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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

CHELSEA – The Chelsea City Council held a second reading for proposed ordinances to change the city’s form of government and make amendments to the salary of its future mayor and city council members during a meeting on Tuesday, July 2.

The Chelsea City Council is considering changing the city’s form of government to meet with Alabama code after the growth it has seen.

After cities in Alabama surpass a population of 12,000, the mayor no longer sits on the council or has voting power on the council and instead has veto power. Most of Chelsea’s surrounding municipalities have already moved on to this form of government, including Alabaster, Pelham and Helena.

The change to the city’s form of government would have automatically gone into effect following the 2025 election given Chelsea’s population size if the Council chose not to take any action. However, the Council is approaching with an ordinance to take a proactive approach to prepare and inform the public.

A first reading for the proposed ordinance to change Chelsea’s form of government took place during the Chelsea City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 18.

If passed, the proposed ordinance to change Chelsea’s form of government would go into effect at the first Chelsea City Council meeting following the 2025 election.

The city of Chelsea is also considering a proposed ordinance to amend the salary of elected officials which would also go into effect following the 2025 election.

“As a result of these changes in duties, this ordinance proposes lowering the pay of the mayor and increasing the pay of the council,” Councilmember Cody Sumners said. “These proposed changes will bring us more in line with surrounding cities and other cities our size.”

Specifically, the proposed ordinance would reduce the mayor’s package from $81,000 to $66,000 annually. Additionally, the pay for city council members would increase from $600 per month to $1,000 per month with the mayor pro tempore increasing from $700 to $1,250.

The reasoning shared behind the pay changes for the city’s elected leaders is due to the increased responsibilities of the members of the City Council following the change to its system of government.

The first reading for the proposed ordinance to amend the salary for elected officials took place during the Chelsea City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 18.

According to Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer, the city held two public readings of the ordinances within two separate meetings rather than only one “for the sake of transparency.”

“Because these two ordinances represent a change in our government and a change in salary, I just thought the right thing to do was give everybody two meetings to listen to the ordinances,” Picklesimer said.

The Council will vote on the ordinances during its next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 16.