Selma City Council sets police chief salary at $120K, works on transition to new waste contractor

The Selma City Council set the salary of newly hired Police Chief Ettice Brickus at $120,000 a year at their Sept. 8 meeting.

The city council appointed Brickus, deputy chief and chief of staff for the Montgomery Police Department and a retired deputy chief from Baltimore, on Sept. 3.  

Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III said the position is an "FSLA-exempt executive leadership position and is not eligible for overtime compensation." 

The city council also continued to work on finalizing the transition to its new waste contractor, Preferred Waste Solution.

The council introduced two resolutions, one formally adopting a $3 service fee to cover the cost of citizens who are deemed too poor to pay for service, and another clarifying that landlords can have their tenants pay for their own garbage service. Both resolutions will be voted on at the next meeting.

The service fee, formally referred to as a franchise fee, has been the most controversial element of the transition. The fee will cover the cost of the approximately 500 city residents who are expected to be exempt from paying the $25 monthly fee ($28 with the service fee) for their curbside garbage pickup based on their income. Residents must apply for the exemption and prove their household income is below a certain level.   

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The cost of service to these customers will be defrayed by the $3 fee, which has been a sticking point among some residents. A member of the audience Sept. 8 said it was unfair to make other residents, many of whom are also poor, pay for other people’s service.

City Attorney Graham Mosley explained that garbage customers would pay for the service of their exempt neighbors “one way or another,” either through the fee or by paying a higher monthly fee from the contractor. Mosley said the city is handling the fee to give them more control over the fee and to hold down the cost to customers.

“We’re getting a lot of push back from citizens because they’ve been getting free service. And it’s time out for that,” Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III said during the council’s work session. “You’ve gotta pay for service. That’s why we’re in the predicament we’re in. We are done with it. You pay your power bill. You pay your water bill. You pay your gas bill. You pay for garbage service. Point blank.”

The city is clarifying the ordinance concerning rental property. The current ordinance states that the landlord is responsible for paying for garbage service. The amended ordinance states that landlords can specify that the tenant must set up and pay for garbage service. If the tenant refuses, the responsibility falls back on the landlord.

Moss said that code enforcement will be in neighborhoods to ensure that every house has a orange can, the sign that they have signed up for garbage service. Those who have not signed up or received the exemption to handle their own trash are subject to being fined.

Residents who plan to take their trash to the county garbage dump can file for an exemption. They must be approved by the county health department.