Tammy Mulkey resigns from Aragon City Council

— The Aragon City Council is down a member once again as Tammy Mulkey has decided to resign before being forced to give up her seat due to residency issues.

Mulkey’s resignation came Wednesday morning as she and her family were nearing the deadline to move out of 53 Oak St. in Aragon following the end of an eviction process begun back in late April.

She had no comment on her resignation, citing that it was a personal matter.

According to court records, her husband Kenny Mulkey had failed to appear before court to answer the eviction proceeding on May 18.

Owners Jerry and Frances Baker sought to have the Mulkey family removed from the property for failure to pay $3,200 in rent, according to an April 28 affidavit which started the process.

The May 18 decision to proceed with the eviction did waive any back rent that Mulkey owed to the Bakers.

“I hate to see her resign, and I hate to see her move,” said Mayor Garry Baldwin. “We’ll miss her, but now we’ll have to move on.”

Aragon City Clerk Sandy Norman said the process of filling the seat left open by Mulkey is still being decided following her decision to resign earlier in the morning. Mulkey came onto the Aragon City Council in 2015 to fill the seat left open by Hunter Spinks.

Visit polkstandardjournal.com for more news.

Residents advised to use alternate water source

CENTRE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Public Health is warning residents of Centre in Cherokee County about unhealthy levels of two synthetic compounds in its water, saying they might consider “using alternate sources of drinking water.”

The water is already the source of a lawsuit filed this month by the city against carpet and textile companies the city contends put harmful chemical compounds into the raw water supply “in or near the City of Dalton, Ga.”

The department, working with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, is working with the Centre Water Works and Sewer Board to monitor two synthetic compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA.

According to an announcement today, the combined concentrations of PFOA and PFOS have exceeded health advisory levels. Those manmade chemical compounds are used in making nonstick, stain-resistant and water-proofing coatings on fabric, cookware, firefighting foam and other products. Perfluorochemicals, or PFC, break down slowly in the environment.

ADPH and ADEM have been monitoring the water since last May following an EPA health advisory.

Because of the high levels registered, Centre Water has begun buying water from the Cherokee County Water Authority and blending the two to drive down the PFC numbers. The water will continue to be tested, and officials are considering installing an added treatment system.

In a release, State Toxicologist John Guarisco said pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and formula-fed infants served by the water system should “consider using alternate sources of drinking water.”

“Other people served by this system may also consider these steps,” Guarisco said.

Centre’s lawsuit is similar to one filed last September in Etowah County Circuit Court, by Gadsden’s Water Works and Sewer Board.

From AL.com