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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

The Maplesville Town Council received a favorable audit report during its March 14 meeting.

Janice Hull of Hull & Russell presented a brief overview of the audit.

In the general fund, the net position of the town was $1,302,000. For the 2020-2021 fiscal year the town had slightly more than $1.5 million in assets and deferred revenue and $215,000 in liabilities and pension deferral.

In the operating budget, sales tax revenue increased by about $80,000, according to Hull.

The audit did mention some deficiency in internal controls.

“With a small office, it is difficult to have any internal controls, but the town of Maplesville does what it can in doing that,” Hull said.

She said town clerk Dawn Smitherman had the skills to “recognize when there is an error.”

“Dawn does a good job,” Hull said.

The town also received American Rescue plan funds during the fiscal year.

This increase in revenue led to spending $220,000 more than the previous year.

Maplesville also borrowed $150,000, but paid back $82,000 in the same fiscal year.

Smitherman gave an update that the town currently owed $8,000 on the loan.

The council approved Roddrekus Moten and Tanner Glass as part-time police officers. Maplesville Police Chief Robbie Autery said the department has received about half of the computer equipment that it is purchasing through a recent grant.

Autery also let the council know that the department has received a grant for license plate readers. This will allow the department to know which license plates were in an area when a crime occurred.

The council discussed a recent bill from the Maplesville Utility Board to the Maplesville Fire Department for water used putting out a fire.

Maplesville Fire Chief Melvin Morrow, Smitherman and Butch Billingsley, chair of the Chilton County Volunteer Firefighters Association, all gave information on who they had contacted and confirmed that no other county department pays for the water they use to put out fires.

Billingsley said the number of gallons used needs to be turned into the utility department, so they can submit it to Chilton Water Authority, where Maplesville gets its water from, and not be charged.