Published: January 15, 2009 10:19 pm            

‘A full-time job’

Lawsuit seeks to reinstate previous Hanceville mayor’s pay

By Patrick McCreless

staff writer

Last year, the Hanceville City Council voted to lower the pay and benefits significantly for the current administration. A local citizen recently filed a lawsuit against the city to overturn that decision.

“It’s just not right,” said Hanceville resident Gwen Headrick, who filed the lawsuit a few weeks ago.

Though her attorney advised her not to speak on the specifics of the lawsuit, Headrick confirmed the lawsuit claims the decision to lower the mayor and city council’s pay was unconstitutional.

Former council member Hubert Jones disagrees.

“By the code of Alabama, any city with a population under 12,000, the mayor job is a part-time position,” Jones said. “Under the law, we can’t set the mayor’s hours or anything like that. If it’s a part-time job, its part-time pay.”

To Mayor Kenneth Nail, his job is about as full-time as it gets.

“This is definitely a full-time job,” Nail said. “There is no way you can do this job part-time and do it justice.”

Nail noted the council passed an ordinance in the late 80s that made the mayor’s job a full-time position.

Nail, who stated during his campaign that he thought the pay decrease was wrong, said he works more than 60 hours-a-week as mayor. He is paid $4.60 an hour for his work for a total of $9,600 a year. No insurance benefits are included

Last year, former Mayor Katie Whitley received $31,000 plus benefits.

The council’s pay was decreased from $350 a month to just $50 a meeting — if they show up.

“None of us are doing this for the money,” Nail said. “But most people with common sense do not expect a mayor to work for full-time for $4.60 an hour. And the council is definitely worth $350 a month to have their phone ringing all night and having to deal with what they deal with.”

Currently, the city’s proposed 2009 budget includes money to cover the mayor and council’s pay as if the decrease had never occurred — despite the city’s lack of revenue due to a $1 million spending deficit left by the previous administration.

“We didn’t cut the administration pay because we were aware that this lawsuit was filed,” Nail said.

If the lawsuit is successful, then not having the administration money in place would mess up the budget, Nail said.

Nail added that if the lawsuit is successful, he and the council will receive only adequate pay.

“If it is ruled in favor of Headrick, it’ll (pay) go back to what it was,” Nail said. “I will not touch it because I know that’s illegal.”



‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

        

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