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The Linden City Council developed a list of names for possible city councilor candidates on Jan. 23 following Councilman Neal Jackson’s recent death. The new city councilor will serve District 5 until the election later this year.

The names are Barbara Jackson, George Osburne, Eddie Hayes and Rev. Richard Lankster. A new councilor will be named at the Feb. 4 meeting.

The city council also approved the Linden High School baseball team practicing on the fields at Scott Park and discussed railway crossing closures on Hwy. 43 and on Shiloh Street while M&B Railroad conduced repairs to the crossings. The repairs were completed by Jan. 27.

Following adjournment, the city council entered into a joint meeting with the Linden Utility Board as Billy Cox from Aldridge, Borden & Company presented the city’s and the board’s audit reports.

The City of Linden has a net position of $3.2 million, $1.5 million of which is in capital assets. A million dollars is restricted for specific projects and includes $228,000 in gas tax revenue for road projects, $321,000 requiring legislative approval to utilize is from the city’s sale of a gas system and $389,000 from a bond issue meant for capital improvements. General fund has $1.2 million unassigned.

Including the $500,000 pension liability, there is a total of $1.6 million for operational expenses.

“You’ve got one full year’s cash available as reserves on the city’s behalf,” Cox said.

The city earned $1.2 million in sales tax, property tax and other revenues, which led to them breaking even on expenses over the last year.

The Linden City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at city hall at 4:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, January 29 issue of the Demopolis Times.)