Jemison City Clerk Sheila Hogge is helping the city move forward.

Hogge, who started July 19, has put in place initiatives to help Jemison’s city council make more informed decisions.

Before every council meeting, Hogge provides council members with a list of expenses due in the next 30 days, along with what funds the monies will come from.

Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed and other council members have raved during meetings about being able to see such a detailed expense report before voting to “pay the bills,” as is the customary next-to-last step of a council meeting—right before the vote to adjourn.

Hogge is a 1971 Jemison graduate and a 1975 graduate of Jacksonville State University, where she studied accounting.

The clerk worked at Brown Moulding, which is now Woodgrain Distribution, in Montevallo for 33 years before leaving for the Jemison post.

Hogge said she has had to adjust from a corporate position to working for a municipal entity.

“With corporate, you’re dealing with one set of books, but there are different accounts with municipal accounting,” Hogge said. “You’re also dealing with the public, and I’ve enjoyed that.

“When they need help with people bringing in their water bills, I help out there.”

Hogge said she also enjoys working in Jemison’s new Municipal Complex and the help and encouragement she received from Reed and other officials.

“We’re proud of what Mrs. Hogge has done,” Reed said. “She has brought some fresh ideas to the table that are working out very well.”

Hogge and her husband, Chuck, have two children, Leah Wadkins and Heath Hogge, and four grandchildren.