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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Pelham City Council approved an annual garbage rate increase for Pelham residents during a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Dec. 16.

The approved rate increase amounts to 2.50 percent, which translates to 64 cents per month. The proposal was unanimously approved, and will take effect in February 2025.

“What they’re going to add, just for the record, does go along with our CPI increase,” Council President Maurice Mercer said. “We’re going to look at an additional 64 cents on a monthly bill. Our council did elect to absorb a portion. We will note that last year we did not take an increase.”

The City Council’s work session, which began at 5:30 p.m. saw the Council discuss the rescheduling of the Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 work session and council meeting, as Jan. 20 marks the celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

The official City Council meeting, which began at 7 p.m., saw two resolutions passed in the meeting’s consent agenda. The first resolution saw the release of bond money and to accept the public street and rights-of-way in Sectors 5 and 7 of the Grey Oaks subdivision. The second resolution saw the acceptance of a $2,500 grant for a gardening program at the Pelham Senior Center.

The passage of the consent agenda was followed by new employee introductions for City of Pelham employees. The new employees included new members of the Pelham Police Department, Pelham Parks and Recreation and the Pelham Planning and Zoning Board.

“On behalf of the council, we would just like to welcome everybody,” Mercer said. “This is one of our favorite times, to meet new employees that we seldom get a chance to see unless we catch you out in the field.”

City Manager Gretchen DiFante gave her report on various updates around the city, and the introduction of the annual garbage rate increase immediately followed her address.

None of the attendees in the audience had any public comments, but a majority of the city council members had comments regarding this past weekend’s Christmas parade in Pelham.

Councilmember Rick Wash took time to emphasize the minute details behind the planning of the parade.

“Time and time again, it’s the little things,” Wash said. “It’s filling the paper towel holders. It’s going the extra mile and feeding our first responders. There’s no more an arduous task than standing in the road directing traffic for hours on end. I think we had about 45-50 officers (at the parade) Saturday night, every one of them had a smile on their face. They do the city proud, as do all of our employees.”

Wash also took time to acknowledge the power that city employees have on the city of Pelham as a whole.

“People always come to us and want to pat us on the back and want to commend us for how great all of our employees are,” Wash said. “We get to take credit for that when, honestly, it’s the employees that deserve all of that, not us. So, thank you guys. At the time of Christmas, it’s all about giving. And I encourage you, during this Christmas season, give to yourself. There’s no greater gift.”

Mercer also had closing remarks on the parade.

“It’s great to see our community come together,” Mercer said. “We don’t have many events that get the magnitude of people where you can just see that everybody’s having a great time. So, it’s always wonderful to just be in that atmosphere, and I’m certainly appreciative of that.”

The meeting closed with a few public announcements. A public hearing will be held on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 regarding an ordinance to adjust the zone district boundaries along Oak Mountain State Park Road and Shelby County Highway 33. The city offices will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for the holidays. Finally, the Pelham City Council is accepting applications for appointments to the city’s various municipal boards. Applications will be accepted through Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.

The next Pelham City Council meeting will take place on Monday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. with a work session set to take place at 5:30 p.m.