SILVERHILL, Alabama – Pageant winners from this year’s Little Miss Heritage Pageant presented a check for $750 to Mayor Tim Wilson and the Silverhill Town Council at its meeting Monday night.

Council member Jared Lyles, one of the pageant’s organizers, said the pageant has raised over $1,500 in its first two years. At its meeting Oct. 3, the council passed a resolution to set up a checking account for the Pageant, with a beginning balance of $1,541.16.

Proceeds from the pageant were set to benefit the town’s Kid’s Park, but Lyles requested at Monday’s meeting that the monies be used to provide playground equipment and additional improvements for Oscar Johnson Park.

Madison McCartney Williams, a student at Robertsdale Elementary School, was crowned Little Miss Heritage 2011 at the second annual pageant held Saturday, Sept. 16 at Silverhill Elementary School.

All 27 participants in this year’s pageant participated in this year’s Heritage Day Parade, held earlier in the day on Saturday, along with 2010 Little Miss Heritage Ally Mavar, who took her final walk and presented awards to the 2011 winners.

Mia Galnares, a student at Robertsdale Elementary, the daughter of Carlos and Margarita Galnares, was the first runner-up and earned the Prettiest Dress award. Anna-Kate Michele O’Connor, a student at Rockwell Elementary, daughter of Shawn and Tracy O’Connor was second runner-up. Third runner-up was Allyson Brooke Bankester, a student at Stapleton Elementary, the daughter of Joseph and Shannon Bankester.

Foley Elementary student Mayme Arlene McFarland, the daughter of Brian and Kiri McFarland, claimed the fourth runner-up spot. Matalyne Grace Kroll, a student at Robertsdale Elementary, the daughter of Matt and Stephanie Kroll, was named Most Photogenic.

The pageant is open to girls in kindergarten and first grade from throughout Baldwin County.

In other business Monday, the council voted to pass three resolutions amending the town’s pay scale for employees.

Resolution 448 and Resolution 450 amended Resoultion 435. Resolution 448 provides pay scale benefits for salaried employees in town while Resolution 450 provides pay scale benefits for hourly employees, except police department employees. Previously, Resolution 435 provided pay scale benefits for all employees except for police department employees.

Resolution 450 also provided additional pay scale benefits for the assistant utility superintendent and utility court clerk. Previously pay scales for all employees include seven levels of merit raises, but the current employees for assistant utility superintendent and utility court clerk had maxed out their pay scales. Pay scale for those two positions now provides merit raises up to level 11 which will bring both employees to a higher level and provide room for future raises.

Resolution 449 amended Resolution 434 which provides pay scale benefits for police department hourly employees.

Both measures required a unanimous vote to suspend the rules, then passage by roll call vote. All three measures passed unanimously. Council member Bert Jones was not present at Monday’s meeting.

In other business Monday the council:

• Tabled passage of a contract with Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood for construction of a new Silverhill Community Center Building.

• Voted to send Town Clerk Patricia Bankester to a clerk conference Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in Orange Beach at a cost of $225, plus any additional expenses incurred during the conference.

• Voted to allow Chief Kim Wasdin and Superintendent of Utilities Steve Williams to spend up to $150 on glow sticks to hand out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

• Voted to allow Williams to spend up to $3,000 to purchase LED lights for Gazebo Park. Williams said the plan was to eventually replace all of the town’s Christmas lights with LED lights, which would cost a total of $12,000 spread over four years. The town’s budget provides for $2,000 for maintenance of the lights, but LED lights use less electricity and should last longer than what the town has previously purchased, Williams said.

• Agreed to allow Wilson to appoint Josephine Fosberg to the town’s Library Board.

• Discussed increasing the boot allowance for utilities employees from $50 to $100 per year and increasing the uniform allowance for police officers from $350 to $400. The town’s personnel policy states the town will pay half the cost up to the set amount. However, no vote was taken at Monday’s meeting.

• Announced that the town’s police department has received a $3,000 grant for the purchase of camera equipment. Silverhill Police Chief Kim Wasdin invited all council members to attend the October Baldwin County Chief’s Breakfast, which will be held Oct. 26 at Silverhill Town Hall.