Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

VALLEY — The City of Valley will be participating in this year’s Back-to-Scho0l Sales Tax Holiday, will extend its current agreement with AVENU Insights & Analytics on sales and use tax processing and seek repair of the tennis court fences off Sportsplex Drive.

These actions were approved at Monday’s meeting of the city council.

This year’s statewide Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will be taking place on the weekend of July 17-19. The current state law on this was enacted in 2017 and provides some exemption of the state sales and use taxes on the purchases of back-to-school items such as clothing and school supplies. Counties and cities that participate that same weekend create even greater savings for parents who are shopping for their children.

The approved agreement with AVENU is eight pages in length and spells out the terms between the city and the Birmingham-based collector.

Mayor Leonard Riley is authorized to execute the agreement on behalf of the city.

The tennis court fences were damaged by high wind earlier this year. The council previously sought bids for private companies to do this but did not receive any offers. Monday’s resolution authorizes Riley to contact potential vendors and to negotiate a price to do the needed work.

Riley announced that this year’s municipal election in Valley would be taking place on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Qualifying will be taking place July 7-21. Should a runoff election be needed for the office of mayor or seven council seats, it would take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Current members of the council include Jim Clark, Jim Jones, Randall Maddux, Cassie Carlisle, Marquetta Madden, Henry Cooper and Jimmy Gilson.

Riley announced that he would be seeking his third term as mayor.

“I’ve enjoyed serving as mayor,” he said. “I think we are getting a lot accomplished for the city, and I’d like to continue that.”

Riley said the city currently has an A+ credit rating, a $3 million reserve fund and four straight years of unqualified audits. In terms of industry and development, the city has acquired a 411-acre industrial park and has set aside 664 acres for commercial and residential development. The industrial park has already attracted two major businesses, the WestRock distribution center and Four Star Freightliner.

John Soules Foods will be locating a plant on Towel Avenue in the coming years. That will bring more than 500 new jobs to the area.

The city has gotten over $8 million in the last seven years in grants, Riley said.

This has enabled more than $2 million in paving, some needed sewer improvements along with improvements for the CV Railroad Trail and Moore’s Creek.