Jasper City Council approves pay-plan resolution, awards $1.49 million paving contract and authorizes property purchase for soccer complex

The Jasper City Council on a voice vote approved a suite of actions including a citywide pay-plan resolution, a $1,488,262.88 paving contract and authorization for the mayor to pursue purchase of property on Elliot Boulevard for a proposed soccer complex.

The council voted to adopt a pay-plan resolution based on an analysis by consultant Dr. Condrey that the mayor said would move city pay “into the upper level, essentially, of cities our size.” Mayor Cowan said the total annual cost, fully weighted with benefits, would be “a little over a million,” and he asked the council to forward the plan to the Civil Service Board for its approval.

The pay-plan resolution matters because it sets a new compensation baseline for city employees and requires Civil Service Board review before implementation. Mayor Cowan said the last Condrey plan was added in February 2022 and that the updated plan addresses recent market and inflationary pressures.

In the same meeting the council accepted a recommendation from City Receiver Jessica Cook to award the Phase 3, 2025 Jasper paving bid to Dunn Construction for $1,488,262.88. "I recommend the contract for the Phase 3 2025 Jasper paving bid to be awarded to Dunn Construction in the amount of $1,488,262.88," Cook told the council. The award was approved by voice vote.

The council also authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement to purchase property on Elliot Boulevard for a planned soccer complex. Mayor Cowan described preliminary plans showing a large adult field, intermediate fields and smaller fields and said he had obtained "verbal okay" to proceed but asked the council for permission to move forward with a purchase agreement.

Other approvals during the meeting included an engineering services agreement with Sain and Associates for improvements on Highway 78 from Washington Bridge to Fernway Drive; approval of an alcohol license for Wine Down on Main at 520 Nineteenth Street West; authorization for overnight travel for sanitation employees to attend landfill certification training March 31–April 2 in Orange Beach; reapproval of two previously advertised alley vacations tied to local developments; adoption of an ordinance rezoning roughly a 1-acre parcel on Gamble Avenue from Business Transition to R-3 (affordable housing) following Planning Commission recommendation; and approval of a special-event permit for the Bridal Bluegrass & Barbecue event scheduled for April 19.

Council members also approved honorary street namings: the council agreed to declare a portion of Sixth Avenue in honor of Maryland Sanders and to amend an earlier resolution naming Crutchfield to 20 Sixth as Honorary Lindbergh Ferris Boulevard.

Several items discussed at the work session were presented as introductions only; no action was taken on budget advertising requests or the salary-adjustment request that had been introduced as part of the finance briefing. The mayor and department heads expressed support for the pay-plan work and thanked staff for preparing the Condrey analysis.

Votes at a glance

- Minutes (regular meeting of March 4): approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). - Alcohol license — Wine Down on Main, 520 Nineteenth Street West (retail beer and wine, on- and off-premise): approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). Lieutenant Jeremy Lay reported compliance with applicable state law and municipal ordinance and said there were no objections. - Overnight travel — Sanitation employees to attend landfill certification (March 31–April 2, Orange Beach): approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). Presenter: Miss Harris. - Contract award — Phase 3, 2025 Jasper paving bid to Dunn Construction, $1,488,262.88: approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). Presenter: Jessica Cook. - Resolution — Adopt pay plan (Condrey analysis); forward to Civil Service Board for approval: approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). Mayor Cowan described annual cost as "a little over a million." (Implementation contingent on Civil Service Board action.) - Property authorization — Mayor authorized to enter agreement to purchase property on Elliot Boulevard for soccer complex: approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). Presenter: Mayor Cowan. - Professional services — Agreement with Sain and Associates for engineering on Hwy. 78 improvements (Washington Bridge to Fernway Drive): approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). - Ordinance adoption — Rezoning (roughly 1-acre on Gamble Avenue) from Business Transition to R-3 (affordable housing), per Planning Commission recommendation: approved by voice vote (unanimous affirmative responses recorded). - Public hearings / vacations — Re-advertised vacations of unnamed alleys (Birmingham/Corona area and between Sixth/Seventh Avenue South): reapproved following public hearing and re-advertisement per Alabama Code; approved by voice vote. - Honorary street namings — Portion of Sixth Avenue in honor of Maryland Sanders; amendment to designate Crutchfield–20 Sixth as Honorary Lindbergh Ferris Boulevard: approved by voice vote. - Special-event permit — Bridal Bluegrass & Barbecue (April 19), including street closure on Nineteenth Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues: approved by voice vote. Presenter: Kelly Barnes.

What council said and asked

Mayor Cowan: Asked the council to authorize pursuit of the Elliot Boulevard property and urged passage of the pay-plan resolution, saying it was needed "to keep our city employees in the competitive market." Jessica Cook: Recommended the paving contract award to Dunn Construction. Lieutenant Jeremy Lay: Reported the Wine Down on Main license application complied with state law and municipal ordinance and that the police department raised no objection. Kelly Barnes: Described the April 19 event and said police, fire and street departments had approved the proposed street closure.

Background and next steps

The adopted pay-plan resolution now goes to the Civil Service Board for its review and approval before the new pay plan can take effect. Contracts and purchases are subject to normal closing and procurement steps. Alley vacations had been re-advertised to conform with the Alabama Code and were reapproved at the public hearing. The rezoning ordinance follows a Planning Commission recommendation; the ordinance text and effective date were not specified in the meeting record and will be processed through normal municipal ordinance channels.

Meeting context

Items on the agenda ranged from routine permits and event approvals to a multi-department pay-plan recommendation and capital improvements. Several items were presented as introductions at a prior work session and were either advanced or held for later action as noted in the meeting.