FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The public got its first glimpse this week for how the Financial Advisory Committee will handle some requests for appropriations in light of work done during the past year by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

“Where would this fit in the hierarchy of needs for the city?” Councilman Lonnie Mixon asked about a request by the planning department to pursue a federal grant proposal to fund an assessment and inventory of the city’s stormwater infrastructure.

“I wouldn’t say it would be an absolute need right now,” said Planning Director Jonathan Smith.

The committee voted to turn down the request, with Council President Debbie Quinn the only committee member voting against the motion.

That decision by the committee was only advisory in nature, and the council could still give its approve for the planning department to write the grant, said Chuck Zunk, FAC chairman.

The motion to deny the request was made by Mixon, who is also the council’s liaison to the SPSC and has been active in strategic planning efforts this year.

That steering committee filed a report with the council in July that recommended four critical issues be considered priorities and addressed by the city in the near future:

(1) replacement of the city’s computer system;

(2) develop a citywide vehicle management program;

(3) condition of city equipment/infrastructure;

(4) human resource allocation, utilization and training.

Although the memo submitted to the committee about the stormwater grant stated that “this project has been on the City of Fairhope needs list for quite some time,” that item was not included in the list of items in the Strategic Planning Steering Committee’s list of critical infrastructure issues. There were issues for most departments listed under that “condition of city equipment/infrastructure” but none for the planning department.

Mixon noted the absence of the stormwater grant on the strategic plan list, which was followed by his motion to reject the request.

The FAC was formed by the City Council this year to study and advise the council on a number of financial issues.

But the council added an additional duty to the committee’s work: that all non-budgeted appropriations would first be reviewed by the FAC before being considered by the council.

Most of the requests considered by the committee will be for non-budgeted appropriations unless there are special circumstances as there were this week when two items were considered because previously budgeted funds for those items had been spent on another project.

Although the council met for a special meeting earlier this month, it had its first regular meeting this week at 4:45 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month, which will occur at the same time each month and prior to the second council meeting of the month. It was during that Oct. 26 meeting that the FAC first considered several appropriation requests as part of its new duty.

In other business, the committee:

•Delayed consideration on grant requests regarding improvements at the city skateboard park and Theatre 98 until early next year. These items had been budgeted for last year, but funds for them were spent for the recent purchase of land for additional ball fields for the parks and recreation department, according to city staff.

•Discussed options for reducing the city’s liability for some retirement benefits of new employees.

•Decided to focus the committee’s work, in addition to reviewing non-budgeted appropriations, to these three: (1) health care/retiree benefits; (2) vehicle management and replacement plan; and (3) a cash flow model for city finances.

“We’ve taken on a whole new burden,” said committee member Stan Grubin, referring to the committee’s new job of reviewing non-budgeted appropriations and decision to focus the committee’s other work to those three items.