HANCEVILLE — The Hanceville City Council is looking to tweak the rules meting out penalties for being absent too many times, under the city’s current ordinance, from council meetings.

At its regular meeting Thursday, the council discussed, but took no action on, a proposal that would change current rules so that a council member who’d experienced a series of absences due to valid emergencies might still be compensated for their service at the current rate, without incurring a penalty.

Mayor Kenneth Nail noted that the current ordinance was adopted under a previous administration, with the intent of addressing what at the time was perceived as a problem with some council members who remained disengaged from their responsibilities, missed council meetings, and yet received compensation from the city.

“When the council established this ordinance in the past, it was to prevent someone from drawing a paycheck and not showing up to the meetings,” said Nail. “That’s a problem that they had had at that time. It’s important to recognize that there’s a lot more to being a council member than showing up for a meeting every two weeks, and that’s not a problem with any of the folks we have now.”

The council asked city clerk Tania Wilcox, in consultation with the city attorney, to begin work on drafting a replacement ordinance. By law, any changes affecting council members’ compensation cannot take effect during the term in office of the elected leaders who adopt them.

“Whatever the council decides, nothing will take effect until 2020, when the next administration comes along,” said Wilcox.

All council members were present for Thursday’s meeting.

In other business, the council:

Approved paying an invoice of $3,031.03 to Barlow Specialty Pools for repair work at the swimming pool at C.W. Day Park.

Approved a bulk purchase of cigarette stamps in the amount of $3,180.60 for distribution to local vendors.

Approved a one-time expenditure of $4,068 to cover the city’s contribution toward a retirement bonus for eight qualifying retired municipal employees.

Declared as surplus a gooseneck trailer, to be sold on govdeals.com with a reserve bid threshold of $2,000.

Approved bills payable from the month of June.

The next regular council meeting will be held July 27 at 6:30 p.m., with a public work session preceding the meeting at 6 p.m.