FAIRHOPE — Fairhope city employees could have an extra $500 in their pocket in the coming months.

Fairhope City Council unanimously passed an ordinance amendment during their Sept. 11 regular city council meeting to allow for city employees who recruit an individual, who gets hired, will receive $250 after the individual has been employed for six months, and an additional $250 will be given after the person has been employed for a year.

Mayor Sherry Sullivan told council the city averages 30 vacancies and that city employees are their best way to find new employees.

Litter Trap Project

Council passed a resolution to accept the Alabama Department of Environmental Management sub-award agreement for the city's GOMESA Litter Trap Project. The city will receive $166,725 with no city match required. The money will cover the expense of installing and maintaining five litter traps on Big Mouth Gully, five on Stack Gully and two on Cowpen Creek.

The goal of the project is to capture litter such as plastic bottles, cups, straws and other long-lived debris that would otherwise discharge into coastal waters. The litter collected will be recorded to measure effectiveness.

Magnolia Avenue underground utilities

A two-block stretch of Magnolia Avenue will get underground utilities after council approved a bid proposal from U-Tech Construction Inc. not to exceed $295,380.68.

The section from the intersection of North Bancroft Street to the midway of North Section Street and North Church Street will see overhead electric lines converted to underground.

A new fitness court will be coming to the city, but the location is now in question.

Council approved the procurement of a Fitness Court System and for it to be installed on the west end of the Mike Fort Tennis Center. The equipment will not exceed $155,000. The city will receive grant funding totaling $120,000 from Fairhope Single Tax, Fairhope Rotary Club and Blue Cross Blue Shield grants, and the city will fund additional costs not to exceed $100,000.

Councilperson Burrell asked council to reconsider the location. He said he feels the Fairhope Pier area would be a better location. He said he was approached by someone willing to help buy the old restaurant that sits at the base of the bluff as a place to put the fitness court.

Councilperson Corey Martin agreed the pier area would be a better location and that joked moving the fitness court to the pier would allow more space at the tennis center for more pickleball courts in the future.

Council approved the amending of the working in the resolution to say Mike Fort Tennis Center or another location. The resolution was passed unanimously.

Quail Creek Pickle Ball Lights

Council approved the purchase of lighting for the Quail Creek Pickleball Courts. The lights will cost $37,250. Sullivan said the lights would extend playing time to 10 p.m.