SILVERHILL, Alabama — A disciplinary hearing between the Silverhill Town Council and Police Chief Kim Wasdin, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 22, has been rescheduled to Monday, Jan. 11 at the request of Wasdin’s attorney.

Attorney Alan Lipscomb addressed the Silverhill Town Council at its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 21, saying that he was acting on behalf of Wasdin’s attorney, Narissa Nelson, who has been out of town.

“She just got back into town today and feels like one day is not enough time to prepare,” Lipscomb said.

After a special called meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, Town Attorney Josh Myrick agreed to draft a letter to serve to Wasdin explaining possible disciplinary action.

Myrick said Wasdin had 10 days to request a disciplinary hearing, stating during the town’s regular council meeting on Monday, Dec. 7, that Wasdin had expressed her desire to have a hearing within a 10-day period.

After discussing several options for public hearing dates, Wasdin, who was present at during the meeting, stated that her attorney would not be able to attend until after Dec. 21, at which time it was agreed that a special meeting would be set for Tuesday, Dec. 22. She was also present at the Monday, Dec. 21 meeting.

Myrick said he was contacted by Nelson shortly after the meeting, requesting more time to prepare for the hearing.

“This meeting is held at the discretion of the council and when to have the meeting must be decided by the council,” Myrick said. “I’m sorry for the short notice, but this is the first opportunity I’ve had to address all the council members together.”

While the ordinance does not give a time limit when the disciplinary hearing should take place, Myrick said, the council is required to allow Wasdin to have legal representation at the hearing.

The hearing can be held during a regular meeting or as a special called meeting, and a quorum must be present at the meeting. A quorum means that more than half of the voting body must be present at the meeting. The mayor is included in a quorum if the mayor is a voting member of the body, which is the case in Silverhill.

After discussing the option of holding the hearing during the council’s next regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 4, Mayor Tim Wilson said he would prefer not to hold the hearing as part of a regular meeting.

That left the options of holding the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 5 or the following Monday, Jan. 11.

“Jan. 11 would definitely be better than Jan. 5,” Lipscomb said. The meeting has been scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

While the meeting must be called within a public forum, Myrick said following the Nov. 24 meeting, the hearing itself will most likely be held within an executive session, which is a private meeting held within the public meeting for an expressed purpose.

Mayor Tim Wilson and all council members were present at Monday’s meeting. Council members Mike Allegri and Wayne Gruenloh were not present for the Nov. 24 special meeting.

A native of Stapleton and a resident of Elberta, Wasdin served as a dispatcher with the Orange Beach Police Department before graduating from the Southwest Alabama Police Academy in 1995.

She served as an officer with the Elberta, Foley and Summerdale police departments before being hired as assistant chief under Alvin Coggins in Silverhill.

When Coggins resigned because of health reasons, she was named acting chief before being confirmed as police chief in October of 2007.