GULF SHORES, Ala. - The Gulf Shores City Council met on Monday for a brief special council meeting and followed with its regularly scheduled committee of the whole meeting.

  The special council meeting was held to simply amend the code of ordinances to specify what type of electronic voting machines the city uses, such disclosure is required by law.

  Discussion at the work session began with Recreation Director Harold Samples presenting to council bid info concerning the city leasing two reel mowers that will be exclusively used to cut grass at the Sportsplex.

  “Right now we have one reel mower that we use every day, three times a day, to cut all the fields that we cut; it takes our staff two or three hours to adjust the blades on this John Deere reel mower, with our Toro it takes just 20 minutes,” Samples said.

  In a memo sent to council, Samples recommends awarding the bid to Jerry Pate for an annual payment of $18,623.85 which is lower than the $20,155.97 bid placed by Beard Equipment which also was unable to satisfy certain specifications.

  Councilman Robert Craft asked Samples to explain what would happen after the four year lease ended. “After the four year period, the equipment would go back to the company unless we chose to buy it at fair market value,” Samples said.

  “We should definitely look at the buyout option when that time comes, because we have found in the past that a lease buyout can sometimes be a really good deal,” Craft said.

  “That way, we aren’t stuck without a piece of equipment having to start over again, and if you want something different then it can be traded.”

  City Planner Andy Bauer discussed the planning staff’s conditional recommendation for approval of a planned unit development modification for Emerald Greens. If approved the modifications would allow certain signage that otherwise wouldn’t be allowed.

  City Clerk Renee Moore reminded council that state law requires a mayor to prepare the voting list for elections, however Mayor Billy Duke is unable to perform the task for this year’s municipal election because he’s running for re-election.

  Council will need to appoint someone else, likely Moore, to prepare the voting list. Moore also presented council with a list of items considered surplus and unneeded property that will be auctioned online with any funds derived from the sale being deposited to the city’s general fund.

  The Mayor presented two items concerning the Erie Meyer Municipal Annex building located on Clubhouse Drive across from City Hall.

  The city’s chief building official, Brandan Franklin, said he’s been contacted by Roy Collins with the Mobile office of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. ADEM, which will soon lose its lease in Mobile, is seeking office space and is interested in the city finishing the second floor of the annex building in order to lease it.

  The other item concerning the annex is changing the sign in front of the building to reflect its name and occupants. Council will meet again on Monday, June 23 at 5 p.m. for its next regular meeting.