By Terry Schrimscher
IRONDALE — The Irondale City Council met for the second regular meeting of the month on March 19. Mayor James Douglas Stewart, Jr. was absent. The Mayor’s Appointee, Emma Tolbert, spoke during the Mayor’s Report section of the meeting to present several awards on behalf of the city.
Tolbert presented the inaugural Iron-Women award to eight women in honor of Women’s History Month. She was joined at the podium by other female employees of the city.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re honored to work for a leader like Mayor Stewart that empowers and promotes women in our city’s workforce,” Tolbert said.
“Congratulations to our inaugural group of Irondale Iron-Women Honorees, and thanks to all of the individuals that took the time to nominate them,” Tolbert said in a message to the Trussville Tribune. “This group of women embodies strength, wisdom, and achievement in so many ways.”
The eight recipients of the award were: Kim McDanal, Heidi Marimberga, Carolyn Jones, Velma Freeman, Marsha Kelley-Sutton, Cathy Sanderson, DeeDee Brasher and Kimberly Myles-Stewart.
A bio for each recipient is posted on the mayor’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mayorjstewart.
There were three items on the regular agenda for the meeting. One of the items, in a slightly different version, was first presented at the March 7 Council meeting which ended abruptly before the agenda was introduced.
The March 7 version of the proposed resolution, introduced by Council member Cindy Cuellar, was worded as follows: “Resolved, That Resolution 2024-R-35 authorizes the City Attorney to obtain an opinion of the Alabama Attorney General as to whether the law allows an independent contractor employed by the City of Irondale as the Mayor’s Appointee under the Jefferson County Personnel Board to be issued and to utilize a City credit card when making City-related purchases on behalf of the City.”
The version of the resolution introduced in the March 19 meeting was worded as follows: “Resolved, That Resolution 2024-R-35 authorizes the City Attorney to request an opinion of the Alabama Attorney General concerning the legality of the issuance to and use of a City Purchasing Card by an independent contractor for City-related purchases.”
“On this particular item, I don’t see the need for an AG opinion other than should an independent contractor working for a city have a purchasing card in the city’s name,” said Council member Robert Box. Box noted the city is currently working to develop a credit card policy.
Cuellar removed her sponsorship of the resolution due to wording and no other member of the Council offered to sponsor the proposal. The resolution failed to be considered due a lack of a motion to act on it.
A second resolution, also introduced by Cuellar, questioned the legality of using city funds to purchase coffee, water and hydrating electrolyte drinks for city employees and also requested an opinion from the Alabama Attorney General on the matter.
Discussion on the issue of providing hydrating beverages was discussed in the March 7 meeting before it ended abruptly. In her comments introducing the proposed resolution, Cuellar said an AG opinion exists but she wants clarification on whether providing such benefits should be extended to all departments.
“I don’t think we need an opinion, personally. I just think this is about doing the right thing for our employees. Doing the right things for our firemen, police or whoever. I don’t need an Attorney General to tell us about doing the right thing,” said Council member John London.
“This opinion relates to the placing of a coffee pot in a city hall front lobby,” said City Attorney April Danielson of the firm Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt. She said the opinion on record relates to using city funds to provide a benefit in a break room but it did not extend to providing necessary hydration for public works and first responders who require water to safely perform their job. “I do not think that AG opinion prevents that,” she said.
Cuellar made a motion to consider the resolution to seek an opinion from the state but the motion failed because it did not receive a second in order to proceed to a vote.
In the final item of business, the Council appointed Catherine Hogewood as Director of the Commercial Development Authority for the city. The Council concluded interviews prior to the meeting. Hogewood previously served as General Counsel for Books-a-Million and Thompson Tractor.
The next meeting of the Irondale City Council will be held at 6 p.m. on April 2 at Irondale City Hall. An agenda for the meeting can be found on the Irondale website prior to the meeting.