SHEFFIELD - Police Chief Greg Ray said he welcomes discussion of a nepotism policy for city employees and would have no problem with the city adopting one.

The subject of a nepotism policy came up when it was introduced by Sheffield City Councilman Waylon Huguley Jr. after the chief recommended hiring a law enforcement officer whose husband is employed in the department.

While he said he has no issues with either officers’ qualifications, Huguley asked if the city had a nepotism policy, only to discover it did not.

“I actually thought there was one in place,” Huguley said. I thought maybe there was something in the civil service act or employee’s handbook. I think it’s something we should look at.”

The applicant, Nikki Inman, was hired as a patrol officer but Ray said she would not be working the same shift as her husband, patrolman Bobby Inman, nor would either officer be in a supervisory position over the other.

“What I was looking for was the best officer,” Ray said.

He said Nikki Inman came with six years’ experience while the next applicant on the list would have had to attend the police academy.

“I have no problem having one,” Ray said of a nepotism policy. “It’s probably a good idea.”

He said other city departments also employ relatives.

“I do think it’s something that we do need to look at,” Mayor Ian Sanford said.
Florence, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia have nepotism policies.
Florence’s policy has been in place since 1997, city spokesman Phil Stephenson said.

The policies are similar and focus on preventing someone from being in a supervisory position over an immediate family member. The policies do not address relatives working in the same departments under the same supervisor.

Immediate family is defined as a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece and the same relationships of the individual’s spouse, according to the Muscle Shoals policy.

Florence’s policy adds stepchildren, stepsiblings and stepparents to that list.

Florence and Muscle Shoals policies have a grandfather clause, but an employee who becomes involved in a relationship contrary to the nepotism policy can be transferred, given the option to resign or face termination.

Muscle Shoals’ policy has been in place since the employee handbook was completed in 1995.

Muscle Shoals also has a policy that states residents who apply for a position on a city board can have no immediate family members employed under the jurisdiction of the municipal board or to any board to which the council makes appointments.

Tuscumbia has long had a nepotism policy but recently updated it. One of the main changes in the policy is the inclusion of relatives of elected officials.

The Tuscumbia City Council approved the updated policy this year, on Councilman Richard Coates’ suggestion. There were no ongoing issues at the time involving nepotism. Council members looked at several policies, including those in Muscle Shoals and Hoover, to get ideas for Tuscumbia’s policy.

Tuscumbia Mayor Billy Shoemaker said it is important to have the policy set for future administrations.

Speculating on the depth of a nepotism policy for Sheffield, Ray asked if a policy should address dating between employees.

“Could you consider that nepotism?” Ray asked.

Another possibility is two people who are not married but have a child together.

Bobby Inman said he and his wife worked together at the University of North Alabama Police Department before they were married.

“I ran the training center and she was the training coordinator,” Inman said.
They also worked closely when he was the assistant police chief in Leighton and his wife was a Colbert County sheriff’s deputy.

“We’ve actually worked together since 2005,” Bobby Inman said.

Inman said he has no qualms about working with his wife and in fact, said he would feel more comfortable going into a dangerous situation with his wife because he knows how she has been trained.

“I trained with her for two years,” he said.

Huguley said he is gathering policies from other Shoals cities to see what they contain and if they could be used in Sheffield.

“We need to look at what everybody else is doing and see if we can find something that works for us,” he said.

Sanford said there have not been problems resulting from family members working together for the city.

He said having a relative in a department can create the perception that someone has an advantage over other employees.

“I’m not saying it’s right or wrong,” he said. “I hope everyone is looked at by merit and qualifications.”

Russ Corey can be reached at 256-740-5738 or russ.corey@TimesDaily.com.
Bernie Delinski, Hannah Mask and Robert Palmer contributed to this report.