Nathan Hardy was appointed to fill the open position on the Demopolis City Council during Thursday’s meeting.

Hardy will replace Mitchell Congress, who resigned in early January citing health concerns.

“I am very excited. My heart goes out to Mitchell. I look forward to working with all the council … and will strive each day to do my best,” Hardy said after the meeting.

Hardy ran against Congress in August’s municipal election but lost to the incumbent by a margin of 256-146 votes.

The appointment followed a 24-minute executive session to discuss good name and character. No other nominations were made for the open spot.

In other business, the council voted to raise garbage pick-up rates for residents .93 cents and commercial commercials .63 cents. The new monthly rates will now be $15 and $18, respectively.

Mayor Mike Grayson said Advanced Disposal will increase what they charge the city starting March 1. He said prices in Demopolis are still competitive compared to other municipalities, especially considering many other places have similar rates for a once weekly pick-up (rather than twice a week like Demopolis).

“This is something we have discussed for some time,” Grayson said. “Unfortunately, this will necessitate an increase in our home and business garbage pick-up rates.”

The council also made several appointments to city boards.

Bobby Armstead and Scott Stapp were reappointed to the hospital building authority, while Burnquetta Johnson, Betty McCants, Catherine Meador and Buck Webb were appointed to the library board.

Dr. Ronnie Chu was also chosen for the park and recreation board.

The council also passed two resolutions concerning the police department. The first would allow the department to start charging $15 for photographs from accidents and other incidents. For example, a lawyer might request pictures from a car wreck for an upcoming court case.

Police Chief Tommie Reese said the practice of charging for pictures is not uncommon among police departments.

The council also approved a resolution that would move money seized from drug cases into a bank account. If a court determined part the seized money was not part of the drug case, the money would be given back from a check out of that account.

Finally, the council approved a resolution supporting the efforts of the Alabama Scenic River Trail and declared for computers at the Demopolis Public Library as surplus.