Alabama town out of money; furloughs most employees, police

FRISCO CITY, Ala. (AP) -- A small, southern Alabama town currently has just one police officer and a few city employees working because the city's coffers have run dry.

Frisco City Mayor Mary Malone tells Al.com that the Monroe County town of about 1,800 residents ran out of funds after a February settlement of a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former police chief Gene Starr in 2013.

Most employees are on furloughs that will last for at least the next week, and potentially through the end of the first week of November.

Malone says the town's police chief is among a few employees working without pay until the city gets its finances back in order.

Starr says his lawsuit isn't to blame, arguing that the money he received came from the city's insurance provider.