The Maplesville Town Council voted unanimously in a Feb. 10 meeting to purchase a new Christmas tree for the town.

The new tree will be ordered through Dixie Decorations in Montevallo, and will ship directly from a factory in Minnesota. The cost of the tree is an estimated $2,771 before shipping, and the town will receive a 15-percent discount offered by the company if the tree is ordered by the end of February.

The new tree will be 13 feet tall and feature LED lighting, replacing the current 20-foot tree, and will be on display by the police station during the holiday season. The town cited the age of the outgoing tree, as well as the size of the new tree making it easier to maintain, as the main reasons for the purchase.

In other business, the council:

• Voted unanimously to purchase two new laptops for Maplesville Police Department patrol cars. The total cost of the purchase is $863.16.

• Voted to pay for repairs to a patrol car that suffered damage in a Jan. 25 wreck. The cost of the repairs is $4,219.07, and will be done by Automotive Dynamics in Maplesville.

• Voted unanimously to approve a 25-cent raise for town clerk Dawn Smitherman, effective Feb. 27, as well as a 25-cent raise for police officer Keith Avery, effective Feb. 21. Full-time employees of the town receive a 25-cent raise every three months through the first year of employment; this was Smitherman’s final 25-cent raise and Avery’s first.

• Voted to approve a $500 donation to the Chilton County Association for Career and Technical Education. The money will go to provide a banquet and scholarships for middle and high school students at the association’s annual Career Tech Extravaganza.

• Heard from Janice Hull with Hull and Russell PC for the town audit. Hull reported nothing unusual, with income showing a slight decrease for the year ending in 2014, which was attributed to a drop in sales tax.

• Announced that assistant fire chief Kenny Barnett will step down from that role due to taking a job out of town. Barnett will remain a part of the fire department, with the department voting Chase Anderson as Barnett’s replacement in the assistant chief’s role.

•Announced the fire department will assume responsibility of Heritage Day, taking over from the historical society. The tentative date for the event is Saturday, April 11.

• Discussed the possibility of purchasing a new patrol car for the police department. Chief Todd Ingram will do further research on possible cars and bring information to the next meeting.