HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-23-2026 Personnel Board Meeting MinutesCITY OF FAIRHOPE
Personnel Board Meeting
7:00 A.M.
April 23rd, 2026
161 N. Section Street
Fairhope, AL 36532
Present were:
Members: Jake O’Neil; Stephanie Sandefur; Terry Ullrich; Human Resources Director Hannah Noonan; Councilman Jimmy Conyers
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 a.m.
The January meeting minutes were approved as presented.
Under New Business, Human Resources Director Hannah Noonan presented a request to reclassify the Youth Sports Program Coordinator position from an exempt salaried position to a non-exempt
hourly position. She explained that the position requires significant evening and weekend work, making it difficult to recruit and retain employees when overtime compensation is not
available. Additionally, the position has proven to require more supervision and internal approval than originally anticipated, making an hourly classification more appropriate under
the Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposed change would not impact the position’s pay grade, salary, or job description. Following discussion regarding overtime eligibility and the use
of compensatory time, a motion was made and seconded to approve changing the Youth Sports Program Coordinator position from salaried to hourly status. The motion carried unanimously.
Hannah then provided a safety update, reporting that the City had experienced 27 incidents to date in 2026 compared to 14 incidents during the same period in 2025. Despite the increase
in incidents, workers’ compensation costs had decreased to $46,820 from $58,886 during the same period last year. She noted that most incidents had been minor and credited recent safety
discussions with department heads for the decline in incidents. She further reported on several ongoing training initiatives, including the upcoming launch of the City’s online learning
management system, trench rescue and confined space training opportunities, skid steer training for the horticulture department, quarterly CDL classes through Bishop State, completion
of annual motor vehicle record checks, and the commencement of annual commercial driver’s license queries.
Hannah also provided an update on the City’s compensation study being conducted by Evergreen Solutions. She reported that employee focus groups, an employee survey, and a job assessment
tool had been completed to gather information regarding employee compensation, performance management, and job duties. Feedback indicated that employees desired improvements to the City’s
pay ranges, performance evaluation process, and merit increase opportunities, while expressing overall satisfaction with employee benefits. The next phase of the study will involve manager
reviews and benchmarking approximately 130 job classifications against comparable municipalities and agencies. The study remains on schedule, with major findings expected by June or
July to assist with Fiscal Year 2027 budget planning.
During closing comments, Council Liaison Jimmy Conyers provided an update on ongoing efforts to revise the City’s planning and zoning ordinances and expressed enthusiasm regarding the
progress of the compensation study. Additional discussion was held regarding the City’s performance appraisal process and the potential implementation of anniversary-based evaluations
to better distribute the workload associated with employee evaluations and merit increases throughout the year.
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Jake O’Neil
Secretary
Personnel Board