SILVERHILL, Alabama — Emotions ran high at the Silverhill Town Council meeting Monday night where council members voted on a pair of actions in an effort to keep Police Chief Kim Wasdin.

Questions stemmed from a town ordinance which requires that the police chief live within the town’s limits, and a section of the town’s personnel policy which allows police officers and members of the utilities department to take work vehicles home if they live within 10 miles of town hall.

When Wasdin was hired as the town’s police chief four years ago, it was with the stipulation that she find residence within the town’s limits within a two-year period, but because of the economic downturn Wasdin has not been able to sell her 10-acre property in Elberta, which is just under 20 miles from town hall.

“I could rent the property but that would barely cover the mortgage payment and wouldn’t cover upkeep, let alone allow me to afford a place here in town,” she said. “Bottom line is there is no way I can afford a place here until I sell that property.”

Two years ago, when the required time ran out, the council voted for a six-month extension on the requirement and has re-evaluated and voted on an extension every six months since that time.

As for the requirement of having to leave her vehicle within 10 miles of town hall, Wasdin said that requirement was waived when she was hired four years ago.

“As the chief I am on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she said. “It is just not feasible for me to park my squad car 10 miles from town, have other transportation waiting to take me home, then have to have transportation back to my squad car. In an emergency situation, the emergency will be over by the time I get here.”

Several residents, including members of the town’s police and fire departments, were on hand at Monday’s meeting to speak on Wasdin’s behalf.

“We have already lost two officers here in town,” said one resident. “She is a valuable asset for this town that we cannot afford to lose.”

Wasdin herself made an impassioned plea to town council members to change the town’s ordinance or to at least waive the requirements until she can find a place in town.

“I have brought this department from a laughing stock to a department where other departments in the area are trying to steal my officers away and in some cases they are succeeding,” she said. “I have never asked for anything for myself and aside from when I had cancer and had to have surgery, I have put in more than 40 hours a week every week since I have been here. Most weeks I work 60 or 70 hours. I love this town. I love this department and I love these officers. All I’m asking for is this one little thing which will allow me to keep serving the people of Silverhill the way I have been since I was first hired.”

Town Council members voted unanimously at Mondays meeting, first to extend the requirement that Wasdin live within the town’s police jurisdiction another six months at which time another evaluation would be conducted, then voted to approve a variance allowing Wasdin to take her vehicle up to 20 miles from town hall.

“I just want your assurance that when we do this, you are still going to try and move within the town limits,” said Council member Wayne Gruenloh, “because when we do this, it would be easy for you to say, ‘I don’t have to worry about that anymore.’”

Wasdin assured Council members that she still wants to and is actively pursuing a move to Silverhill.

“Within six months after I started working here I truly fell in love with Silverhill and the people here,” she said. “Believe me, when I have the ability to move, I will definitely choose to live here.”

In other business Monday night, after nearly an hour of discussion, the council stalemated on a decision to allow the Save the Little Hall Committee to move the building to Paul Anderson Park across from town hall.

The building was shifted off its foundation and sustained extensive damage during a tornado that struck in Silverhill March 9. The Silverhill Town Council voted at its meeting Monday, May 16 to proceed with plans to build a new structure and plans have been discussed to move Little Hall from its current location and refurbish the structure for use as a museum.

A proposal to give the Committee the go-ahead to use the park, provided that the facility be brought up to code and restore the building to its original condition, which means replacing the vinyl siding on the structure with natural wood, did not pass when two council members and Mayor Tim Wilson voted for the measure and three council members voted against it.

Michael York, co-chairman for the Save the Little Hall Committee spoke on behalf of the group with several of the group’s members in attendance at Monday’s meeting.

“We understand that there is a lot that needs to be done on the project and we need to get to work,” York said. “We just need to know from you whether or not we can proceed with plans to move the building into the park across the street and we can go from there.”

Council members Jared Lyles and Steve Brooks, who both voted against the measure at Monday’s meeting, both expressed reservations about the move.

“My issue is not whether we are going to move the building to this park over here,” Lyles said. “My issue is that there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved once the building is moved. First and foremost, what are we going to do with the building because if it’s going to be a museum, then I don’t think a museum is going to make money which raises the issue of how are we going to fund maintenance on the building. The upkeep of an 80-year-old building won’t be cheap no matter where we put it. I also think if we vote to give them the go-ahead without putting in certain restrictions, then I think we are limiting our control over what they can do with the building and I’m just not willing to do that.”

Brooks expressed issue over fundraising efforts and the cost of moving the facility from the town’s Ball Park to Paul Anderson Park at the corner of Highway 104 (Main Street) and County Road 55.

“First off I want to say that nobody wants to save Little Hall more than the people on this council, but I have heard several different figures from $20,000 up to $100,000 and now we’re talking about replacing the vinyl siding which will cost more money,” Brooks said. “I think we need a more concrete figure of what it’s going to take to move the building, how much it will cost and how you’re planning on raising the money. That’s something I haven’t heard yet.”

Council member Bert Jones also voted against the measure at Monday’s meeting. Council members Shirley Stephens and Wayne Gruenloh, along with Wilson, voted for the measure.

After the measure failed to pass, Committee members agreed to address the concerns of the council and come back with a proposal to the council’s Nov. 21 meeting.

“The main issue we are dealing with is that what we have over there right now is a public hazard and unless we move the structure, we have no insurance if something happens,” Wilson said. “We have already signed a contract to begin construction of a new facility and that should begin within a couple of months. If we are not going to save the old structure then we would like to use some of the materials in construction of the new facility, but we need to know something soon.”

In other action Monday night the council voted to amend the town’s personnel policy issuing longevity pay checks on the week ending Nov. 24, instead of the first pay period in December.

The council also voted to allow Mary deLaunay, the town’s representative to the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, to spend up to $100 on auction items for the Chamber’s Annual Banquet in January.