By Michael Butler

Monday night’s Tallassee City Council meeting included an agenda item regarding changing the mayor’s position from part-time to full-time. No motion was made.

New mayor Joey Wiginton took office last month. He is being paid $25,000 per year. Becoming full-time would likely raise his salary to the $75,000 range, comparable with other mayors.

In the past, mayors held dual titles with head of utilities included as part of the job responsibility. When Johnny Hammock was in office, the position changed from full-time to part-time near the end of his term. Previous mayor Sarah Hill maintained part-time status.

“She had a full-time job,” Wiginton said. “I can work part-time but really wanted to go full-time to make some things happen. I’m going to see if we can afford it in the budget. I feel like the city’s excited about something new.”

Wiginton will plan on putting in half days unless things change.

“It’s not fair to me or my family,” he said. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. If that’s what the city council wants, I’ll do whatever they want me to do.”

Wiginton said projects are in the works. Work is expected to begin on the new Tallassee Recreation Center in 2026.

“In March or April, hopefully the old rec center will come down. The new one will start right where that’s at. The county’s put in about $8 million. The city’s got to come up with about $2 or $3 million. We’ll have 139 parking spots. It’ll take three or four months to tear the old one down and 18 months to build the new one if everything goes accordingly.

“I’ve got a lot of people behind me. People are ready for change and to get something going again. There are things to do. I think Tallassee deserves a full-time mayor. Now’s the time to put the gasoline on the fire, not the water.”