There were some heated moments during Monday’s meeting of the Cedar Bluff Town Council. It was a standing room only audience as a number of concerned citizens gathered to share their opposition to the rezoning of the Legacy Park Subdivision currently under construction at the intersection of Highway 9 and Summerplace Road.
There were a total of six individuals on the agenda to speak on the matter. Mayor Tammy Crane made it very clear early that each person would have a five minute time limit and anyone who was not on the agenda could speak.
The Cedar Bluff Planning Commission is recommending that the property be rezoned from RR Commercial to R-1 which would make it more restrictive.
Dave Kubat, the developer of the property, was present to address any questions or concerns from those in attendance. He explained that he wanted to make the process as smooth of a transition as possible and even offered to hold off on any further development until such time that residents and members of the Planning Commission could meet with him to further discuss the matter.
A public hearing on the matter has been set for August 12 at 4:00 p.m. prior to the regularly scheduled Town Council meeting.
Among those that spoke against the proposal was Roger Griffith. Griffith shared his thoughts on why he was against the matter and then quickly changed the conversation to another topic. Griffith informed those in attendance that he had sent the council a letter informing them that they had violated Alabama Code Title 11 Section 1143-160. He then “served” a prepared lawsuit to Mayor Crane and requested she sign for the receipt of the document. Town Attorney Laura Lloyd was in attendance at the meeting and advised the Mayor not to sign documents.
We spoke to Town Attorney Laura Lloyd about the lawsuit and she told us, “We are aware that a paper has been filed. The Circuit Clerk’s office will designate in the court record when service is perfected, and the Town will respond according to Alabama’s procedural rules.”
It was not disclosed during the meeting exactly what the lawsuit was concerning.
As Mr. Kubat was speaking, Griffith continued to interrupt his presentation after being forewarned not to do so. Following a heated exchange, Cedar Bluff Police escorted Griffith from the council chambers. At that point, several others also exited the meeting with him.
After order was restored, the council also voted to change the rates and adjust the times for the request of public records. Mayor Crane said that just in the last couple of days several hundred page of public records have been requested and that takes a limited office staff additional man hours to accomplish.
The town voted to change the rate to $25 per hour and requests will be answered within 45 days from receipt.
The council also read an ordinance to annex property located at 110 County Road 602 into the town limits; the ordinance will be voted on at the next regular meeting. This was the first reading of the ordinance.
The council also received reports from the Cedar Bluff Police and Fire Departments.