After the Flomaton Town Council voted 4-1 to transfer funds to pay bills, Mayor Dewey Bondurant, Jr., then asked the council to approve borrowing $80,000 from the town's line of credit to pay other bills.
“For about a year and half now we have not had to go the line of credit,” Mayor Bondurant said during mayor's comments at the end on Monday night's council meeting. “It had been working well.”
Bondurant told the council he had been working with vendors concerning overdue bills.
“What's happened is in the last month money stopped coming in,” Bondurant said. “We're not getting the money we once were. Right now I'm in trouble and I need $80,000 from the line of credit to pay bills.”
Councilwoman Lillian Dean noted Bondurant was making the request during his comments and the council could not vote because it was not on the agenda.
“We need to add it to the agenda,” Bondurant said. “I'm in trouble.”
Councilman Jim Johnson asked if the $80,000 would be paid back in January when the town receives its annual franchise fee check from Alabama Power. Bondurant said yes.
“This should have been on the agenda,” said Councilman Buster Crapps. “We get $80,000 dropped in our lap at the end of the meeting.”
Crapps said it would have made a difference on how the council voted earlier in the night on the budget and other financial issues.
A motion to add taking $80,000 from the line of credit was approved on a 4-1 vote with Crapps voting no.
The town has lines of credit at United Bank and Escambia County Bank and the mayor was asked which bank he would use. Bondurant said he'd use the one with the lowest rate.
Councilman Johnson said he would have to abstain if the money was taken from Escambia County Bank since his wife works there.
A motion was then made to take the $80,000 from the line of credit at United Bank. The motion passed on a 4-2 vote with Crapps and Dean voting no.
