FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The first committee meeting of the new City Council lasted almost three hours Wednesday at the Civic Center and was attended by most of the city’s managers, who gave reports on their departments. Mayor Tim Kant came, too.

“We’re a team, and we need to work at frugality and save as much money where we can,” said Councilman Lonnie Mixon, chair of the Finance, Budget and Audit Committee. “We don’t want to get in a position where we have to reduce services.”

The committee’s vice chair is Councilman Dan Stankoski, and the remaining three members serve on the committee and attended the Nov. 5 meeting: Council President Debbie Quinn, Councilman Mike Ford and Councilman Rick Kingrea.

The members of the City Council and the mayor were sworn in Monday evening just before their first council meeting began.

“I think a lot of the managers are nervous,” said Kant, echoing Ford’s comments at Monday’s meeting that some appointed employees might not be reappointed to their current positions. “They need reassurance that they’re not going to be thrown to the wolves.”

The department heads who attended the meeting included the following who sat around a number of folding tables pulled together just minutes before the meeting: City Treasurer Nancy Wilson (city treasurer), Jennifer Fidler (public works director), Chief of Police Mike Comalander, City Clerk Lisa Hanks, Eddie Boyette (parks and recreation director), James Gillespie (administrative superintendent), Steve Seay (gas superintendent), Dan  McCrory (water and sewer superintendent), Scott Sligh (electric superintendent), Jason Coley (computer information services), Rose Fogarty (financial reporting manager), Sherry Sullivan (senior services director and communications). Bryan Seibt, human resources director, did not attend the meeting.

“Finances are a huge issue,” Quinn said at the at the start of the meeting. “We’ve got some issues we need to consider, and we don’t want to have to lay off anyone.”

She said a new study group had been created regarding financial issues and to see if any procedural or other changes would be needed to make things work more effectively.

“Minutes will be taken at all these meetings,” she said, adding residents wouldn’t need to be there to find out what happened and that all open meetings laws would be followed regarding that study group and the others established at the Monday council meeting.

“I hope this results in a great spirit of cooperation,” Quinn said.

In addition to discussing what their departments did, The managers also discussed their budgetary needs.

During that discussion, the council learned that one department head said he had not been asked to provide budgetary projections, and the first time he saw his budget was when it was presented to the council recently.

One personnel item involving budgetary numbers that did not come up at Wednesday’s meeting was the status of the city’s superintendent of utilities.

That issue appears to be set for resolution at Monday’s council meeting.

That job, which manages all three of the city-owned utilities, has been held for several administrations by the mayor, pursuant to state and local law.

During recent city elections, the issue of separating the mayor and superintendent of utilities positions became a prominent one, with some council members arguing for the positions to be split and Kant arguing against.

According to the agenda for Monday’s council meeting, the council will consider an ordinance to repeal the city ordinances that combine the two positions.

There has been some question during the past month regarding whether Kant has been serving as superintendent of utilities, or doing so on a volunteer basis at no cost. Monday’s council meeting may put that issue to rest.

The Finance, Budget and Audit Committee did not announce the date of its next meeting, but Monday’s council agenda does have an item for a report on the Nov. 5 meeting from its chairman.