Homewood council applauds service of retiring City Clerk Melody Salter

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The Homewood City Council meeting opened with laughs and tears Monday as recently retired City Clerk Melody Salter was awarded a proclamation for her 13 years of service.

Recently appointed Assistant City Clerk Bo Seagrist drew laughs as he instructed Salter to “sign in, please.” She obliged, saying that, “I’m a rule follower.”

Salter would fight back tears as Council President Alex Wyatt, subbing for ailing Mayor Patrick McClusky, listed the employee benefits she implemented. They included establishing flexible spending accounts, a sick leave rollover policy and an employee donated leave policy.

“You’ll always be remembered as a great employee, a wonderful coworker and a true friend to all,” Wyatt read.

“I worked tirelessly to give all that I had to the residents and employees of Homewood because I really have loved the residents and the employees,” Salter said in response. “I gave everything I had to that position, sometimes, unfortunately, putting it over my own family. I did that sometimes. But that's how dedicated I was to my position.”

Council members continued to sing her praises as the meeting reached its end.

Councilwoman Jalete Nelms recounted how Salter made her daughter feel special when she was the first person to show up to cast her absentee ballot.

“Melody has been ridiculously supportive to my family, as if my girls were her own,” Nelms said.

“God bless her,” Councilman John Hardin said. “She was the most dedicated employee I’ve ever seen for a city.”

Councilman Walter Jones recalled Salter having to work with him early in her tenure.

“I was maybe too hard on her on a couple of things,” he said, “but she is such a tireless worker. Her heart was always in the right place.”

During the meeting, the council:

  • Authorized an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to operate traffic signals on U.S. 31 and Alabama 149 (Lakeshore Drive.)
  • Agreed to take out a full-page ad in the Chamber of Commerce magazine for $1,795.
  • Authorized the mayor to acquire Alabama Firefighter Disability insurance cancer coverage for firefighters with 10 years of service who are permanently disabled. That will cost $7,425 per year to cover all firefighters employed by the city.
  • Approved a budget amendment to pay overtime for police providing security in municipal court, and to hire three bailiffs, a full-time court clerk and a part-time administrative assistant. All of the above will be paid out of court revenue.
  • Voted to add a crosswalk with crossing signals at Saulter Road and South Wellington Road for a new pocket park.
  • Granted a special event liquor license at the Battery at 2821 Central Ave. for a crawfish boil on the restaurant’s parking lot on March 21.
  • Approved a special event liquor license for the Taste of Homewood event on the City Hall Plaza on March 21.
  • Granted a permit to replace an existing retaining wall in the right of way at 608 Warwick Road with the proper indemnification agreement.
  • Granted permission for a tent to be placed in the right of way in front of Trak Shak on Feb. 23-25.
  • Granted permission for Trinity United Methodist Church to erect a 40x100-foot tent on public right of way on Seminole Drive between Feb. 28 and March 4 for a Discovery Day event.
  • Gave permission to use the City Hall Plaza for the Taste of Homewood and Plaza Vulcan Vault events.
  • Approved a sign variance at White House Interiors, 1916 28th Ave. S.
  • Agreed for the city to pay $5,000 for the Assistance League’s Operation School Bell, which provides school clothes for underprivileged students.
  • Set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on March 11 regarding a request to rezone 1300 Columbiana Road from an I-2 institutional zone to a C-1 commercial zone to construct an 11,000-square-foot medical office building. The rezoning would exclude the southern portion of the property currently occupied by the Second Presbyterian Church, which would remain an I-2 institutional zone.