Council discusses NACOG proposal to fund tri‑city promotional website; monthly fee remains unclear

The Hamilton City Council discussed a proposal from the Northwest Alabama Council of Governments (NACOG) to create and maintain a website promoting the local tri‑city area of Hamilton, Wentfield and Ewing. The council was told each town would pay an initial equal share of $5,400 to set up the program; the recurring monthly maintenance fee was not specified.

During discussion a councilmember asked for the monthly fee amount. A city official said they did not know the exact monthly fee but expected it would be substantially less than the $5,400 setup cost. A councilmember suggested tabling the item if more information was needed. At another point during the meeting one speaker referred to an estimated annual budget figure, saying, "About 6,200 a year. For each city? For each city. Looks like website design, development poster setup in multiple locations, quarterly poster updates, website maintenance, domain, hosting, and security. Total estimated budget, $18.07 a year." The transcript does not clarify whether that dollar figure was a transcription error or what the accurate annual estimate is.

Why it matters: The proposal would pool resources across three municipalities to fund regional promotion of tourism and industry. The initial setup cost is stated; ongoing maintenance costs and precise budget figures were not verified in the meeting record.

The council did not record a final vote on the proposal in the available transcript; councilmembers asked NACOG representatives to appear and provide more detail.