DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — The Decatur State of the City was held Tuesday but Mayor Tab Bowling wasn’t there.

Bowling confirmed to News 19 that his decision stemmed from a disagreement with the Decatur-Morgan Chamber of commerce and their decision to include a short video from the city council president Jacob Ladner.  

 Bowling released a statement to News 19 on his decision to not attend saying;  

“I know the city,” Bowling said. “I asked the chamber not to show the video where the council president gives the opening statement. Don’t show the video or I won’t be participating. They took the position that they were going to show the video.”

Bowling has come under fire by community members for his decision to walk out of city council meetings during the public comments’ session. 

The Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the City provides an opportunity to hear directly from city officials about key initiatives, projects and policies.

City councilman Kyle Pike and Pro-Tem Carlton McMasters both delivered remarks, focused on several projects planned for the growing city, including the next steps toward building a new bridge and the construction of recreation centers throughout the county. 

“There’s some projects that have been completed,” Pike explained. “It’s always fun to drive by and you get to see kids and families enjoying those and those that add to that quality of life, and we’ll continue to support those kinds of initiatives.”

“From environmental to engineering to right of way, to bidding to construction,” said McMasters. “A lot of things take a lot longer than you would think and to see some of this stuff finally come out of the ground is exciting.” 

The event began at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. News 19 has a crew at the meeting and will provide more coverage on-air and online in our later newscasts.