City approves hazard pay for essential employees

To help Vestavia Hills city employees who are still working in essential roles, the Vestavia Hills City Council approved hazard pay, a temporary 5 percent pay increase, for those employees.

Employees eligible for hazard pay include firefighters, police officers, building and engineering inspectors, and public service and administrative employees who are working in public and as such, experience “extraordinary exposure to the coronavirus,” said Cinnamon McCulley, the city’s communications director.

The raises last for 30 days, and will cost the city about $79,000, said City Manager Jeff Downes.

Downes also said the city has received about $15,000 from the federal government through the CARES Act, which provides money for health care-related reimbursement or lost revenue attributable to the coronavirus. The city received the money as they are EMS transport providers.

McCulley said as a condition of receiving the funds, providers, in this case, the city, must agree not to seek collection of out-of-pocket payments from COVID-19 patients that are greater than what the patient would have otherwise been required to pay if the care had been provided by an in-network provider.

Downes also announced State Rep. Jim Carns, R-Vestavia Hills, had donated $4,500 to be used to purchase personal protective equipment for city personnel. The money was donated through the Community Service Aid program.

In other business, the council agreed to postpone the acceptance of the low bid for construction of the new community building, which came in about $2 million under the original budget. The delay is due to the city wanting to wait to see the economic impact of the coronavirus.

The council also moved a May council meeting from May 25 to May 28 due to Memorial Day, and introduced on first read a resolution to name the new swim facility at Wald Park the Vestavia Hills Aquatic Complex.