Hamilton City Council adopts 2025–26 budget, approves TAP sidewalk agreement and water-department mapping system

Hamilton City Council voted Tuesday to adopt the city’s 2025–26 budget and approved a series of administrative measures including a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) sidewalk agreement and a mapping system for the Hamilton Water Department.

The council approved the budget after a motion from Ross and a second from Scott Robertson. Unidentified Speaker 5, who presented the budget, said the draft includes roughly $3,900,000 in projects — about $1,000,005 attributed to water and roughly $2,000,003 for city projects — and estimated a city-side surplus of approximately $800,000 to $1,000,000 before project spending. "We've got about $3,900,000 worth of projects in our budget," the presenter said.

Why it matters: The budget frames planned capital work and personnel spending for the coming year and was presented with revenue figures the presenter listed as about $11,000,000 in city revenue plus roughly $3,000,000 from the water department, producing an overall budget near $13,000,000.

The council also approved resolution 2025-5-10-20 to enter an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for a TAP-funded sidewalk improvement on the east side of Milliken Street from Bexar Avenue to Alabama Highway 17. Council members described TAP as a federal grant with an 80/20 federal/local split; the motion to proceed was moved and seconded and carried.

To manage grant funds, the council approved opening a new non-interest paying checking account with First National Bank specifically for the TAP sidewalk project.

On infrastructure, the council approved the purchase and installation of a mapping/GIS system for the Hamilton Water Department to document locations of water and sewer lines. The system’s estimated cost was discussed as up to $15,000 plus an ongoing monthly service fee; the motion to purchase carried.

Personnel and compensation matters included adoption of a pay scale for water-department staff, with multiple step rates read into the record and the manager’s salary listed as $66,560. The item was moved and approved during the meeting.

The council considered declaring certain vehicles and equipment surplus for sale but lacked descriptive lists; members moved to table that item until staff can provide details.

What’s next: Council members said the newly adopted budget and approved projects will guide work through the next fiscal year and that staff will return with the surplus-asset descriptions for formal action. Several administrative items (bank account setup, mapping system procurement, and contract execution for the TAP agreement) will proceed to implementation steps by staff.