Pelham City Council Regular Meeting – October 5, 2026

The Pelham City Council held its regular meeting on October 5, 2026, beginning shortly after 7:00 p.m. at Pelham City Hall. The meeting included unanimous approval of the consent agenda, a proclamation for Down Syndrome Advocacy Month, introduction of new employees, a public hearing on proposed zoning changes for liquor stores, first readings of two ordinances, and council comments on community events. Councilmember Leverett was absent.

Consent Calendar

• The council unanimously approved (4-0) the consent agenda, which included: approval of the October 5 meeting agenda; approval of the September 21 and September 28 regular meeting minutes (the agenda lists only September 21, but the transcript mentions both dates); Resolution 2026-10-05-01 declaring surplus property (vehicles and fire department radios); Resolution 2026-10-05-02 approving an automatic/mutual aid agreement with the City of Hoover; Resolution 2026-10-05-03 approving an automatic/mutual aid agreement with the Cahaba Valley Fire and Emergency Medical Rescue District; Resolution 2026-10-05-04 releasing bond money and accepting public streets (Kirkwall, Kilkerran, Braemar, Glen Iris) within the Ballantrae neighborhood; and Resolution 2026-10-05-05 amending the City's Employee Handbook to update vacation accrual rates.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A public hearing was held on proposed amendments to the city's zoning regulations regarding locational and separation requirements for liquor stores. No members of the public spoke in favor. David Quorum (149 Windsor Lane) spoke during the public hearing. He expressed support for restricting liquor store proximity to schools and churches but raised concerns about the proposed 2,500-foot separation between liquor stores, arguing that such government regulation could be seen as "picking winners and losers." He urged the council to reconsider that aspect of the regulation.

Discussion Items

• Proclamation: Mayor Rickwash presented a proclamation declaring October 2026 as Down Syndrome Advocacy Month in Pelham, citing statistics that approximately 1 in every 700 children is born with Down syndrome, and about 85 such births occur annually in Alabama. The proclamation encourages inclusion and celebrates individuals with Down syndrome.
• City Manager's Report: City Manager Justin introduced new employees from various departments: Development Services (building official Levi Peters, residential inspector Alan Findley, zoning inspector Donald Jones), Water Department (Michael Sims, not present), Ballantray Golf Club (Cassidy Nolan, Robert Shoemaker promoted to operations manager), Fire Department (firefighters Dwayne Haynes, Alexis Lisenby, John Hall, John Saffold, and Fire Marshal Andy Flurry), Police Department (Officers Tyler Norton, Robert Eubanks, Madison Burgess), and Dispatch (Carolyn Tribbett). The chief noted that the fire department had over 130 applicants for the recent hires.
• Zoning Amendments for Liquor Stores (First Reading): Ordinance 135-272 was presented for first reading. It would establish detailed use regulations for new liquor stores, including a 2,500-foot separation from other liquor stores and a 1,000-foot separation from residential districts, schools, churches, and similar uses. The ordinance also includes operating standards and would grandfather existing stores as legal non-conforming uses. The item will be considered for final adoption at a future meeting.
• Retiree Healthcare Benefits (First Reading): Ordinance 247-09 was presented for first reading. It amends the city's retiree healthcare benefits by setting the city's contribution at 65% of the normal group rate premium for eligible retirees, with the retiree responsible for the remainder. The ordinance retains existing eligibility requirements and continues the provision that employees hired on or after January 1, 2021, pay the full premium once Medicare-eligible. The item will be considered for final adoption at a future meeting.
• Council Comments: Councilmembers Harris, Snowden, Towns, and Powers welcomed the new employees and highlighted upcoming community events: Music in the Park (October 11 and 18, 4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. at Pelham City Park), National Night Out (October 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the train depot parking lot, free hot dog supper), and Fall-O-Ween (October 25, 1:30–4:30 p.m. at Pelham City Park). Councilmember Towns also praised the community pep rally and homecoming events.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (4-0) with a roll call vote (Councilmembers Snowden, Harris, Towns, Powers voting yes).
• Public Hearing: Concluded without additional testimony; one speaker expressed concerns.
• First Readings: Both Ordinance 135-272 (liquor store zoning) and Ordinance 247-09 (retiree healthcare) were read for the first time and will be placed on a future agenda for second reading and possible adoption.
• Next Steps: The city will advertise and proceed with the second readings of both ordinances at a later council meeting.
• Discrepancy Noted: The agenda for the meeting listed only the September 21 regular council meeting minutes for approval, but the consent agenda as read by the council president included minutes from both September 21 and September 28.