HAMILTON — After voting to add two items to their agenda on Oct. 19, the Hamilton City Council unanimously approved two raises for employees, with full-time employees to receive an increase of $2,500 annually and part-time employees to receive 50 cents an hour.
Both actions were taken after the city’s budget was approved earlier in the same meeting, with surplus monies to be used to fund the raises.
Official wording related to the raises included passing Resolution 2026-10-19B authorizing a one-time annual pay increase of $2,500 for all 78 full-time employees to take effect with the pay period of Oct. 24 and be reflected in the Nov. 13 pay amount. This increase excludes all contract and part-time employees.
The council also passed Resolution 2026-10-19C authorizing a one-time hourly pay increase of 50 cents for all non-student part-time employees to also take effect on Oct. 24. This increase excludes students, contract and full-time employees.
Also during the meeting, the council approved a recommendation for the city to absorb a 3.1 percent increase in medical and dental premiums with Local Government Health Insurance, instead of passing these increases on to the city employees.
Regarding the city’s budget, the council heard a presentation from CPA Alan Cantrell, who presented copies of the proposed “city general” and “city water” budgets to the council, while noting more information had been provided during previous work sessions.
He stated there was a $14.5 million dollar budget for the general operating fund, and explained the budget was like a blueprint or outline. He said approximately $700,000 had been allocated toward equipment, although he noted final decisions would be made later individually.
He said the budget provides the council with an idea of how much is available to spend on equipment and special projects. He explained the city currently had a surplus of approximately $450,000, although he noted some other items may come up.
“We always have expenditures come up that are impossible to plan for,” he said. “But this gives a forecast of where revenue will be and expenses are expected to be.”
The approximate cost of the raises passed later in the meeting will equal $215,475 and will be deducted from the city’s surplus budget money, in effect, nearly cutting in half the $450,000 previously available.
Asked to comment first on the budget and the process, the mayor noted, “Budget time is tough. Although I was on the council for eight years, I never fully grasped what goes into the budget preparation or the stress. We started the process in July with the gathering of needs and wants from the departments, had several meetings and three months later, we passed a positive budget.”
She explained a “positive” budget is based on estimating more funds coming in than are being budgeted as going out. A “negative” budget is estimating more spending than probable income. Sometimes, she noted, budgets are balanced coming in and going out with a match at “zero.”
“The budget is positive, and it is strict,” she said. “And just because an item is listed in the budget does not mean it is an automatic expenditure. All line items will be discussed and their merit weighed, and I will definitely encourage ‘need’ based spending over ‘want.’”
The mayor explained she tends to be a little “tight” on spending, but wants to clarify, while she also likes the city to allow for enjoyment, recreation and entertainment opportunities, she believes the city should take care of employees, infrastructure, services and buildings first—and definitely the existing—before adding something new.
She also noted the council makes the major rules and decisions for the city, while the mayor’s position is more of an enforcer role.
“But I will say, thus far, they have been good to me,” she said. “They have been supportive of my ideas, and they have not ridiculed me when I had to go back and say I made a mistake. As I have said before, we are a diverse group with strong personalities and we all love Hamilton, and we will work together to spend Hamilton’s money appropriately.”
Later, the mayor was asked to provide more information on the raises and the insurance increase absorbed by the city. She noted it has been three years since there was a city-wide raise for all employees.
“There was a lot of diverse input from the council regarding the raise,” Williams noted. “I tried to come up with the best suggestion from everyone’s input. There was a lot of give and take, but there was no agreed upon decision until the meeting. I thank the council for approving the raise.”
The raise for the 78 city employees at $2,500 each equals $195,000. The approximate cost to the city is $215,475, with the additional $20,475 in costs going for increased unemployment compensation taxes and withholding matches required by Social Security. A few other assorted charges are not included in that amount.
Regarding the city absorbing the 3.1 percent insurance increase for employees, which some might consider as another type of raise, the mayor noted the city pays the entire cost of the premiums for employees for single coverage and 63 percent of the cost of family coverage.
Single coverage increased from $667 to $688 per month, while family insurance rates increased from $1,265 to $1,315 per employee on the family plan per month. If the city were not paying 63 percent, the cost to employees would be $1,700 for the premiums for family plans.
The city also pays for vision insurance which is $20 a month for family coverage and $12 for individuals. This equals more than another $1,000 per year paid by the city.
In other actions on Oct. 19, the council:
• Held a public notice hearing immediately before the regular meeting for the consideration of an application made by Rowdy Hogs Smoke House and Grill LLC, located at 481 Military Street South; Suite B, Hamilton, AL, 35570.
The restaurant had applied for their Restaurant Retail Liquor License and met all requirements as set forth in the city’s ordinance for the issuance of such license.
During the hearing, the mayor opened the floor to anyone wanting to speak for or against the application. No one chose to make any remarks. During the regular meeting, the council passed Resolution #2026-10-19 to approve the liquor license application as presented in the hearing. Councilor Shane Stidham abstained from voting as he is distantly related to the business owners.
• Approved a recommendation to enter into an agreement with the Northwest Alabama Conservation and Development Council in which they will provide $7,000 in State of Alabama Community Support Funds for the Fire Department-Firefighter Health & Wellness Project.
These funds will be used to purchase various types of weight and workout equipment for the Hamilton Fire Department.
The estimated purchase price of this equipment will be $8,964.05. Once the support funds of $7,000 have been applied to the purchase, the estimated balance remaining and owed by the city will be $1,964.05. The mayor noted the balance will be paid from the Hamilton Fire Department’s 3 Mill Tax Fund Account.
• Passed a recommendation from the planning commission to vacate the 40-foot right of way between parcels#49 09 08 33 0 202 015.000 and #49 09 8 33 0 202 002.000 and divide the land equally between the landowners. The land is located near Hamilton Paint & Body where a big cliff exists. The mayor noted a road had been planned for the area in the past, but had never come to fruition. As part of the process, the request will be publicized and a public hearing held before final approval is granted.
During announcements after the meeting, the mayor reminded everyone about the Marion County Veterans Day Program set for Nov. 12 from 9 to noon at Bevill. She noted the Marion County Historical Society will host the Swamp Fox Festival and Quilt Show on Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. And she mentioned the Hamilton Christmas tree lighting on Nov. 17, starting at 5:30 p.m., with a rain date of Nov. 19.
Oct. 5 meeting
actions:
Actions taken by the city council at their Oct. 5 meeting included:
• Passed a recommendation to allow city clerk Angela Owen to open a new checking account at First National Bank for the $95,000 “Assistance to Firefighters Grant” recently awarded to the Hamilton Fire Department. This grant will fund the installation of the Diesel Exhaust Extraction System. Those allowed to sign on this account will be Tami Lewis Williams, Angela Owen and Amy Nix.
• Passed a recommendation to award a bid to MagneGrip Exhaust Removal Systems of Ohio who had the lowest bid of $99,999 to install the Diesel Exhaust Extraction System at the HFD.
• Passed a recommendation to allow the mayor and city clerk to open a $2,500 checking account at BankFirst in Haleyville to allow the city to acquire a specific city credit card from the financial institution. The mayor explained the previous administration had a credit card, but the company issuing the card stopped serving municipalities. She noted the city had searched locally for the service, and would continue to do so, but needed to proceed with obtaining a card for official business trips, etc., where credit card usage is needed.
• Passed Resolution 2026-10-5 to allow the annual use of $2,500 of municipal funds for the Marion County Veterans Day Program. This resolution will remain in effect until rescinded by a subsequent resolution.
The resolution read, in part, the city is committed to honoring and supporting veterans, active duty service members and their families. It noted Veterans Day recognizes the sacrifices and services of those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. It also explained the city council has determined that funding a community-wide Veterans Day program will enhance civic engagement, promote patriotism and strengthen community ties. They also noted there were available funds for such programs for public benefit and community service.
• Passed a recommendation to move McKenna Taylor to a full-time position at the Hamilton Parks & Recreation Department. Taylor previously worked 30 plus hours per week. Councilor Frankie Kerr abstained as the park director is his brother.
• Heard from guest Ricky Sulephen who addressed the mayor and council regarding having water service restored to a building to be used for business purposes. He noted he did not mind paying deposits, but felt the water meter set fee had been paid previously years ago. The mayor said she would look into the matter and get back with Sulephen regarding the step by step process, permits and fees required.
• Approved to pass Resolution 2026-10-5-C to waive business license requirements for vendors operating during the Buttahatchee River Fall Fest, with the waiver applicable for future BRFFs unless otherwise amended or repealed by council.
The mayor also gave an update on the Hoof or Paw spay and neuter program, noting four dogs and five cats had been sterilized for a total of 20 animals in the last two months.
See complete story in the Journal Record.
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