Monday night’s County Commission meeting yielded more action than usual. From a mildly heated debate and a feel-good proclamation, to an emotional declaration of thanks and a somber moment of recognition, it was quite an interesting night. The high points:
Prayers for Commissioner James Kelly and Family
Commissioner Kelly being absent due to an open-heart surgery, thoughts and prayers went to him in the room as Commission Chairman Sammy Holdsambeck said, “The ‘widowmaker’ had a two-inch blockage that was 90% blocked.” The Chairman said he talked to Kelly on Sunday and “he’s doing pretty good.”
Cahaba River Awareness Day
A proclamation passed easily to declare February 23, 2019, to be “Cahaba River Awareness Day” in Bibb County. Requested by Denise McMillan, head of BCHS Bicentennial projects, and supported by the Board of Education, with some members present, the intent is in recognizing not only the scientific and environmental significance of the Cahaba River, but to recognize the local volunteerism that helps to maintain it. The day will only be this year and not an annual recurrence.
Bibb County High School, an Alabama Bicentennial School, is sponsoring the event and simply wanted the county commission to declare the day countywide to bolster recognition. West Blocton High School is also planning a cleanup.
The proclamation reads:
WHEREAS the volunteer spirit that helped to build Bibb County is alive and strong today, and each year many citizens commit their time and talents to improve the quality of life for our entire community, and
WHEREAS the entire community benefits from the valuable contributions that volunteers make, and
WHEREAS the Cahaba River was noted in recent publications from The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund as one of only eight “Hotspots of Biodiversity” out of 2,111 watersheds in the United States, and
WHEREAS the entire community for generations to come may benefit economically and recreationally from the Cahaba River,
THEREFORE WE, the Bibb County Commissioners, do hereby proclaim February 23, 2019 “Cahaba River Awareness Day” in Bibb County.
A New County Website
“We can’t update it,” County administrator Derek Reeves said of the existing website, adding, “There’s a lot of old information on there.”
After a presentation from Centreville Tech proposing multiple options of what a new Bibb County web site could be and would achieve for the county in attracting new residents and giving the county a more modern appearance and online functionality, the Commission approved an incremental implementation. The process will start with a whole new redesigned site that would allow analytics reports to track site traffic and give the County Administrator ability to update information on the site as needed.
The package approved costs $5,990, which pays the designer to redo the branding, rebuild the site, handle domain registration, host the site for a year, and back it all up every 24 hours in case of an outage. Also included will be new professional photographs of county buildings and personnel.
“I am not Nancy Pelosi”
Commissioner Keefe Burt debated the merits and insufficient information regarding the State’s proposed new gas tax with County Engineer Jeff McKinney. At the peak of what became a slightly heated discussion, Burt declared, “I am not Nancy Pelosi,” stating that he would not pass or support any legislation he didn’t have full information on.
The gas tax in question is the same that brought controversy in the state when Governor Kay Ivey announced during her inaugural speech her plans to implement a new state tax increase on fuel, without specifics.
The County Engineer brought to the Commission a request to place an explanatory info-graphic about the gas tax and its effects in the newspaper and online, in order to build public understanding and support for the idea, as the new gas tax would bring in more money for our local roads. “It’s the small roads this is for,” McKinney stated. Adding that it would inject about a quarter million dollars per year into the county road budget.
Commissioners, in this discussion lead by Burt, insisted that there was not enough information about what else was involved in this new tax and they did not want to put the Bibb County Commission’s name on public support for it.
“I’d like to see the actual legislation being proposed,” Commissioner Burt added. McKinney stated he would return at a later meeting with more detailed information, and retracted his request at this time.
Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday
A reminder from County EMA Director Kirk Smith:
February 23 – 25, 2019 is a State sales tax holiday much like the tax “holiday” that helps with back to school shopping that everyone is now familiar with, except instead of school supplies, the Severe Weather Preparedness weekend intends to help people purchase emergency items without paying sales tax on those items. For a list of items included in the tax-free holiday, click here.
EMA Payback, and a Thank You
Bibb County Emergency Management Director Kirk Smith brought multiple items of good news to the Commission, including the tax holiday reminder.
After several years of hard work and determination, not to mention over $5,600 out of his own pocket, Mr. Smith has passed and received certifications that qualify the county to receive a subsidy to help pay his salary and inject money into the county budget. He asked for approval to request the subsidy from the State once all paperwork was received and in order regarding his new certifications.
Director Smith spoke emotionally – and rightly – of being proud of receiving the Certified Local Emergency Management credential through college coursework and job experience. “This is a big achievement for me, in my life,” Smith said. He spoke of having trouble learning to read as a child, and gave thanks for Alberta Goree and Virginia Rinehart, 7th and 8th grade teachers at Heiberger Elementary School who helped him through his difficulties and ultimately to graduate high school. “If you work hard, and you pray, God will take care of you. This is proof of it right here. It may not be big for some folks, but it’s a big thing for me,” he concluded.
Congratulations Kirk, on this substantial achievement!
Help to Repair the Cahaba Riverwalk
Following the flood last month it came to light that the Riverwalk trail had been washed away and the location for the planned improvements was damaged. A request was made and approved for the County Engineer to consult on what would need to be done to repair the damage so that the improvement project may continue safely. For more information about the improvement plans, click here for the Bibb Voice coverage of the announcement.
Other Business
Additional small items of the night included the reimbursement for Health Insurance for the County Registrar and the repair of the freezer in the county jail, which was stated to need a new compressor. Both items passed.
