Fairhope Approves COVID-19 Vaccination Incentive Pay for City Employees Using Federal Relief Funds

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The City of Fairhope will pay city employees an additional vaccination incentive for getting the COVID-19 vaccine, using federal pandemic relief funds.

Incentive amounts

The American Rescue Plan, approved by Congress earlier this year, provided money for municipalities to compensate employees affected by the pandemic. In May, the city awarded its full-time employees $500 for working through the pandemic. With proof of vaccination, full-time employees are now eligible for another $500. Part-time employees who get vaccinated may receive $250, and seasonal employees will receive $125.

Residents speak against measure

Residents spoke against the measure during the City Council meeting. Resident Stephanie Durnin said she was disappointed to see the item on the agenda and that its approval indicates the council lacks fiscal conservatism.

“Incentivizing a vaccination with our taxpayer funds is unconscionable and will cost a fortune,” Durnin said. “It doesn’t matter that money came from the federal government, where do you think they got it from? It is not the place of the government to rain money on those who participated in a voluntary medical procedure.”

Another resident, Stephanie Hannon, called the resolution “wrong,” “bordering on coercion” and “tantamount to bribery.” She presented pandemic data she had gathered, suggested the incentive could cause a rift among employees and urged caution about vaccines that had not received full approval.

“The emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines come with known and unknown risks,” Hannon said. “Should our city employees be injured due to taking your offer and submitting to the experimental vaccinations, what will your response be?”

Council president responds

Council President Jack Burrell said vaccination is a personal choice. “Nobody’s going to chastise you if you don’t,” he said, adding that there is no animosity between employees who have been vaccinated and those who have not. “I don’t think there is a downside to this.”

Background

During planning for the city’s 2020 Arts and Crafts Festival, then-Mayor Karin Wilson said the event might need to be canceled or rescheduled to limit potential exposure. “This scenario is the last thing I’d want for our City. However, as the City’s Chief Executive, I take the health, welfare and safety of every Citizen and Visitor to this City very seriously,” Wilson said at the time. “If the status of the virus changes within our state and the State Health Officer issued recommendations that such large events are not held, that will become my position as well.”

Alabama’s vaccination rate stands at 39 percent, the lowest in the United States.