Columbiana officials sworn in; council adopts rules, elects mayor pro tem and fills administrative posts

Columbiana Mayor Lisa Strickland Davis and the newly elected City Council were sworn in at the city’s organizational meeting, after which the council unanimously adopted procedural rules, elected a mayor pro tem and approved a series of routine administrative appointments and financial resolutions.

Frank “Butch” Ellis administered the oath of office to Lisa Strickland Davis, who repeated the oath to support the U.S. and Alabama constitutions and pledged to "faithfully and honestly discharge the duties" of the office. Several council members then took the oath individually: Karen Lily; Vicki Miselle (name spelled variably in the transcript); Ricky Rustin; Kim King; and Ashley Phillips.

In brief remarks after the ceremony, Mayor Davis said the new administration will emphasize transparency, communication and fiscal responsibility. "We will focus on stronger infrastructure, responsible spending, strategic growth that honors who we are while preparing us for the future," she said, closing, "So let's get to work."

The council next elected Ricky Rustin as mayor pro tem. The nomination passed on a roll-call vote with all members voting in favor. The body then moved through a series of organizational items: it adopted Ordinance 11-25-01 to set council procedures and regular meeting times (first and third Tuesday each month) and to adopt Robert’s Rules of Order as the council’s parliamentary guide; approved committee assignments for finance, personnel and policy, and public safety; and approved several resolutions to continue municipal employees, ratify the city’s depositories, and authorize city officials to sign financial documents.

Resolutions and appointments approved included designating Charlene Tucker as city clerk and treasurer; appointing Margaret KCB (name unclear in the audio) as city judge, Mark Wilson as city prosecutor, and Kendra Bochamp as public defender; reappointing Chief Bowers as police chief; and continuing the audit contract with Dent & Moses along with a resolution to provide funds to pay the auditor. The mayor also named Vicki Meiselle, Charlene Tucker and Scott Owen to the Planning and Zoning Board.

Votes at a glance: all recorded roll-call votes taken during the organizational meeting were unanimous in favor of the motions and resolutions listed above. When a show-of-hands was used to confirm committee assignments, the body indicated unanimous consent.

No substantive public comment was recorded before the council adjourned.