ANNISTON, AL – The Anniston City Council held its work session and regular meeting on February 3, 2026, addressing critical infrastructure planning, equipment purchases, and celebrating local student achievement.
Work Session Highlights
Comprehensive Pavement Plan Presentation
City Manager Kenneth Free and Engineering Director Branson Cole introduced representatives from GMC Engineering to present a two-phase pavement management plan for the city’s 250-plus miles of roadways.
Jason Harper and Keith Strick from GMC explained that the plan builds on data collected by Robotics in 2019-2020, which assigned condition ratings to every road in Anniston on a scale of one to five, with five being the worst condition. The assessment was finalized in January 2020 but implementation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The majority of the roads at that time were four and five,” Mayor Ciara Smith noted. “And outside of the ones that we’ve actually addressed, those roads obviously haven’t gotten better.”
Cole emphasized that the engineering department lacks the capacity to prioritize the extensive list of deteriorating roads without professional assistance. “I can give each of you 15 plus five road, 15 number five roads in each of your wards,” Cole said. “How do we prioritize our five over the next five? That’s where GMC is going to come in and really shine.”
The proposal consists of two phases: Phase one involves creating a comprehensive prioritization plan using the existing data, considering factors beyond just road condition, such as proximity to schools, traffic volume, and community needs. Phase two involves annual implementation, where GMC would develop detailed bid packages, assess specific road requirements including patching, milling, and appropriate asphalt thickness.
GMC representatives stated they would aggressively pursue grant funding opportunities, including CDBG and state funds, to supplement the city’s pavement budget. The firm noted its 22-year history and growth to nearly 800 employees across the Southeast.
Council members expressed concern about equitable distribution of pavement projects across wards. The plan would provide citizens with concrete timelines for when their roads will be addressed, taking decision-making burden off individual council members.
Budget Amendments and Equipment Needs
The council reviewed budget amendments to recognize fire department donations and update police department capital outlay descriptions.
The Police Chief presented urgent needs for camera system upgrades, explaining that SD cards in patrol vehicle cameras have been failing since October 2024, compromising video quality and making it difficult to identify individuals. The department also requires computer upgrades due to security issues following recent Windows updates.
The city is negotiating to purchase four additional cameras in partnership with the county, bringing the total to approximately 14 cameras that will feed into centralized systems at both the police department and downtown.
Fire Apparatus Purchase
Fire Chief Phelps presented a request to purchase a 2026 Sutphen 100-foot platform ladder truck to replace the current apparatus at Station 1, which is over 20 years old and no longer meets NFPA standards for frontline service.
“I was a rookie when we got that truck,” Chief Phelps said. “According to the NFPA, it is not a viable frontline truck.”
The department has spent over $70,000 in maintenance on the aging truck this year alone. The new apparatus costs $2.3 million, with an initial down payment of $100,000 split between general funds and 5X funds. The purchase will be structured as a lease-purchase agreement over seven years. The existing truck can serve as a reserve for up to five years before NFPA requires its retirement.
Runners Club Sponsorship Debate
The council engaged in extensive discussion about a $3,000 sponsorship request from the Anniston Runners Club for the annual Woodstock 5K race.
Councilmember Tolson raised concerns about sponsorship priorities, questioning whether the funds could be better spent on infrastructure and community needs. “We need roads, we need trees trimmed, we need trash picked up,” Tolson said. “I want to be able to start saying yes to our citizens, just like we’re saying yes to these events.”
She also emphasized the need for more youth programming, suggesting funds could support recreational activities for children whose families cannot afford participation fees.
Councilmember Moss countered that such partnerships are important for economic development and attracting residents. “When you’re trying to do economic development, we’re trying to bring businesses in here, they are looking to see what does Anniston offer its citizens, what kind of activities are there,” Moss said. “We have a very huge bicycle and running community.”
Mayor Smith suggested removing the item from the consent agenda to allow for fuller discussion, noting that the Runners Club has been a city partner for over 40 years and that the Woodstock 5K brings hundreds of runners to Anniston annually.
Councilmember Downey requested a comprehensive list of all city donations and sponsorships to evaluate spending priorities holistically. “If we’re going to say no to this donation, we need to sit back and we need to look at all the donations that we’re giving out and figure out how we’re going to prioritize what that looks like,” Smith said.
The item was removed from the consent agenda for future discussion.
Maternity Leave Policy Proposal
City Manager Free announced plans to develop a maternity leave policy for city employees, noting that the city currently lacks such a policy.
Under current practice, pregnant employees must exhaust all personal leave, then rely on donated leave from colleagues, and finally go on unpaid leave under FMLA protections. Free called this inadequate for 2026.
“We should be doing a lot better job of taking care of our employees,” Free said.
He proposed following the Alabama state government’s policy of eight weeks paid leave for birthing mothers, which can be divided between pre-birth and post-birth periods. The policy would also include provisions for fathers and adoptive parents.
Free emphasized the proposal would cost the city nothing in additional budget allocation because salaries are already budgeted for the full year, and FMLA already protects job positions. He positioned the policy as important for recruitment and retention.
Council members expressed support for the proposal, with Free promising to provide draft language for review.
Fleet Management Discussion
Questions arose about the city’s fleet management practices following a request to surplus a 2012 Dodge Charger requiring over $6,000 in engine repairs.
City officials explained that fleet management is decentralized, with police, fire, and public works each managing their own vehicles. Replacement decisions are made based on mileage, condition, and available budget rather than a standardized depreciation schedule.
Police Chief noted that some vehicles perform better at 150,000 miles than others, so annual reviews determine which vehicles to keep operational and which to surplus.
Councilmember Tolson suggested the city explore fleet investment strategies used by other municipalities to save money long-term.
City Council Meeting
The formal meeting began at 5:30 p.m. with invocation by Councilmember Harrington and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Special Recognition: Anniston Middle School Basketball Team
The council honored the Anniston Middle School boys basketball team for winning the Calhoun County Junior Varsity Championship. This marked the first championship under new rules prohibiting ninth-graders from participating, making the victory entirely with seventh and eighth graders.
Coach Reed praised the team for overcoming adversity and working together. “Y’all stay together, y’all are going to win at least two more state championships when you get to the high school level,” he predicted.
Mayor Smith emphasized the importance of perseverance for Anniston youth. “Anniston kids, and you only know this if you are an Anniston kid or have graduated from the Anniston City School System, we face adversity on a completely different level,” she said. “Winning is not always about getting a championship trophy. It’s being able to pull through and persevere no matter what comes your way.”
She thanked parents for their involvement, noting that addressing youth development requires collective effort beyond just city government and schools.
Consent Agenda
The council approved the consent agenda as amended, which included:
- Budget amendments for fire department donations and police department capital outlay updates
- Surplus declaration for the 2012 Dodge Charger
- Purchase authorization for the Sutphen fire apparatus
- Appointment to the Anniston Historic Preservation Commission
- Bid awards for grass cutting, lot cleanup, and demolition of CDBG properties
Total demolition contracts awarded amounted to $42,767.50 for ten properties, while grass cutting and cleanup contracts totaled $10,050.00 for fourteen properties.
Public Comment: Runners Club
Hayley Long, sponsorship coordinator and bookkeeper for the Anniston Runners Club, addressed the council along with new club president Hayley Wood.
Long thanked the city for over 20 years of sponsorship support and explained how funds are utilized. Half supports the club’s overall budget while half goes directly to the Woodstock 5K. Last year’s event drew over 1,000 registered participants and several thousand spectators, with more than 50% coming from outside the Anniston, Oxford, and Jacksonville area.
“This helped promote tourism in our area,” Long said.
The club distributes race proceeds to local charities including the ARC of Calhoun and Cleburn Counties, the YMCA, the RMC Foundation, local schools and athletic programs, and scholarship funds for two local high school students.
Long acknowledged sponsorship challenges last year but emphasized the city’s consistent support as a gold sponsor. She noted a new title sponsorship with Publix for 2026 that includes increased insurance, TV commercials, radio ads, and social media promotion.
“We hope we can continue our partnership with the city of Anniston as we have found it to be such a success working together over so many decades,” Long concluded.
Council Comments
Councilmember Downing thanked residents and employees for their dedication and partnership with the city.
Councilmember Tolson expressed appreciation for learning about the Runners Club’s community contributions and looked forward to continued partnership.
Councilmember Harrington thanked council colleagues, city staff, and department heads while encouraging residents to check on neighbors.
Councilmember Moss apologized for canceling the Ward 4 meeting due to weather and rescheduled it for February 28 at 2 p.m. at the Norman Hodges Community Center. She encouraged residents to attend work sessions to hear detailed discussions and praised the council’s respectful collaboration despite disagreements.
Mayor Smith had no additional comments before the executive session.
Executive Session
The meeting adjourned into executive session to discuss potential property transactions and economic development negotiations involving competition with other governmental bodies or private entities.
Administrative Updates
City Manager Free announced the elevator at City Hall should be operational by early April, with parts arriving mid-February and installation taking approximately four weeks. Council meetings will then return to City Hall.
Free also provided technology updates, noting improvements to audio-visual systems for both in-person and online viewing of meetings.
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for February 20, 2026.
The Anniston City Council meetings are open to the public with work sessions typically held at 4:30 p.m. followed by formal meetings at 5:30 p.m. Public comment sign-ups are accepted until 3 p.m. on the Friday before each meeting.
