The Limestone County Commission is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint in lieu of the county license commission authorized under Act 746, 1978 Regular Session (Acts 1978, p. 1089) a county license commissioner, who shall be subject to the rules and regulations of the county merit system, except that the commissioner shall serve at the pleasure of the county commission. Any vacancy in such license commissioner’s office shall be filled in like manner to the original appointment. The county commission shall set the license commissioner’s salary at an amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per annum payable from funds collected by his or her office.