Flomaton budget shows a surplus

Includes money for new front office position

The Flomaton Town Council passed a budget showing about a $300,000 positive balance that included some raises and funds to hire an additional employee in the front office.

The budget also includes about $15,000 for improvements at the Flomaton Community Center that houses the senior citizen SAIL site.

Mayor Dewey Bondurant, Jr., said the new front office person was desperately needed, noting the town of Century has six people in their office and Flomaton has two.

Town Clerk Carrie Moore said when someone’s out she has to work the window to collect payments and it becomes hard to keep up with her work.

“Would I love to have a part-time, yes,” Moore said. “Could I keep a full-timer person busy, definitely.”

Councilwoman Kay Wagner said when she served as mayor from 2000 to 2004 she inherited three office employees from Mayor Joe Brantley.

“I came in here the other day and Shaun (Utilities Superintendent Shaun Moye) was running the front office,” Mayor Bondurant said. “Carrie was running back and forth.”

Mayor Bondurant said there have been times he’s had to get librarian Kaci Boutwell to come to town hall to work the front office. He said by getting another person it would allow someone to work the window while the others can do their work.

Councilwoman Lillian Dean suggested starting someone at part-time and then going up to full time.

Councilman Roger Adkinson asked if the full time person was in the budget and Mayor Bondurant said yes.

“I was considering full time if it was in the budget,” Adkinson said.

Wagner had some issues with more than one person handling the money and Moore said that would be great but sometimes others have to take payments.

Moore also said there are other projects she needs to be working on, like working on the new employee handbook and the audit.

Prior to approving the budget, the council did agree to hire another full-time employee in the office at a rate of $12 to $14 per hour based on experience.

Dean then made a motion to approve the budget and Adkinson issued the second. The motion carried unanimously.