. Each would have to use a certain amount of restraint," Frady says. Past council-board conflicts deter good candidates from serving on the boar 7 Holder says. "It's cbntroversial.lt has been since it was started (in 1975)," he says. "It started off wrong.

They appointed people originally who were hostile to the city council and its policies. The board members resigned, and the city council decided it (the board) wasn't beneficial to them and wouldn't nominate anybody." Two of the original members Chairman Hubert Long and Rupert Rappe resigned in August 1976, and it was six months before two replacements George Daniels and telling how much, money we've spent in sending those policemen to school," Parker says. An estimate of how much the city spends oh an officer during the first six months of his employment was made in December 1977 during the police work slowdown. Studdard said the city invests about $2,000 on an officer for tuition to the police academy, salary and in overtime pay to the officer who works the new officer's shift while he is in school. Parker says there should be some way of requiring officers who don't stay longer than a year on the force to pay back a portion of the police academy tuition.

The city's police force has an almost complete turnover in personnel every year officers say. And recently two officers resigned after working only two weeks each. The lost investment hurts already ailing city finances. But Holder says delinquent bills pose a substantial problem to the city that even belt-tightening and revamping the city's pay system may not help. More or higher taxes are unthinkable, Bates and Holder A WORD OF THANKS WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS THE THANKS WE WANT TO EXTEND TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU WHO SENT FLOWERS, FOOD, PRAYERS AND SYMPATHY FOR THE LOSS OF OUR LOVED ONE.

EVERYONE'S LOVE AND ADMIRATION WAS GREATLY SHOWN FOR WILLIAM FIELDS (Bill), WHO'S GONE TO LIVE WITH OUR LORD ABOVE. GOD BLESS YOU ALL MERRY CHRISTMAS Mrs. William E. Fields family I Hubert Masters were appointed to nn uie vacancies. Thomas Ford was the third original member and stayed on the board until he joined Daniels and Masters and resigned last February.

Studdard is no civil service board to handle the latest city employee problem -the Dec. 15 firing of Police Chief Mac Kimberly. Kimberly, by law, can appeal his dismissal to the CSB, but in the board's absence has Jojile forappeal with the Calhoun 'Ml Mi JMMIJVX WSWWI Wfll Wl Wrt Wff Wfl WHMtmiMtmiJHmijmtmtm 1 I SAND MOUNTAIN SWEET I 111 I II I 1 1 1 1 POTATOES County Circuit Court. rnimriiman F.Hoar Rates does not think the council should IH FOOD STORES Cl 12th Clydesdale. HPFN Ilia mam a mow ireeis, ruBifTIc cwc 1800 Noble CHRISTMAS EVE i i ft 1 iiMmmmmmmmmmmmMmmmm V.

NEW CROP FLA7NEW CROP on and which this year, as of Dec. 1, total, according to city records. The figures includes bills from electricity and sanitation customers who have not paid their bills in more than 30 days. Holder's statement also could apply to the Piedmont Civil Service Board, which has not functioned in almost 11 months. With city employees complaining about low pay a subject supposed to be debit with by the CSB that almost $30,000 in delinquent Jjills seems like a way to bolster wages, and pay for equipmentajid additional personnel in, departments where they're needed, Holder says.

llWjjnjght pughLto look into that closely and start cutting these people off (who don't pay)," he adds. "I'm going to ask for a rundown of delinquent bills." Holder shares electric department committee status with Councilmen John Henry Richardson, chairman, and A.L. Studdard. Richardson did not want to talk about the delinquent bills, and Studdard could not be reached for comment. "Other cities don't have that problem (with delinquent electric bills) because Alabama Power collects them," Holder says.

PIEDMONT BUYS electricity from Alabama Power wholesale and sells it retail to customers in the city. And the -city lately has had considerable trouble in making the electric department's revenues equal expenditures. Salaries have been a sore subject among city employees, some councilmen say. In December 1977, the police Initiated a "work slowdown" in an attempt to get the council to act on a proposed step-raise plan submitted by Police Commissioner Studdard. The council responded by firing them.

The officers returned to work, however, on condition the council consider giving them a raise if sufficient funds were available. The officers later were given about a 142-a-month salary increase by closing out a patrolman's slot and dividing that person's salary among the rest of the force. The officers also were promised by the CSB that a step-raise plan would be devised and submitted to the council. That promise petered out when the three-man board resigned in February. Two of the three vacancies have been filled since, but the new members have not been sworn in.

The third position remains vacant because the city council has failed to submit its list of three nominations to Piedmont's state legislative delegation for appointment of another member. If Holder's theory about Piedmont is true, the CSB may be one thing that is just "let go." O.H. Frady, selected from the nominees submitted by the police and fire departments to be on the board, ddesn't know what the CSB's fate will be and says, "Unless they (the council) do something In the immediate future I think the best thing would be to call it off. "This thing is dragging its feet so I don't know what the outcome's going to be. There's been no official notice to either me or Mr.

(Rickey) Freeman (the other chosen member). The council's not making any effort to come up with a member for themselves." TANGERINES 13 1 WJ" ENGLISH WALNUTS BRAZIL NUTS m. HIV IIIITF I Wkk fry I I ruunu 1 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmMmm be blamed for the board's inactivity. "We could find plenty of people to serve," he says. But those persons, he says, are not capable of doing the job adequately.

"We had three of the best men-we could get (Daniels, Masters and Ford Then the employees kept harassing them and they quit. (The employees) kept accusing (the CSB) of not doing what they were supposed to do," he says. Piedmont police had complained the board was not acting on their request for a raise and town residents charged the board with ignoring their complaints of police brutality. "I'm for a civil service board. I can't see anything wrong with it," Holder says.

"It's for job security; especially when administrations change." Bate's says the board will not be allowed to linger much longer in inactivity. He says the council probably will meet with the city's legislative delegation Sen. John Teague and Rep. Gerald Willis after Jan. 1.

Frady also expects the situation to be resolved one way or the' other when the Legislature convenes. He says he's willing to wait until March or April before giving up on the board. Meanwhile, employees still want raises. And there are other complaints, especially among police officers requests for more equipment, space and additional personnel. Bates says some of those problems a police radio and operators and space are being worked on by the council police department committee he serves on with Studdard, chairman, and Richardson.

But some residents and city officials, like Councilman Ed Parker, say, "The trouble's not all that bad;" Parker says he also doesn't believe there's been the council interference in the police department that Kimberly has claimed. And Mayor Henry Woolf, who has been accused by present and former officers of interfering by signing prisoners' bonds, says the bonds have beenpaid off if the prisoners' failed to show up in court. He also says a 1976 bond he signed is the only bond forfeiture that has not been collected. Police department secretary Doris Moore supports Woolf's statement. Parker also says the fire department, which he oversees, needs some equipment, too, like entrance tools to get Into fiery buildings.

"But we know we can't get It at one time. If they (police officers) go at it In the right way with the right attitude, they can get it," he says. He says the police department "spends enough money on police cars to buy a lot of things. They drive 'em any way and drive too HOLDER SAYS ONE police vehicle is being repaired and another was wrecked in an accident. The department has three other patrol cars.

The "only gripe in the street department is money," says Holder, who oversees the operation. Bates's sanitation department personnel share that complaint even though there are other problems. Bates says there's a big turnover in persons hired to ride on the back of sanitation trucks. The department has to supplement its two garbage pickup vehicles with two flatbed trucks and sometimes has to borrow street department personnel, he says. But only the police officers have been noticeably vocal about (heir dissatisfication, and Bates says that is because the councilmen are "mainly talking to the department heads (in the other city services).

If the men have Complaints, they bring it to the department heads." Communication between Kimberly and the council was not good. Without being specific about charges made against Kimberly in his dismissal, some councilmen say the department has suffered a breakdown in efficiency that Parker says is "the leader's responsibility." MONEY INVESTED IN training and buying uniforms for the city's officers also concerns councilmen. "There's no Freeman is the water, gas, sanitation, street ana electrical departments' board choice. Frady says he thinks the council doesn't want the board to operate and may be trying to kill it by tailing to submit nominees. I HAVEN'T pressied the issue," he says.

"I feel like it's their (the council's) part (to do something) It's just a Man arrested Four charged I I in connection with shooting j. apparent family argument ended in a shooting Saturday that put one Anniston man in the hospital while his brother was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder. Adam Gibson, 54, of 100 E. 21st Anniston was shot once in the side and was admitted to Regional Medical Center shortly before noon, according to hospital records. His brother, Edward A.

Gibson, of 1910 Noble Anniston, was charged by Anniston police with the shooting. An argument apparently led to the shooting at the Noble Street residence, authorities said. by authorities withDWI Foiit. persons were arrested by local police agencies late Friday evening and Saturday and charged with driving while intoxicated. Joseph Earl Linn, 23, of Anniston, Rt.

3, was arrested by Oxford police Saturday. James Rufus Bush, 40, of 1829 Brown Anniston, was arrested by Anniston police Friday. Lorinza White, 40, of 1705 Mulberry Anniston, was arrested by Hobson City police Saturday. Daniel Smith 37, of Anniston, Rt. 2, was arrested by state troopers Saturday.

rim u0" est mam Jet- WED THURS, DEC. 25, 26, 27, jj, vspr TROUSERS SKIRTS OR SWEATER Hi SAVE n.2i Let's be merry! It's time for holiday fun! Gather the family together-and share in a warm, wonderful yule. We wish youk and yours the best Christmas ever. Gershen, Paul, Sandra and All The Crew. KEATS, SUEDE AND FPU TRIM EXTRA FORMAL WEAR EXCLUDED LAUNDERED WITH 3 HOUR SERVICE SHIRTS SUEDE 1 LEATHER CLEANED Gadsdert, Alabama Anniston, Alabama.