Fired Sylacauga city clerk and treasurer Alexandra Lambert has entered into mediation after a judge ruled she was wrongfully terminated on a technicality.
According to a court order obtained by 1819 News, presiding Circuit Judge Chad Woodruff entered the ruling after hearing arguments.
Lambert was hired as city clerk and treasurer in 2023. Documents show that then-Mayor Jim Heigl sent a recommendation letter for the city council to hire Lambert. She was previously employed by the police department, so the hiring was considered a promotion. The city council approved the hiring and/or promotion in a city council meeting on April 4, 2023.
After Heigl fired Lambert in 2025, she appealed the decision to the Civil Service Board of Sylacauga (CSB) on April 4, 2025, claiming the termination was unlawful and unconstitutional. After more than a year of appeals that reached the Circuit Court, a judge sided with Lambert.
Woodruff outlined the proceedings. Last year, the CSB initially ruled unanimously that Lambert violated rules, regulations and procedures. A police report obtained by 1819 News states that Alexandra Lambert was accused of altering financial documents and other violations. The CSB determined Lambert violated several rules, regulations and procedures, including "offensive personnel habits,” misconduct, defective workmanship, falsification of records, dishonesty, theft, destruction or negligent use, willful damage of city property or property of others and serious violations of department rules, all claims Lambert says are false.
In an amended order, the CSB ruled 2-1 that the mayor had the authority to fire Lambert because he hired her in 2023. The dissenting CSB member ruled the mayor never had that authority. Lambert appealed the ruling on April 11, 2025.
The court heard Lambert’s appeal on January 27 and determined that the council is, in fact, the authority to hire a city clerk and city treasurer.
Woodruff stated that Heigl only had the authority to temporarily remove Lambert from her position but was required to report to the council the reasons for doing so.
“It is undisputed that no such report was made by the Mayor and the reason for not doing so as required by statute is unknown,” Woodruff stated. “Likewise, it is also unknown but irrelevant to the Court why the City Council did not address or choose to take action when notified the Mayor had terminated their City Clerk/Treasurer. The Court recognizes there may have been valid reasons for the Council’s inaction; they are simply unknown based on the record before the Court.”
Because the CSB decision found the mayor had the authority to terminate Lambert because he hired her, Woodruff reversed the finding after discovering the mayor did not hire her.
“The Court finds that the Plaintiff, Alexandra Lambert, was wrongfully terminated because, as outlined above, the Mayor did not have the authority to terminate her,” Woodruff wrote. “Because the Mayor did NOT have the authority to fire the City Clerk/Treasurer under his general supervisory capacity, the Court need not review the merit of the CSB decision that found multiple violations by Plaintiff.”
Woodruff did not consider the reinstatement of Lambert’s position because her term ended during litigation. He found the parties should resolve the matter between them “informally,” within the next 60 days and ordered them to mediation. If the parties are unable to remedy the matter, the Court will enter a final order.
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