During Monday night’s Selma City Council work session, Councilwoman Miah Jackson questioned the Planning and Development Department’s Henry Thompson about the city’s payment of more than $200,000 to an unlicensed contractor and roughly $30,000 spent on an unused Bike Center.

Jackson first took issue over the Selma Bike Center, a space originally envisioned as a hub for biking tours in the city that began with a donation of bicycles in 2013 from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

Jackson stated that the city spent nearly $30,000 for the construction and maintenance of the Bike Center but never put it to use, which Thompson said was due to a lack of personnel.

Jackson also noted that $11,000 was paid to the same contractor for “oversized doors with locks” at the Selma Welcome Center and the same contractor was cited twice by the Alabama General Contractors Licensing Board for taking on jobs of more than $50,000 without being licensed by that board.

Thompson noted that, at the time of the contractor’s approval, he was unaware of the requirement that contractors doing jobs of more than $50,000 must be approved by the board and would take steps to ensure that future contractors were within the letter of the law.

Elsewhere in the meeting, the council heard from Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams regarding the placement of five School Resource Officers (SROs) to be split between Selma HIgh School and R.B. Hudson Middle School.

Williams noted that parents are consistently concerned with school safety and steps needed to be taken to ensure that schools are safe for students.

“We owe our citizens an answer as to what we’re doing as it pertains to safety,” Williams said, noting that the council needs to act fast on the proposal so that SROs could be selected and trained over the summer. “Time is not on our side.”

“I think it’s money well spent,” said Councilman John Leashore, recognizing that the school system will cover half the cost of the officers and the rest will be covered by the city. “I think our children deserve to have this resource available to them.”

“We need to make sure that we’re making an informed decision,” Jackson said, noting that public safety dollars are spread thin and SROs would mean removing police officers from the streets. “It sounds good, it’s a good idea, however, we need to make sure that we’re being fiscally responsible.”

The council also heard from Candi Duncan, who is seeking direction regarding the $5,600 grant she has secured to host the 2019 Art Camp, which she says should be able to take place at the Dallas Academy building.

The location is on track to be renovated by May 11.