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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The Clanton City Council unanimously approved changes to fire department training requirements and the rate of pay for hourly work at the station during a meeting on Dec. 14.

Clanton Fire Chief David Driver explained that firefighters are paid an hourly rate for eight-hour shifts cleaning and doing other needed things around the station. However, some were also receiving additional pay for fire or medical calls that they responded to during that time.

To eliminate this, Driver proposed an increase in the hourly pay to offset that the firefighters would receive the same pay for the shift worked whether they responded to calls during that time or not.

The hourly rate was raised to $15 an hour. The department is capped at 200 hours per month for the hourly shifts.  Firefighters would still receive the $22 per fire call when not working an hourly shift.

Updates to the training requirements require more hours of training but also more ways to fulfill these requirements

Also during the meeting, the Council:

• Accepted the resignations of a firefighter and a sanitation worker.
• Appointed Mayor Jeff Mims to. the Chilton County Airport Authority
• Paid bills, including one for new police cars.
• Approved needed tree clearing near Exit 212 for the future Alabama Farm Center project. Costs will be paid by the Industrial Development Authority.
• Set the next meeting for Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. at Clanton City Hall.
• Clanton City Hall will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and 28 and Jan. 1.