The retirement of Rainsville City Clerk Judy Lewis is leaving a major void at City Hall. The City Clerk may be the most important role in municipal government. The Clerk handles the day to day operation of the city and is the key contact for any information or operations that flow through City Hall.

City Treasurer Debbie Lanier is thought to be the most obvious choice as the replacement. Lanier has worked with the current Clerk for 10 years and is believed to be able to smoothly transition in to the role without drastically hampering day to day operations of Rainsville.

During the February 2 Council Meeting, Mayor Nick Jones and Councilman Brandon Freeman voiced their opinions:

“We have Debbie in City Hall, who has trained under Judy for 10 years. She’s familiar with city hall, familiar with the finances, familiar with the whole operation as well as the Sewer and Sanitation Department. My recommendation would be to allow her to assume the title of assistant City Clerk, with a slight bump in pay to cover those 5 months while Judy is on sick leave.”

- Mayor Nick Jones

 

“I think Debbie has earned the right for that. This is a big deal, we’ve got a 5 month gap and I don’t see how you can even contemplate bringing someone else in when you have someone who knows what they’re doing…”

- Councilman Brandon Freeman

Watch the February 2 Council Discussion here: Rainsville City Council at Odds Over City Clerk Position

The other members of the City Council weren't on board with this solution and now two weeks later Mayor Jones and Councilman Freeman continue to battle with Ledbetter, Graham, and Lingerfelt. 

According to the Requirements for Appointment:

The City Clerk shall be considered, appointed and voted on by the Rainsville City Council and Mayor and the majority of votes will determine the appointment of the same. The terms of service shall be for the amount of time determined by the council and mayor including and following a majority vote.

Read the complete ordinance here: Guidelines and/or Requirements for the City Clerk

"The people at his table did this resolution so that we could be fair to everybody, that all jobs we be posted, that everybody would have a chance to apply for them. If we're going to pass ordinances and resolutions how do we expect anybody in the city of Rainsville to abide by our ordinances and resolutions when we at this table are picking and choosing which ones we want to follow?"

- Councilwoman Melissa Ledbetter

An ordinance has precedence over any handbook or resolution. If council members are focusing on following the rules, they need to follow the rules they have put in place.

Councilman Joey Graham believes that the "ultimate goal is to have a leaner and meaner City Hall." I would think that the ultimate goal is to have a functioning city government.