SILVERHILL, Ala. — The Silverhill Town Council began the new year Monday night with a new council member.

The Council’s first order of business was the swearing in of former County Commissioner Wayne Gruenloh as the town’s newest Council member.

Silverhill Town Council members voted unanimously to appoint Gruenloh at the Monday, Dec. 20 meeting to fill the vacant seat.

Rodney Criswell, who defeated longtime Council member John Ullrich in the last election, announced in September that he was stepping down. Under a newly adopted policy, Criswell stated he was no longer allowed to hold public office as an employee of the state of Alabama.

Criswell’s last official day with the town was Oct. 31.

Gruenloh was one of four Silverhill residents who expressed interest in the position, including a former council member.

Mike Allegri, who was appointed to fill a vacant council seat in 2005, lost to Bert Jones in the 2008 election. Alan Norden, who ran unsuccessfully for the town’s mayoral position in 2008, also expressed interest in the position, along with resident Norman Young.

In other business Monday, council members clashed over waiving tapping fees for a rental property on County Road 55.

Ray Byrd, owner of the property, asked the town to waive the $900 tapping fee. In exchange, Byrd will hire a contractor to bore the line underneath the highway, which is necessary to connect the property with the town’s existing water line.

Council member Jared Lyles made a motion to waive the tapping fee, but the motion was not carried after a vote of 3-3 on the measure. Council member Shirley Stephens seconded the motion and voted for the measure, along with Gruenloh. Council members Bert Jones and Steve Brooks voted against the measure with Mayor Tim Wilson casting the deciding vote.

Brooks said his main concern was a liability issue in bringing in an outside company to complete the bore.

“I just don’t see how we can get around the fact that they are working for the town,” he said.

After failing to pass the measure, Lyles made another motion to waive charges equal to the $900 fee, minus the cost of materials.

Again Brooks and Jones voted against the measure, but this time Wilson cast the deciding vote for the measure, which passed 4-2. In addition to material cost, Byrd will also be responsible for payment of a utility access fee of $800.

In other business the council:

— Voted to send town clerk Patricia Bankester to a conference Jan. 26-28 in Tuscaloosa for a fee of $235, plus lodging and other expenses.

— Approved a one-year computer service contract with Data Trust.

— Approved the roster for the town’s Volunteer Fire Department.

— Accepted a “memorandum of understanding” for the donation of property adjacent to Oscar Johnson Park for “outdoor recreational use as a walking trail.” Lyles asked that the agreement be changed to add “including, but not limited to” to the wording, but said he would still be in favor of the agreement without the wording change.

— Changed its Monday, Jan. 17 meeting to Tuesday, Jan. 18. Town offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

— Set a planning meeting for Monday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the town audit, which was presented to the council by Carl Johnson at the Dec. 20 meeting.

— Tabled a measure to purchase land on South Boulevard. Wilson said that, among other issues, could also be discussed at the Jan. 24 work session.