SILVERHILL, Alabama --- The Town of Silverhill has a new address, Website address that is.

After months of debate the Silverhill Town Council approved in a split decision Monday night to allow Chase Bryant to set up a website for the town at silverhillalabama.com.

Bryant will set up the website at a cost of $800. After that it will be up to town employees to manage the site.

Town Council members have debated back and forth over setting up a website for well over a year, rejecting bids for a professional service, then asking the manager of another municipality’s website to help, but were then told he did not have time to manage both sites.

Bryant approached the council a few months ago offering to set up the site out of his home in Robertsdale, presenting a proposal and giving a presentation at the council’s June 18 meeting.

Council members Jared Lyles and Steve Brooks voted against the measure, which passed 3 to 2  at Monday’s meeting, with Council members Shirley Stevens and Wayne Gruenloh voting for the measure, and Mayor Tim Wilson casting the deciding vote in favor of the measure. Council member Bert Jones was not present at Monday’s meeting.

Lyles has said at past meetings that he believes the town could set up its own Website at little or no cost and proposed again at Monday’s meeting that the town also consider going live with a Facebook site he has set up.

Wilson said in the past the town did have a live Facebook site, and was told by the Alabama League of Municipalities to shut it down. The League has since come out in favor of city Facebook sites, officials said.

Bryant said while there is a concern with security on a Facebook site, he saw no reason that the town couldn’t manage both, linking the Facebook site to the town’s website and other websites that provide information about the town, such as newspaper articles.

“As long as no one is playing games on the (Facebook) site, there shouldn’t be an issue,” Bryant said.

In other business Monday, the council:

• Set a workshop meeting for Monday, July 30 at 5 p.m. to discuss the town’s 2012-13 budget.
• Approved Resolution 468 closing the public improvement savings account at United Bank. Remaining funds of $1,438.54 will be deposited into the Utility Fund at Citizens’ Bank.
• Approved Resolution 466 appointing Town Clerk Patricia Bankester to perform the mayor’s duties during the town’s municipal elections on Aug. 28. Under Section 11-46-36 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, when the mayor is up for re-election, the town must appoint a “disinterested person” to perform the mayor’s election duties.
• Approved Resolution 474 providing compensation for an absentee election manager of the sum of $50 per day for each day absentee election services are performed.
• Approved a full-page advertisement for the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce’s Flavors of the South event program at a cost of $75.