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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The City of Clanton is looking at hiring a human resources management company to help review job descriptions, the employee handbook and the potential of adding performance-based raises.

Having a review by an outside company was discussed during a Clanton City Council work session on Dec. 10.

Bob Woods, chief of staff for Clanton, said they are looking at contracting with Human Resources Management Inc. in Birmingham.

Woods said the company has previously worked with other municipalities. The goal would be to have them on board before the end of the year to develop a performance plan that could be used by supervisors in all departments to determine if employees are meeting expectations. Woods said such a plan would include yearly goals and a ranking scale. Evaluations would be conducted by the employee’s direct supervisor.

Hiring the company will need to come before the Council at a later date.

Since this would be a contracted professional service, a bid process is not required.

Woods suggested that a cost of living raise as well as a separate performance-based raise might be presented in the future.

“We need to do an organizational review of all the positions that exist here at the City Hall, who is doing exactly what … define position descriptions, and then to see if we have any one that is not being fully utilized … or things that need to be done better that maybe we could use technology to enhance the process and determine if we have any additional need relative to clerks or whatever,” Woods said.

Reviewing the pay for positions and looking at making it competitive to comparable positions at similar-sized cities would also be a part of the review.

Changing the employee structure was discussed. Woods said there are about 30 employees that report directly to the mayor. Decreasing this number by having superintendent positions was mentioned by Woods as something that would be explored during the review process.

“We are thinking maybe we need four or five direct reports,” Woods said.

Items planned for consideration for the Dec. 14 meeting include:

• Updating the training standards for the Clanton Fire Department. Chief David Driver said they had not been updated since 2009. The changes would require more training hours and more options of how to complete it. The requirement to attend a certain number of meetings is also being recommended to be removed.
• Accepting the resignation of a firefighter.
• Changing the pay structure for those who work part-time at an hourly rate doing upkeep of the fire station to $15. Driver said the department can assign 200 hours a week for this, and it is available to any of the firefighters. Those who had been working this when a fire call came in had been getting paid for responding to the call and for the hourly work. Basically, getting paid two rates of pay for the response time.

“That’s not legal,” Driver said.

Those working the part-time at an hourly rate would only receive the $15 an hour for their shift and no additional pay for                responding to any fire calls they responded to during that shift. At other times during the week, they would be paid the     usual  $22 per fire/rescue call. Pay for medical calls is based on the level of EMT training the person has.

• Approving the clearing of trees on the future Alabama Farm Center site.
• Naming Mayor Jeff Mims to the Chilton County Airport Authority.