Six years after coming home to Wetumpka to serve as assistant police chief, Ed Reeves was appointed police chief.
Reeves is a Wetumpka native and had worked for the Montgomery Police Department for 17 years before taking the assistant chief job in Wetumpka. Reeves' appointment was made at Monday’s Wetumpka City Council meeting.
“You have been a great assistant chief,” Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said. “You have brought a lot of knowledge here to Wetumpka.”
Prior to going to the Montgomery Police Department, Reeves worked with the Wetumpka Fire Department.
Reeves will be sworn in at a later date. He replaces chief Greg Benton, who is resigning effective June 1.
Auditors presented councilmembers with a standing of the city’s financial statements at the council meeting. They noted the city’s conservative budgeting worked well. For fiscal year 2023, the City of Wetumpka had $20 million in actual revenue compared to a budgeted $17 million. It had $15 million in actual expenses and had budgeted for $15.5 million.
“We like where we are financially, especially with new businesses coming online,” Willis said. “We expect good gains in the next audit.”
The city also spent $1.3 million paying down debt leaving it with $10.48 million.
The council passed a few expenditures that will show up in the fiscal year 2024 financial statements including fire alarm monitoring for the new fire station on Holtville Road.
“We don’t need our new fire station to burn down,” Willis said. “I don’t know that I have seen a fire station on fire.”
The council also approved asphalt repairs and striping of the parking lots at the Wetumpka Sports Complex and to surplus old lights from the softball fields at the complex.
The next meeting of the Wetumpka City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 3.
