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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – The Helena City Council approved 10 new members to the city’s various boards and held a first reading for the mayor and council’s pay at a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at Helena City Hall.

Following an application reviewal process that spanned over multiple meetings, the council approved new members to four boards– the Helena Beautification Board, Diversity and Inclusion Board, Planning and Zoning Commission and the TAG Board.

Mayor Brian Puckett spent much of his regular municipal operations report thanking all of the applicants who applied for their desire to devote their time to the city and congratulating them on the future that is to come.

“There is a lot of qualified individuals that are willing to sacrifice their time to give back to the community of the city of Helena,” Puckett said. “For that, I thank y’all for giving y’all’s time to be able to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the city as a whole.”

Each board that needed new faces holds a required number of needed members to be a part of the board in order for it to function properly.

The following people were approved by the Helena City Council to serve on their respective boards:

Helena Beautification Board (needs four members):

• Cathy Hamman
• Thomas Hart
• Stephanie Fredrick
• Jamie Barnes

Diversity and Inclusion Board (needs six members):

• Shardae Thompson
• John Allen Baggett
• Tiffany Kemp

Planning and Zoning Commission (needs two members):

• David Landrum – moving from Mayor’s proxy to a voting member
• John Earley

TAG Board:

• Amber Bordelon

The council received no applications for the Helena Old Town Board, but is still looking for people to apply to be involved.

In addition to the approvals, the council did its first reading of an ordinance which will establish the new monthly salary conditions for both the mayor and council members. 

In a work session that occurred prior to the meeting, the council settled on the new base salary for the mayor to be set at $93,000, with $5,000 added on for both a car allowance and health insurance, which brings the total package to $103,000 per year.

If approved, the changes in pay for the mayor and council will go into effect following the next city election.

In addition, the council also approved three resolutions recognizing students in the Helena community for their performances in various activities. Josiah Benson was recognized for his successful performances as an actor as he prepares to go on a national tour. Helena High School athlete Abigail Parsons was recognized for placing fifth in the girls pole vault at the 2025 AHSAA Class 6A indoor track and field state championship, while Michael Sestili was also recognized for winning fourth in the boys pole vault as well.

In other news, the council made a proclamation declaring Saturday, Feb. 22 as Arbor Day in the city of Helena. 

The council also approved the conditional use of the property at 3309 Helena Road with a favorable recommendation from the Helena Planning and Zoning Commission, while also approving the renewal of the city’s MCIMetro agreement.