Economic Development, Government

The city of Bessemer continues to operate with strong financial management as evidenced by another successful audit, city officials were told earlier this week.

The audit, which covers the period from Oct. 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, was completed by the firm of Kellum, Wilson and Associates, P.C. The audit was presented to Mayor Kenneth Gulley and members of the City Council during the July 9, 2019 Planning Session.

“The city is healthy financially and that comes from good financial management,” said CPA Lori Kes, the City’s external auditor.

Kes noted that city’s general fund revenue increased by 11.6 percent compared to FY17. Tax revenue increased by 9.1 percent, exceeding expectations. Kes further noted, that there were significant improvements in the city’s sales tax collection and attributed a portion of this increase to the city’s participation in the state of Alabama’s Simplified Sellers Use Tax. This tax allows online sellers to collect and remit a flat fee for sales made online.

Overall, the city’s actual revenues exceeded budgeted revenues for the year. City expenditures decreased 1 percent during the same time period, the audit shows.

Mayor Gulley praised the work of Finance Director/Treasurer Kela Pryor, CPA and staff for their roles in maintaining the city’s strong financial status.

“The city of Bessemer continues to operate under good financial management”, city officials were told earlier this week in a presentation of the most recent audit.

The city’s Finance Department is responsible for safeguarding the city’s finances. It oversees treasury management, accounts payable, purchasing, revenue collection, debt management, budgeting, payroll and human resources and internal auditing. In addition, the finance department is responsible for grant management, contract compliance, and the establishment and implementation of internal controls policy and procedure.

Each year the city of  Bessemer provides its completed audit report on-line. To read the audit report, click City of Bessemer Financial Statement 2018.

Economic Development, Government

Officials with the city of Bessemer and the Bessemer Airport Authority broke ground Tuesday morning on construction of a 14,220 square foot hangar project at the Bessemer Municipal Airport.

The $750,000 project is being funded by the combination of a grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and a loan from Cadence Bank. Garver Inc. is providing project management and design, while Wayne Davis Construction will serve as the general contractor.

The project will include 10 individual T-hangars with large opening doors to accommodate Cirrus aircraft. Construction of the hangers is expected to be completed by December, said Tim Wasyluka, Airport manager.

City officials hailed the groundbreaking as another milestone in the city’s economic development efforts. The Bessemer Municipal Airport is a public-use airport and is categorized as a reliever airport for the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Several companies and private jets currently lease or own hangars at the airport.

Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley said the airport is becoming an important piece of the city’s industry recruitment efforts. In past years, city and airport officials have been able to market the airport and its location in the region to prospective companies such as Steyr Arms USA.

The hangar project will only aid those efforts, city officials said.

“We want the airport to grow and this is the first step in growing it,” said Bessemer councilwoman Donna Thigpen, who represents the city on the authority’s board.

Construction of the hangars is the latest in a series of recent upgrades at the facility. In June, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the Bessemer Airport is in line to receive $2,277,393 to rehabilitate the airport’s runway and runway lighting.

Last fall, Birmingham-based Sanders Capital Partners announced that it had acquired three corporate hangars at the Bessemer Airport for $1.3 million. Jackson Stewart, general counsel for Sanders Capital Partners, said at the time that Bessemer is playing an “increasingly significant” role in the aviation mix in the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa markets.

Jefferson County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens, a pilot himself, said much of the major work at the airport was done prior to national events such as 9/11 and the Great Recession. Those events slowed progress at the airport. Stephens said he hopes the city, county and state can continue working together to grow the airport.

“It’s taken us a long time to kickstart this economic engine for Bessemer and western Jefferson County,” Stephens said.