The Falkville Town Council discussed the possibility of hiring a new part-time or full-time administration employee to help with police clerical work in the new additions to Town Hall during a regularly scheduled work session Tues., Sept. 30.

The Town Hall addition has a new separate entrance and office space in the police department that would need to be staffed for the entrance to be open to the public. The council considered putting an existing administration worker in the police department during certain hours each week, but many councilmembers worried about the strain that would put on the rest of the office.

Most councilmembers felt hiring another person would be in the best interest of the office staff, but some said taking on the new salary was not worth risking funding for capital improvements.

“I’m against hiring a full-time person,” Councilman Ken Winkles said. “We aren’t having to pay anyone overtime now to get the same amount of work done, so I don’t see the point in adding another salary. I don’t want us to do anything that would possibly delay these capital improvements we’re planning.”

The council asked Town Clerk-Treasurer Dawn Estes her opinion on the matter since she works in the Town Hall office.

“It’s not going to upset me one way or the other, but it would be really nice to have some help,” Estes said. “If we hire someone part-time for the police department, we can only have it open when they are working. I just feel the different hours from the rest of Town Hall would be very confusing and cause frustration. I think if we are going to hire someone, full-time would be the most useful, but it’s completely up to the council to decide.”

The difference between a part-time and a full-time employee would be $10,400 a year, according to the council’s estimates. These estimates compare $26,000 for a full-time $10 an hour salary at 40 hours a week for a year with benefits to $15,600 for a part-time $10 an hour salary at 30 hours a week for a year without benefits.

Councilman David Carroll supported hiring a full-time employee.

“I’m for hiring a full-time person, because it will help out our office staff,” Carroll said. “I feel it would be hard to get someone who is qualified and dedicated to the position for part-time at $10 an hour. The extra $26,000 we would be spending wouldn’t change our capital improvements. Most of the money for the projects we are working on is already there. If $27,000 is going to stop any projects, we don’t need to be starting them in the first place.”

Councilman Brandon Dillard also expressed concern about hiring someone part-time.

“I’ve hired part-time people for me several times hoping it could turn into a full-time position, but it never works out,” Dillard said. “A part-time job just isn’t usually what people are looking for, especially in the skills we need. I don’t know if we could find who we are looking for at just $9.50 or $10 an hour and part-time. I think we should just go ahead and get someone we really want for full-time.”

The council will vote on the matter at the council meeting next Tues., Oct. 7.