By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—The Pelham City Council honored Dr. Mike Shaw, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pelham, during a May 12 City Council meeting for his 35 years of service and dedication to his congregation and to the City of Pelham.

Pelham Mayor Gary Waters read a proclamation dedicating May as Dr. Mike Shaw month and May 18 as Mike Shaw appreciation day. Waters also presented Shaw with a key to the city.

“This is home to us, you’re our neighbors and friends,” Shaw said after receiving the proclamation. “It has been an honor and a privilege (living here).”

In addition, the Pelham City Council unanimously approved a resolution to hire a new dispatcher for the Pelham Police Department.

“I just want to emphasize one more time the increase in number of calls,” Scott said, noting a recent 30 percent increase in calls to the Pelham Police Department.

The hiring of an additional dispatcher was originally discussed at the beginning of the fiscal year, but set aside for re-evaluation at a later date. Councilman Ron Scott revisited the subject of an additional dispatcher during an April 8 City Council work session after a discussion of the increase in calls to the Police Department and flexibility in the budget for the hire. The resolution was then recommended for approval by the Pelham Personnel Board during an April 23 meeting.

Waters characterized the consideration and process leading to the approval as “very responsible,” and the new hire will be budgeted into the second half of the fiscal year.

The Pelham City Council also voted to send a rezoning request for a property located at 3442 Indian Lake Drive back to the Pelham Planning Commission for review.

The Planning Commission failed to approve the rezoning for the proposed 62-house garden home development off of Shelby County 261 with a split 3-3 vote during a Jan. 9 meeting. However, City Council President Rick Hayes noted the plan undergone “significant changes,” including a reduction from 62 lots to 41 lots and a smaller area of property to be rezoned.

Given the nature of the changes to the original plan, the City Council voted to return it to the Planning Commission for consideration.