Uber to return to Auburn
The City of Auburn has given Uber the green light to return to the city — just in time for football season. Tuesday night the Auburn City Council approved an ordinance to amend the city’s vehicle-for-hire rules for ridesharing services Uber and Lyft. “Tonight, the city council created a permanent home for Uber in Auburn, and we look forward to bringing safe, affordable transportation options and flexible work opportunities to the community,” said Uber spokeswoman Evangeline George after Tuesday night’s decision. “Access to a reliable ride at the push of a button will help empower students, residents and visitors alike to make safe choices at the end of a night out.” Officials say the ordinance adds a section to the vehicles-for-hire code, which sets separate regulations for companies that use an internet application to connect passengers and drivers, stating that background checks are required, but may be performed by the company itself. Opelika-Auburn News reports that city documents reveal “Uber has reviewed this ordinance and our contact has expressed that they are agreeable to this language.” Uber previously operated in Auburn from August 2014 to January 2015, but was forced to leave after the city council passed an ordinance requiring ridesharing companies to have the same level of insurance coverage as taxi companies, as well as to display a city-issued driver’s business license. Uber could return to the Auburn streets as early as next month.
German auto parts manufacturer to build plant in Auburn
A German auto parts maker is building its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Alabama and production is expected to begin next year, Alabama Department of Commerce officials said Friday. Schmidt Maschinenbau GmbH is planning to build its plant in Auburn, and the facility will produce engine components including balance shafts and gear wheels for Mercedes-Benz and other German automakers, officials said. “Schmidt’s decision to open a manufacturing facility in Alabama is great news because it will result in the creation of 50 well-paying jobs and $17 million in new investment in Auburn,” Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for the support that the project has received from the Governor and his administration. Schmidt is a perfect fit for our diversified, high-tech industrial sector and we’re excited to welcome them to Auburn,” Mayor Bill Ham Jr. said. The company is looking for motivated and skilled employees who will be invited for extensive training in Germany this fall, the company’s President, Herbert Schmidt said. Interested applicants should contact with workforce development section of the City of Auburn’s Department of Economic Development, he said. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Memorial Day weekend events happening across Alabama
On Memorial Day, May 25, Americans will honor and remember all of those who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces. In recognition of the holiday’s rich history, Alabama Today put together a list of Memorial Day weekend events occurring across the state: Auburn Bluegrass On The Plains Monday, May 25 6 p.m. Price: tickets start $15 online, $20 at the gate Featuring a long list of performers, arts and crafts, horse-and-carriage rides, along with food and music vendors. For information visit: www.bluegrassontheplains.com. Birmingham Honoring Those Who Have Served Our Country Sunday, May 24 3 p.m. Price: Free The Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation in partnership with the Vulcan District Boy Scouts will honor veterans in the annual Remembrance Ceremony. The Foundation will dedicate StepStones to more than 30 veterans, living and deceased and from many states. Come early to view the Blue Star Salute Foundation’s Memorial Exhibit, “Faces of the Price of Freedom” which shows the faces of Alabama’s fallen heroes since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. For information visit: www.alabamaveterans.org. Decatur Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Festival Saturday, May 23 through Sunday, May 24 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Price: Free One of the largest free balloon gatherings in the Southeast, featuring more than 60 balloons, balloon races, kite flying, musical entertainment, a car show, food and a children’s area. For information visit: www.alabamajubilee.net. Gulf Shores Memorial Day Tribute Saturday, May 23 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Price: Adults $7.00, Seniors (65 and older) $5.00, Child (ages 6-12) $4.00 Historical interpreters dressed in U.S. Army uniforms from different eras of the forts’ occupation will conduct special guided tours throughout the day. For more information visit: www.fort-morgan.org. Huntsville North Alabama “Down Home” Soul & Blues Festival Saturday, May 23 to Sunday, May 24 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Price: Tickets start at $75 For information visit: here. Montevallo Alabama National Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 25 9 a.m. Price: Free Memorial Day observance will include a wreath-laying presentation and cannon salute. For more information visit: www.scalnc.org. A Salute to Our Veterans Monday, May 25 10 a.m. opening; special ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Price: Free A full day of activities planned, including historical vignettes, musical salutes, re-enactments, games, ceremonies, a Gold Star Salute to the Fallen, and a wreath laying at the Veterans Shrine. For more information visit: here. Montgomery Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s Jubilee Pops Concert Friday, May 22 7 p.m. Price: Free Pack your picnic basket and cooler and get ready to kick-off Memorial Day weekend on the lawn of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. For information visit: www.montgomerysymphony.org. Tuscaloosa Memorial Day Ceremony Monday, May 25 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Price: Free Presented by the Veterans Memorial Park Association at the Veterans Memorial Park. For information visit www.tuscaloosaveteranspark.org. Have an event you’d like included? Email us here.
Robert Bentley stresses major budget cuts will ensue without quick remedy
Gov. Robert Bentley continued his crusade against the Legislature’s current budget Wednesday, issuing an announcement detailing severe cuts to Lee County unless the tax increases he is proposing — or perhaps recent a gambling expansion measure he omitted from mention — are adopted as part of an overall budget approach. “We are facing a tremendous crisis in our General Fund Budget that will impact every Alabama county if not addressed by the Legislature,” Bentley said in a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon. Specifically, the governor’s office said that Lee County — home to the city of Opelika and the college town surrounding Auburn University — would face harsh consequences, including the loss of temporary public assistance from the Department of Human Services for 405 children, layoffs for 15 court system employees, possible closing of the Lee County Armory and the Opelika Trooper Post, one of 13 Alabama state trooper posts. “I am committed to finding new revenue so our state agencies can continue to provide essential services to Alabamians. For decades, we have failed to address the way our non-education state agencies are funded,” Bentley said. “With no one-time money available to support the General Fund and debts that are owed, we have a real crisis on our hands. I encourage the residents of Lee County to let their elected representatives know that these cuts are unacceptable and will hurt the people in in Lee County.” Auburn University at Montgomery recently published a study which bolsters Sen. Del Marsh‘s proposal to allow a lottery and a handful of casinos across the state. The study suggested that such an expansion of gambling could help solve the $250 million state budget shortfall currently projected in during the next fiscal year. An initiative to do so is in the works in the Legislature, where Republican House budget chief Rep. Steve Clouse has joined 23 House Democrats in co-sponsoring an agreement that would call for a constitutional amendment that would make Alabama the 45th state in the nation to adopt some form of state lottery. The effort was the subject of a press conference convened Tuesday by Marsh.
Angi Stalnaker: Break government logjam, so great ideas get through
The Alabama Constitution is the longest of its kind in the world. No other state and no other nation has a governing document that comes close to ours in its sheer volume. Yet, in all of its 117,000 words, it only specifies one absolute duty of the Legislature and that’s to pass a balanced budget. This year, that budget is in dire straits and the fact that there is a severe shortage of revenue is a fact that nearly all elected officials can agree on. The political divide appears when the discussion of solutions to the state’s fiscal woes enters the conversation. Some promote taxes and some advocate for more cuts to General Fund agencies. Some argue more can be cut and others insist that further cuts would be disastrous and would prohibit our state from adequately providing basic services. The correct answer is unclear but one thing is for sure, if you want the truth, go to the source and nobody has done that. More than 25,000 hardworking Alabamians are employed by the state of Alabama. They are each witnesses to the everyday processes of state government. Most of them see things every day that are wasteful or inefficient. Many of them have ideas on ways that things could be changed to make government operate more efficiently and to save precious taxpayer dollars. The problem is that the layers of government are so plentiful that it is difficult for many state employees to express their ideas to a decision maker and then even more difficult to get real change enacted. Government operates on inertia and the idea of doing something a certain way because that is the way it has always been done is standard operating procedure at most levels. These desperate budget times mandate a change in that mindset and that will require elected officials and decision makers to go to the source for revenue savings. State employees haven’t had a raise since before Auburn won a National Championship. The last time they saw a real salary increase, Barack Obama was still a U.S. senator. Yet, in all that time, nobody has gone to this group of eyewitnesses to everyday government and asked them how to operate more efficiently and effectively. It’s time to ask state employees for their ideas to cut costs and operate more efficiently and reward them for it. Launch a website and ask current state employees to submit their ideas and, if an idea is instituted, give that employee a one-time bonus equal to 5 percent of the savings accrued by their idea in the first year. Ideas will come in. Some will be feasible and some won’t be. The submitted ideas may only save a few million dollars or there could be tens of millions of taxpayer dollars saved. We will never know until we go to the source. Angi Horn Stalnaker is founder of Virtus Solutions, a government relations and communications firm.
