Northport Agenda Roundup: Pay Raises, City Admin Qualifications

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council will have its regular meeting Monday night, where council members will vote on pay raises for the future council and mayor, in addition to changes to the qualifications for the open city administrator position.

Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app.

Monday will see the council vote after receiving a second reading of a measure proposing pay increases for the city's future mayor and council that would go into effect during the next term beginning in 2024 and not apply to the current council or mayor.

Patch previously reported that the pay increase for elected officials, if passed, would be the first of its kind since the last salary adjustment was implemented in October 2000. The proposal calls for an annual bump of $7,000 for the salaries of each elected official, with council members currently making $8,500 a year, while the mayor is paid $15,000. Additionally, the council president's annual salary at present is $10,500.

The proposed pay increases have been a longtime talking point, even going back to Mayor Bobby Herndon's second term in office, but has failed to gain the necessary traction until now. The measure has received vocal support from the council and is expected to pass.

An unrelated resolution that will be taken up Monday will see the Council vote on changes to the qualifications for the open city administrator job. While the changes to the qualifications have not yet been made public, the position itself has been a source of debate and one closely covered by Patch in the last year.

Former Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Hardy McCollum has served as city administrator in an interim capacity since August 2019, following the resignation of Bruce Higgenbotham, who stepped down from the role to start his own engineering firm.

According to the job description and qualifications published in September 2019, which came during a different mayoral administration and is subject to change on Monday, one of the requirements for the position is a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, planning, public administration, business administration or related field from an accredited college or university.

Previous requirements also called for 10 years of administrative experience in local government, as well as holding a city clerk certification or being able to obtain one in a three-year period.

What's more, the compensation listed on the last job opening for the position was $125,000-$150,000, plus benefits.

Herndon told Patch in October that filling the position in a full-time capacity would be his top priority once his term began, emphasizing the need for applicable job experience.

"We're going to have to go after a professional city administrator. Judge [Hardy] McCollum has been here temporarily and has done a great job," the mayor said prior to being sworn in. "Hardy is a good friend of mine, but we need to get someone on board that has several years experience being a city administrator."

Patch also reported in late 2020 that Herndon supported forming a search committee made up of citizens and city employees to "take the politics out of it."

The city administrator job is a crucial one for city operations, serving as the chief administrative officer of the city government by working with the mayor, City Council, department heads, and staff to develop and implement policies guiding the city.

Here's a look at the full agenda for Monday night. Follow us on Twitter @TuscaloosaPatch for live updates from the meeting.