TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (WAFF) – Tuscumbia City Council members approved a $10 application fee for any city jobs.

“Twenty applications and only ten show up,” District 1 City Council member Katie Logan said. “We want people to know that we’re here and we’re serious about it. We want you to be serious about it too.”

Tuscumbia city council members just approved a fee for anyone applying for a city job. Anything from public works to police officers.

The civil service board recommended the fee when a lot of people were not showing up for the interview portion.

“It’s a very lengthy process that a lot of work goes into,” Logan explained. “And we really want people to have a personal investment when they come to Tuscumbia to get a job. It’s not just coming and putting in an application and that is it. We want people to come to the interviews. We want them to see what we have to offer.”

City Council member Katie Logan said it takes anywhere from $25 to $80 to run a thorough background check.

She said the fee is to offset those charges and make sure that people have skin in the game when it comes to applying.

“We really want them to see it through,” Logan said.

At first, she was against the fee because she said she understands that those dollars may be your next meal or it could mean the difference in ensuring bills get paid.

“Inflation and gas and everything,” Logan said. “$10 was for me specifically a hard number to swallow. I know that doesn’t seem like a big amount in the end but I’m a firm believer that every dollar adds up.”

Eventually, she said she came to understand that they must trust the civil service board to do what is right for the city.

She said the fee is not there to scare you away or punish anyone, it’s there to make sure that you follow through with the process.

“We don’t want that to hinder anyone,” Logan explained. “We want them to know that when you do that, you’re putting your hope and faith in Tuscumbia. That we’re going to be here for you because you’re there for us.”

Logan said the application fee is not fully set in place.

She said if they see that no one applies, the fee can always be revisited and the council can remove it.

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