The Maplesville Town Council on Monday approved Wesley Hicks as the newest member of the Maplesville Utilities Board.

Hicks will fill the seat formerly occupied by Clem Clapp, who resigned from the board in June.

Hicks will finish the remainder of Clapp’s six-year term slated to end in May 2018.

Hicks was one of two people that applied for the regular board member position after the council approved posting the vacancy in July.

After reviewing the applicants, the council approved Hicks for the position in a roll call vote, with Mayor W.C. Hayes Jr. and council members Hal Harrison, Richard Davis and Patty Crocker voting in favor.

Councilwoman Sheila Hall abstained from the vote, and councilwoman Hilda Atchison was absent from the meeting Monday.

In other new business, the council approved a resolution from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Currently, the route of Alabama Highway 22 includes Main Street, but the resolution would transfer the route of Alabama Highway 22 from Main Street to Foshee Avenue.

Foshee Avenue serves as the truck route through Maplesville.

Currently, Main Street is designated as Alabama Highway 22 and is therefore owned by the state.

The transfer will make Foshee Avenue a state road, meaning the state will have ownership of Foshee Avenue and be responsible for financial and maintenance obligations concerning the road, which is used heavily by large trucks hauling loads through town.

“That will be a big weight off the town,” Town Clerk Dawn Smitherman said.

As part of the transfer, the state will pave both Main Street and Foshee Avenue.

The town will claim ownership of Main Street but will not have to pay for the paving of either road.

For the police department, the council approved to purchase five new cameras and a software system for police vehicles for roughly $14,000.

At the July meeting, Police Chief Todd Ingram told the council the cameras were starting to malfunction and need to be replaced soon.

“We need them,” Ingram said. “They work sometimes, and sometimes they don’t.”

The current cameras are about seven years old and can be traded in when the town purchases the new cameras.

The council also approved Ingram’s recommendation to add Keith Crosby to the list of part-time officers.

“He’s a good candidate, I believe,” Ingram said.

Crosby will fill a vacancy created by Corry McCartney’s departure.

Court Clerk Cindy Brown read the warrant report for July, which showed the month started with 829 warrants, ended with 824, had 10 issued, five recalled and 10 warrants served.

Safe Streets Act collections were $60 for July, resulting in a total of $945 for the year thus far.