BERLIN —Since its founding in 2018, the Town of Berlin has never compensated its elected mayor or council members with a salary. But the topic of whether to offer payment to a future elected Berlin administration was raised at the council’s most recent regular meeting — though no action on the matter was taken.

As a municipal employee, Berlin town clerk Keirstyn Montgomery is paid for her work, but the same can’t be said for Mayor Patrick Bates or any of those who have served in the town’s five council seats during the course of the past six years. Should the current council decide to assign a pay scale for the positions they currently hold, the change wouldn’t take effect during their current elected cycles. By state law, any change in pay for municipal elected officials may begin only with the elected administration that succeeds the one that implemented the change.

The council may discuss the topic of setting a pay scale for Berlin’s elected officials at its upcoming December regular meeting. Any changes to its current compensation structure that the council may decide to make would have to be done before Feb. 26 of the new year, in order to comply with Alabama statute ahead of next year’s August municipal election cycle.

In other business at its regular meeting, the council:

— Approved the sale or surplus (if unsold) of the town’s current Farmers Market pavilion structure, pending the first option of offering the movable building for sale to another municipality. The town will have no need of the building once its new Farmers Market configuration is implemented at the market’s current site, which is being developed as part of a larger park amenity planned to open next spring.
— Set a public hearing to address a request from resident Bobby Hill to vacate a small, unnamed road that abuts his private property. The hearing is scheduled for the 7 p.m. start of the council’s December regular meeting.
— Approved the town’s acceptance of a $163 allocation from the Cullman County E-911 Board for the 2025 fiscal year.
— Approved the minutes of the council’s Oct. 21 regular meeting.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or 256-734-2131 ext. 234.