Council approves move to Tier 1 retirement schedule for city employees, effective Oct. 1, 2025

The Bridal City Council on an unspecified meeting date approved Resolution 25-0123-2 to move all city employees to the Tier 1 benefit schedule of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, with the change effective Oct. 1, 2025.

City Clerk explained the change is intended to allow some employees, particularly first responders, to retire earlier under Tier 1 rules than under the current Tier 2 schedule. The clerk said the change "will not take effect until October 1, 2025" and described it as a benefit to help with recruitment and retention.

Councilor Broughton moved the resolution and Councilor Jennings seconded. The five council members recorded on the roll call—Councilor Watson, Councilor Barton, Councilor Brown, Councilor Jennings and Councilor Broughton—voted yes; the resolution passed 5-0.

On the cost, the clerk said the change "will cost the city somewhere between $70,075,000 but that would be over a 12 month period." The numeric figure in the audio transcript is unclear and appears inconsistent with typical municipal budget amounts; the clerk did not provide a clarified written estimate during the meeting. The council did not debate the figure on the record; members voted to approve the resolution and the clerk said the change will be addressed in next year’s budget.

The action requires the city to include the cost in fiscal-year 2026 budget planning. Council members did not place additional conditions on implementation during the meeting.

The resolution and the clerk’s remarks were the primary substantive discussion on pension schedule changes at the meeting.