By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham’s first Board of Education employees soon will have offices on the lower floor of Pelham City Hall if the City Council agrees to lease space to the School Board during an upcoming meeting.

The Pelham City Council is scheduled to vote on possibly leasing a portion of the City Hall’s lower floor during a Jan. 21 meeting. The city’s Revenue Department is in the process of moving from its current space on the lower floor of the building to a space just inside the main entrance on the second floor.

If the lease is approved, the space vacated by the Revenue Department on the lower floor will be used to house the upcoming Pelham school system’s first few employees, such as the interim superintendent and chief school financial officer.

School Board President Rick Rhoades previously said the School Board is working to have an interim superintendent and CSFO in place by the end of January to begin separation negotiations with the Shelby County School System.

“We are working to have space available for you,” City Council President Rick Hayes said during a Jan. 14 Board of Education meeting. “As you grow, you will need to have a place for your staff.”

Pelham mayor’s assistant Paula Holly said the Revenue Department will only be a few feet inside the building’s main entrance, making it easily accessible for those who need it.