Concern for military personnel serving overseas was a highlight of Monday night’s

Alabaster City Council meeting

Mayor David Frings said he wants additional police patrols for the homes of those living in the city whose spouses are serving in the military overseas.

Residents Randy Robinson and Sheryl L. Cannon want the City Council to pass a resolution protecting civil service employees of the city who may be called to active military duty.

Frings announced that letters will be sent to the community requesting the identification of those whose spouses are away serving overseas so that additional police patrols of their homes can be requested.

He asked that anyone with knowledge of someone in this situation contact Lori Concklin of the mayor’s office at 664-6831.

Robinson and Cannon presented a resolution to the council asking that &uot;any and all civil servants of the city of Alabaster, Alabama who currently are, or will be called to active military duty will be entitled to keep any and all benefits afforded them as civil servants of the city of Alabaster.&uot;

Sought for civil servants who are called to active duty in the

resolution are: &uot;No break&uot; in benefits; pay by the city to make up the &uot;difference&uot; between military pay and salary from the city of Alabaster; no break in service time; upon return to work, a job with the city of Alabaster in a &uot;position as closely matched in job duties as the position held&uot; prior to being called to active military duty; and a return to work with salary and benefits equal or greater to that enjoyed prior to being called to military duty.

Following the council meeting, Clark Boyd, public works director for the city of Alabaster, said he will compare the requests in the resolution with the current Civil Service Act.

Councilmember Adam Moseley asked City Clerk Marsha Massey and the city attorney to look into the legality of a city making up the difference between city salary and military pay of civil service employees.

Boyd said 90 percent of what has been requested is already covered in the Civil Service Act. However, he said, maintenance of service time is expressly forbidden by the act.

Mayor Frings said at present, there is no civil service employee of the city away on active military duty. But he said there is one with the potential of being called to active duty.

In other business, a previous action by the council to approve speed humps on Independence Court was unanimously rescinded upon a motion by Moseley.

Moseley said an original petition for speed humps on the road was signed by 90 percent of the residents. But he said a later survey revealed that support for the speed humps was not as much.

With that, Moseley requested that Chief of Police Stanley Oliver and the speed hump committee look into the possible use of rumble strips or other means to solve problems on that road.

In another matter, the council unanimously approved a request that the Alabaster Fire Department be allowed to seek a $65,000 grant from FEMA for Haz-Mat equipment.

Frings said the grant would require a 10 percent match, or $6,500, from the city. But he said the request for the match will not be made until the next budget year.

The council unanimously voted to postpone a public hearing to establish a comprehensive defensive driving education program for the city until the April 21 meeting.

It was announced:

A groundbreaking ceremony for the White Stone Development will be April 25 at 11 a.m.

Senior citizens of the community will be recognized from 10:30 a.m. to noon on April 25 at the Gardner House located at the end of Depot Street.

The Alabaster Water Board will honor Mack Farris, its founder, on April 14 at 6:30 p.m