Nathan Prewett
CLAY, Ala. — A hearing has been set for a former Clay city employee who was terminated by Mayor Jane Anderton for the second time after he was reinstated by the council during a meeting in May.
An appeal was made by the terminated employee, Hunter Merola, who was the building inspector for the city and posted a video of the firing on social media.
At the meeting on Tuesday, June 9 Anderton read aloud a statement saying that on April 28 City Hall was visited by a representative of the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule or BCEGS. The program grades cities based on building codes and how they are effectively enforced.
The grading spans from 1 to 10, Anderton explained, with 1 being considered the most favorable rating. The visit in April was to grade Clay for the 2025 building code enforcement program.
She stated that the city was informed that the building inspector did not hold ICC credentials, that the formal inspection and plan review checklist was not in place, no additional training was done in the previous year and that no funds were budgeted for department training.
“What was particularly troubling is that the BCEGS had attempted to evaluate the city of Clay since 2013,” she said. “And for over a decade those outreach efforts went unanswered. No response. No engagement. No action.”
Anderton then stated that the city currently holds a class 99, which is unrated.
“It means that our residents are paying more for property insurance than they should be, with none of the premium credits that homeowners in neighboring actively rated cities are receiving,” she said. “That’s a public safety issue.”
She elaborated further in her statement that “strong” building codes were needed to ensure the safety of citizens and vowed to raise the rating by updating city codes, mandating standardized checklist use during all inspections, requiring building department staff to be “properly” credentialed and maintain current certification, as well as partnering with the local building and development community for timely inspections.
“Our goal is not simply to improve our rating,” she said. “Our goal is to improve safety, accountability and confidence in our city.”
When reached for comment Merola declined to give a response.
The hearing was set for June 16 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
In other business the council:
- Adopted the Division “G” Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan,
- Approved playing the invoice for the refurbishment and replacement of high school football helmets to the Jefferson County Board of Education for $16,780,
- Passed a resolution adopting towing and abandoned vehicle abatement policy and procedures, and
- Passed an ordinance establishing city towing contractor and rotation procedures.
Meetings take place every second and fourth Tuesday at Clay City Hall located at 2441 Old Springville Road. Pre-council begins at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are recorded for the city’s YouTube channel.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
