Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City Council approved an ordinance to increase the pay for the mayor and the City Council which will go into effect in November 2025 following the next city election.

The ordinance was approved during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 27. It increases the Alabaster mayor’s salary from $45,000 per year to $65,000. Compensation for council members increases from $13,000 to $16,599.96 per year and the council president will see an increase in pay from $15,600 to $19,200 per year.

According to Councilperson Rick Ellis, this marked the first time the city has altered the pay for the mayor and council since 2007. The changes in pay for the mayor and council will not affect current office holders but will go into effect when the next Alabaster City Council is seated in November.

In other business, the council held a public hearing for an ordinance prohibiting the unauthorized discharge of any waste or other unauthorized material from septic, tallow or other type pump trucks, tanker trucks or trailers directly into the city sewer system. After receiving no public input during the hearing, the ordinance was approved.

According to Councilperson Zach Zahariadis, the ordinance came about in order to crack down on individuals who were discharging waste, grease traps or restaurant material directly into the city’s sewer system.

During the meeting, the Alabaster City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the application and acceptance of the fiscal year 2025 Rebuild Alabama Annual Grant for the Airpark Industrial Road reconstruction for up to $250,000 with a 20 percent match from the city.

The Rebuild Alabama Annual Grant Program is an Alabama Department of Transportation infrastructure grant program for projects of local interest and the grants are funded through $10 million that are taken off of the top of the state’s share in gas tax revenue each year.

Fred Hawkins, director of environmental, engineering and building services in Alabaster, oversaw the evaluation of all of the streets in the city of Alabaster to determine a ranking of which streets needed to be addressed.

“This road is one we really need to address,” City Administrator Brian Binzer said. “And because there are grant opportunities out there with ALDOT, we’d like to go ahead and try to apply for it.”

In other news, the Alabaster City Council approved the following:

• The annual Transportation Plan expense report for fiscal year 2025
• Insurance renewal agreements with AMIC for Liability Insurance, MWCF for Workers Comp Insurance and RPS for Cyber Security Insurance with a cost not to exceed $1,119,026
• A bid for Spring 2025 baseball and softball uniforms to Varsity Sports in the total amount of $266.63
• A contract for a Veterans Park recreational trail south loop paving contract with Massey Asphalt in the amount not to exceed $99,848
• A contract with Wayne Davis Construction LLC for a new dog kennel in the amount not to exceed $71,500
• An agreement with JP Building Company for grading and drainage improvement work at the public works shop in the amount not to exceed $97,864

The Alabaster City Council will hold a work session on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. and the next regularly scheduled council meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Alabaster City Hall.