By Joshua Huff, sports editor
SPRINGVILLE – The Springville City Council voted on Monday to grant firefighters and police officers a one-step pay raise as they further place themselves at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.
The city council unanimously voted to give full-time and part-time firefighters and police officers a 5% pay increase in response to the coronavirus during the Monday, April 6, 2020, virtual meeting,
The pay increase is effective immediately.
The increase does not impact the current pay scale and new employees will not receive the raise. A new hire will start their employment as if the pay raise had not been implemented.
“None of use realize what our first responders are already going through,” Wayne Tucker, of District 3, said. “There are some first responders, not in this city but in this county, that are in quarantine for their calls. I think it would do their hearts good.”
Furthermore, the city council unanimously approved to temporarily furlough all part-time library and crossing guard employees. The library employees will be furloughed until July 1 and the crossing guards will be so until the next school year begins. The city council stated that they could be called back at anytime should the need arise.
However, the city will retain one part-time library employee, a storyteller, at the behest of the city’s librarian.
The city council also passed a resolution for police officers to issue a summons in lieu of arresting a person depending on the severity of the crime. The council unanimously voted to approve the resolution that is in response to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s proclamation stating that all police officers have the option to issue summons and complaints instead of custodial arrests for any misdemeanor or violation.
Ivey’s proclamation excludes issuing summons to those who are charged with committing a crime involving violence, threat of violence or domestic violence, as well as the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if they appear to pose a risk to society, if the victim of the crime is a minor, if the person is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and if the person is charged with a crime that requires restitution to the victim.
The purpose of this resolution is to reduce the number of people incarcerated during the crisis.
The resolution will end when either the governor ends the state of emergency or when a mayor declares the city’s state of emergency to have ended.