Why not use City inmates to cut these areas, they could work with one P&R person and get thiis job done. If there is no grass to cut then there is other work around they could do for the city.

The city is spending a bloody fortune in Old Decatur and Albany cutting down our beautiful trees. They have a supervisor named "Clem" that if a brach falls he takes down the whole tree!! I can't tell you how much they must be spending on this and 90% of the trees they have cut have years and years of life left. Nobody that i know that live in these neighborhoods would ever miss Clem and his crew if they never saw them again!

The "city council", better named the "city clowns", just held a meeting spending millions on pet projects, abating future taxes, filling the pockets of their friends. The mayor and his fools succeeded in spending millions for an eye-sore by the river that sits empty most of the time. They are now talking about boring UNDER the river to send water to Limestone County! No wonder we're broke! Throw the thieves in jail and let's start OVER!!

If our grass and weeds are overgrown we get fined. If the city's grass and weeds are overgrown, it's a budget issue. Talk about a double standard.

I think using city inmates is a good idea. My alley is a mess and the "skitters" are so bad you can't sit outside and will probably cause health problems for children and the elderly.

We mow our city property behind each house in our block and the alley is clean and manicured .

6th av and Hwy 20 from the Holiday Inn to the beltline look like slums.

Decatur is an eyesore to the person that does not know about the self maintained neighborhoods.

This city is managed so badly it makes one really question if it is not intentional.

I'll bet if you sold the city cars that all of the dept heads and their staff drive home and back every day, the money saved would go a long way in filling that huge budget hole. Lot's of other things could be done also.

If the city council is being ran so badly, how did they stay in office? Who's the bigger fools here...

I didn't vote any incumbent back in.

I didn't vote for any incumbents either Rebecca.

The citizenry of Decatur are gutless and afraid of change, no matter that it might bring about something good for all.

And the gutless @&*%&#s that didn't vote can kiss my A$$.

Decatur city management just went to Japan, how much did that cost?

We are voting today and again in October & November, how much does that cost? Combine all these elections and save some money.

Decatur hires overly expensive contractors, make EVERY contract Firm Fixed Price and that will stabilize cost.

It only takes a little imagination.

As far as mowing the alley's I can do my own part. I just hope they don't stop picking up limbs and leaves back there.

Julie, I agree about the trees, no tree should be cut unless it has been thoroughly tested. Just because limb fell off, doesn't mean you cut the whole tree. How about some tree trimming every couple years? That would keep the limbs from growing so big that they fall off or topple the tree from sheer weight. But wait; that makes sense!

Maintain the alleys. It is stupid not to.

Att: Michale E, those elections you mentioned, today for example, were determined by the power brokers at the state level. Three million to approve spending for $145 million, makes no sense - 2% of the total. This should have been done with other votes. By-the-way, my house voted "NO" 4 times today!

INMATES........problem solved !

The Mayor can get the ditches clean with one phone call. How about it Mayor? This is your job. Be responsible. Get it done!!

I've found that most property owners pay taxes on their easements?? Responsible property owners keep their easments cleaned. Others don't use their easement and leave it up to the City to clean it up. Perhaps the City Attorney could enforce easement clean up by property owners or declare them a nuisance and let the property owner pay the high contractor price for clean up. Mosquitoes are rampant this year as is the West Nile virus. A potentially deadly situation. How many ditches or un-maintained swimming pools are in your area?? There are several on my street that were reported and the swimming pools are still green, yucky and breeding grounds for mosquities. When was the last time the City made swimming pool inspections?? Just fly over the City streets in Google Earth and view the yucky pools. Amazing how many there are in Decatur.

With the recent pictures in the news and the overgrowth of weeds here. Change the sign coming into the city to "Welcome to Little Detroit."

unpaved alleys are not in rich folk area of town, thus they are ignored

I'm paying Cooks good money for mosquito control so I don't get West Nile and believe me I'd rather buy fishing supplies and lumber for my woodworking projects than that!