ACWORTH - The Acworth Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Thursday night to increase the hourly rate for the city's solicitor, make changes to festival ordinances and approve the purchase of a transformer for Chattahoochee Technical College's North Metro campus.

The solicitor, Randall Bentley, is the city's prosecutor. He will be paid $115 per hour for his services to the court and the city, which is a $15 increase from the $100 per hour he charged before. City Manager Brian Bulthuis said Bentley is increasing his hourly rate because it hasn't gone up in about five years.

"That's still a relatively inexpensive rate for an attorney," he said. "If you look at the cost of an attorney, that's a good rate."

His increased pay will begin Sept. 1.

Bulthuis said, in fiscal year 2008, the solicitor worked for 700 hours and the city paid him about $70,000.

The council also voted to amend an ordinance concerning festivals, such as Taste of Acworth. The amendment will allow officials to designate a larger area where people can walk around with alcohol, Bulthuis said.

The council approved the purchase of a transformer from company Stuart C. Irby to be used to supply power for the CTC's North Metro campus' new allied health building, Bulthuis said.

The transformer will cost $10,129, according to the board's agenda.