Town of Colony officially shuts down | News

CULLMAN COUNTY, AL (WBRC)- The Cullman County town of Colony is officially shut down as of Monday, Nov. 5. A "Do Not Enter" sign has been placed on the town hall doors.

The Colony city council deadlocked once again Sunday night in their decision of who to appoint as mayor. In the Oct. 9 runoff election, mayoral candidates Donnis Leeth and Patrick Ward tied with 64 votes each. The city council has the ability to select the next mayor of Colony, but each time they have voted, the council has split 3-3.

State Senator Paul Bussman (R-Cullman) says the city council doesn't meet quorum requirements of four council members since several of the councilors' terms expired Sunday.

Without a mayor or city council, there are no city leaders who are
currently authorized to pay bills or make deposits, so the town was
forced to shut down on Monday. The library is closed and no one was at
the community center.

"It's a sad day in Colony. It's sad when the leadership of a community could not work together to provide the services the county needs," Bussman said.

Bussman is accepting nominations for new city councilors, which he will then submit to Governor Robert Bentley. He's hoping to find someone to fill a position on the city council so they can reach quorum and pick a new mayor. Mayoral candidates Leeth and Ward were city councilors, but their terms expired on Monday, leaving two vacancies on the council.

Bussman said Monday evening that according to an attorney general's
opinion, the governor can appoint replacements for the empty councilor
positions immediately. Bussman says he will submit a list of candidates
on Tuesday. Once there is a quorum with at least four city councilors, the
new city council can appoint anyone they want to be mayor, including
candidates Leeth and Ward.

Although Colony City Hall was closed Monday, it will be open as a polling station on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The Cullman County Sheriff's Office is expected to open the town hall Tuesday morning. Registered voters can cast their ballots between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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