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Photo by Jon Anderson
Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner, center, greets well-wishers at his retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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About 200 people showed up for the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills' Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes, left, presents a tie to retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner during Turner's retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes, left, presents a Mark's Outdoors gift card to retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner during Turner's retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry, left, and Counciwoman Kimberly Cook present a gift of appreciation to retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner returns to his seat with gifts at his retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner poses for a photo with Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commissioner George Pierce at Turner's retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner greets Homewood City Clerk Bo Seagrist at Turner's retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Former Vestavia Hills Mayor Butch Zaragoza speaks with Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at Turner's retirement reception at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry, left, and Counciwoman Kimberly Cook present a gift of appreciation to retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner, right, poses for a photo with Javian Reed at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Turner served as a "big brother" for Reed as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
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Becountiss Lawrence, an administrative analyst for the city of Fairfield, Alabama, speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Becountiss Lawrence, an administrative analyst for the city of Fairfield, Alabama, speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Homewood City Clerk Bo Seagrist, a former revenue officer for the city of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, speaks at the retirement reception for Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Former Vestavia Hills Mayor Butch Zaragoza speaks at the retirement reception for retiring Vestavia Hills Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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Zach Clifton, the new finance director for the city of Vestavia Hills, speaks at the retirement reception for retiring Finance Director Melvin Turner at the Vestavia HIlls Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
The city of Vestavia Hills said goodbye to longtime Finance Director Melvin Turner on Friday, celebrating 22 years with the city and 42 years total in municipal finance.
Turner is retiring at the end the year, and about 200 people gathered at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center to wish him well.
Turner worked more than nine years for the city of Birmingham, then 10½ years for the city of Fairfield as city clerk and treasurer before being hired as Vestavia Hills’s finance director in 2003.
Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes said Turner has served with distinction.
“For more than two decades, he has been a steady, trusted presence behind the scenes, assuring that the financial foundation of Vestavia Hills remains strong, disciplined and forward-looking,” Downes said. “In municipal government, success often comes by balanced budgets, clean audits and well-planned systems, and Melvin mastered that with quiet excellence. Under his leadership, the Finance Department because known for its professionalism, structure and accountability. Processes were clear. Standards were high, and expectations were understood. Melvin brought order where it was needed, discipline where it mattered and strong leadership during both routine operations and challenging moments. The city’s financial stability today is in no small part a reflection of his dedication and careful stewardship.”
Turner played football at Mississippi State University before getting into municipal finance and through football learned the value of preparation, strategy and trusting the people around him, Downes said.
“Those same qualities defined his approach as finance director. He understood that success on the field or at city hall comes from doing your job well, supporting your team and staying focused on a goal,” Downes said.
Turner also is an avid hunter, a hobby that also is reflected in his work, Downes said. Turner is “thoughtful, deliberate, observant and steady,” Downes said. “He doesn’t rush decisions, and he values precision — qualities that served his city exceptionally well.”
Butch Zaragoza, who served 10 years as Vestavia Hills’ fire chief and four years as mayor from 2008 to 2012, said he learned so much from Turner when he was fire chief and then, when he was mayor, never had to worry about the Finance Department. “It was in good hands,” he said.
Zaragoza said that, shortly after being elected mayor, Turner came to him with the bad news that because of the Great Recession, city revenues were projected to come in about $1 million less than originally projected. Instead of asking all department heads to cut their budgets by a certain percentage, Zaragoza said he took Turner’s advice to share the situation with department heads and let them make cuts on their own. That advice worked, he said. City revenues did indeed come in about $1 million less than originally projected, but due to decreased spending, the city ended the year with a $500,000 surplus, Zaragoza said.
Turner also did a great job of making sure the city got reimbursed by the federal government for expenses associated with the April 2011 tornado that tore through Vestavia Hills by making sure everything was documented and turned into the Federal Emergency Management Agency properly, he said.
Pat Boone, who has been Vestavia Hills’ city attorney for 48 years, said that until 1984, the city clerk handled all the city finances, and as the city grew, it was too much work for one person to handle.
“The money was always accounted for, but the process was primitive, elementary, and slow, slow slow,” Boone said.
When a city treasurer was hired, there was a lot of tension between the city clerk and city treasurer, and the situation became chaotic, Boone said. But once former Mayor Scotty McCallum hired Turner in 2003, “the Finance Department from that point on ran like a Swiss watch,” he said.
“Melvin was smart. He was quick. He was accurate. He was responsive. He was friendly. He was warm. He received people well,” Boone said. “He created a sophisticated accounting system for the Finance Department, and he could readily access any information you wanted with the punch of a button.”
Under Turner’s watch, the city of Vestavia Hills has earned a AAA finance rating from Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.
Several current and former employees who worked under Turner praised him both as a financial leader and as a person.
Zach Clifton, who recently was promoted from deputy finance director to succeed Turner as director, said Turner has set a standard of excellence for doing business and holds himself and others accountable for their work, but he also supports the people around him. Turner is known as a man of integrity, Clifton said.
“He doesn’t rush decisions. He plans carefully, and he always does the right thing in the right way, even if it’s the hard way,” Clifton said.
Bo Seagrist, whom Turner hired as a revenue officer for Vestavia Hills and who now is Homewood’s city clerk, said Turner gave him an opportunity he didn’t deserve and then gave him the training and coaching he needed to be successful.
“He trusted me. He mentored me,” Seagrist said. “I did not have a father in my life growing up. This man became a father to me. … The greatest thing he ever did for me was that he told me that he loved me and he was proud of me.”
Seagrist said he doesn’t have all the qualifications that some people do, but “when I get around people and I tell people I spent 13 years with Melvin Turner, that’s good enough for them.”
Becountiss Lawrence, an administrative analyst for the city of Fairfield, said Turner also was a professional mentor for her. He instilled a lot of knowledge and professionalism into the team at Fairfield, and the city has not been the same since he left, she said.
Turner said that when he began his career four decades ago, he didn’t realize how meaningful the journey would be for him. It has been an honor to work with so many extraordinary elected officials, city managers, department heads and coworkers, he said.
“Together, we’ve seen tremendous growth and challenges none of us could have foreseen, but through it all, we kept our focus on what matters most — serving this city and its citizens with excellence,” Turner said.
“As finance director, you could assume my role revolved only around numbers, budgets, audits, reports and analysis, but over the years I’ve come to understand something far more important — behind the budgets, the audits, the finance reports, the analysis are people, purposes and a community who depends on us — the Finance Department — to get it right,” he said. “Throughout my tenure here, we have strived to exceed those expectations. I’m extremely proud of the financial strength and stability we’ve maintained as a city. Vestavia Hills stands on a solid foundation today because of teamwork, discipline and the shared belief that good stewardship today secures opportunity tomorrow.”
The city’s finance team has been the heartbeat of the city’s financial success, he said, praising his team members. The team excelled regardless of deadlines, countless requests and ever-changing state regulations, he said.
“You’ve done it all with professionalism, accuracy and grace,” Turner said. “Your efforts and dedication have made my job deeply rewarding. Thank you for being a team I could always rely on.”
Turner said he’s retiring with intense gratitude.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished and the lives we’ve touched through honest, responsible financial leadership,” he said. “Thank you for your friendship, trust and support and allowing me to serve this wonderful community.”
