With census figures being officially released to towns and cities soon, some towns and cities in north Jefferson County are looking at some possible changes.

One of the most significant changes would be the town of Kimberly achieving the status of a city, which happens when a town reaches a population of 2,000 or more.

Kimberly’s population according to the 2000 census was 1,801. In the last 10 years, Kimberly has annexed considerable property.

“It’s going to change a lot of the ways we do stuff,” said Kimberly Mayor Craig Harris, if the population of Kimberly does top 2,000.

The town would be required to have two city council meetings a month rather than one.

Another change for Kimberly would be the requirement to hold 10 percent of the city’s budget in cash reserve.

“Two meetings a month is not a big deal,” Harris said. “The cash reserve in the past would have been a problem, but this is the first time in about 15 years we haven’t had to borrow money at the end of the fiscal year. We’re pretty used to working under tight financial constraints anyway.”

Harris said the most difficult change for Kimberly would be the requirement to do all of its hiring through the Jefferson County Personnel Board.

Currently, either the mayor hires town employees or the city council votes to hire workers.

“That’s going to be the biggest thing,” he said. “Luckily we don’t have a lot of positions that need to be filled.”

In Fultondale, the new census numbers are not expected to make major waves. Fultondale’s population according to the 2000 census was 6,595.

“I don’t expect it will change anything with us,” said Fultondale Mayor Jim Lowery.

He said the only exception could be possible redistricting with Jefferson County Commission lines and with the Alabama Senate and House of Representatives.

“With the republicans in the legislature, they’re going to have more input into all that this time in the house. That could make a difference,” he said.

Fultondale currently falls into two House of Representative districts, 59 and 60. Lowery said the city formerly was in the same district as Gardendale, 51.

The city of Gardendale could see a change in its city council if the population has grown by at least 374 people in the last decade.

If the population exceeds 12,000, the city council would be required to elect a president to preside over council meetings. The mayor would no longer have voting privileges, but would have veto power.

Gardendale’s population according to the 2000 census was 11,626.

In addition, “census numbers are looked at when grants are applied for,” said Gardendale Mayor Othell Phillips. “Census numbers are also looked at when businesses are looking to expand or relocate to your area. They are looking at population and demographics.”

In Brookside and Morris, mayors Roger McCondichie and Craig Drummonds, respectively, expect no impact from the new census figures.

Mayor Thelma Smith in Hayden said it is impossible to tell at this time how her town will be impacted. Hundreds of people have annexed into Hayden in the past year because of a tax battle with the city of Warrior.

In 2000, Hayden had a population of 470. Hayden Mayor Thelma Smith said the figure could be approaching 2,000 due to the annexations.

“We are gaining considerably with our new annexations, but the numbers are still not confirmed,” she said.

Warrior officials were unavailable for comment on Thursday.