Two emergency funding requests approved in Etowah County

The Community Development Committee for House District 28 in Etowah county  Thursday approved emergency funding for the Etowah County Drug Task Force and repairs for Jim Glover Field in Attalla, but turned down seven other funding requests. The committee approved $15,000 for the drug task force, which had requested $35,000, and $20,000 for Glover Field.  Committee member Daniel Sizemore sought $7,500 for kitchen equipment at Carver Community Center, $3,500 for the Attalla Junior/Norris Foundation for air conditioning, $5,000 for Etowah High School for advanced biology textbooks, $4,600 for the YMCA of the Coosa Valley for stair treads that are a tripping hazard, $5,000 for Litchfield Middle School for the creation of a baseball team, $25,000 for Quality of Life toward a matching grant of $500,000 and $7,500 for a sound system for Downtown Gadsden Inc.  Committee member Kent Back blocked those requests, saying Thursday’s meeting was advertised to hear emergency funding requests. Back said the others recommended by Sizemore did not meet that criteria and could not be considered under the state’s open meeting laws. He said the task force and the stadium were the only requests that should be considered.  Back said he is requesting a general purpose annual meeting within 30 days for the committee to consider all requests, totaling about $1.2 million.