SILVERHILL, Alabama — The Silverhill Town Council voted at its regular meeting Monday, Feb. 19 to advertise the position of police chief, following a determination by the town’s attorney that they must do so.

“According to the state statute, the town has the option of whether or not they want to form a police department,” said Attorney Josh Myrick during the meeting. “If the town does elect to form a police department, which this town has, then the department must have a chief.”

Myrick said also that the town must also consider that their municipal ordinance has established the office of chief of police.

“Even if the state code would allow you to not hire a chief, you would still need to change the ordinance,” Myrick said.

Myrick was asked to look into whether or not the town could not hire a new police chief at the council’s regular meeting Monday, Feb. 5, following the resignation of Kevin Brock on Jan. 25.

Brock served as the town’s police chief since June of 2016, following the termination of Chief Kim Wasdin.

Sgt. Michael Taylor, who is listed in meeting minutes as the acting chief and has taken over administrative duties for the department, addressed concerns with council members at the meeting, including the need to change the department’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and the issue of excessive overtime.

The town currently has three fulltime and one part-time officer, Taylor said.

One solution discussed at the Feb. 5 meeting would be to take the part-time position and make it fulltime.

At the Feb. 19 meeting, council members said changes to the SOP regulations would need to be reviewed by town prosecutor Mike Dasinger because the SOP dealt with search and seizure issues. The matter was tabled until the March 19 meeting.

Mayor Pro-Tem Jared Lyles, who presided over Monday’s meeting in the absence of Mayor Tim Wilson, said the council would need to review the town’s budget to consider whether or not they could afford to hire a chief and increase to four fulltime officers.

In other business Feb. 19, the council voted to table roof replacement and building repairs on the Oscar Johnson Memorial Library after Director Shirley Stephens questioned the use of library funds for the repairs.

Under consideration was the use of certificate of deposit funds for the repairs which would cost approximately $9,300.

“Those funds were raised through the car show fundraiser and through bake sale fundraisers, and have been designated for future expansion of the library,” Stephens said. “If the building is owned by the town, then why are we using the library’s funds for the repairs, which would virtually wipe out the funds.”

Lyles said he was unaware that there was a problem with using the funds and if those funds are not used, then the town would have to look for other ways to fund the repairs.