Hartselle City Council voted to appropriate $4,550 of non-budgeted funds to fund half the cost of installing a two-bay vehicle charging station in the city, with Hartselle Utilities footing the other half of the bill.

The council approved the resolution at a regular meeting Dec. 17.Mayor Randy Garrison said he met twice with HU general manager Bob Sittason to discuss the merits of such a partnership.

“It’s an economic development opportunity for our city,” Garrison pointed out. “It’s a way for us to get travelers off I-65 to spend some time shopping in the central business district.”

He said the charging station will be located in one of the city’s off-street parking lots. It will be capable of recharging two vehicles at the same time, with a maximum 24-hour wait. Hookups will be free, but a nominal hourly charge will be made for vehicles not picked up in a timely manner.

In other council businesses, two ordinances for the annexation and zoning of a 43-acre tract on Lando Cain Road were introduced.

The property is within a priority two annexation area in the current comprehensive plan. The planning commission will make a formal recommendation at its Jan. 7 meeting. The council will hold a public hearing and give final consideration on Jan. 14.

If adopted, the annexed property will be zoned for townhouse and patio home, R4 and R5, respectively. Townhouses would be on the north half of the property, and patio homes would be located on the south half.

The 2012 comprehensive plan recommended this area be a future mixture of commercial, multi-family and R1 single-family uses.

The council also:

•approved a one-time amendment to the vacation accrual policy.

•authorized the mayor to sign a three-year audit contract renewal with RiverTree Systems Inc.

•authorized the mayor to purchase cancer insurance for fire and rescue personnel for $198.24 per year per firefighter pursuant to Act No. 2019-361.