The Brundidge City Council moved one step closer to the realization of a spec building for the city on Tuesday.

The council voted to begin the process necessary to prepare to be in compliance for a spec building, which would be available to prospective industry.

Financing for the spec building is estimated at $1 million.

Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage said $400,000 would be made available through the Power South Spec Building Program. The program provides funding to construct a building shell that locating or relocating industries could complete according to their specifications. South Alabama Electric Corporation also has funds available to construct spec buildings.

Ramage said that SAEC could make up to $200,000 available to Brundidge for the construction of a spec building.

“What Power South would have available to us would be a $400,000 low-interest loan,” he said. “We would pay the interest on the loan for four years and, hopefully, have an industry in the building by that time and be able to pay off the loan.”

Ramage said that the funds from SAEC would be from a similar grant/loan program. “The Brundidge Industrial Development Board will have to generate the funds to complete the project which should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000,” the mayor said.

The proposed site for the spec building is on Highway 93 behind Southern Classic Foods.

“The prospects are exciting and a spec building program would be very beneficial to the future growth of Brundidge,” Ramage said. “We have take a step in that direction.”

The council also incorporated several items into the 2011-2012 budget to make the budget current. Included were items that had already been approved by the council or discussed and two items for consideration.

The council voted to include a $5,000 for a lobbyist to keep the council abreast of redistricting plans and to work to keep the county whole.

“Our district will change,” Ramage said. “The county could go right or left or could be split with Troy going one way and us another. We don’t want that to happen. We want to stay whole.”

Another item to be considered was the purchase of dump trailer for the street department in the amount of $7,500. The city is currently using a backhoe to do the work that could be done more efficiently and less costly with a dump trailer.

The council approved the incorporation of the items to the budget.

The council took no action on the Planning Commission’s recommendations for the rezoning of properties at 111 Seventh Avenue from R-3 to MH and 253 Ramage Street from MHR to MHP. The recommendations from the Planning Commission were to deny both requests.

The council appointed Council Member Cynthia Pearson as the voting delegate and Councilman Steven Coleman as the alternate delegate to the upcoming AMIC annual business meeting and Councilman Lawrence as the voting delegate and Pearson the alternate delegate to the ALM business meeting.

The council voted to change its meeting times on May 1 and May 15 to accommodate the mayor’s city business travel plans. The May 1 meeting will be at 1 p.m. and the May 15 meeting will be at 11a.m. both at City Hall.

Camille Downing, director of the Pike Regional Child Advocacy Center, addressed the council and requested that the CAC be included in the city’s FY 2012-13 budget to help replenish the $10,000 in state/federal funding that will be lost in that budget year.

The council took no action on Downing’s request.