EUFAULA, Ala. (WRBL) — Everybody is gearing up for Tuesday's municipal elections in Eufaula.
WRBL News 3's Chuck Williams was down there Friday and spoke to the four people who want to be mayor.
This is the fourth time Jack Tibbs has been on the ballot running for mayor of the town of almost 13,000 folks.
He's had opposition each time. This year is no different.
Jack Tibbs spent 13 years as Eufaula's mayor. He points to success in economic development. And he wants the voters of this east Alabama city to rehire him.
Three candidates have stepped up to challenge Tibbs. Chris Beam is a nurse and lifelong Eufaula resident.
Small businesswoman Hilda Marcia Brown returned to the Eufaula area more than a decade ago and Arthur Woodley is also a small businessman.
Williams asked all four candidates about the city's reliance on sales tax revenue.
About 85% of Eufaula's revenue, which fuels a $20 million annual budget, comes from sales tax.
Because Eufaula is halfway between Metro Atlanta and the Gulf beaches, the city has a lot of fast-food restaurants.
"We have a tremendous amount of small businesses, and those small businesses do bring tax money into our city. But the kind of jobs that they offer are a lot of times low-income, no-insurance type jobs. We need more jobs here. Long-term industrial jobs offer health care access, offer a plan for retirement, and a path to homeownership." Beam said.
"The restaurants here, you have some restaurants. We don't know what their contract is with our city. We don't know exactly. The public doesn't know. And that's one of the main things with the business. The businesses that we have here is that the public really isn't informed," Brown said.
"You know they are collecting sales tax and that sales taxes, that there's actually people passing through our town that are helping pay our bills, which is a great thing," Tibbs said.
"The reason I say that we're putting all these fast food restaurants up, they're good for the revenue the city comes in millions of dollars. Fast food restaurants, the stores going through here, people just going through. You follow? We might the city might get about $40,000 off of that, which is good. But what happens to our local small businesses right here?" Woodley asked.
WRBL News 3 then asked all four candidates about the health of the city's hospital, Medical Center Barbour.
The hospital, like many rural hospitals across the nation, is under stress caused of declining revenues and doctor and nurse staffing issues.
"Currently, we have three physicians in Eufaula. We had 12 when I started nursing in 1992. We have to work to recruit physicians and specialists to Eufaula. We have a lack of services at our hospital right now, basic services that people are having to travel to Dothan and Columbus for," Beam said.
"The nurses, they are overworked, underpaid, and they're the ones that are there for us when we need help, when we're sick and we're out of character. They have to maintain their character. And regardless of what's going on and take care of us," Brown responded.
"Going to a critical access, we get a better reimbursement rate. So the hospital is doing much better now, but it's still it's not out of the woods yet. But but we are we're in constant contact with them and we help them all we can," Tibbs said.
"Going to a critical access, we get a better reimbursement rate. So, the hospital is doing much better now, but it's still it's not out of the woods yet. But we are we're in constant contact with them, and we help them all we can. Let's put the pieces of the puzzle together and make it fit," Woodley addressed.
In addition to the mayor's race, there are two contested city council races. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time.
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